I am teaching/preaching through a very long series on spiritual warfare. It has been an interesting series for the church and an exciting series for me. I have learned/relearned much about who we are in Christ and how we can fight in this ongoing spiritual battle against the enemy.
This week I am studying about our authority as believers. A key phrase that comes up all the time is that we have authority not power. For me this is very profound. I think I get these two things mixed up. Power suggests that I have the ability to stand up against the enemy myself. Much of the time I try to do that. I try to exert power over satan and his attacks and find myself defeated every time.
Rather, I need to realize my position is one of authority. I need to live in Christ and use that position to exert authotiry. However, to do that I must be totally under His authority myself. This is likely what James is saying when he states that we should submit to God and then resist the devil and he will flee. When immersed in Christ my words and hence their authority represent Jesus and the enemy must react - the Lord of all has spoken through me.
What does this imply? Again, I must die to any agenda of my own and fully represent the agenda of Christ. I am amazed how frequently the practical nature of Gal 2:20 is seen in the powerful Christian life. In order to be strong I must be weak, in order to live I must die. In order to battle the enemy I must exert authority - the authority of the one who truly lives in my crucified life. Anything I hold on to of me reduces the authority I have as a child of God. Complete authority comes only by complete submission. This I must remember, this I must do.
Thursday, 04 March 2010 20:56
Authority Not Power
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Pastor's Corner
Pastor Gary Taylor
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