Who or What Has Authority Over Your Life?
Over the course of history, the word authority has often been misused. Sometimes we associate authority with military powers, various leaders throughout time, and even a previous or current boss. But exercised authority is not just limited to people. Whether it’s our own intrusive thoughts or possibly some sort of substance abuse, many of us may have things in our lives that have authority over us.
If you crack open a Webster dictionary, you will read: Authority: Power to influence, to command thought, opinion, or behavior. The second definition reads: Freedom granted by one in authority: RIGHT.
It’s important to ask ourselves, who or what has authority over our lives?
Before we dive into Scripture, I want to offer a little context. The Church of Sardis was established by a people that were moved and led by the Holy Spirit. As time went on, they started to become spiritually lazy. Although hard to detect, they stopped allowing God to have full authority over their lives. To the naked eye, they appeared to be spiritually alive. Their very name, the “Church of Sardis,” evoked an awakening regarding The Holy Spirit. But the Lord knows our hearts, and He knew that this was not the case for the Church of Sardis. On the inside, they were almost completely spiritually dead. This sounds a lot like giving authority to religion and good works and not submitting to The Father. Let’s take a look at the letter John writes to the Church of Sardis in Revelations 3:1-6.
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. - Revelations 3:1-6
The Church of Sardis no longer gave the Holy Spirit the authority in their lives. They no longer had the Spirit of might that gave them empowerment and boldness, both keys to submitting to the authority of God. Being empowered. Being bold. Both allow us to be leaders when we have given God the authority over our lives.
God wants us to be victorious in our own lives, but we have to understand that it is because of His power that we can do so. I think a part of sin nature is thinking or being told that our own personal weaknesses are bad. But it is because of our weakness that God’s power is shown. If we don’t give God the authority over our lives and submit our weaknesses to Him, then they (our weaknesses) can result in our downfall.
ACTIVATION: Write down the areas in your life that you feel are weaknesses. Give them to God and ask for help in those areas.
We see Paul touch on this in 2 Corinthians 2:7-10.
Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 7-10
Maybe there is an area in our lives that we really struggle with; and throughout our lives, that certain area has led us to a lack of confidence. Instead of listening to man's opinion, what would happen if we asked God to step in?
JOURNAL: Does God’s opinion have more weight in my life than man’s opinion?
What would happen if we submitted to The Father and walked the earth as Jesus walked the earth? I think we would find that God would step into those areas in which we are weak, and His power would be shown. We would be able to be victorious no matter the circumstances, thus giving Him the authority as opposed to our own authority, or the authority of man’s opinion. We can receive new life in God and experience true freedom by submitting to Him.
PRAYER: Ask God what your weaknesses are. Thank Him for your strengths, but also thank Him for your weaknesses because, in Him, we are made whole.
If you crack open a Webster dictionary, you will read: Authority: Power to influence, to command thought, opinion, or behavior. The second definition reads: Freedom granted by one in authority: RIGHT.
It’s important to ask ourselves, who or what has authority over our lives?
Before we dive into Scripture, I want to offer a little context. The Church of Sardis was established by a people that were moved and led by the Holy Spirit. As time went on, they started to become spiritually lazy. Although hard to detect, they stopped allowing God to have full authority over their lives. To the naked eye, they appeared to be spiritually alive. Their very name, the “Church of Sardis,” evoked an awakening regarding The Holy Spirit. But the Lord knows our hearts, and He knew that this was not the case for the Church of Sardis. On the inside, they were almost completely spiritually dead. This sounds a lot like giving authority to religion and good works and not submitting to The Father. Let’s take a look at the letter John writes to the Church of Sardis in Revelations 3:1-6.
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. - Revelations 3:1-6
The Church of Sardis no longer gave the Holy Spirit the authority in their lives. They no longer had the Spirit of might that gave them empowerment and boldness, both keys to submitting to the authority of God. Being empowered. Being bold. Both allow us to be leaders when we have given God the authority over our lives.
God wants us to be victorious in our own lives, but we have to understand that it is because of His power that we can do so. I think a part of sin nature is thinking or being told that our own personal weaknesses are bad. But it is because of our weakness that God’s power is shown. If we don’t give God the authority over our lives and submit our weaknesses to Him, then they (our weaknesses) can result in our downfall.
ACTIVATION: Write down the areas in your life that you feel are weaknesses. Give them to God and ask for help in those areas.
We see Paul touch on this in 2 Corinthians 2:7-10.
Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 7-10
Maybe there is an area in our lives that we really struggle with; and throughout our lives, that certain area has led us to a lack of confidence. Instead of listening to man's opinion, what would happen if we asked God to step in?
JOURNAL: Does God’s opinion have more weight in my life than man’s opinion?
What would happen if we submitted to The Father and walked the earth as Jesus walked the earth? I think we would find that God would step into those areas in which we are weak, and His power would be shown. We would be able to be victorious no matter the circumstances, thus giving Him the authority as opposed to our own authority, or the authority of man’s opinion. We can receive new life in God and experience true freedom by submitting to Him.
PRAYER: Ask God what your weaknesses are. Thank Him for your strengths, but also thank Him for your weaknesses because, in Him, we are made whole.
1 Comment
Loved this and thank u