God gave Adam the authority over His creation, but Adam and Eve surrendered that authority to the enemy in the Garden when they disobeyed God. With the loss of their authority, the enemy had free reign to kill, steal, destroy. But even in the midst of man’s fall, God had already begun to speak of the coming of Jesus and how He was going to crush the enemy with the power of the cross (Genesis 3:1-6, 9-15).
There is nothing as beautiful as the redemption story that God wrote for us. Three days brought a miracle like none other. We were saved from our sins—from the power of sin and death—from the power of the enemy. Jesus spoke of this when he gave us the Great Commission.
And Jesus spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
—Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
Jesus gave us His authority—His power—to share the Good News of redemption, to teach the things of God, and to make disciples of all men. And He is with us always. And not only with us. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost into the hearts of believers. His power lives within us, and we exercise that power when we resist the enemy.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NKJV).
You have Christ’s authority to resist the enemy. Just as Jesus rebuked demons (Matthew 17:18; Mark 1:25, 9:25; Luke 9:42,55), He has given you His authority to do the same. You don’t have to listen to the enemy’s lies with which he tries to deceive you. You have the power to rebuke the emotions the enemy tries to manipulate. You have the power to resist the feelings he tries to invoke. An attitude of faith should stir within your heart. And you should declare, “I’m not going take this from you, enemy. I’m not going by my feelings. I’m not going to fear or be angry or accept pain. I’m going to believe who God says I am in His Word!”
Those who do not know their authority in Christ don’t know which Covenant under which they live. They don’t even realize that they are living under the Old Covenant when the enemy did have authority. You live under the New Covenant of Grace of Jesus. When you understand who you are in Christ, you can say, “I’m a child of God. I’m of His kingdom. The righteousness of Jesus lives in me. The power of the cross is my authority!”
When a problem tries to arise, you have the power to quote Scripture to the enemy. And you can tell him, “No! You may try to tell me this lie, but my God promised me! And all the promises of my God are yes! And I’m saying AMEN because of what Jesus did for me!”
Jesus said AMEN at the end of His Great Commission in Matthew 28. And He meant it. His work on the cross was finished. It was done, and He destroyed the works of the enemy (I John 3:8).
Whatever has been declared over your life—whatever sickness you have heard is impossible to heal, nothing is impossible to God. He gave His Truth and His promises in His New Covenant. “My grace has won back for you the authority that the enemy stole,” Jesus says. “Now I give my authority to you. No matter what the enemy says or does or attempts, he has no authority. You have mine.”
Your authority in Christ is your weapon to resist the enemy. The Word says that he will flee. The power of life and death is in what you speak (Proverbs 18:21), and God has given you the power to speak and rebuke the enemy.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus speaks of the Great Commission, and He ends with these words describing those who believe in Him:
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
—Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV)
God has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the beloved Son! (Colossians 1:12). Jesus has given us His authority.
Holy Spirit, guide us into all Truth. Teach us to believe in our hearts who we are in Christ.
© 2021 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2021/03/your-authority-in-Christ.html
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