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I’d like to split this topic of “Spiritual Authority” into two parts: part one, acknowledging our authority given by God. Part two will be describing the purpose behind our authority and illustrations of how to utilize the ultimate weapon God has given us with authority.

Let’s say you are on a battlefield with a full suit of armor to protect you, and your weapon guaranteed to defeat your enemies. Yet, even with those things, you choose not to equip them because you might feel like they aren’t needed, or maybe you feel like you can withstand the attacks without them, or maybe you aren’t fully aware of the attacks the enemy throws at you, so you don’t think about putting on your armor and using your weapon designed to conquer the enemy. This is exactly what many Christians do. Let’s assume a little further. You’re on the battlefield fighting a war you already know will end in a victory, yet you continue to sit back and let the enemy infiltrate, allowing suffering that could be easily resolved by simply attiring your armor and actively using the weapon given to you. We might choose not to equip our armor that would protect us from the fiery arrows of our enemy, or we might choose to not make use of the weapon that would instantaneously give us the power to defeat our enemy; in fact, we’ve already been given power, but it’s the action of putting it to use. 

In the spiritual realm, we’ve been given authority specifically by Jesus Himself. Luke 10:19 says, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

Isn’t that just amazing? Jesus literally gave us the power to overcome the enemy. We have the authority to overthrow the enemy, and God tells us that we won’t be harmed. It might feel like they are harming you, but they are only attacks.

So what does this authority mean for you? It means that when the enemy comes to attack, you have the authority to tell him to flee. It means when sickness overtakes you, you have the authority to command it to go. It means when the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy you have the authority to tell him to flee. It means when fear tries to overtake you, you can tell it that it has no place. You get to use the authority you have been given.

Romans 8:11 says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.”

If Jesus was raised from the dead and already defeated Satan, then the power already given to us is used to protect us. The battle we face is a battle that has been already won. The enemy that we fight against has already been defeated. 

I’d encourage you to think of it this way: you are part of God’s law enforcement team, and you have access to and get to use the same authority that Jesus uses. Notice this one word, “YOU”. You get to use the authority you have been given. It’s not God’s job, it’s yours assigned by God Himself! It’s just a matter of you acknowledging you have power given to you, and putting it to action. 

If an intruder sneakily broke into your house, you would never call someone outside your house and ask them to use the weapon that has been given and belongs to you, right?  It’s time to stop doing that in the Spiritual realm. Don’t expect God to use the tools and the weapons that He has given you to utilize. I feel like living in this world is just the beginning of becoming the spiritual warriors God calls us to be.

It’s time for Christians to start using the authority that has been given to them. Stop giving the enemy access to your life, any part of it. Instead use the Holy Spirit that’s living in you, resurrecting power in you to abolish the works of the devil and combat every attack that comes your way.

Remember, this spiritual war we face daily isn’t going to end well for the devil. He’s already lost.