Your Spiritual Authority in Christ! By Gail Faulkner

Spiritual warfare, a broad and powerful matter is a reality of the Christian life. Although it is unseen, it is unquestionably real. It exists in the unseen, supernatural dimension, where God is all-powerful and Satan is in rebellion. The Bible speaks of spiritual warfare in many places, but most directly in Ephesians 6:12, where Paul speaks of putting on the full armor of God: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Let us get right to the point and focus on spiritual warfare in our home. Repeatedly, we are defeated when we allow Satan to come into our home and reap havoc. How? Too often we give him “legal right” to enter our home: 1) We allow our children to do anything, say anything, and act any way they want. Through them, we open the door and welcome rebellion into our home. 2) We are in a constant battle with our spouse. We do not work together but rather against one another. The wife is pointing in one direction and the husband is heading in another. This separation filters down and exists in our mindset, our actions, and in our walk with the Lord. 3) We watch any and everything on television, the PC, in books and magazines, and we buy and listen to anything audibly. The results: destruction and all sorts of principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places entering, attacking, and lingering in our home. I am not sure about you, but I am tired of the enemy trying to get a foothold in my door, and I am tired of seeing him attack families. Most Christians, when they come under attack do not know what to do, or they are not in the position, spiritually, to do anything. They just cry and worry, or constantly run to the Pastor for help, or they give in by allowing the enemy to take over and destroy their home.

First, spiritual warfare is a personal resistance against our OWN sinful desires, which the enemy will use to his advantage if we allow him. Therefore, the first fight is against the mind—the battlefield or realm in which spiritual warfare takes place in every believer in Christ. As Christians, we encounter real spiritual struggles in our thoughts against the world system, our emotions, and our will; because the adversary knows that these areas are directly related to the power of our faith in God.

A commonly associated passage written by the Apostle Paul states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). It is our mindset and a matter of the heart. Therefore, we have to confess our sins and allow God to create a clean heart in us (see Psalm 51:10) by allowing the Holy Spirit to open the door to all the dark closets in our hearts and mind. In other words, leave your sins at the door. Just think of it as wiping the dust off your feet before entering your home. In doing so the Holy Spirit will deal with everything in your life that needs changing.

Second, do you realize that Jesus has given us the authority to put Satan under our feet? Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19). God told us to do this and He has equipped us to do so. How then should we fight? Psalm 144:1 states, “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle” (NASB). David stated how God has trained his hands to war, and his fingers to fight. This was evident throughout the Old Testament where you will find examples of God’s weaponry in action. What better example of this passage of Scripture of using faith in battle than David fighting Goliath with a slingshot. I Samuel 17: 45 states, “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield (in the natural): but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts (in the Spirit), the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied”….. In verse 49 of this same chapter, David put his hand in his bag, and took out a stone, slung it, and smote the Philistine. The stone sunk into Goliath’s forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

David was also skillful with his hands on the harp, and valor in the combat with the lion and bear (See I Sam. 17:34-36). For example, he was brought to play before King Saul (See I Sam. 16:14-23). The Word of God in verse 18 says that “Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.” The Scriptures use the word “cunning” to describe the mindset in which David played his instrument. The root word is derived from the Hebrew, “Yada.” It is a verb, which means “to know, learn to know, to perceive, find out and discern, to be wise, to be skillful in.” (Studylight, 2010). Satan, by Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humor of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman. Nevertheless, we see how God’s “Chrism” (anointing) was upon even David’s hands as weaponry against the evil spirit, which had no choice but to depart from Saul. The results, victory, and deliverance for Saul as seen in verse 23: “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”

God used David’s hands skillfully to fight against an evil spirit that was bothering Saul. What about your hands or even your pinky finger? We have this authority in Christ but we rarely use it! We have the “sword of the Spirit”—A great weapon placed in the hands of every believer. The Greek word Paul used here is not “logos” but instead, “hrema”, meaning a specific saying of God, a passage or a verse that has special application to an immediate situation or in English “saying”. The point Paul is conveying is each appropriate individual Scripture is a sword unto itself, and it a daily application of studying the Word. In other words, the “sword of the Spirit” is the sayings of God applied to a specific situation, which is extremely effective in a spiritual battle. Are you using it “cunningly” (skillfully, discerningly) to disarm the adversary? Our answer to destroying the attacks of the devil, who comes to discourage, defeat, and destroy us is using the “sword of the Spirit.”

Third, it is time for us (the body of Christ) to gird up our loins and go on the offense against the devil’s kingdom. The time for sitting around and doing nothing is certainly over. Do not give the adversary a foothold. Do not allow him to dwell with you. Why allow him to destroy you and your family? It is time for house cleaning! Tell the devil you are not going to serve him in areas that are not pleasing to God. Denounce them and kick the devil and his imps out of your home in the name of Jesus! Literally, open the door and throw him out! Anything and everything contrary to the Word of God has to be dismissed from your home. Buy some olive oil, pray or have your pastor pray over it, anoint all your doors and windows, anoint your children and their shoes, and cast out any unclean spirits that are operating in and through your family. Continuously claim for a household for the Kingdom of God. “Establish borders around your home by the blood of the Lamb and declare to Satan that it is off-limits” (Jacobs, 1996). And if you mean business, use your “two-edged sword” by filling your house with the sweet savoy of prayer and praise—one of the highest forms of faith. This is what King Jehoshaphat did; it is recorded in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20. He prayed and worshipped the Lord, and sent out praise singers, who praised the Lord with a loud voice, in front of his soldiers to cause disarray among the enemy, Also, take notice in verse 13 that, “all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. They all stood in oneness with one mindset. That is why it is so important for your household to be on one accord. The results were two-fold: 1) the Lord was with them; and, 2) they annihilated their enemies. Likewise, Joshua used singing and trumpets to bring down the great city of Jericho. The lesson in these situations (as in all spiritual warfare today) is that it is God alone who allows us to claim victory over the adversary. Prophetically, the Lord responded through His prophet, Jahaziel. “…and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

Finally, remember not to measure results by what you see or hear. The Bible makes it clear that we can walk in victory. God does not want us to fail; this is why He has made victory possible in our lives. Through our Victorious Commander, Jesus Christ, the battle has already been won. Psalm 18:2—The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. We are more than conquerors in Him! Remember, we know the ending—we have already won! Since it is warfare, God instructs Christians to use a very specific set of armor and weapons. (Read Ephesians 6:10-18).
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (v. 6)

2 Samuel 22:35He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Psalm 18:34He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Works Cited:
Jacobs, Cindy (1996). Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company.
Studylight, (2010). Retrieved on August 8, 2010, from http://www.studylight.org/desk/view.cgi?number=03045
The King James Version of the Bible was originally published in 1611.
The New American Standard Bible Update – 1995