(Colossians 1:12-14 NKJV) (12) giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (13) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
I once read about the story of a man that was travelling from England to the United States during the days of great ocean liners that were the main mode of transportation. The voyage usually took about a week and this man had saved most of his money to be able to buy a ticket so that he could take the trip.
Throughout the trip, every evening he would watch as the other passengers would get dressed and go to the dining room and eat the wonderful food that had been prepared. While this was happening, this man would go to his cabin and take some crackers and cheese that he had brought with him and he rationed it out every day so that he would have something to eat.
On the last day of the voyage, as the ship was nearing its destination, the Captain saw this man on the deck and asked him, “Sir, have we offended you in some way or not provided good service to you for your trip?” The man replied, “Oh no. I have been very happy with the accommodations.” “The reason I asked,” The Captain said, “Is that I have not seen you in the dining room one time throughout the whole trip.”
The man replied, “Well that is because it was all I could do to save the money just to by the ticket to board the ship and make the trip, and therefore I could not afford all of those wonderful meals.”
Shocked, the Captain replied, “Sir I am so sorry. All those meals were included in the price of your ticket, and you could have been eating with us all along.”
This man did not know what had been bought and paid for and belonged to him all the time.
- Many believers do not know what has been bought and paid for by Jesus and belongs to us now!
(John 8:32 NKJV) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(Hosea 4:6 BBE) Destruction has overtaken my people because they have no knowledge…
I read another story about a man who was found dead in the small, shabby apartment that he rented for $3 a week. He had been a familiar sight on the streets of Chicago for about 20 years, always dressed in rags and eating out of garbage cans.
When he wasn’t seen for two or three days, concerned neighbors went to look for him and found him dead in bed. An autopsy revealed that he had died of malnutrition, yet a money belt was found around his waist that contained more than $23,000.
The man had lived in abject poverty, peddling newspapers for a living, yet he had money. He could have lived in the finest hotel in town but instead lived in the little, run-down room. He could have eaten the best food, but he died of malnutrition.
This man did not use what he had in his possession.
- Many believers may know (or have some idea) what belongs to them, but do not use what God provided for them in Redemption.
- One of the many things Christ paid for in His Plan of Redemption, is our authority in Him.
(Luke 10:17-20 NKJV) Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (18) And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (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. (20) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
(Luke 10:19 TPT) Now you understand that I have imparted to you all my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will be able to harm you as you walk in this authority.
Does the Church today have or need any less authority than these disciples did in Jesus’ day? No!
Matter of fact, Jesus was delegating that authority to them as a man anointed by God under the old covenant.
- Jesus personally defeated the enemy and stripped him of the authority to rule over believers.
(Colossians 2:15 TPT) Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner; they were his!
- Authority is delegated power.
Policemen can direct traffic during the rush hour traffic and hold up their hands and stop cars. Even though they do not have the physical ability to stop cars and trucks, they have the delegated power given to them by the government that they serve. People recognize that authority and stop their cars.
That means that you as a recipient of the delegated authority of Heaven, that is back by God Himself can step out and stop the operations of the devil in your life and he must obey because he recognizes that Power that is backing you.
- The strength of our authority rests on the power behind that authority.
Ephesians 1 and 2 declare that we were raised up at the same time Jesus was raised up. If we were raised up at the same time the Head was raised up, and all authority was conferred upon the Head, then it was also conferred upon His body which was raised up together with Him.
(Hebrews 1:1-3 NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, (2) has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; (3) who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
- The right hand of God, where Jesus is seated, is the center of power of the whole universe!
God Himself is the power behind that authority. The devil and his forces are obliged to recognize our authority.
(James 4:7 TPT) So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you.
He will not argue with you about the Name of Jesus and the authority in that name.
(Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV) (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Mr. E. W. Kenyon wrote in his book, “The Wonderful Name of Jesus” about ministering one night on the Name of Jesus, and in the middle of his message an attorney interrupted him and asked the question, “Do you mean that Jesus has given us the power of attorney?”
Mr. Kenyon responded to him that he was the lawyer and expert and did Jesus give us the power of attorney?
The man responded and said if language means anything, Jesus gave to the Church the power of attorney.
Mr. Kenyon asked him, “What is the value of the power of attorney?”
The lawyer responded, “It all depends on how much there is in back of it. How much authority and power that this Name represents.”
All the power and authority that Jesus has and had is invested in His Name.
Do we have power of attorney to use His Name? Jesus said we could use His Name in prayer, in dealing with demons, and in laying hands on the sick.
Sometimes we focus too much on our part in ministering to someone, but we must realize that it is the power in His Name that does the work.
Kenyon states, “The measure of His ability is the measure of the value of that Name, and all that is invested in that Name belongs to us for Jesus gave us the unqualified use of that Name.”
(John 14:13-14 NKJV) And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
- Jesus says that whatever we ask, require, demand, in His Name, He will do it (back it up)!