Spiritual Authority Over Wickedness

[Albert Finch]

Ephesians 6:12 -- "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

The reality is that we're in battle. We're being prevailed against. Some of us are "losing" in the fight against sin and sickness, disease and death. Some of us are losing the battle for our kids to know Jesus. Some of us are battling for our marriages. Some of us are battling against poverty, and the very things that hinder the fulfillment of the prophetic word in our lives. War wages for the fulfillment of our very divine destinies.

Hosea 4:6 -- My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou has forgotton the law of God, I will also forget thy children.

This infers that if God's people had knowledge of who they really are in Christ, of who God is, and of the rights and priveleges of their dominion -- they wouldn't be destroyed.

As soon as we become blood-bought believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we're thrust behind enemy lines, though assured of God's protection. However, we're also reminded that we operate in an environment of spiritual terrorism. ".....We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).

John 15:7 -- If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Jesus walked in union with His Father. We too must do the same with Him. We only have true spiritual authority to the degree that we are abiding in Him. The angels do not respect us and the demons do not obey us because of who we are, but because of who is in us.

The Bible says that the birds of the air come to snatch away the Word of God (Luke 8:5-15). The birds of the air are the demons that snatch away the Word from a man's heart, but only because a man leaves it out there unprotected. The devil cannot take away the word from our hearts if we hold it close and protect it through:

Affirming It Out Loud

Meditating on It,

And visualizing it coming to pass in our lives.

Psalm 78:9-11 -- "The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in His law; they forgot His deeds and His miracles that He had shown them."

The apostle John wrote, "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death." (Rev. 12:11).

The elements of victory are recounted to us in this passage. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb: This means we no longer are fighting FOR victory but we fight FROM victory. Winning is assured when we enter the battle.

Matthew 11:12 -- Violent men take the Kingdom by force.

It is to be understood that our battles are to be the manifestations of His victory. The ultimate challenge is not the battle itself but the decision to participate. Notice that the "armor of God" in Ephesians Chapter 6 has no protection for your back. We are ill-equipped for retreat.

The shield of faith is our truth and our buckler. It's the truth of the Word of God, and it's given to every believer to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one (Eph. 6:6). But it has to be used. We are to be doers of God's Word. When we act, the shield moves when we do, even if we don't feel it.

1. We don't have the Sword of the Spirit until the Word has been made real to our spirit.

2. We don't have the Shield of Faith until we walk in that faith of who God says we are in Christ.

3. We don't have the Shoes of Peace until we get into the presence of God.

4. We don't have the Helmet of Salvation until we have a revelation of Christ's finished work on the cross.

5. We don't have the Breastplate of Righteousness until we start thinking like God thinks.

6. We don't have the Belt of Truth until the Holy Spirit leads us into the truth of the fullness of the reality of God.

Matthew 6:10 -- "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

God's world collides with the world of darkness, and His world always wins. Our battle is always a battle for dominion -- a conflict of kingdoms.

God has chosen to work through us. We are His delegated authority on planet earth, and prayer is the vehicle that gives occasion for His invasion. Those who don't pray allow darkness to continue ruling. The enemy's greatest efforts at deceiving the Church are centered on diluting the purpose and effect of prayer.