We’ve all been there. The old habits and ways of thinking seem to cling to us even though we’ve been made new in Christ.
Remember the story of Lazarus? He had been dead in the grave for four days when Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth.” He came out of the grave, but there was one problem.
Although he was fully alive, he was still bound in grave clothes.
Here’s the good news: The moment we’re saved, God entrusts us with three things in abundance: promises, responsibilities, and authority.
We’ll get back to Lazarus in a moment. First, let’s talk about authority…
Colossians 2:15 (EEB) says, “On the cross, Christ took away the power of the bad spirits that have authority to rule people. He showed clearly that he himself has won against them. Now everyone can see that those bad spirits have no power.”
Jesus has won the victory. He now has the authority and delegates a staggering amount of it to His Church. There is power in His name to defeat sin and darkness. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:17-18)
So how do we overcome the devil’s schemes and the temptations that often seem too much to bear? James 4:7 (NKJV) tells us, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Did you notice how James says you are to resist? God will not do it for you, but when you stand up to the devil by the authority of Jesus’ name, God’s power will back you up.
Still, sometimes, we are like a man with a wagon full of dynamite who comes across a giant tree in the road, blocking his path. We grumble and cry when we encounter obstacles…yet nothing happens.
We make up doctrines about trees falling across the road and talk about how God is sovereign and how we can do nothing—while we have a wagon full of dynamite at our disposal. It’s all we need to blow the tree out of the road, but we forget what has been given to us.
There is explosive power in the name of Jesus!
So today, if you find yourself like Lazarus, spiritually raised from the dead yet still bound by your grave clothes, it’s time to recognize the authority that is yours through Christ and claim His promises to you.
Do you feel as though the devil has curled up in your thoughts, trying to keep you from living a pure and holy life?
Enough is enough. It’s time to tell him,
“Devil, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are no longer welcome in my attitude, emotions, or thoughts. I’m breaking your power over my life. I’m a new creation in Christ Jesus. I’m changed, and I’ve been delivered from the power of darkness. I belong to God’s Son and put my faith in His name.”
The Apache Scouts were a unit of the US Army that served in the 1800s. One scout served the army faithfully for several decades. When he retired, they gave him a full pension to draw on for the remainder of his life with a railroad pass allowing him to ride any railroad in the U.S. for free.
They found him some years later, dead and penniless.
He had never drawn on his pension, and there was no record that he had ever ridden the railroad. But around his neck was a little leather pouch. Inside that pouch were the documents that gave him the authority to draw that pension and ride the railroad, but he never knew what they were. To him, it was just something he wore to ward off evil.
This is a picture of what the name of Jesus is to some of us. We value the name, but we have yet to realize the true authority it holds.
Dear believer, always remember: You have the beautiful, powerful, matchless name of Jesus at your disposal. And all of the authority behind it has been given to you.
So don’t live below your privileges as His child. Claim authority in His name and rest in His promises that are yours.
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