Category: Grace

The Authority of the Believer

“And raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 2:6

What are the “works” of the devil? Take a good look at the world. Sickness. Poverty. Death. These are just a few.

“The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy” –  John 10:10

How much longer will you allow satan to continue to rob you of your blessed life here on earth. I say blessed because it is blessed when we discover Jesus Christ and begin a life that honors God.

Satan’s power was ruined by Jesus Christ, God’s Son when He came to earth.

“Having disarmed principalities and powers He made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it”

When a person comes to Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit has access to remove satan’s hold or authority over you. Because of what Jesus Christ did on Calvary’s Cross the devil is now helpless. His only real weapon is deception and he is a master at deceiving people and making them think that they have no choice in life but to submit to life’s misery.

AS A CHRISTIAN SATAN DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW YOUR NEW AUTHORITY IN CHRIST!

We are given Heavenly authority when we are “born-again”!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new”-  2 Corinthians 5:17

When we begin a relationship to follow Jesus Christ and God’s ways which are contained in His Holy Bible we must first leave the past behind! We must stop looking back and let God do a new thing in our lives. We have now been put on a new course with a new destiny and a better future but we must let God work it out for us by being obedient to His Word. It is here that we must develop trust and patience in allowing God to mold us and shape into who He wants us to be.

“Do not remember the former things nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth. Shall you not know it! I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” – Isaiah 43:18-19

7 Things happen when you are “Born-Again” Ephesians chapter 1 & 2

  1. Receive spiritual blessings – verse 3
  2. Become a child of God – verse 5
  3. Forgiveness of sin – verse 7
  4. His will/destiny revealed in our lives – verse 9
  5. An inheritance – verse 11
  6. His Holy Spirit – verse 13
  7. Elevated out of darkness – 2 verse 6

We are given 3 areas of authority as a Christian!

SPIRIT – Over Satan’s powers of darkness.
SOUL – Over anxiety, fear and depression.
BODY – Sickness, disease and death.

It’s your spirit which is eternal and when you are “born-again” it is activated and comes alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the spirit-man which should lead us in life.

“Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” – Galatians 5:16

“Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nether less do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven” – Luke 10:19-20

Authority means – privilege, capacity, force, competency, mastery, freedom, power, and light. One Bible dictionary defines God-given authority as “superhuman power”.

In the above verse, Jesus used the image of serpents and scorpions but we find in the original Greek text some interesting meanings of those words.

Serpents – ophis – sly, cunning malicious persons
Scorpions – skopos – skeptical, pierce, attacking words & intents.
It’s in these above areas that satan does his best to attack and afflict God’s people. So it is here that we are to understand that we have authority.

“Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you”
James 4:7

If you want the devil to leave or his annoying demons then RESIST them! The Bible says that when you tell them to go they FLEE! Don’t let your unrenewed mind continue to convince you that you are still a slave to sin.

“Nor give place to the Devil” – Ephesians 4:27

Another area where we have authority is in the soul realm. The soul comprises of our mind, will & emotions.

“But we have the mind of Christ” – 1 Corinthians 2:16

The realm of the soul is held by God’s word. It is God’s Word that renews a person’s mind and brings healing. It’s the confession of God’s Word that enables us to have victory. Whatever things in the past have shaped your mind, will, and emotions they can all be healed and renewed by God’s Word. The renewal process takes time and it is here that many people give up or slip back into mental strongholds which have plagued a person for sometimes years. These strongholds when submitted to God can be broken and you can be freed mentally forever!

“But you have not so learned Christ if indeed you have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus. That if you put off concerning your former conduct according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:20-24

Study Philippians 4:4-9

The final area we have authority in is over our body! We have authority over sickness, disease, and death which the devil tries to afflict us with. I guess without good health then everything else is insignificant. I read recently in a newspaper article that 2 out of 3 Australian’s take some form of medication. That is an astounding statistic. I am sure that it’s the same elsewhere in the world. This truly reveals the state of mankind. “Man” is sick without God!

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Study Mark 16:15-18 – you will see here that we have authority over sickness by the laying on of our anointed hands and praying in the Name of Jesus Christ. It is God’s desire that we walk in health and prosperity, remember it is satan who comes to rob, kill, and destroy.

“Beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” 3 John 1:2

Today you can make a quality decision to follow Jesus Christ and to allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with awesome power. Use the Name of Jesus Christ and the Word of God as a weapon against the attacks of the devil and begin to subdue his kingdom here on earth. This battle will rage until the return of Jesus Christ when He will bind satan and cast him into the Lake of Fire for eternity. Remember, AS A CHRISTIAN YOU HAVE AUTHORITY…KNOW IT, UNDERSTAND IT, USE IT!

Category: Grace