Yes, Jesus gave you authority over the devil! Meaning, you have power, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome everything satan throws at you! You do not have to be defeated anymore, you can be victorious! So, let’s get into learning about the authority Jesus gave you over the devil!
Jesus Gave You Authority Over Serpents and Scorpions
In Luke 10:19, Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Trample means to tread on and crush, so you have the authority to crush the enemy’s power. Additionally, because of this authority, nothing can hurt you. We are not meant to live defeated lives; this is where our victory lies!
Serpents and scorpions are common imagery for the devil, so take this verse literally. You can crush the devil, anything that resembles him, and anyone that works for him. You have power over that! There is no witch, warlock, medium, spell, generational curse, depression, anxiety, or fear greater than the power that lives in you.
I John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Greater is God in you than anything in this world. Greater than any sickness and disease, mental illness, witchcraft, sleep paralysis, ANYTHING! You have the Spirit of the living God inside you; you have His authority. So, nothing compares to that, and you must understand that. You have power over ALL the power of the enemy. Not some, not most, but all!
You Have Power Over the Enemy
Most Christians don’t know they have authority, but Luke 10:19 proves we do. Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on Earth. Go, therefore…” Jesus would not say, “Go, therefore,” If we didn’t have that same authority. Therefore, Jesus expects us to do what He did. He expects us to cast out demons and heal the sick. As a matter of fact, He expects to do greater works than He did.
John 14:12 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” How could we do greater works than Jesus if we didn’t have His authority?
Jesus expects a lot of us, but He didn’t leave us empty-handed. He equipped us with His Holy Spirit, which makes it possible for us to use this authority! If you are a born-again believer, you have the Holy Spirit, and you have Jesus’ Authority coursing through your veins. Because of Jesus, we have power over everything that He defeated. When Jesus rose, He put an end to all the enemy’s power.
The Enemy Has No Power Over Your Life
Hebrews 2:14-16 says, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; He came to help the descendants of Abraham.”
The New King James Version says He destroyed the enemy’s power over us. And I like that version because destroyed means to put an end to the existence of. So, in that context, Jesus put an end to the existence of the power of the enemy over us! Meaning there is no power of the enemy over us! Isn’t that good news? Jesus died to help us because, through faith, we are the descendants of Abraham.
Jesus Gave Authority to His Church
Ephesians 1:19-23 says, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power, that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.”
We have tremendous power available to us through our faith in God. So, when I say you don’t have to live defeated anymore, I mean that! God redeems us from failure and brings us into everlasting victory! The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that lives inside us! Jesus gave every believer authority; why? Because we are His church, His body!
Jesus is above every ruler, and God put all things under Christ. And we are His body, so what does that mean? All things are under us; we and Christ are one. When you make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, you become one with Him. So, everything is under our authority! Nothing is allowed to overcome you if you know you have authority. The only way that life can wreck you is when you are in the dark about it. However, if you read this blog post, you no longer have an excuse. Now you KNOW Jesus gave you authority and that everything is under your feet as it is His.
Sat in Heavenly Places
If you aren’t convinced by now that Jesus gave you authority, let me introduce one more verse. Ephesians 2:6 says, “For [God] raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” If we are united with Christ, that means we have the same power as Him. As I mentioned, the Holy Spirit gives us access to this authority. We are united with Christ because we have His Spirit living inside of us. We can know all truth because that’s where the Holy Spirit leads us.
The power that Jesus has as He sits in the heavenly realm is available to us through His Spirit. That is why we can do greater works than Jesus did while on Earth. We have resurrection power living in us, ready to use against all the enemy’s power! When Jesus rose, He destroyed the enemy, so he has no right to ruin your life as a believer. The only thing he has a right to do is to kick rocks! Don’t allow him to steal your life when you have the power that defeated him inside you!
If you didn’t know you had authority, now you do! I know this was short, but later this week, we’re going to dive deeper. We will learn what authority is and what we have authority over, so stay tuned!
A Call to Salvation
If you want to know God and have a relationship with Him, say this prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and turn my back to them; I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day. I accept Him into my heart now; I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart Jesus is Lord. By faith, I give Him my whole life, heart, mind, and soul. Amen!” If you said this prayer, go to the I Just Got Saved page for church recommendations, a Bible, and a journal! I hope this helped, and God bless!
