DELEGATED POWER AND AUTHORITY

DELEGATED POWER AND AUTHORITY

The second part of the battle plan is based upon the power and authority over Satan which Jesus delegated to His followers:

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.  (Luke 9:1)

Authority and power are two different things.  Consider the example of a policeman.  He has

a badge and a uniform which are symbols of his authority.  His authority comes because of the position he holds with the government. But because all people do not respect that authority, the policeman also carries a weapon.  The weapon is his power.

Your authority over the enemy comes through Jesus Christ and your position in Him as believers. Your power over the enemy comes through the Holy Spirit:

And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.  (Luke 24:49)

Like the policeman, you must have both authority and power to be effective.  Believers receive authority through the new birth experience and their position in Christ, but some never go on to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, which is to be combined with the authority for effective warfare. 

The power Jesus gave is directed power for specific purposes.  These include:

POWER OVER THE ENEMY:

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.  (Luke 9:1)

POWER OVER SIN:

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Whosesoever sins  ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins  ye retain, they are retained.  (John 20:22-23)

POWER TO EXTEND THE GOSPEL:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  (Acts 1:8)