Take Back Your Authority in the Heavenlies
This has always and will forever be a spiritual battle!
When lucifer fell from Heaven, the Bible declares in Revelation 12:9 that he was cast down to the earth. He was banished from Heaven and only allowed to exist under Heaven and function over the earth. Therefore, he is very active in the earth realm. There is something crucial at this point that we need to understand or remember. Satan is a spirit! He is not a man. He and his minions are evil spirits. Why is this of utmost importance to remember? It is because when satan fell, even though he is a spirit, his fall affected the physical realm. All the chaos on earth was brought about by spirits operating in the earth realm.
After God restored the earth, He said in Genesis 1:26, “Let Us make man.” Why? Because of lucifer! If lucifer had not fallen, humanity wouldn’t have ever been created. We were not created to just interact with one another as humans; we were created to interact with fallen spirits, angels and demons, and even the Holy Spirit for that matter. When we understand this spiritual dimension, it will bring greater clarity to why God made humanity like He did. God is a Spirit! Hebrews 12:9 says that He is the Father of spirits, which tells us that God creates spirits. Therefore, He rules spirits. That’s why He is the master of the spirit realm.
Another reason why humankind was created spirit, soul, and body is because part of humankind’s existence and function happens in another realm. It is the spirit part of you that registers in the spirit realm. You are seen, felt, and heard in that realm. And since it is the realm where you exist, it is also the realm where your authority exists and is exercised. When the sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons, what did they say? “Jesus, I know. Paul, I know. But who are you?” It is because you are seen and heard in that realm. If you are a child of the King, they know it!
I bring this up because we are preoccupied with the natural realm. Don’t get me wrong—we must live and function in the natural realm. However, we must not forget that we also live in another realm! It is the realm of the spirit that we have been called to police! It is the realm of the spirit that we have been called to dominate. And if we would diligently police the realm of the spirit, we wouldn’t need as many policemen to police the realm of the natural! The earth is in the shape that it is in because of the failure of the church to take its place in the spirit realm.
As we turn our focus on the spirit realm, we will begin to see amazing things happen in the natural realm. This is the heart’s desire of Jesus and the Father revealed in the model prayer in Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For that prayer to be fulfilled, the church must take its place in the heavenlies, and do it now. This battle over earth is about spiritual supremacy. Which spirits will rule? God made humankind spirits so that we could rule the spirit realm. Then he put us in bodies so that we could steward and rule the natural realm on earth. The attitude that we must have while walking around in the earth is that of a landlord over the earth.
When I say “over the earth,” I’m picturing it like an umbrella. We must become militant about our assignment to cover the earth from the wickedness of satan and his assignments. This is what we call war in the heavenlies. It is about meeting the battle in the heavens before it can manifest in the earth. Ephesians 6:11 warns us that we are wrestling against the “wiles” of the devil. That word means “schemes.” There is constant scheming going on all the time in the realm of the spirit. Sadly, most of the time we don’t know what was schemed until it manifests. By then, we are playing defense and dealing with the fallout of demonic attacks. It is God’s will for us to know the plans of the enemy before they manifest. For that to happen, we must become spiritually vigilant. This is one of the main reasons the Holy Spirit was given to us—so that He could reveal to us the things of the Spirit in the spirit. We must take our responsibility in the jurisdiction we have been given authority over more seriously. If we do that, we can stop some of the schemes of the enemy from ever coming to fruition. So let’s be more committed to shut him down!
Satan and his schemes should not be our only emphasis in the spirit realm. There is also another force operating in this realm—the angelic hosts of Heaven who serve God. I don’t think the body of Christ has talked about angels enough. Angels are a topic that we need to constantly preach and talk about! I cannot stress enough the importance of angels. The spirit realm is filled with these mighty warriors just waiting to carry out the will of the Father in the earth. To do so, they need the church to give them His commands and release them. In Hebrews 1:13-14, the Bible is very clear that the angels have been sent to minister for us—those who are the heirs of salvation. They are still working for God through us, just like they did in the Old and New Testament. They are mighty weapons in the spirit realm, and they hearken to our voice as the church. Much of what happens in the earth is dependent upon our employment of them.
Now, I’m about to say something that is really shocking! If this is a battle in which the spirit realm will rule the earth and we as the church have authority in the realm of the spirit and have the angels at our command, why are we not winning every battle? In 2 Kings 6:8-18, we have an incredible story and explanation about the spirit realm:
Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”
And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.”
And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.”
Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
Wow! There are so many revelations in the passage. The phrase that leaped off the page to me was this statement, in verse 16, when Elisha said, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” In the spirit realm you are never outnumbered! If only our eyes were opened to see the power and activity we control in the spirit realm. We could shake nations! There are always more with you! That’s why I get frustrated when I hear people talking more about the devil and what he’s doing than they talk about God and what He’s doing! If Elisha, a prophet in the Old Covenant, understood this, how much more should the heirs of salvation and the mighty ekklesia of Heaven understand this!
It is high time that we discern what the enemy is scheming for our lives, families, and nations and release the mighty hosts of Heaven to spoil his plans! Not only are those with us more than those against us, but those with us are also greater and stronger than those against us. The Word declares in Psalm 103:20, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.” They excel to whatever strength is needed to fulfill God’s word. They are more powerful than demons!
