Satan Doesn't Care If You Have Authority,
as Long as You Don't Use It
In Luke 10:19 Jesus said, "Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
In this verse, Jesus gave authority to the seventy disciples He sent out. Then in Mark 16:17-18, Jesus gave this same authority to everyone who believes in Him.
When Jesus gave believers this authority, He was giving the authority to the Church. Christians are the Church.
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your spirit within you becomes born again. You become a part of the Church. When the Bible talks about the Church, if you are a believer in Jesus, it's talking about you. And, as a Christian, you are an heir to the authority Jesus gave.
So when Jesus said, "I give you authority ...over all the power of the enemy," He's talking to you. As a believer you have been given authority over the demonic forces of this world. They are subject to you.
Now, the devil doesn't care if you have authority over him, as long as you don't exercise it. As long as you stand idly by and let him destroy your home, finances, and body, he could care less how much authority you have. All that concerns him is whether or not you use it.
Once I substituted in a high school class for a day. When I went into the class, the students knew I had authority. They knew I had the authority to expel them from class and to give them a failing grade for that day. But, they were not sure if I knew I had authority or if I would use it. So, they pushed just a little. They started making a few noises.
When I didn't make them stop, they started getting a little louder. Eventually they were almost out of control. Then, I used my authority and got the class back in line. But it wasn't easy. I had let things get so far out of hand that it took all the class time just to get things under control. If I had used my authority in the beginning, things would have never gotten out of control in the first place.
Satan is just like that high school class. He knows we have authority over him. He knows that with a word we can expel him. He knows that if we know our place in the body of Christ and operate in the anointing and authority that has been given to us, he will be ineffective in his attacks on us. So, he tests us to see if we know we have the authority. And, if we know we have it, he tests us to see if we will use it.
We should walk daily in our authority. We should keep things under control. When we allow things to get to the limit, we usually act out of desperation rather than authority.
Ephesians 1:22-23 tells us that we are the body and Jesus is the head. Verse 22 says that God has put all things - principalities, powers, might and dominion and everything that has a name - under the feet of Jesus. The feet are a part of the body. As the body of Christ, as believers, the enemy is under our feet. (See Ps. 91:13; Rom. 16:20.)
Satan has been defeated, but he hasn't yet been destroyed. You must take authority over him daily. And you can. Jesus gave you that authority.
THREE THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY :
“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10, NIV)
Most times, it’s not the big events in life or the big breaks that get us where we need to be, it’s the little things, the daily disciplines that move us forward in the good things God has for us.
I believe there are three things you can do every day that can change the course of your life.
Number one, expect God’s goodness. Get up every day looking for God’s favor.
Number two, recognize God’s goodness. There are no coincidences, no lucky breaks. It’s all the goodness of God.
And number three, always thank God for His goodness. Anytime something good happens, big or little, give God the glory. “Lord, thank You for that parking spot. Lord, thank You for that idea. Lord, thank You for sending me dew in my desert.”
If you do this, I believe and declare that you’re going to come into more of God's goodness; that His blessings are going to come after you. God is going to open up supernatural doors. He’s going to turn negative situations around. Get ready because something good is coming your way! You’re going to fulfill your God-given destiny because He never forsakes those who seek after Him!
PREPARE FOR ATTACK (2)
'...A brother is born for adversity.' Proverbs 17:17 NIV
Nehemiah discovered that not everybody will be happy about your success. 'Sanballat ...sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together..." But they thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.' (Nehemiah 6:2-4 NKJV) Note the words, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.' That could be classified as an Academy Award-winning response to attack!
Any time you stop the work God has given you to do and step down to the level of your critics, you've sent the devil a signal that his strategy is working. So you can expect more of the same. Think: if God can deliver you in times of trouble, surely He can defend you in times of misunderstanding! So get back up on the wall He has called you to build and keep working. Don't get distracted.
There are three kinds of people you will meet in life:
(1) The critic. They're the first to point an accusing finger and the last to extend a helping hand.
(2) The cautious. When you're in trouble they'll distance you lest they become tainted by your perceived liabilities. These people are not bad, they're just self-serving. Don't put your trust in them.
(3) The committed. 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' Recognise such people and build your life around them because they are a gift from God.
as Long as You Don't Use It
In Luke 10:19 Jesus said, "Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
In this verse, Jesus gave authority to the seventy disciples He sent out. Then in Mark 16:17-18, Jesus gave this same authority to everyone who believes in Him.
When Jesus gave believers this authority, He was giving the authority to the Church. Christians are the Church.
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your spirit within you becomes born again. You become a part of the Church. When the Bible talks about the Church, if you are a believer in Jesus, it's talking about you. And, as a Christian, you are an heir to the authority Jesus gave.
So when Jesus said, "I give you authority ...over all the power of the enemy," He's talking to you. As a believer you have been given authority over the demonic forces of this world. They are subject to you.
Now, the devil doesn't care if you have authority over him, as long as you don't exercise it. As long as you stand idly by and let him destroy your home, finances, and body, he could care less how much authority you have. All that concerns him is whether or not you use it.
Once I substituted in a high school class for a day. When I went into the class, the students knew I had authority. They knew I had the authority to expel them from class and to give them a failing grade for that day. But, they were not sure if I knew I had authority or if I would use it. So, they pushed just a little. They started making a few noises.
When I didn't make them stop, they started getting a little louder. Eventually they were almost out of control. Then, I used my authority and got the class back in line. But it wasn't easy. I had let things get so far out of hand that it took all the class time just to get things under control. If I had used my authority in the beginning, things would have never gotten out of control in the first place.
Satan is just like that high school class. He knows we have authority over him. He knows that with a word we can expel him. He knows that if we know our place in the body of Christ and operate in the anointing and authority that has been given to us, he will be ineffective in his attacks on us. So, he tests us to see if we know we have the authority. And, if we know we have it, he tests us to see if we will use it.
We should walk daily in our authority. We should keep things under control. When we allow things to get to the limit, we usually act out of desperation rather than authority.
Ephesians 1:22-23 tells us that we are the body and Jesus is the head. Verse 22 says that God has put all things - principalities, powers, might and dominion and everything that has a name - under the feet of Jesus. The feet are a part of the body. As the body of Christ, as believers, the enemy is under our feet. (See Ps. 91:13; Rom. 16:20.)
Satan has been defeated, but he hasn't yet been destroyed. You must take authority over him daily. And you can. Jesus gave you that authority.
THREE THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY :
“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10, NIV)
Most times, it’s not the big events in life or the big breaks that get us where we need to be, it’s the little things, the daily disciplines that move us forward in the good things God has for us.
I believe there are three things you can do every day that can change the course of your life.
Number one, expect God’s goodness. Get up every day looking for God’s favor.
Number two, recognize God’s goodness. There are no coincidences, no lucky breaks. It’s all the goodness of God.
And number three, always thank God for His goodness. Anytime something good happens, big or little, give God the glory. “Lord, thank You for that parking spot. Lord, thank You for that idea. Lord, thank You for sending me dew in my desert.”
If you do this, I believe and declare that you’re going to come into more of God's goodness; that His blessings are going to come after you. God is going to open up supernatural doors. He’s going to turn negative situations around. Get ready because something good is coming your way! You’re going to fulfill your God-given destiny because He never forsakes those who seek after Him!
PREPARE FOR ATTACK (2)
'...A brother is born for adversity.' Proverbs 17:17 NIV
Nehemiah discovered that not everybody will be happy about your success. 'Sanballat ...sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together..." But they thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.' (Nehemiah 6:2-4 NKJV) Note the words, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.' That could be classified as an Academy Award-winning response to attack!
Any time you stop the work God has given you to do and step down to the level of your critics, you've sent the devil a signal that his strategy is working. So you can expect more of the same. Think: if God can deliver you in times of trouble, surely He can defend you in times of misunderstanding! So get back up on the wall He has called you to build and keep working. Don't get distracted.
There are three kinds of people you will meet in life:
(1) The critic. They're the first to point an accusing finger and the last to extend a helping hand.
(2) The cautious. When you're in trouble they'll distance you lest they become tainted by your perceived liabilities. These people are not bad, they're just self-serving. Don't put your trust in them.
(3) The committed. 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' Recognise such people and build your life around them because they are a gift from God.
Don't Answer
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - Romans 12:2
Be not conformed to this world. If you live like the world, you'll be overcome by the world. It's as simple as that. So don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold.
Instead..."be transformed" by the entire renewal of your mind. Overcome the world by having your mind transformed to think like God thinks. In other words, when you see something in the Word, say, "I agree with that. From now on I'm acting on that instead of what I used to think."
For example, when sin calls your name, don't answer. Agree with the Word instead and say, "I'm dead to that, Devil. You can't pull me into it anymore!"
As you do that, you'll find yourself changing. You will find yourself living like a world overcomer!
CREATED TO THRIVE :
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV)
So many people today are living in “survival” mode. They have a mentality that says, “If I can just make it through...” or “If I can just get by...” Of course, there are some seasons that are more difficult than others. Sometimes it’s challenging to get a vision for the future. But if you are constantly living with a survival mentality, you are missing out on God’s best. Scripture doesn’t say, “Jesus came so you could survive.” No, it says that He came to give you a full, abundant life!
If you are living in survival mode right now, I believe that today can be your turning point. If you’ll take a step of faith and begin to declare, “My days of survival are over; my days of thriving have begun,” then I believe God will meet your faith. I believe He will open an unexpected door. He’ll pour out His favor and blessing on you. He’ll make a way where there seems to be no way! Even if you’re in a tough time right now, remember tough times don’t last, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. Begin to declare what God says about your circumstances because you are created for more than to just get by — you are created to thrive!
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - Romans 12:2
Be not conformed to this world. If you live like the world, you'll be overcome by the world. It's as simple as that. So don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold.
Instead..."be transformed" by the entire renewal of your mind. Overcome the world by having your mind transformed to think like God thinks. In other words, when you see something in the Word, say, "I agree with that. From now on I'm acting on that instead of what I used to think."
For example, when sin calls your name, don't answer. Agree with the Word instead and say, "I'm dead to that, Devil. You can't pull me into it anymore!"
As you do that, you'll find yourself changing. You will find yourself living like a world overcomer!
CREATED TO THRIVE :
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV)
So many people today are living in “survival” mode. They have a mentality that says, “If I can just make it through...” or “If I can just get by...” Of course, there are some seasons that are more difficult than others. Sometimes it’s challenging to get a vision for the future. But if you are constantly living with a survival mentality, you are missing out on God’s best. Scripture doesn’t say, “Jesus came so you could survive.” No, it says that He came to give you a full, abundant life!
If you are living in survival mode right now, I believe that today can be your turning point. If you’ll take a step of faith and begin to declare, “My days of survival are over; my days of thriving have begun,” then I believe God will meet your faith. I believe He will open an unexpected door. He’ll pour out His favor and blessing on you. He’ll make a way where there seems to be no way! Even if you’re in a tough time right now, remember tough times don’t last, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. Begin to declare what God says about your circumstances because you are created for more than to just get by — you are created to thrive!
A REAL CRUEL JOKE
PROMISING GOD'S FAVOR AND PROSPERITY TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT REPENTED OF THEIR REAL SINS OR ARE NOT DOERS OF THE WORD OF GOD IS A REAL CRUEL JOKE
JAMES 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
PROMISING GOD'S FAVOR AND PROSPERITY TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT REPENTED OF THEIR REAL SINS OR ARE NOT DOERS OF THE WORD OF GOD IS A REAL CRUEL JOKE
JAMES 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
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