Authority - Part Four

John 8:28-29 says, “Jesus added, When you have lifted up the Son of Man [on the cross], you will realize (know, understand) that I am He [for Whom you look] and that I do nothing of Myself (of My own accord or on My own authority), but I say [exactly] what My Father has taught Me. And He Who sent Me is ever with Me; My Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” If Jesus needed the Father’s authority to fulfill His role on the earth, how much more do we need to walk in God’s authority? In order to move in His authority we must relinquish our own will and take up His will as our own. As we do this we will gain greater freedom than we could ever discover under our own power. I know that it seems counter intuitive, but the surrendered life is the life for which we were created. We can only find true power and fulfillment in our lives as we submit them to His will and His love. How is this done? By letting Him love us and loving Him in return. As we grow closer to Him our desire for Him grows and we find ourselves eager to please and obey Him and lay down our own selfish desires. If you’re not sure about this, just try it. What could it hurt?

When we make knowing God our primary goal and spend sufficient time with Him in the pursuit of His heart, we will find ourselves overcoming the sin in our lives without striving. As we spend time with Him we become more like Him. We take on His personality. He is righteous and victorious. So shall we be as we draw ever closer to Him. When we overcome in any area of our lives we are given authority in that area. We can then minister to others who struggle with the same sins that once had us bound. Boldly confident in the freedom in which we now partake, we can show them the way to freedom for their lives. The fact that we struggled and overcame gives us a credibility that can only be gained in the overcoming.

I want to talk some more about the protection His authority provides. Mark 1:27 says, “And they were all so amazed and almost terrified that they kept questioning and demanding one of another, saying, What is this? What new (fresh) teaching! With authority He gives orders even to the unclean spirits and they obey Him!” When we move in God’s authority, even our biggest enemies must obey, but when we come against them in our own strength we will most certainly lose the battle. We cannot overcome spirits with human might, but only with spiritual might. We aren’t fighting a physical battle, but a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:10-12). In Acts 19 when the seven sons of Sceva tried to cast out evil spirits in their own power they were beaten up and ran away naked and terrified. But when we rely on God’s authority we will see Psalm 91 fulfilled in our lives. Luke 10:19 says, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” When we move in His authority and protection we will do amazing things for God’s glory!

To be continued...