Authority

I wonder what would happen if you and I, and a group of others, sat in a room, and in complete vulnerability exposed what things we felt had been taken away from us at one point or another. Jobs, family members, friends, health, relationships, mental clarity, the stories would all vary drastically, and hold the same taste. I imagine the word “unfair” would come up. I know someone would udder “I just didn’t/don’t understand.”  

I would sit with you, and nod in agreement to a shared pain, a shared misunderstanding, a mutual confusion. Then, when everyone was done sharing, I would say “But God ...”, and I imagine the conversation would shift. I can picture the Holy Spirit moving through the room. The stories would change to what we gained from the experience, what lessons we learned, and how God used our stories to help others. Yet, when I read today's scriptures, Mark 6:7-12, I gain an even deeper sense than a purpose to the pain, I see the definition of authority that is gained in the stripping. 

According to Google, authority is defined as ‘the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.” However, as Christians, authority in God, in Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, is something that we inherently embody when we profess Christ as our savior. In today’s scriptures, Jesus tells His disciples to spread the Gospel, but then strips them of anything they could lean on other than God. True authority does not come from the power of your title in society, it does not come from the clothes you wear, or the associations you affiliate with. There is only one source. Jesus. 

We gain a lot from our struggles, and Jesus never promised us a life of comfort, but He gave us authority.  In Mathew 17:20 ESV Jesus states ‘... For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’

Nothing is impossible for us, for me or for you. There is gravity to that. We can be stripped of everything, BUT because of God, we not only gain purpose, faith, grace, and compassion, but authority. When we encounter people who do not open their hearts, we have the authority to still pray for them. When we encounter a stripping season of our possessions, or our financial stability, we have the authority to KNOW we are taken care of, to not worry. When we are left by the one person we thought would never leave, we have the authority to know that we are never alone, and know that we are already loved more than we can imagine. When we enter a season of depression and anxiety or worry, we have the authority to claim Jesus’ name above our health. We HAVE authority, so let’s take a stand in it, in what is already ours.

Prayer:
Dear Father, First we thank You for the countless blessings you have given us. Blessings that have already been put into place for our well being. We pray for a heart of gratitude first. We know that because of who You are, we have the authority that we do. We thank You that we get to know that the best is yet to come. We get to know that even if we can’t see it, understand it, and are struggling to obey it, that we can, and will prevail because of Your love for us. We thank You for the authority You’ve granted us, and we pray Father that You remind us today and for the rest of the week, that in everyday situations, we can proclaim Your name in authority. We pray Your name Jesus over every struggle, over everything we feel we have been stripped of, and we claim our authority in Your name, Jesus. Amen.