All Authority Has Been Given to Us

God’s word is the substance we need to live a life of authority in His Name.

Ephesians 2:12-22 in the NIV says

¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (Now that’s the old covenant) ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The new covenant is for us through Jesus. But in order to see God fully we have to be operating in His full authority.

The word “authority” is a strong word. It’s filled with meaning. When we hear the word “authority,” there’s a certain force about that word.

There may be even a certain intimidation about that word. We talk about the authorities, and we rightfully have a sense of respect, maybe a sense of awe, maybe a sense of fear.

The word “authority” signifies permission. It signifies privilege; power; it signifies rule, control, influence. When someone has authority, that means they’re over top of other people.

They have responsibility beyond the norm. They are able to determine things, to decide things, to render judgments, to exercise certain rights and privileges.

But there is One who has authority that surpasses all other authorities. In Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, Jesus said this, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” “All authority was given to Him” – that is an amazing claim to privilege.

That is an amazing claim to power, to permission, to right. And Jesus demonstrated that very well in His ministry.

And remember us in Him and Him in us. We can walk in that authority too and walk in victory in this life.

But if we take our eyes off the Lord which means, if we stop reading His word, if we stop praying, if we stop fellowshipping with other believers, if we stop being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and we start looking at the diseases, the sicknesses, the hard times, the poverty, the lack that can sometimes be all around us, we’re going to live a life that is way below what the Lord has the permission to promise us.

So in order to walk in that victory, in order to command that victory to be evident in our life, we have got to keep our eyes focused on the Lord.

And stay in His word. His truth, His promises and tells us to call those things that are not as though they are now. That’s in Romans 4:17

Listen, we’re not lying if we are speaking the word of God. We are speaking the truth even if we’re not walking in it yet and that’s still not a lie. God’s truth is truth, period.

Yes we were made complete on Calvary, yes we were healed on Calvary the same day Jesus hung on the cross and paid for our sin debt in full. He provided every single thing that we need.  

Everything! Prosperity, abundance, healing, salvation, forgiveness, grace, and mercy everything was provided on the cross that day and if we’re not living a victorious, an authoritative life it’s because we don’t believe.

We don’t believe fully in His every promise.  Religion tells you to pray more, fast more, be better, read your Bible more, go to church more. That’s religion.  

Those things are good but those things alone will not save you or cause you to live a victorious life. Our belief is what changes our life. If we believe that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, we are going to live above the enemy’s attacks.

He’s not going to be able to take us down with every thought, with every word, every deed that an evil person does to us. If we believe the word of God that greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world we’re going to live above the attacks.

Believing in our authority though Christ makes us more powerful than just some words that somebody spoke against us and we’re more powerful than a doctor’s diagnosis, we are more powerful than a bad report.

That is the truth so in order to live that truth out, we must know truth. Not just have read it once or twice or maybe heard it a few times but really know and believe it.

Jesus defeated the devil in the wilderness by telling him what the scripture said, right; it is written man will not live on bread alone but on every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord.

So He wasn’t going to fill His hunger with bread because yeah He would have been satisfied physically His physical hunger would have went away but His spiritual hunger, His inner man would have still needed some substance. And that substance is the word of God, that substance is fellowship with the Lord.

Blessings,

Michelle