You Can Do Something About the Devil

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed, for I am a man under authority… ---Matthew 8:5-9


Continuing on with our discussion about the centurion, we see there is a connection between understanding authority and having great faith. Sometimes a believer’s faith doesn’t operate because he doesn’t understand his authority IN Christ. Every time he starts to receive something from God, the devil steals it away, and he doesn’t realize he can do something about it.

So, we must develop an understanding of the authority God has given us because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Jesus took back the dominion that Satan held ever since the Garden of Eden. He regained, for you and me, dominion and authority that God intended for us to have. So, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are IN Christ. He is in us and we are in Him.

Authority is not our own power or strength. The best term to explain authority is “delegated power.” Jesus delegated authority to His disciples and to the Church (you). He said, “Verily (Certainly) I say unto you, Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matt. 18:18) Jesus was saying, “Whatever you forbid on earth, heaven will forbid and whatever you allow on earth, heaven will allow.”

Jesus was speaking at that time and He was turning the Kingdom of God over to the Church which He had just established. Jesus was the Head of the Church. We are His body on this earth with the right to use the authority vested in His name. The body has the same authority as the Head. We are heirs of God and joint-heirs of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17)

God is waiting for us to give orders to the enemy so He can legally enforce those decisions. We are the ones with the authority to do something about the devil. Whatever we forbid on earth, heaven forbids. Whatever we allow on earth, heaven allows!

Confession: Jesus has spoken healing to me through His Word. Now I have authority on earth to keep the devil from staling my healing. In the name of Jesus, I am healed!