Unto Us Authority is Given Print

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Listen now

Jesus made it clear that His Kingdom was not a earthly one but a spiritual one.

John 18:36,37
Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”  Pilate replied, “You are a king then?” “You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.

In this kingdom the government or authority is upon His shoulders. Our Lord conquered the powers of darkenss in this kingdom and has given His followers authority in the spiritual realm.

Colossians 2:15
In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.

Ephesians 1:18,19
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Authority means the right and power to command, the right to give orders, to enforce laws, enforce obedience or influence others. The root word for authority is author, one who deals in words. In the spiritual realm our authority comes from the name of our king, Jesus, and by speaking out His word. Remember that Satan is a criminal, he is only bound to spiritual laws if they are enforced.

Keys to walking in the authority Christ has given us:

  1. Recognize you have an enemy and he is after your faith.
    1. 2 Chronicles 32:1 – “After these deeds of faithfulness ...” See 2 Chronicles 31:20,21.
    2. Hezekiah refused to pay the tribute to Assyria that his father had bound him to pay. We too do not have to continue to pay tribute to the enemy just because our fathers did, it is time to break the  curse of bondage.
    3. Don’t be surprised. 1 Peter 4:12
    4. Mark 4:14,15
      The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
    5. Be sober. 1 Peter 5:8-10
    6. Stay balanced.
  2. Define the problem.
    1. 2 Chronicles 32:2 – “... when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to ...”
    2. “Kill the spider and stop cleaning cobwebs.”
  3. Seek counsel, don’t fight by yourself.
    1. 2 Chronicles 32:3 – “... he took counsel ...”
    2. Proverbs 20:18
      Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without the advice of others.
  4. Starve out the enemy.
    1. 2 Chronicles 32:4 – “They organized a huge work crew to stop the flow …”
    2. Ephesians 4:27
      Don’t give the devil any opportunity to work.
  5. Strengthen yourself.
    1. 2 Chronicles 32:3 – “... he strengthened himself ...”
    2. Know your weapons - Ephesians 6:13-18.
    3. If Jesus spoke the word to resist the devil so must we. See Matthew 4:1-11, Hebrews 4:12 
    4. 2 Corinthians 10:4
      We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds.
  6. Find a partner and pray!
    1. 2 Chronicles 32:20,21
      Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven.  And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib returned home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.
    2. James 4:7
      So place yourselves under God’s authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.