Many of God's people are not aware that Jesus has delegated unto us "power" on the earth. But God wants us to know the full extent of our authority as believers and how to use it!
One of the most powerful revelation you can get hold of as a believer concerns the authority God has given you in Christ. If you're going to reign in life as God intended, it is essential that you understand the basis of your spiritual authority and how to exercise it. And you can ask God for wisdom and revelation so you can know the authority He has freely given to you.
Praying the Ephesians Prayers
In Ephesians chapters 1 and 3, we find a record of Paul's prayers for the believers at the Church in Ephesus. But these prayers can also apply to every believer because they are Spirit-given, Spirit-anointed prayer; Paul wrote them under the inspiration and unction of the Holy Ghost.
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with
might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able
to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and
depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in
the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world with end. Amen.
These prayers were given to Paul by the Spirit of God. Therefore, you can pray them for yourself, substituting "me" and "my" for "ye" and "your".
For example, you can pray according to Ephesians 3:14-21, saying: "I bow my knees unto the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ -- of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named -- that He would grant me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in my heart by faith," and so forth.
I remember that during the winter of 1947-48, I prayed these Ephesians prayers constantly for myself (prayers given by the Holy Ghost never lose their inspiration!). I was pastoring my last church at the time, and I had been praying more than usual, seeking direction from God.
The parsonage was next door to the church, so I kept my Bible lying on the church altar bench, open to the Book of Ephesians. I'd go about the day performing all of my pastoral duties and whatever else I had to do. But every opportunity I had, I'd stop by the altar to kneel down and pray. Sometimes several times a day, I acted on these Ephesians prayers, bowing my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Over and over again, I prayed that God would give unto me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him and that the eyes of my understanding would be enlightened. For a while, I couldn't tell any difference. But after praying that way for several weeks, revelation knowledge of God's Word began to come. One subject that the Spirit of God gave me revelation about the authority of the believer.
Our Authority Is 'in Christ'
In order to understand our authority as believers, we need to recognize that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.
Although it's true that we wrestle against principalities, powers, the rules of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies, it is important to understand that we have authority over them through Christ!
This authority is not the property of just a select few. It belongs to you -- if you're in Christ.
Sometimes folks think that a person has to be a minister, an evangelist, a pastor, or a mighty saint of God to stand against the devil's works. But those of us in the ministry don't have any more spiritual authority than laymembers do, because the believer's authority is the possession of every child of God.
In fact, the Scriptures teach that all spiritual blessings belong to us in Christ.
The authority we have in Christ already belongs to us. But just as with any other blessing, right, or privilege, our authority doesn't do us any good unless we know about it.
You can't take advantage of something if you don't know about it. That's why the devil doesn't want you to find out what rightfully belongs to you in Christ. By obscuring from you the knowledge of the truth, the devil endeavor to defeat you. He knows that if you understand your spiritual authority and begin to exercise it, you will enjoy victory over him.
It isn't just the truth alone that makes us free; it's knowing the truth. And I'll say also that it's acting on the truth we know that makes us free.
We can know about our authority as believers, but if we do not act on that authority, we won't enjoy the reality of it in our lives. You see, just gaining knowledge of the truth is not enough. It's knowledge acted on that brings results!
Power Over The Enemy
Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto you power" (Luke 10:19). The child of God who knows he has power over the enemy no longer has to be dominated by the devil. Even a baby Christian can exercise his authority over the devil and enjoy the reality of what rightfully belongs to him in Christ.
The word "power" appears in this verse twice, but they are to distinctly different words in the original Greek. However, for the purpose of this article, I will only focus on the first word translated "power" which also means authority. In other words, Jesus said: "I have given you authorityto tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy."
I believe if the King James Version had translated that word as "authority," our understanding of this verse would have been clearer. You see, some folks read that verse and think, Well, I have the power. Then they look at themselves, naturally speaking, and say, "But I don't feel any power."
Now that word "power" can be easily misinterpreted without a concordance to look up the true meaning. So I sometimes explain it using the illustration of a policeman standing in the middle of an intersection.
It's understood that a policeman has the power to control traffic. When he holds up his hand, traffic stops! But a policeman doesn't have the physical power or strenght to hold cars back; he has the delegated power or authority to stop them. And people recognize and honor that authority.
Well, the devil recognizes authority too. He recognizes the spiritual authority of the believer. And he has to honor that authority whenever it's exercised in faith in Jesus Name.
I remember reading a story several years ago in Smith Wigglesworth's book Ever Increasing Faith that illustrates the believer's authority. He described a scene he witnessed one day while standing on the corner at a bus stop.
Wigglesworth said he saw a woman come out of a nearby apartment house, and her little dog came running our alongside her. The woman stopped and said, "Now, honey, you're going to have to go back. You can't go with me." But the dog didn't seem to pay her any mind. So she said a second time, "Dear, you can't go with me." But the little dog just kept rubbing up against her ankles.
About that time, the bus came driving up. So the woman stomped her foot and yelled, "Git!" And that little dog tucked his tail between his legs and just took off!
I read that, and without thinking I shouted out loud: "That's the way you have to do the devil! Just tell him to 'Git!'" You have to recognize your authority over the devil and stand your ground against him.
For example, in 1942 I had an attack in my body. I never mentioned it to anyone, not even my wife. But in the nighttime, I would awaken with some of the most alarming heart symptoms.
God had healed me of an incurable heart condition several years before so I stood against these recurring symptoms in the Name of Jesus. Sometimes I would stand against them for an hour at a time using the Word of God. Then I'd drift back off to sleep.
One night, after finally falling asleep, I dreamed that another minister and I were walking across some sort of stadium or ball field. We were just walking along, talking, when suddenly the other minister jumped and said, "Look!" I turned around and saw two ferocious lions coming after us. They were snarling and baring their sharp fangs.
We both took off running. But then I stopped and said, "They'll get us before we can get out. We can't reach the fence or make it over into the stands fast enough." The other minister kept on running. But I turned around and faced the beasts as they approached.
Instead of running from the lions, I walked toward them. And when they had almost reach me, I spoke up and said: "Now you can't harm me. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I rebuke you!"
The two lion just stopped and started sniffing around my pants leg like a couple of dogs. Then they turned around and frolicked off. I woke up, and I said, "That's it! That's it!"
I saw it so clearly: The devil had come against me as a roaring lion.
But when I stood my ground, he had to go. That same night, every hart
symptoms left me -- because I recognized my authority, and I stood my
ground against the devil with the Word!
Delegated Power
I once heard a preacher say, "I've got the devil on the run. The trouble is, I'm running, and he's after me!"
I understood that he was just joking. But, you see, that's not a testimony of his using his authority or standing his ground. However, too many times that's the case with some believers. Instead of putting the devil on the run, he has them on the run!
No, the devil shouldn't have you on the run. You should be putting him on the run. And you can -- if you know that power had been delegated to you!
Now in the illustration of the policeman directing traffic, I mentioned that the policeman had the power or authority to stop vehicles. But where did he get that authority? It was delegated to him.
Authority is delegated power. And when you're talking about delegated power or authority, the real value of that authority depends on the force behind the person.
For example, the value of a traffic policeman's authority lies in the fact that he has the law of the land behind him, backing him up. And people recognize him as an officer of the law. But if a private citizen with no badge were to stand in the middle of traffic and hold up his hand, folks may or may not stop, because he's just acting on his own authority.
Well, if the value of a person's authority depends on the force that is behind him backing him up, then the value of the believer's authority lies in the One who has delegated unto him power.
So let's look at Luke 10:19 once more in the light of what we understand about delegated power. Jesus said, "I give [delegate] unto you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions...."
Now you understand that Jesus was not literally talking about snakes and scorpions. He was using them as symbols to represent devils, demons, and evil spirits. We know that's true because He finishes by saying, "...and over all the power of the enemy." But the point I want to emphasize is that He said: "I give you authority." In other words, God Himself is the force behind the believer's authority!
Friend, when you are fully conscious of the divine power that's behind you and of your own authority in Christ, you can absolutely face the enemy without fear or hesitancy!
The Exceeding Greatness of God's Power
Finally, lets take a look at another passage in Ephesians that can give us some further insight concerning the basis of our authority in Christ.
The above verses are not talking about something God is going to do in the future. He has already done it! Even while we were yet dead in our trespasses and sins, God quickened us, raised us up, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!
Just before this passage of Scripture, we're told in Ephesians 1:20 that Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father (in the Scriptures, "right hand" denotes a place of authority). And we are seated with Him. Glory to God!
Remember we read in Ephesians 1:3 that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings "...IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST." Then Ephesians 2:6 and 7 says that we've been seated "... IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
God is interested in revealing to us the full magnitude of what He has wrought for us in Christ. He desires to show us the exceeding greatness of His power to us as believers!
All these verses in Ephesians are tie together in the revelation of the believer's authority. And God wants us to see it. The Spirit of God prayed through the Apostle Paul that the Church at Ephesus would see it -- that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened. But God desires that we, too, should have the same wisdom and revelation, because the exceeding greatness of His power is unto all who believe (Eph. 1:19)!
Now let's continue reading because the Spirit of the Lord, praying through Paul, went into great detail about this so the eyes of the Church might be opened.
You see, God wants us to know what happened. He wants us to know that He set Christ far above all principalities, power, might, dominion, and every name that is mentioned in this world or in the ages to come.
There was such a great display of the divine omnipotence of God's power when He raised Jesus from the dead that this was actually the mightiest work of God! Satan and his demonic host were overthrown by our Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus has been enthroned far above them, ruling with the authority of the Most High.
The very source of the believer's authority is found in the resurrection and seating of Christ by God. That exceeding great power, which God wrought when He raised Jesus from the dead and set Him at His own right hand, is the basis of our authority.
This is the revelation God wants us to know so we can move on to exercise our God-given authority in the earth!
© 1997 vinebranch@hotmail.com
Get your own Free Home Page