And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:18-19)
Do you realize how powerful you are in Christ? Jesus gave all His authority to the church! Authority does not mean that you have all the power. It means Jesus’ power has been delegated to you. Without proper understanding of what Jesus has given us, Christians can fall into two ruts.
On one side, you have Christians who feel as though Satan always has the upper hand. They are always complaining and worried and feel as though they are victims of circumstance. These Christians simply live life with a “whatever happens will happen” attitude.
Some Christians fall into the other side of the rut. They know they are in Christ, and they assume that gives them authority over other people or over what the Word says.
We do not have authority over other people’s wills, nor do we have authority to overstep what is in the Bible. Authority is delegated power.
You are familiar with delegated power, but you may not realize it. Your boss can delegate power to a manager or other leader if he or she is unavailable. That means the person to whom they gave power has full rights to operate on their behalf.
Maybe you have seen a police officer hold up their hand and cause a two-ton truck to stop in its tracks. It’s not that the officer has the physical force to stop the truck, but the delegated authority behind the badge gives them the authority to stop something much bigger than themselves. You have been given the authority of Jesus to trample all the powers of the enemy.
Practical Application
You have the authority! When you pray or speak the Word, do so with the understanding of the authority you have been given. Be confident and assured.