Authority - Part Two

So, carrying Christ's authority in our lives and the world, what does that mean for us? Well, like those troops in Iraq, we are representatives of the Kingdom of God in the earth. We are authorized to be in this world to do battle and rescue people from the kingdom of darkness and restore them to the Kingdom of Light. We are not here for our pleasure, but for God’s purpose. And as such, God has given us power and authority to accomplish His will in the world. We carry God to the people of the world. As we take time to know God and recognize His voice, He will give us orders to carry out. Not only will He give us orders, but the authority and power to perform them. The actions we need to take to fulfill His orders are sanctioned as long as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We do not need to be afraid of appearing foolish or offending people, because as long as we do things God’s way, we are operating under His authority and the protection His authority provides.

The higher up in rank a person goes in the military, the more freedom he has, but he also carries more responsibility. Rank is not automatic based on the amount of time a person is in the military. To achieve a new rank, a soldier must perform certain tasks, and/or undergo certain training. The more a person matures in Christ, the more he understands the freedom he carries because of the salvation he has received from God. Yet, the closer we get to God’s heart, the more He expects of us. This is not automatic because we have attended church or called ourselves “Christian” for many years. This is fully based on the relationship we have with God, and the amount of influence we have given Him in our lives. There are several conduits through which God delivers His authority to us: salvation, praise and worship, knowing and receiving His Word, prayer, and obedience (this is not necessarily an exhaustive list). We’ve already discussed salvation. Praise and worship position our hearts in such a way that we are lessened and He is glorified in our lives. It gives us a posture of humility and allows us to see ourselves in the proper perspective in relation to Him. It allows us to do battle in the spiritual realm in an amazingly powerful way. “[B]y praise and worship, great dynamos of power are set in motion…” (Frances J. Roberts in Come Away My Beloved). Certain Old Testament battles were won simply through praise and worship without the warriors so much as brandishing a sword. Knowing and receiving God’s Word is vital for the person that wants to know God and understand His heart. Only knowing what the Bible says is not enough. Many people know what the Bible says but it has no power in their lives. Even Satan himself knows what the Bible says. It is imperative to also receive it into your heart and life – to take its message to heart and apply it to your life. Prayer is essential for every Christian to grow in godliness and receive instruction from His heart. Prayer is simply having conversation with Him. It is through prayer that we receive God’s commands. But we cannot stop with just receiving His commands. We must act on them through obedience. We cannot act with His authority until we move in obedience to His orders. When it comes down to it, all of these conduits are essentially about Him, not us. As we prioritize our lives to make these an essential part of each day, we are seeking His Kingdom first. Through these things we lose ourselves only to find our life in Him and His Kingdom. We discover for what we have been created and He adds to us everything we need for life and godliness