Authority and Power
The people who heard Jesus and saw Him cast out unclean spirits were amazed. They recognized that Jesus had the authority and power to command the evil spirits, and they had to obey Him.(Luke 4:36) This showed everyone that Jesus was in a different category from mere human beings. He was God in human flesh.
Today some people speak of having authority over demons. They act like they have this authority on their own. That is not true. If a person has this authority it is given by God, just like Jesus gave it to His disciples when He sent them out to preach. Authority comes from the One who is Lord, the One who is in charge of everything. We need to acknowledge anything that God gives us and never take credit for it ourselves.
The same is true for spiritual power. If we have any, it is given to us from God. He has All-power. He can give it to us, so that we can defeat Satan and his demons every time. However, we need to give God the glory for that power. Without Him we can do nothing.
Because Jesus has the authority and power over Satan and his forces, we can have the confidence that we can defeat Him, as we trust Christ as Lord in all things. Then, we know that the authority and power will be given to us to do whatever He directs us to do. He never delegates a job to us without delegating the authority and power to do that job. The times we have trouble are when we try to do things on our own or in our own way. Then, we face them with only our own power and no authority. It means certain failure. That is why we must surrender fully to Jesus as Lord and follow His will closely.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 5-8.
Today some people speak of having authority over demons. They act like they have this authority on their own. That is not true. If a person has this authority it is given by God, just like Jesus gave it to His disciples when He sent them out to preach. Authority comes from the One who is Lord, the One who is in charge of everything. We need to acknowledge anything that God gives us and never take credit for it ourselves.
The same is true for spiritual power. If we have any, it is given to us from God. He has All-power. He can give it to us, so that we can defeat Satan and his demons every time. However, we need to give God the glory for that power. Without Him we can do nothing.
Because Jesus has the authority and power over Satan and his forces, we can have the confidence that we can defeat Him, as we trust Christ as Lord in all things. Then, we know that the authority and power will be given to us to do whatever He directs us to do. He never delegates a job to us without delegating the authority and power to do that job. The times we have trouble are when we try to do things on our own or in our own way. Then, we face them with only our own power and no authority. It means certain failure. That is why we must surrender fully to Jesus as Lord and follow His will closely.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 5-8.