8 Revelations to Stop the Devil in His Tracks!
The devil does not have the authority God gave you in Christ. God has authorized you—He’s given you authority.
Jesus boldly proclaimed, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). Jesus is not a man that He should lie. He wasn’t boasting or speaking things that are not as though they were. Jesus is the Co-Creator of the universe. He has preeminence. He has all authority.
One meaning of exousia, the Greek word for “authority” in that verse, reads: “the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed.” That sums up Christ’s authority.
God raised Christ from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places:
Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:21-23).
Now, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Eph. 2:6). If you are born again, you have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into Christ’s Kingdom (see Col. 1:13). You’ve been translated from the enemy’s authority and rule of government into Christ’s authority and rule of government.
If you don’t understand who you are in Christ—if you don’t understand your authority in Him—you cannot successfully wage war against the enemy who is waging war against you in or outside of your home.
You Are Authorized
Just like Adam had authority before he handed it over to the devil through his disobedience in the Garden of Eden, we now have authority in Christ to take dominion in the spirit realm over enemies of the cross. Jesus gave His disciples a measure of His own authority, jurisdiction, influence, and anointing to so they could go about doing good and heal all who were oppressed by the devil (see Acts 10:38).
Like the disciples, God has authorized you to stand against the enemy. Merriam-Webster offers the world’s definition of authority: “power of influence to command a thought, opinion, or behavior.” But the Greek word for authority in the Bible is exousia, which includes the concept of “authorization.”
Authority is the power to act on God’s Word. When God speaks, we’re authorized to move. When you are authorized you are commissioned, certified, licensed, lawful, legitimate, recognized, sanctioned, warranted, and official. Jesus delegated His authority in His name. HELPS Word Studies reveals “delegated power refers to the authority God gives to His saints authorizing them to act to the extent they are guided by faith (His revealed word).”
We exercise our authority by faith, not by feelings. The authority to demand that the devil loose what belongs to you is yours whether you feel like you’ve got it or not. You can feel powerless, but the truth is you have the one-two punch of power and authority. Authority has nothing to do with emotions. But you must exercise it for it to be effective.
Jesus has already done everything He’s going to do about the devil. He’s already done everything He’s going to do about sickness. It’s up to you to do something now. He is waiting on you to use the authority He gave you to manifest the Kingdom of God in your life.
8 Revelations of Authority That Unlock Faith and Stop the Devil
It’s important that you meditate on the authority you have because, like a dog, the enemy can sense when you are walking by fear instead of by faith, doubt instead of belief.
Consider the seven sons of Sceva. Sceva was a Jew and a chief of the priests. As such, his sons were educated in the Word of God. They took it upon themselves to try to cast out evil spirits, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth” (Acts 19:13 KJV).
The only problem was, these seven sons of Sceva didn’t have faith in the Word of God made flesh. In other words, they didn’t have faith in Jesus and had no basis on which to exercise His authority. They didn’t have a relationship with Him. They were not born again. The devils knew they had no authority to use the name. Let’s look at the fate of these young men:
And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded (Acts 19:15-16 KJV).
Again, you need a revelation of Christ in you and you in Him to enforce His victory in your life. Jesus said “occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13 KJV). Jesus said to His apostles:
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:18-20).
He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease (Matthew 10:1 MEV).
Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus also said:
In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18).
Jesus expects us to enforce His victory in the earth and has equipped us with every weapon we need—and the authority to use His name. But we need a revelation of authority. Just as our Father in heaven revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Son of the Living God—flesh and blood did not reveal that to him—we need a revelation from heaven. Sitting under teachings about our authority helps open our hearts for God’s revelation to pour in, but individual study is imperative.
1) Jesus is the source of our authority.
Jesus authorizes us. Our authority lies in the name of Jesus. We can’t go toe to toe with the devil in our own right.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
Jesus authorizes us and empowers us to act in His name. It’s His power that backs up our authority. The devil has to bow to the Christ in us when we exercise our authority.
Think about the police officer who is directing traffic. His badge gives him the authority to make you stop. He lifts up his hand and you stop. He doesn’t have the physical power in his body to make you stop. You stop because you recognize his authority to make you stop. You know if you don’t stop when he says stop, you’re illegal and you’ll pay a price. The cop exercises his authority in reliance upon the natural government that empowered him. We exercise our authority in reliance on the supernatural government—the kingdom of God—that empowers us.
Our authority is based on what Jesus accomplished. Our authority is not what we accomplish or how well we pray or our feelings or moods. Our authority is not based on our own strength, might, or power. Zechariah 4:6 reveals, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
Our faith energizes and activates our authority. Jesus said:
These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18 MEV).
2) God gave us dominion over the earth.
We read about this in Genesis 1:26-28:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (MEV).
Psalm 115:16 tells us, “The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to the children of men” (MEV).
Adam committed high treason and gave his authority over the earth to satan. The good news is Jesus defeated satan as the Son of Man and took back all authority (see Col. 2:15). He expects us to take authority in the earth and not cede our authority to the wicked one in any area of our lives, families, cities, or nations.
3) God gives us authority to resist and stand against the Devil.
Several scriptures make it clear that this is not only a right, but it’s our responsibility as ambassadors for Jesus.
Ephesians 4:27 tells us directly, “Do not give place to the devil” (MEV). The New American Bible (Revised Edition) says “do not leave room for the devil.” The Message says, “Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.” The Berean Literal Bible says, “Neither give opportunity to the devil.” The International Standard Version tells us, “Do not give the Devil an opportunity to work.” The Aramaic Bible in Plain English warns us, “Neither should you give place to The Slanderer.” That’s pretty clear instruction.
Ephesians 6:13 tells us, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition makes the point more emphatically: “Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].” The New Living Translation exhorts us to, “Stand your ground.”
James 4:7 tells us, “Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (MEV). This goes back to understanding your authority and submitting to authority. If you are not submitted to God’s authority, the enemy knows this and has no obligation to flee.
4) We are seated in heaven in a place of authority
Ephesians 2:4-7 tells us:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and He raised us up and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (MEV).
5) The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us.
We’re not just seated in heavenly places—far above all principalities and powers—God has also given us incomparably great power (see Eph. 1:19). Indeed, the spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us (see Rom. 8:11). This positions us to have power over all the power of the enemy (see Luke 10:19).
6) We must actively exercise our authority or it’s useless.
Having authority alone is not enough. You can have a bank account full of money and still go hungry if you don’t withdraw funds to buy food. The enemy will continue attacking us if we don’t exercise our authority. First Peter 5:8-9 tells us, “Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him firmly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (MEV).
7) We can’t understand our authority with our mind alone. We need to pray for revelation in our spirit.
You can pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask You to give me a revelation of the authority Your Son delegated to me. God, open my eyes to the authority that abides in me, in the name of Jesus. Help me understand—to truly understand—the power with which You have endued me so that I can gain the confidence to run to the battle line like David and fight every battle on my path to the destiny you have in store for me, in Jesus’ name.
8) God is waiting for us to take authority in the earth.
Jesus said clearly, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19 MEV). The New Living Translation puts it this way: “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
God’s Word Translation says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.” And the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition tells us, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.”
Meditate on Your Authority
Take the time to meditate—really think about—these verses and take any advantage away from the wicked one.
These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18 MEV).
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19 MEV).
Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do also. And he will do greater works than these, because I am going to My Father (John 14:12 MEV).
For truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says (Mark 11:23 MEV).
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8 MEV).
And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them (Mark 6:13 MEV).
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.” He said to them, “I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:17-19 MEV).
He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease (Matthew 10:1 MEV).
You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot (Psalm 91:13 MEV).
And to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons (Mark 3:15 MEV).
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8 MEV).
