BY GREG CRUM

“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” John 12:49-50

Want to know the secret to Jesus’ tremendous success in working the miraculous while he was walking as a mortal on this earth? He only spoke and did (John 5:19) what our Heavenly Father told him to speak and do! Think about that, if anyone was ever going to have the right to step out and exercise their own will as a member of humanity it was Jesus, right? Jesus knew better though. As one that had to be born of woman to qualify to ransom us from our sin, he knew that he also had to abide by the laws and systems God put in place for man to operate. He knew that in order to work the works of God, he had to submit to God’s will, and exercise the faith and authority God has made available to all His children to accomplish His desire in this planet.

The idea of children of God, members of the Body of Christ, having the right and responsibility to enforce God’s will in this earth is fascinating. Sadly, many believers are not fascinated by it; rather they feel it is fictitious. Why? Because their preacher said so, or their lives so reflect the opposite that they can’t get past the evidence of what their natural eyes see. As a result, they live this life as helpless as a chew toy in the mouth of a rottweiler, just hanging on until the end and rolling with the punches that life gives them.

Friends, the authority of the believer is thoroughly Scriptural; it’s a part of our original mandate from God, and a part of our redemptive privileges in Christ. Are you tired of life swelling your eyes from hard knock after hard knock? You have a counter defense. Use your faith, like the centurion mentioned in Matthew 8, and receive from God His best for you.

So, how do we do this then? How do we exercise a “great faith” like the centurion had, tap into God’s authority, and enforce His will in our lives? We are going to have to use the tools God has already made available to us—a mind renewed by the Word of God so we know His will (His written Word is His will), and a mouth to declare His will to be done (prayer/confession). Again, think about it. These are the tools Jesus used to work the works of God in his life. He knew God’s law (remember the “It is written” from Matthew 4?) and then enforced it by speaking that word into situations as they arose. Because of Jesus and the fact that we are a part of His Body in God’s eyes, that’s what we can do today as well!

Brothers and sisters, there is great potential power in our words. The Bible has told us this all along (Proverbs 18:21), and we see it in its fullest force in the words and actions of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. Speaking the Word of God imperatively can move mountains, shut the mouths of demons, and change things beyond the confines of our natural realm. With that said, to be consistently effective and pleasing to God, we must remember that our words are to be used to enforce God’s will, not our own agendas. Some have understood the power of our words and used them for selfish means. While that may work for a season, in the end we will be judged for how we have used these God-given tools.

Let’s use our authority well. Let’s develop a “great faith” like that of the centurion and believe in Jesus’ authority over the powers of darkness so that he can use us to accomplish God’s will in these last days.

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.