How would your life change if you understood your authority in Christ? In Genesis 1:28, God said,
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (emphasis mine).
To subdue anything means to cause it to submit. This means that whether it be an animal, plant, or anything else on earth, you have dominion over it. In Psalm 82:6 God said, “Ye are gods,” speaking of creation. He didn’t mean God with a capital G. This is talking about giving mankind absolute control and rulership over the earth. Did you know that by doing so, God limited His own power over what happens on earth?
Most Christians are not being taught about their authority in Christ, much less how to use it. But they can tell that what they’re doing in their Christian life isn’t working because they continue to be sick, poor, miserable, discouraged, and fearful.
The problem, however, isn’t with God. There is a demonic power operating in this world, and you are in a spiritual war whether you recognize it or not. Christians are the ones with authority, but that authority must be exercised. You’ve got to become aware of what’s really going on and use your authority to rebuke the works of the enemy.
Matthew 10:8 is another verse that says Jesus gave us power over all demons and all diseases:
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Notice He didn’t tell us to go pray and ask Him to heal the sick and all of these things. He gave us His authority and told us to do these things. God has promised us absolute victory over sickness 100 percent of the time—not just sometimes, for minor things, or only for some people!
One of the most important parts of our authority as believers is the ability to stand against Satan. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul talks about the armor that Christians must wear to defeat Satan and why it’s so important:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:10–12, emphasis mine
Why do you need to put on the whole armor of God? So you can stand against the devil’s wiles. The definition of the word wiles is “a trick intended to deceive or ensnare” (American Heritage Dictionary). The only power Satan has is deception. He can’t do anything to you without your consent or cooperation. But once you realize the battle is real, you can then learn to recognize what’s going on and resist the devil.
Genesis 1:1 states that all authority comes from God: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” So everything and every being—whether it’s a spiritual being, an angelic being, or physical being—was created by God. He is the author of all things, but He delegated His authority to us.
There are those who think God sovereignly rules and controls everything, but that is wrong theology. I believe in the sovereignty of God if you define sovereign the way dictionaries do as being first in rank, order, or authority. But religion has come along saying it means God controls everything. That is not what the Bible teaches. To win in this war, you must know who you are and the authority you have as a believer.
If this teaching has blessed you, please visit my website at awmi.net where you’ll find additional free teachings and resources. If you need prayer, I encourage you to call my Helpline at 719-635-1111 where one of my trained prayer ministers would love to agree with you in faith for God’s best over your circumstance.
We love you!
Andrew and Jamie Wommack
