I was reflecting on the difficulty that I have in overcoming some things in my life. You know, those things that seem to have power over you and you find yourself succumbing to them, after which you get mad at yourself… there I go again.
Well, the Lord reminded me this morning of something He taught me a long time ago (which I have preached, written, and taught about many times), which I somehow let slip into some back corner of my mind. It was all about power… what it is, who has it, and how to use it. Let’s just look at two key definitions of power that completely sum up the whole issue.
Luke 10:19 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.
Let’s look at this backwards by examining the power that the Lord has given to Satan. It’s the word dunamis, from which we get our word “dynamite.” But dynamite, in and of itself, isn’t going anywhere unless we put a fuse in it and light it. That’s the power the enemy has over us… potential power.
So, if it’s potential, how come I find myself falling under it so often? Well, the answer is pretty simple… I give him the fuse and light it! His power over me can have no affect at all, unless I light the fuse. And the match that lights that fuse is my old soulish desires. Remember, my flesh died on the Cross with Jesus and has no power over me, but my soul still desires the things my body used to crave. It’s like any other addiction… what I used to want my soul still wants, even though the power of that desire has been broken; covered by the power of Jesus’ sacrifice.
But it is such a struggle, such a battle. I never seem to get victory over it!
Well the reason is that I don’t remember and apply the first part of the verse… I give unto you power. The Greek word for power here is exousia, which means delegated authority as that of a magistrate. It’s jurisdictional power or a “right” to exercise power. Now, put them together in context. God has given us full “jurisdictional power” over the “potential power” of the enemy. That means the enemy cannot make us do anything without our giving him permission… without lighting the fuse.
It’s so easy for me to forget that I have ultimate authority over the enemy because Jesus has given me that authority… I give unto you power. But even if I remember that in a moment of temptation but fail to exercise it I have given it up. It would be just like a judge who gets up and walks out of the courtroom without judging the criminal. The criminal just walks away, unjudged for the crime he has committed. It’s the same thing for us.
Remember when Jesus sent out the 12:
Mark 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
He gave them “exousia;” jurisdictional power over unclean spirits. And look what happened.
Mark 6:13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
I (we) need to remember the position and power that I (we) have been given in Christ over the “potential” power of the enemy. And that means that my spirit has power over my old soulish nature as well. My flesh is dead and no longer has any power over me. My spirit has “jurisdiction” over all my actions and only when I abdicate that power to my old nature do I get into trouble. It doesn’t matter whether that temptation comes from the enemy or from me… the action to be taken is the same. Failure to step up and take my place on the “bench” and rule against that temptation by the authority given me is nothing less than sticking the fuse in the dynamite and lighting it.
Just remember… there is power and there is POWER. It’s our choice.