Jesus Christ is love personified and through His death and resurrection which Easter celebrates, we, as believers, have been freed from the bondage of sin and death and given a whole new life—a life of divine power and authority. Christ walked in divine authority while on earth; He declared and used it all the time. As His followers, He expects us to exert this same power. “So what does divine authority really mean?” you may ask. Let’s explore this further.
“For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey,who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch”
-Mark13:34
Acts 26:16
“But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you”
The Authority of Christ
The Oxford dictionary defines authority as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. To act under authority is to act with the permission of someone who has the rightful power. During His earthly ministry, Jesus acted under the authority and power of God the Father.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 27:54 and Matthew 28:2 confirm this, for during His death and resurrection the earth quaked violently in agreement with heaven on the divine nature of Christ.
On the authority of Christ, Philippians 2:9 also adds, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”
With God right behind Him, Jesus boldly exercised His authority with audacious proclamations, signs, and wonders. As a believer, you can also apply this authority by faith, meaning you will have dominion over demons, sickness, curses, and all the machinations of the enemy against you.
Exercising your mandate:
In Ephesians 1:19-22 Paul speaks extensively about the awesome power and authority of Christ and Ephesians 2:6 teaches us that anyone who is born again has been raised with Christ and is seated with Him in heaven. Thus he/she enjoys the same dominion mandate that Jesus has. Isn’t that remarkable! However, to actually walk in divine authority, you must constantly exercise your mandate. Here are three ways of doing this:·
You must preach the Gospel: Jesus said to His disciples right before His ascension, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20).This is also known as the Great Commission and it is not negotiable. Christ has given you the charge and authority to witness for Him and win souls to His kingdom.
You must have the desire and power to heal the sick: As a Christian, sickness is subject to your authority in Christ. Jesus commands in Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” ·
You will cast out devils: Matthew 10:1 and Luke 9:1-2 reiterate the authority given to believers over devils. So when you walk in divine authority, you have and can exercise your power over Satan and every foul spirit and demon.In essence, there is a resurrection spirit in you as a Christian. This means that you have divine authority in Christ as a result of the resurrection power. The moment
Christ was raised from the dead, you were raised along with Him and by faith, have a place with Him in heaven. Christ has made you more than a conqueror, over sickness, poverty, and death. So don’t allow the devil to make you walk in limitations, choose to walk in divine authority and victory every day.
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