Saturday Open Heavens Devotional - Enjoying And Exercising Spiritual Authority

MEMORISE: And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? Acts 19:15.

MESSAGE
Enjoying and exercising spiritual authority is a pleasant experience. Are you enjoying spiritual authority? Better still, are you really exercising your God-given spiritual authority? If not, why? In today’s Bible reading, Paul exercised spiritual authority over an agent of the devil. Elymas the sorcerer could have frustrated the preaching of the gospel to a potential disciple of Jesus Christ, but for the fact that Paul the apostle knew the authority that he had. However, it is one thing to know that you have authority, and it is another thing to exercise it. You cannot exercise the spiritual authority you do not possess, because you cannot give what you don’t have. If you try it, you will end up with spiritual wounds like the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:14-16.

You may be wondering, “How can I enjoy spiritual authority and also exercise it? First and foremost, you must establish a relationship with the One with overall spiritual power (Matthew 28:18). His name is Jesus. It is His authority you are exercising. Take a look at His model: “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and cast out devils;” Mark 3:14-15.

Secondly, you must obey rules governing the exercise of His authority. He revealed one of such rules to His disciples in Mark 9:29 after they had failed while exercising His spiritual authority: “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

Thirdly, identify and believe in genuine ministers of God, in whom God has deposited His authority (2 Chronicles 20:20). Learn to fellow their instructions. Many people don’t know the value of this utterance: “God bless you”. A simple “God bless you” prayer from a man with spiritual authority will give you tremendous blessings without sweating. One night, I was praying at the Redemption Camp during one of our special programmes. A young man was following me because he wanted me to pray for him. I struggled to pause my personal prayer to pronounce “God bless you” on him. To my amazement, he still wanted me to pray for him I wondered what else he wanted when I had pleaded with God to bless him.

ACTION POINT: Establish a relationship with Jesus Christ today. Study His word and exercise your faith in it, and you will begin to enjoy spiritual authority.

READ: Acts 13:8-12.
8. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10. And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12.Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ISAIAH 48:50 AND ACTS 10:1-23.