AUTHORITY FOR WARFARE Jesus did not mince words about His mission on earth. His assignment was to destroy the works of the devil and He has delegated that assignment to us (1 John 3:8b; Acts 10:38; Luke 4: 18-19). There is a huge conflict in the spiritual world and man is part of the conflict; whether he is conscious of it or not (Revelation 12:7-12). When big shifts occur in the spiritual realm, they create ripples in the physical world. Every creation of God is involved in this warfare since man is essentially a spirit being and so we cannot take a neutral stance (1 Corinthians 6: 10-12). The good news for us is that we are not fighting FOR victory but FROM victory. We have delegated authority from Christ to put Satan in his place (Matthew 10:1). As believers, we were never designed to be victims of Satan or circumstances (Mark 16: 17). This is warfare and we have the mandate to always run the devil and his agents out wherever we find them (Matthew 10: 8; Luke 10: 17-19). Individually, we do not have the power to handle Satan but we have been given authority (positional influence) in Christ who emphatically triumphed over Satan and sin and secured our freedom from the consequences of sin (Colossians 2: 14-15). Jesus defeated Satan once and for all and today, we can use His authority to secure victory over Satan and his agents. The first big question is, “Are you in Christ?”, “Are you under the authority of Christ?” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You cannot use Christ’s authority if you have not accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour (Acts 19: 13-16). Your character and status change when you are in Christ (Galatians 2:20). The efficacy of Christ’s name is not determined by the number of times you call it but by your level of submission to His authority (Matthew 8: 5-10). Secondly, are you in right standing with Christ? Satan recognises, in the realm of the spirit, when you are not living in obedience and are out of line. His major tool is accusation. What he wants to establish is that you are not qualified and so he accuses you before God and to yourself (Revelation 12:10). You have to truly understand your position in Christ to be able to deal with those accusations. The moment you disobey your superior authority, the people under you are not under obligation to obey you anymore (2 Corinthians 10:6). When you have the boldness to stand before God, you have the boldness to stand before Satan and human beings (Proverbs 28:1). When Christ was on earth, He was fearless when He faced demons, sicknesses and diseases. His disciples were also fearless (Acts 4:13). Your status changes when you repent. Whatever gave Satan a right to accuse you is taken away when you repent and receive forgiveness (Zechariah 3: 1-5). After you make a mistake, quickly repent and receive God’s forgiveness so that you come back into right standing with Him (1 John 1:9; 2:1). When you sin and ask God for forgiveness, your record is wiped clean because of the blood of Jesus. Maintain your boldness, fearlessness and courage before Satan every second of the day!
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:46:47 +0000
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