God’s church is facing severe persecution by the enemy, but we can exercise our Believers’ authority over this persecution. In order to do that, however, we must thoroughly understand the power we have been given, and learn how to wield it. We know that trouble is bound to come, but it is written that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. So, armed with this knowledge, the enemy can throw whatever he wants at us, but he will not succeed. According to the Scriptures, we possess even more authority than Adam and Eve.
We have been given all authority, power, and dominion. It is up to us to use it.
In the beginning, God gave mankind authority over all the earth (Genesis 1:26).
By comparison, during Jesus’ earthly ministry, He had authority not just on the earth, but under it, meaning He had power over demonic forces. He gave that power to us.
At Jesus’ name, everything in heaven, earth, and under the earth, shall bow (Philippians 2:10).
We have the same authority. This means we have dominion over hell.
Jesus had all power. He commands us to spread His Word everywhere, and He promises to stay with us always (Matthew 28:18-20).
When we do His work, we have His authority.
He gave His disciples power over evil, sickness, and death. He sent them forth to preach the Gospel (Matthew 10:1-8).
We are authorized dealers of that power.
We must believe in the very real power we possess. What we have comes from God.
In addition to receiving the authority over all devils and the power to heal, the disciples were also charged with the responsibility to preach the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1, 2).
This authority depends on our belief to activate it.
Submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7).
He will not leave if we do not resist him in every way.
We are commanded to heal the sick (Matthew 10:8).
God has put His power under our authority, and we are responsible for using it.
We see an example in the New Testament of how to walk in our authority.
Jesus tells us to speak God’s Word and heal the sick (Luke 9:2).
Peter and John stood on their authority to heal the lame man (Acts 3:1-8).
In this case, instead of praying to God to do what was already done, they commanded the manifestation.
Scripture References
Genesis 1:26
Luke 9:1, 2
Philippians 2:10
James 4:7
Matthew 28:18-20
Acts 3:1-8
Matthew 10:1-8
Resisting the Devil with Physical Actions
If we want to resist the devil the way the Bible tells us to, we must submit ourselves to God’s authority. All power belongs to God, and we have been given the authorization and the right to use it on all levels. The Scriptures tell us that the devil will only leave us alone when we stand up and fight against him. Similar to wars in the physical realm, this type of resistance against the enemy even includes resisting him with our body. Yielding our body to God instead of the devil is an important strategy in this fight. This type of spiritual rebellion against anything not of God connects us to what He has already released on our behalf.
A powerful way to demonstrate our faith is to do the right thing, even if we do not feel like doing it at the moment.
We must submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7).
We are told here not just to pray to God, but to actively fight against the devil. This includes physical actions.
Faith without works is dead (James 2:20).
We need to accompany doctrines with action. Resisting the enemy with our body is actually cooperating with God.
When the people turned back from God, they limited Him and the authority He had on earth (Psalm 78:41).
He had to send His Son to earth in a physical body, to strip the authority from the devil and return it to mankind.
Jesus’ power and authority were limited in places where people doubted Him. He was amazed at their unbelief (Mark 6:5, 6).
Even Jesus needed cooperation, but the people refused to cooperate.
As ministers of God, we can choose whether or not to cooperate with Him through our actions.
Lucifer fell from heaven when he said in his heart that he wanted to be exalted over God. When God declared Lucifer would be brought down to hell, He prophesied that mankind would look on him and marvel that they ever feared him (Isaiah 14:12-17).
Hell was never meant for mankind, only for the angels whose power was stripped away because they chose to rebel against God.
The only power the devil now has is what we give him.
As part of our rebellion against the devil, we can witness by stretching out our hand and healing the sick.
Jesus commanded His disciples to go to the cities and accept whatever hospitality was offered to them, while healing the sick and preaching the Gospel (Luke 10:8, 9).
When Peter and John were released, they went back to their people, reported to them all the things the priests and elders had said to them, and praised God. Despite the threats made against them, they used the power Jesus had given them to perform acts in His name (Acts 4:23, 24, 29, 30).
Scripture References
James 4:7
James 2:20
Psalm 78:41
Mark 6:5, 6
Isaiah 14:12-17
Luke 10:8, 9
Acts 4:23, 24, 29, 30
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