Taking up our Authority in Christ

Trinity has been going through this series about "Sit, Stand, Walk - Your Posture Matters". It is about taking up our positions as children of God and rising up and laying hold of our authority in Christ.

I have been chewing on this. I come to this conclusion:

As Christians, we will NEVER take up our authority in CHRIST unless we REALISE what the devil is doing to us (oppressing us with work stress or relationship problems so we get depressed, lose temper easily, lose sleep, ...), our marriages (wrecking Christian marriages!!!), our children (luring them into addiction to the internet, bad company, drugs, rebellion...) and our loved ones (repeated illness, quarrels, misunderstanding, strife...) and are fed up enough to say, "Enough is enough!", we will never rise up and do what Jesus intends us to do:

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy... " - Luke 10:19

This morning I thought about the programme called Fear Factor. Every time I see that programme (I don't watch it cos its just too bizarre for me), I always scold the participants for being so stupid to subject themselves to such bizarre torture such as lying in a tank full of centipedes and tarantulas, dive into barrels of sewage etc. The rule of the game is that if you can endure the longest, you are the winner. How bizarre and berserk!

But this is actually what the devil is doing to us. He hurled snakes and scorpions at us (these can symbolise lies, infirmity, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, strife...) and we cringe and grit our teeth and endure these attacks, thinking we have no choice but to endure because that's the rule of the game of life. But actually that's Satan's lie. Life has its share of heartaches, sorrows, pain and strife. But we don;t have to grit our teeth and bear it and endure with God's grace. We are called to be overcomers. But we will NEVER overcome if we realise what the devil to do to us. Until we get fed up and say enough is enough, we will NEVER rise up and shake off all the snakes and scorpions and trample on them!! But this is exactly what God has given us the authority to do!

This is what God means when He spoke through the prophet Hosea:

"my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge" - Hosea 4:6

There are other things the enemy does to us - coil an alluring snake around you and make you think it is sexy (temptation), whisper lies in your ears and sowing seeds of doubt and suspicion in your mind....

Only when we realised what a field day he is having, we will never get fed up and say, "Enough! Away from me Satan and your wicked hosts and evil spirits! God has called me to be an overcomer, NOT an endurer! In the name of Jesus, I resist you! Flee from me and my marriage, children, family, career and ministry! Out you go, IN JESUS' NAME!!!"

This song comes to my mind:

Shout, shout for Joy (2x)
For the Lord, has given me the victory
No weapons formed against us shall prosper
No kingdoms raised against us shall stand
For the Lord He is the ROCK of our salvation
And we will overcome by the blood of the LAMB!!

One last thing, I have been using this since I read it from a book by Dr Fushia Pickett: In warfare, resist and defeat the enemy using:
- the NAME of JESUS
- the power of His BLOOD
- the authority of HIS WORD
- in the POWER of the HOLY SPIRE

I imagine it is like repeated punches and blows on the enemy. He has to flee.

Once we become a follower of Christ, warfare is not an option. Last time I used to think being an overcomer is just a Christian cliche. Now I do't anymore. We either overcome or we are overcomed! Till we come to that realisation and get fed up enough to do something about it, we will stay defeated. Friends, our Lord says:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. " - John 10:10


Let's affirm our identity in Christ, take up our authority and put on our spiritual armour and fight.