God is omnipotent and powerful beyond our wildest imaginations, and as Christians we’re taught to have faith in this. He gave His power to Jesus, who in turn gives it to us when we believe. However, sometimes we struggle in this area because we don’t fully understand the scope of the spiritual authority we have. Understanding what we’ve received gives us clarity and keeps us from wondering why things aren’t working when we hit a snag.

God Delegated His Authority to Us

Even from the very beginning, it was God’s plan for mankind to have authority and dominion over the birds of the air, every creeping thing, and all the earth; He made that clear in Genesis chapter one. When Satan entered the garden of Eden and stole that authority, Jesus had to come to earth, die, go to hell, and be resurrected to take it back and put it back into our hands. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). His finished works successfully restored the power back to us.

The word “authority” means delegated power; we mustn’t think that we can be strong in our own might or ability. We can’t cast out devils or bind and loose things on our own; the Bible says to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Think of a police officer standing in the middle of the street and directing traffic. When he puts up his hands the cars stop not because of him, but because of the uniform, the badge, and the authority he wields.  

We Mustn’t Forget Our Ability to Get Results

When we’re dealing with the devil and adverse circumstances, we have to constantly remind ourselves what Jesus transferred to us. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world; when things happen, all of heaven is backing us up. For our authority to work correctly, our confidence must be in someone greater than us. We can speak to the wind and the rain, and they have to obey us, but this power came from Christ.

Forgetting this causes us to short-circuit ourselves. We start coming up with excuses for why it’s not working. We create religious reasons that hide the real reason for the issue. This is because we’re not relating properly with our spiritual authority.

The enemy of our souls loves to make what brings us into bondage appear desirable—and even good—while portraying what’s liberating as bondage. Our souls are where our thoughts reside and where we make our choices and decisions. The mind is the arena of faith; if Satan can deceive us and make us think something that doesn’t line up with God’s Word, he can reign in our lives. There’s a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death; the devil wants us to go off the rails, which is why God warns us. “Do not be misled, my beloved brethren” (James 1:16, AMPC).

There’s Real Power in Spiritual Submission

Walking in our authority requires that we understand what we’re walking in and where it came from. If we don’t, then we’ll find ourselves in deception and rebellion that the enemy created. The devil sends fear to block our progress; one fear is the fear that if we submit to spiritual authority, someone will control us. Fear is the opposite of faith, and always brings us to a place of lack and deception.

Satan wants us to think that rebellion equals liberty and submission equals bondage, but it’s the other way around. We all want to be anointed and blessed, but we can’t neglect the process that leads to that point. We mustn’t run away from this process, because that’s how God develops and matures us spiritually. This involves paying the price to go through something so that we can learn and practice His Word. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1, 2).

God’s Word Grows and Develops Us

A Christian who is getting the Word of God is a Christian who is operating in the potential for growth. Conversely, a Christian who isn’t getting the Word has stopped growing. Growth is a natural, gradual increase that comes from putting a seed in the ground and letting it become whatever it’s supposed to be.

Growth is different than development. To develop something is to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of something, to bring to a more advanced or effective state. Development is a more mature state, and occurs over time when we experience applied pressure and resist it. This resistance is how we develop our spiritual muscles to handle what life throws at us.

God doesn’t want us to be helpless, ineffective Christians. He’s committed to our development because He wants to see us walking in the authority He gave us. “And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you” (Philippians 1:6, AMPC). We’re all a work in progress, going through the process of development until the very end.

Adversity is an Opportunity for Spiritual Development

Hard times aren’t just hard times; they’re opportunities for development that we’ll always have in life. It’s tempting to shy away from them, but we can learn from the mindset Joseph had when he was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, and put in prison. It’s God’s way of teaching us how to overcome.

Everything God does, He does out of love. He lovingly takes us through the stages of spiritual development from babyhood to childhood to adulthood. It’s painful when we’re going through it, but it’s to develop His love in our lives. When we reflect that love, it allows us to continue on our journey through life with the same authority that He has.