By Rev. Kenneth A. Fletcher

"Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you." 

Luke 10:19 (NASB)

More and more as I go along, I am realizing the major importance of Christians under-standing their authority in Christ. Many dear Christians, who are born again children of God, live in defeat most of the time. I believe that, many times, this is due to a lack of knowledge or understanding on their authority. Notice I said, "their authority".

            The devil is a defeated foe! If this is true, and if he really is already beaten, we do not have to try to beat him again. It's a fact! The devil and all his demons have been utterly defeated by our Lord Jesus! "...He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them..." "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (Col. 2:15, 1 Jn. 3:8, NASB)

            In Mat 28:18, Jesus makes the awesome statement about WHAT was won, and WHO won it. He said: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth".

            Notice that Jesus said the authority He has won is not only in heaven, but also on earth! Someone might ask, "If Jesus has all the authority, then, why are all these terrible things allowed to continue here on earth?”

            Since Jesus took back the authority of the earth 2000 years ago, the devil now is able to continue doing these terrible things ONLY when men allow him.

Jesus gave US the responsibility of doing something about the devil now. You see, Jesus won a complete victory over the devil. His purpose was to get the authority back that was given to the devil by Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden. In other words, Jesus took the authority from Satan that was originally ours in the beginning. It was not possible for us to get it back ourselves. We were slaves--sold under sin. Only Jesus could get it back for us. He became a man, yet He was also God! Jesus was pure and undefiled by the sinful bloodline of Adam. His blood was the blood of God! Jesus did not need the authority for Himself--we did! We were the ones who desperately needed it back. Yes, Jesus did it all for you and I!

            Look what Jesus said in Mat 28: 18-19, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth, go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." After Jesus made the proclamation that He had all authority in heaven and earth, He immediately delegated it to the church.

            In essence, Jesus was announcing that since He now has the authority Satan held, there is nothing that can stop us from carrying out His command. Oh, how I want you to get that deep in your spirit! You now have the authority to move the devil out of your way; just like Jesus. If you're born again, you have the very same authority that Jesus has! Hallelujah!!

            Listen friend, the devil fights hard to keep this message from Christians. You can understand why! If believers know this, understand this, and get it down in their spirits real good, the devil knows he is out of business. They will begin to dominate him instead of the other way around! Hallelujah!

            Now, as you know, the devil still has his power. One day, I asked the Lord about that. I said, "Jesus, why did you leave the devil's power intact when you took the authority?" He said this to me: "Because, power without authority is nothing." I saw it! Remember, Jesus said: "...I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,..." When you have God's authority, the power of the devil is not a problem!

            Since the Holy Spirit lives in you, there is an abundance of power always available! Abiding in you now is much more power than you will ever need! Praise God! As you exercise your authority in Jesus' Name, the Holy Spirit supplies all the power needed to get the job done! You do your part, the Holy Spirit does His part, and God's will is accomplished on the earth. Hallelujah!

            My friend, it is my sincere prayer that you get a firm grasp on your authority in Christ. In the days that are coming, these truths will become more important than ever. Bless you!  KAF