Jesus gathered them all together and said to them, “Those recognized as rulers of the people and those who are in top leadership positions rule oppressively over their subjects, but this is not the example you are to follow. You are to lead by a different model. If you want to be the greatest, then live as one called to serve others. The path to promotion comes by having the heart of a bond-slave who serves everyone. For even the Son of Man did not come expecting to be served by everyone, but to serve everyone, and to give his life as the ransom price for the salvation of many.”   Mark 10:42-45 TPT

Jesus provides us with a “different model” from which to lead.  As a King, He came straight out of His heavenly Kingdom to walk among us and show us by example how to serve others.  He told us He was giving us all of His authority and that by His Spirit He would back it up with His power.  Today, He is calling us to use this authority to establish His Kingdom on the earth.  The key to using His authority is based in His love, peace and joy extended to others.

Authority is not about manipulating others to do what we want them to do.  We must check our motives and make sure we are not operating from a selfish or fearful spirit.  Jesus cared about connecting with a person’s heart, being relational with them, showing them He wanted to help and expressing His joy in being there for them.   He didn’t treat them like a number, like a problem to be solved.  He valued them and looked for ways to show His appreciation for who they were.

We can do the same.  Some people are easy to like, others may push our buttons.  Yet, if we remember to stay relational, we can look beyond that thing that irritates us and look for ways to highlight the good about the person.   When we endeavor to build others up, rather than tear them down, it provides a greater sense of security and frees the person to be themselves. Just looking a person in the eye and saying “Thank you” can turn a difficult situation or conversation around.

We can be merciless in prayer against demonic forces, using our authority and commanding situations to change.  We can rise up to solve problems that are tormenting others and see God’s power back us up, but when dealing with people we must always seek to stay relational and build bridges that will bring them closer to the Lord.  This is how we honor our King!

Visit the Authority section on our GAPs training page to see the Week 3 teaching for more on this subject.