What is all this about “taking authority?” Part 2

We were given exousia (x-oo-see’-ah), the Greek word for “authority” by Jesus at the time we became a believer. But why is this so hard for us to practice?  Why are we not experiencing more spirit-filled “kingdom activity” given the fact we do have the authority to ask for it?Most of us find it hard to believe we do have the authority to trample on evil. We have been called to live a victorious life, but we don’t.  When we start to recognize that God-given authority within us, we struggle with practicing our authority. Spiritual victory is hard to come by.I think there are three reasons we struggle with the authority Jesus has given us:

1. First, we fail to recognize our authority because we haven’t been taught that we have it.  I’ve been a Christian over 50 years, and what I am writing about is a new concept to me.  I understood that I had the right to be a child of God, but not that I had Jesus’s authority to impact the world around me.

1. Second, this authority we are talking about is a spiritual reality, beyond our human awareness, hiding on the other side of the “veil”. To recognize this spiritual reality we must operate in faith and not by sight, a habit difficult for most of us.

3.   Third,  we may have this problem because we have had bad experiences with authority figures. "Authority” got a bad rap when I was a child.  People who used their authority in my life were harsh and controlling.  Some of us may feel uncomfortable being “in positions of authority.”  To be honest with you (before I understood this spiritual concept), I practiced “authority” in my daily life, mostly as a mother, later a teacher and psychologist, and I did not handle authority well. Sometimes I became bossy and people didn’t receive that well.  Other times, people would usurp my authority leaving me powerless and the whole situation would fail miserably.Exousia is a compound word.  It is associated with the prefix “ek” meaning come out from and  the root verb “eimi” meaning to be or to exist.  When I read that, I got excited.  Who do I know that calls himself, “I am”  or “the Existing One?”  It is Jehovah, the Great I Am!  I believe the word for authority (exousia) means “it is coming out from the Existing One, the Great I am.”Consider this:  If God says “do it”, you do it.  If God says, “it will be. I’m calling it into existence,” it will come into existence.  If God says, “I’m not breathing life into this,” that which existed will cease to exist.  All authority started with God, the Father.  And he gave his authority to Jesus the Son, who gave it to us his children, for the purpose of the Kingdom of God.Let us obey Jesus, who asked us to use our authority to impart salvation, heal the sick and cast out demons. The next time you come face-to-face with a problem in your life, take the time to claim your authority in Christ.  As John wrote (16:24), “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name: ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” In Christ,