Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 2:30:1
Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Tuesday, May 11, 1999
To: Dr. Rowland Croucher <>
From: DEVOTIONALS.NET <>

  N E I L   A N D E R S O N   D A I L Y   D E V O T I O N A L
             from Freedom in Christ Ministries

May 11

BELIEVING IN CHRIST'S AUTHORITY

Truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you
shall say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it
shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you (Matthew
17:20).

What does it take to effectively exercise Christ's authority over
spiritual powers? Can any Christian do so regardless of his level
of spiritual maturity? If so, why aren't we more consistent in
demonstrating our authority over Satan's kingdom?

I believe there are at least four qualifications for
demonstrating authority over rulers and authorities in the
spiritual realm. We'll consider them over the next few days.

The first qualification is belief. In the spiritual realm, if you
don't believe you have authority, you're not going to exercise
it. If your belief is weak, your expression of it will also be
weak and ineffective. But if you grasp with confidence the
authority that Christ has conferred upon you, you will exercise
it with confidence.

Imagine a rookie traffic copy approaching a busy intersection to
direct traffic for the first time. They told him at the academy
that all he had to do was step into the street and hold up his
hand and the cars would stop, but he's not so sure. He stands on
the curb, tweets his whistle weakly, and sort of waves at an
oncoming car, which roars by him. His authority is diminished by
his lack of confidence.

Now imagine a seasoned officer coming on the scene. He sizes up
the situation, steps into the street carefully but confidently,
gives a blast on his whistle, and stretches out his hand

--and the cars stop. There's no doubt in his mind that he's in
control in that intersection because he has a settled belief in
his authority.

You may consider yourself just a "rookie" at stopping the devil's
traffic in your life. But Jesus Christ is a seasoned veteran, and
you're in Him. Build your faith in your authority by studying how
Jesus operated against the powers of darkness in the Gospels and
how we are commanded to do so in the Epistles.

Lord, enlarge my belief that I have been given authority over
principalities and powers in Christ, and help me act on that
belief.


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