Knowing How to Use Your Authority
Devotions:
We have been given authority but we must understand how it works. In Matthew 8;8-13 a centurian came to Jesus and asked Jesus to heal his servant but he said that all Jesus needed to do was speak the word because he recognized Jesus was under authority and therefore acted in authority. You cannot be in authority unless you are under authority. To act in the authority of God you must be submitted to Him.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 KJV
There are laws in the spirit realm that one must follow to operate in authority. We must use it according to God's will. We cannot use. God's authority against His will. Balak tried to get Balaam to curse the people of Israel after they came out of Egypt. But Balaam said that he could only say what God gave him to say.. In his prophecies he said, "who can curse that which God has blessed." He could not go contrary to God's will. We cannot use the authority against God's nature. God's nature is to bless and not curse. If we try to curse people we will not be operating in the authority of God but of Satan.
We also cannot use the authority selfishly. God knows our heart and when we act out of selfishness the authority will not work. When we try to use His authority to do something wrong, cheat or rob a bank, the authority God has given us will not work. Jesus never used the authority that He had under the Father, He had laid down all of His Godly authority, for selfish means. Satan tempted Him in the wilderness at the start of Hia ministry to do just that but Jesus passed the test.
We also cannot override another person's will with the is authority. God never overrides our will. If we want to go to hell He allows us to do that even though it is not His will. If a sick person want s to die we cannot pray him out of death unless we can change his desire. We cannot override his will. If a person does not want to get saved we cannot force him to receive God.
When God tells us to do something then He gives us the authority and the right to carry it out even if all hell opposes us. David knew his authority going against Goliath because David was in covenant with God and Goliath was not and the giant was opposing the people of God.