THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

Dictionary defines a name as a word or set of words by which a person or thing is known, addressed, or referred to. Your name is the greatest connection to your identity, uniqueness and individuality. The sound of your name is the main significant description that promptly gets your attention. It is the sound code that causes people to recognise you as a person. Name is very important because it has the ability to define us. It is the distinction that makes us worthy of notice and attention.

Reference: Philippians 2:9-11 King James Version (KJV) 'Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'

Jesus is a Name. His Name became the greatest Name in heaven, on earth and under the earth. As a result, He became the Lord of all and this glorifies God, our heavenly Father. Why was He given the Name above every name? The Bible says, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8 ESV). Though Jesus is God, He humbled Himself as a servant, by coming to earth, living in obedience, and dying on the cross. Jesus did not die as a champion on a battlefield, but rather He died as an innocent man, who was shamefully stripped in the public. He was mocked, disgraced, humiliated and oppressed, yet He endured all. However this was part of God's plan for His life as a sacrifice for sinners. By fulfilling the will of the Father to be the sacrifice for our sins, Jesus was given the ultimate glory and honour of the greatest Name in heaven and on earth.

Jesus as the Name above all names means that is it is more powerful than any other name because God has highly exalted the person of Jesus Christ. His Name is given by God to every Christian who will or has confessed Jesus as Lord and has been filled with His Spirit. We also rely on His Name to do His work and live a successful Christian life.

How do we activate the power vested in the Name of Jesus? First, we can pray to God in the Name of Jesus. This means, 'to stand in the place of Jesus and become His voice.' We are not to pray directly to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the just men made perfect or dead saints who are now living up in heaven. We pray directly to God in Jesus' Name. When we pray in Jesus' Name, we activate the power in the Name and put it work. This means that our prayer lives as Christians are expressed from a place of demonstrating the power in Jesus' Name. We've been given the right of attorney to act on His behalf and function in His place, just as the vice president of a nation can preside at a cabinet's meeting in the president's absence with the approval, ratification or action of the president.

Second, we must always use the Name of Jesus by faith. When we invoke His name as an act of true faith, it becomes effective in wielding power. In other words, you cannot declare faith-filled words or perform miracles without placing your faith in His Name. Colossians 3:17 (NIV) reads, ‘And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.' When we use the Name of Jesus as our healer, His Name will manifest healing for us. When we use His Name as our provider, His Name will work to supply our needs. The Name of Jesus is able to do for us whatever we are believing God for and we can use it at anytime, for anything and in everything we do.

Scripture Reading - Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17; John 14:13-14; Acts 3:16; Acts 4:7-10.

Exuberant Declaration: There is power in the Name of Jesus; the Name above all names. Today and always, I act as Christ's representative on earth, and by using His Name, I have access to unlimited supply and everything I require to live triumphantly on earth. The Name of Jesus is continually magnified in my life and every tongue confesses that He is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Hallelujah!