To enter in to spiritual warfare, for ourselves, family, Church and locality, we must have an understanding of power and authority.

Luke 9.1-2 ‘then Jesus called together the twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them out to announce and preach the kingdom of God and to bring healing.’ Jesus gave power and authority to his disciples.

Acts 1.8 ‘but you shall receive power (ability, efficiency and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.’ All believers can receive power from the Holy Spirit. Power is the ability, strength and might to complete a given task. Authority is the right to use the power of God. A policeman may not have physical power to stop cars, but he has an authority from a higher person to do so. Likewise us, when we learn to use it properly.

Mat 8. 5 - 13 the centurion who appealed to Jesus to heal his servant understood the principle of power and authority. He was under authority and he gave orders. He knew that a word from an authoritative person was all that was needed for a task to be carried out. ‘Lord...speak the word, and my servant will be healed’ (verse 8).

We have not always learned to give or receive orders.

We have a tendency to think that the key to maturity and power is to be good. So we then focus on our behaviour. This never reaches Jesus’ standards of righteousness. This is struggling in our own strength. We must simply ‘be God’s’. For Him to talk to us and for us to obey. To do His bidding. Then we will change from the inside. We will get new ideas and desires. We will quickly repent of sin. We will hear God more, listening to His voice rather than plans and programs. They don’t work. We will concentrate on doing God’s commands. We will be His disciples.

Super human effort will not achieve what Jesus did, works are simply performed through us. We are channels for ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. We must learn to hear and then to obey God’s commands.

Then we will be in a place of power and authority to carry out His plans and purposes. We will therefore see success in the spiritual warfare He directs us to.

David Tidy