Authority and identity

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18

To walk in authority, we must know our identity in Christ. As Bill Johnson says, authority and power often go hand-in-hand, which is why policemen carry both firearms (power) and badges (authority); in a sense, the badge is more powerful than the weapon. It is God's will to have His children to be involved in demolishing the kingdom of darkness, so He gave His children authority to fulfill the great commission.

With our new identity in Christ, we have access to the resources of heaven to accomplish God's purposes on earth, especially preaching the gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons (Mark 16:15-18).  During my first session of deliverance training, the pastor taught us to be stern and authoritative when commanding demons to leave, as if we were training a dog like a master. He also stressed that demons must obey because Jesus gives us authority and the power of His name.

Shortly after my first few training sessions, I encountered my friend who had a demon manifestation, and the demon voiced out and questioned me, "Who are you?" I was terrified inside at first, but I knew the enemy wanted me to fear and doubted my identity, so I kept the pastor’s teaching in mind, and sternly commanded “In Jesus name, just get out! ”And the demon left immediately and my friend was delivered.  This experience taught me to walk in authority with bold faith, and firmly believe in our identity and power of God.

Walking in authority scares the enemy, so he is working hard to attack our identity in Christ and prevent us from walking in authority. We must therefore have bold faith in God and use His word to unleash our true identity and authority in Christ.

Blessing prayer: As children of God, we cancel the lies of the enemy about who we are, and we will walk in authority and power to accomplish God's mission on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.