The Authority of the Believer
Our purpose in talking about these GAPs in teaching is to discover what Jesus said about certain topics. The goal, then, is to align with His view, adjusting if we fall short.
His words are clear and straightforward on the question of the authority of those who believe in Him. Here are two translations of Luke 10:19: (Note that He is making sure we pay attention to what He is saying)
The Amplified Bible
“Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan);
and nothing will [in any way] harm you.”
NASB
“Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy,
and nothing will injure you”.
And two different translations of Matthew 16:19:
The Amplified Bible
“I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind
[forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”
NASB
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Jesus says without equivocation that He is giving His people all authority to overcome the power of the enemy. No loopholes. No exception. No doubt.
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus did no mighty works before Holy Spirit came upon Him at His baptism? He performed the miracles as a man empowered by Holy Spirit. He won the cosmic battle for us. The enemy was defeated. Then Jesus gave His followers (that’s who we are) the same Holy Spirit who guided and empowered Him. Amazing! Every time we use our authority, we take background from the enemy and advance God’s Kingdom.
We are in a war.
Look at Ephesians 6:12:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers,
against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.”
This makes it very clear that our struggle is not with other people but with supernatural rulers and powers. Those rulers and powers are connected to satan, the same satan who tempted Jesus after he had been baptized and fasted for 40 days. Jesus gave satan no ground, defeating him with Words of Truth.
Is that high-level spiritual warfare? Jesus used the Word of God to send the enemy packing. He knew where He came from, and He knew where He was going! He knew His identity and authority and fully understood the battle He was fighting for us.
Here’s a reality check – soldiers who are in a battle and are not fighting cannot expect to win. God shows us the battles we are supposed to fight and partners with us to defeat the enemy. We wage war in the spirit realm with our weapons of binding and loosing and by being part of His Kingdom, by walking in righteousness, peace and joy, empowered by Holy Spirit, listening to the voice of the Father and receiving strategy and direction for every encounter.
Because we are made in His image and have Holy Spirit living in us, we have infinitely more power than the whole satanic kingdom. Don’t forget! Jesus has the very keys (authority) of Hades! He gave His life so He would have them to give to us!
So . . . is there warfare today and are we affected by it? Do we use the authority that He died to give us? Do we understand that the person across the table is not our enemy, but our enemy is always THE enemy – satan and his demonic realm? Do we understand that satan’s power as the father of lies is to deceive us and keep us thinking as victims when we are really the head and not the tail?
If we were using the authority that Jesus died to give us, what would a normal Christian life look like? Would we have an inborn hunger to see the impossible around us bow to the name of Jesus? Would we wake up wondering how God wanted to use us today in this end-time battle between His Kingdom and the opposing evil force?
How did Jesus do it? He commanded sickness to leave. He commanded the demons to go. He gave His followers authority to heal as He did – commanding it. He took authority over the weather. He blessed people and was adamant that His followers did the same. He told them they would do even greater works than He did:
Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of a circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20, AMP
Here’s today’s question for you. What are you doing with the authority Jesus died to give you? Ask Jesus how your life, health, family, church, city and world would change if you exercised your full authority.