UNDER AUTHORITY?- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Ezek 22 -24
UNDER AUTHORITY? Thursday, October 07, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you ” (James 4:7) READ: Matthew 8:8-9 One important tool a shepherd has is the rod. Spiritually, this refers to the authority a pastor wields over his flock. Every genuine shepherd has a measure of this authority in his kitty. Usually, this authority is delegated as the shepherd boys may not necessarily be the owners of the flock they are leading. The sheep owner could be far away doing something else. The chain of this delegated authority is supported by Scriptures. For instance, in Matthew 8:8-9, the Roman centurion recognized that since Jesus was operating under God’s authority, sicknesses would have to bow to Him. Jesus further corroborated this fact when He drew a link between God, Himself and His disciples (Matt. 10:40). Receiving the disciples automatically entailed receiving Jesus and the Father. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Another person who understands the way authority chain flows is Satan. He knows that as long as you remain under authority of God by being under your superiors, he cannot attack you. So he tries to bring that believer out of the authority chain and thereafter strikes the fellow. Satan recognizes those under authority and those outside authority and relates with them accordingly. Anyone who steps outside the authority chain could end up as a prey in the teeth of the enemy. Any time you rebel against your spiritual head who is in right standing with God, you become naked, and exposed to the enemy’s fire. Whenever a pastor sins and especially when he delays in reconciling with God, he exposes his congregation to Satan’s attacks. When your congregation observe that you are under authority, they will comply with your requests. But when they observe that you have drifted from authority, they will report you to higher authority. Do you respect the authority above you? As a parish pastor, do you respect your senior pastors? As a wife, do you respect the authority of your husband? Or do you look down on him because he lost his job? As a youth, do you despise your parents at old age? If you despise your superiors, you are voiding your own authority. If you rebel against your superiors, your subordinates may follow suit and do worse to you. Sustain your power base by remaining under authority. ACTION POINT: Before your orders to demons and unpleasant circumstances can be obeyed, you must be under the authority of Jesus Christ. (Support www.10millionexercisebooks.com project today and be a blessing to somebody. A Christian non-profit initiative towards eradication of illiteracy)