Authorized for Victory
May 13, 2009 - Pastor Charlie
Did you know that you have been authorized by God? By that I mean that you have been given power, or divine authority, to rule every situation and circumstance you encounter. Having continual victory over the devil depends on whether or not you understand your position in Christ and appropriate the power that has been given to you.
As a child of God, you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s Son, Jesus. You are no longer subject to the law of sin and death that governs the world’s system. As an unbeliever, you had no choice but to submit to Satan’s rule; you were under his jurisdiction and had no authority over him. However, the moment you accepted Jesus into your heart, everything changed. On that day, God authorized you to tread on all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).
Now in order to take advantage of your God-given authority as a believer, you must first understand your spiritual position from God’s viewpoint. Eph. 2:4-6 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,…” There is no reason for you to live below the standards God has set for you. Lack, sickness, poverty and bondage to demonic oppression have no place in the life of a believer. You have been given a royal position in God’s eyes because you are seated in heavenly places with Jesus!
That’s good news! It means that if you are being whipped by the devil, it’s because you either don’t know your rights or you aren’t taking the initiative to exercise them.
Understand that you have been given authority. It is part of your salvation package. To not walk in it is to remain defeated. That’s like someone giving you an expensive gift and you refusing to open it. You’ll never partake of the contents of that gift if you don’t receive it. The same is true with our authority. You must receive it by faith and then exercise it every chance you get. When Satan sees that you are proficient and confident in your authority, he won’t know the difference between you and Jesus.
Pastor Charlie
Wow – what an encouraging post. I liked the part where you say that authority "is a part of your salvation package". I think sometimes, it's so easy to forget that, or to become distracted by the cares and concerns of this world, that a person can overlook this very benefit of being a Christian.
What a powerful reminder. I love the last line of this post – When Satan sees that you are proficient and confident in your authority, he won’t know the difference between you and Jesus. I know that sometimes I overlook that Christ sees me through His eyes – not my own. It's important that we renew our minds to the word and realize who we are in Him, what we can do through Him, and who we can reach by the power of His Spirit. We need to take ownership of the promise….
I love the part about understanding your spiritual position from God's viewpoint. If you change your position you will change your perspective. God's view is always best. Keep on CHARGING Church of the Harvest.
God Bless,
Jared Wockenfuss
Sherman, TX.
That's really good Jared, I can just imagine someone in the valley, looking up on both sides, thinking that they have a long way to go. But for the person who is at the top looking down, it's a completely different view and reality for him or her. Knowing where we stand with the Lord makes a huge difference in someones life and thought process.
Tim
I cannot believe this is true!
Wow – what an encouraging post. I liked the part where you say that authority “is a part of your salvation package”. I think sometimes, it’s so easy to forget that, or to become distracted by the cares and concerns of this world, that a person can overlook this very benefit of being a Christian.