Each day we face our arch nemesis the devil, but we face him alongside our Champion and Chieftain Jesus Christ. There are no great visible armies supporting us, and often there seems to be no reinforcements to call on. There are often those moments when it seems Jesus is not even there—although rest assured, he will never leave or forsake you. But, if we’re honest it “feels like,” that is, it seems that we are in a hand-to-hand wrestling match— where it is winner take all.
The truth is you are in a battle at close quarters. It is a wrestling match where there can be only one winner. The close proximity of the fight wears on you as your opponent persistently stalks you. You can almost feel the breath of your opponent as he circles you looking for that weakness in your armor or that moment of indecision on your part. His purpose is to kill, steal, and destroy. What is your purpose? Survival? Escape? Minimum injury? Victory? What?
Your purpose will determine your outcome. In this battle, you will probably get what you are willing to accept. Understanding who you are in Christ is far more important than trying to guess what your adversary will do next. Therefore, to gain that victory you must live in the new nature Christ has given you. Otherwise, your goose is cooked!
Most believers shrink away from this confrontation thinking they have no power. And yet, Christ has both given each of us more power than we know what to do with, and the authority to use it. This happens when the Holy Spirit fills you. He is not there to sleep on the sofa of your spirit, He is there to insure your victory in Christ by guiding you at all times, but especially in the heat of this real battle.
It is essential that you understand you have been given the authority of Christ (read Luke 9:1-2; 10:1; 9; 17-18; and Matthew 28:18-20). He has delegated you to act as his representative in the physical realm. Therefore, when the enemy steps out of the spiritual and into the physical—you have delegated authority to act. Delegated means Jesus has deputized you. He has given you the authority and all the ammunition you need to be successful. The enemy will give you all the opportunities you need, so all that is required of you is to act. And upon acting in the authority of Christ—the battlefield tends to change quickly. Standing in the authority of Christ seems to give each of us a spiritual backbone—we no longer slump or stoop, but stand straight and firm with our feet solidly planted for the battle.
The more we exercise this delegated authority the more authority we earn in the spiritual realm. It’s not that we are necessarily given more authority, but rather we become more deadly to the kingdom of darkness in the way we use that the authority we have already been given. Earned authority opens the door for the Holy Spirit to use us to aid others in their battle against our ancient foe. This exercise of authority is much like exercising a muscle, the more you use it—the stronger it gets! The more you fine tune it the more powerful it becomes!
The enemy would rather wrestle with a person who is fearful and insecure—ignorant of their true strength and power in Christ. He always seems unbeatable when you choose to grapple with him in your own strength. Take up the authority of Christ—pull out God’s gun loaded with devil killing bullets and squeeze the trigger—and watch the enemy back off a little. As he backs off a little, take a deep breath, get your bearings, and jump on his back in the power of Jesus name and defeat him in today’s battle. You have been given the authority for living—living the life of Jesus.