POWER AND AUTHORITY
BEHOLD, I GIVE YOU POWER TO TREAD ON SERPENTS AND SCORPIONS, AND OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY: AND NOTHING SHALL BY ANY MEANS HURT YOU. Luke 10:19.
The word “power” in the above scripture is translated from the Greek word “exoucia” which means “authority.” The words authority and power in the Bible are used interchangeably and usually but not always translated from the Greek word “exoucia.”
The power we have been given over the Devil and his works lies in our God given “authority.” The authority or power we have is given to us by Christ. We call it “delegated authority” because it has been delegated to us by a higher authority which is Christ. It is His power and His authority. The power Jesus gave us is an “internal power” which can produce both internal and external results. He has given us the same power and authority to “tread” or walk upon serpents and scorpions and all their works (power).
The word “tread” in the scripture comes from the Greek word “pateo.” Pateo means to “trample underfoot.” Trampling on the Devil and his works sounds like fun does it not? After all, he takes pleasure in trampling upon the spiritually weak, poor, deceived, and innocent. We can have more fun than the Devil does by trampling on him and all his perverted “works.” It is pleasurable to see people set free from the Devil and the power and authority he “exercises” over them. Learning to “exorcise” the Devil from people’s lives can become a rewarding “exercise.”
According to the Bible we sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus FAR above all principalities and powers. In other words, they are under our feet and Christ has given us “power” to trample and tread upon them. Crushing the “head of the Serpent” will always establish strongholds of peace and freedom on the “Battlefield of the Mind.”
The Bible tells us that the weapons of are warfare are “mighty” through God to the pulling down of strongholds. The word “mighty” comes from the Greek word “dunamis” which is another word for power and/or authority. Dunamis power is the same power that created the universe and everything in the universe. In the Bible it refers to the “power and authority” of God. We are able to destroy or cast down demonic strongholds through the dunamis power of God.
The English word “dynamite” is derived from the Greek word “dunamis.” Dynamite of course, is a “powerful explosive.” Dynamite has been used to “move mountains.” With enough dynamite mountains can literally be “cast into the sea.” Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God is accomplished by His dunamis power that resides “powerfully” within us. That power resides within us by virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus told us we could speak to mountains and cast them into the sea if we had enough faith. When our faith is filled with the “dunamis” power of God, we will be able to cast the mountains into the sea if need be. It is our faith in God and His promises that gives us the power to perform the miraculous in His mighty (dunamis) Name. In the power of His Name the dead are raised, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk.
Before Jesus ascended to Heaven He told His disciples to “tarry” in Jerusalem until they were “endued” with “power (dunamis) from on high.” He told them after the Holy Spirit came upon them they would “receive power.” While they were waiting and praying together “in unity” in the “upper room,” the Holy Spirit “descended” upon them like a mighty rushing wind, and they were all filled with the Spirit. Being “filled” with the Spirit is the key to being “filled” with the dunamis power of God.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal weapons. However, they are more powerful than any weapons the Devil and his “legions” possess. We sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus “far above” the “Legions of Darkness.”
ALL POWER
ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME, GO YE THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. Matthew 28:18-19.
Jesus said “all power in Heaven and in Earth had been given to Him and He commanded the disciples to “go” and make disciples of all nations. In other words, Jesus was delegating His authority to them. When we became Disciples of Christ, that same authority to make disciples was also delegated to us.
Jesus possesses all power and authority in Heaven and in Earth. He delegated that authority to us and told us what to do with it and how to use it. After telling the disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel, Jesus told them that “believers” would cast out demons, speak with new tongues, and heal the sick among other things. (See Mark 16:15-18).
In Matthew, Chapter 10, Jesus gave His disciples power and authority and sent them out to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils. (See Matthew 10:1-8). The Great Commission has not changed. Our call on the Battlefield of Life against the Forces of Darkness is the same today as it was when Jesus said “Go ye therefore.” When Jesus sends us “somewhere,” we need to know what we are going “there for.” We are sent to do the same works Jesus did. (John 14:12).
ALL POWER in Heaven and in Earth is at our disposal because the One who possesses all power and authority dwells within us. Jesus said “as the Father has sent me I send you.” (See John 20:21-23). What did the Father send Jesus to do? Jesus was sent to “break the chains of wickedness and the yoke of bondage people were and are under.” (Isaiah 58:6). The Father sent Jesus to “seek and save those that are lost.” (Luke 19:10). The Father also sent Jesus to “destroy all the works of the Devil.” (See 1 John 3:8). Jesus said “The works I do you shall do also.” (John 14:12). In other words, Jesus sends us to do the same things the Father sent Him to do.
In many churches today the “power” of the word of God is not legitimized. In other words, power is just a “by-word” pointing to what God has done in the past. Preaching alone has taken the place of the demonstration of the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. In many churches today there is no need for God to visit us like He did in the past. The preaching of “the word” or a “Christian movie” is more important than “a move” of the Holy Spirit.
The power of God is a “spiritually tangible force.” It is Spirit aligned, Spirit defined, Spirit lined, Spirit inclined, and Spirit refined. In other words, the power of God is Spirit filled, or you could say the Spirit of God is filled with power. When Christians truly become “Spirit filled,” they will become filled with the power of the Spirit. When Christians truly become filled with the power of the Spirit they will be able to demonstrate the power of the Spirit to others around them.
OUR GREAT COMMISSION
As Warriors for Christ we have been commissioned to seek and save the lost and destroy all the works of the Devil. The Devil walks about seeking whom he may destroy and devour. The Devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. According to Jesus, He has given us power over all the works of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt us.
Deception and fear are among Satan’s most powerful weapons. Truth and love are among God’s most powerful weapons. The truth makes us free and perfect love casts out all fear. Jesus has given us the power of His love and the knowledge of the truth resides within our hearts. These powerful weapons are no match for our spiritual enemies.
Jesus has a Name that is above all Names. At the sound of that Name every knee must bow and every tongue must confess that He is Lord. Principalities and Powers also have names. However, their names have no authority when the Name of Jesus is invoked against them and their “dastardly deceptive” works.
Devils know how authority works. They know they must bow to the Name of Jesus. They also know if you believe the word of God or not. They can sense the power and authority in your words if you have any. They know if you truly possess “delegated authority.” They can tell if you are operating under “delegated authority” or not.
As Soldiers of Christ we are called to solve problems, not to be a problem. We are called to “seek and destroy” the enemy wherever the Lord sends us. When our obedience is “complete” we become able to punish all the disobedience we encounter whenever and wherever we “engage the enemy.” (See 2 Corinthians 10:6).
The key to a powerful and “effective ministry” is found in our relationship with Christ. If we are going to follow in the footsteps of Christ and do the works of Christ, we must know Christ in the “power of His resurrection.” We must remain seated with Him in heavenly places at all times. To be powerfully effective Warriors for Christ, we must be “filled with Christ.” As long as we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places we will be “endued” with “power from on High.”
When we are filled with the Spirit, we will walk in the Spirit and we will speak with the Voice of the Spirit. The Voice of the Spirit is the Voice that endues us with power from on High. The Voice of the Spirit is the Sword of the Spirit. It is the Voice of The Truth, the Life, and The Way. The Voice of the Spirit is also the Life of the Spirit. The Voice of the Spirit is also the Way to salvation and deliverance.
The Voice of the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ calling in the Wilderness of Sin to all who are “weak and weary” to “come and find rest for their souls.” The Voice of the Spirit is the Voice of Prophecy and the Voice of the Church. The Voice of the Spirit is the Voice of the “Warrior Bride.” It is the Voice of ONE crying out in unity in the Wilderness of Sin for all to “come and drink of the water of life freely.
THE WARRIOR
I picked up my silvery sword
and sharpened it that day.
I took a stroll—a lion roared
and his life my sword did slay.
I was preparing for the battle
that grew closer by the hour.
Then I heard a rumbling rattle
as the enemy attacked in power.
My comrades fell around me
as the battle grew ever fierce.
And then a knight’s sword found me
as my chest his sword did pierce.
When the battle was finally over
I crawled to a nearby creek,
and laid among the clover
the loss of blood left me weak.
I looked at all the dead
around the battlefield.
With a hurting in my head
I prayed I would be healed.
Then I saw Him walking
through the death and the pain
It seemed like He was talking
to those who laid there slain.
He was clothed in a white gown
walking through the death and Hell.
On His head He wore a crown
that fit His head oh so well!
Continued……..
When He stopped and looked at me
I saw deep wounds in His feet.
Then His words almost slew me
as my life began to fleet.
He said “was it worth it all
the blood that men have shed,
just to answer war’s proud call
that left so many good men dead?
I saw scars upon His hands
I saw a wound deep in His side.
On His back were many brands
He then told me how He died.
I said “If you had died
how is it you stand here?”
Inside I thought that He had lied,
but His words sounded so sincere.
Then He spoke and said something
that thrust my heart deep inside.
“If they only knew me as their King,
these warriors never would have died.”
I pickup my silvery sword
that was glowing oh so red,
with the blood that had poured
from the ones that I left dead.
Then I broke my sword into
and stood upon my knees.
I said “the words you speak are true
forgive this sad sinner please.
I have shed the blood of many,
Your blood now beacons me
My sins they are aplenty.
Please set this sad soldier free.”