“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
As we live this Christian life, many times, as time goes on in our service to the Lord, I believe that many become comfortable in their walk with the Lord and tend to forget just how much power and authority our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has. Sadly, we live in an age of a multitude of defeated Christians. It seems that everywhere you turn you will find downhearted and discouraged people of God. Why? Because they have taken their eyes off of Jesus. They have limited Christ’s power in their lives, thus in turn giving the devil more power than he deserves.
I believe it is time that we understand the power and authority of our Christ in its full measure. It is time to put the devil back where he belongs–under our feet. Spiritual warfighter, we must, at all times, realize that our Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ, still has all power. That He is still the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That He is still is at the right hand of the Father. And that He is still the Lord of our life.
There are 6 manifestations of Christ's power that I want you to understand.
- Jesus has infinite power. Matthew 28:18 said, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Did you see the word “all” there? Jesus’ power is not limited at all. Whatever you need, He's able to meet that need. Don't allow the devil to steal your victory by making you believe he's more powerful than God. Jesus said all power is His. And, as a spiritual warfighter fighting the good fight of faith, you need to understand that all of the power of the Lord is behind you and at your disposal to use in this war.
- Jesus has power over nature. Luke 8:25 says, “And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they, being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, what manner of man is this? For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.” Even nature itself has to humble itself and bow down to Jesus. Mighty tornadoes and hurricanes have to cease at just the words spoken from His holy lips. We have no need to fear for Jesus Christ, our Commander, is always near in the battle with us.
- Jesus has power over his own life. John 10:18 says, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” No man took the life of our Savior. No demon took the life of our Savior. He gave it freely. He and He alone had the power to lay down His life for mankind. Many think of Him as just a mere man, but He was not just a mere man. He willingly sacrificed Himself that we might live. No greater love is there than a man who would lay down his life for his friends! Many natural warfighterS have quoted these words for a battle buddy who has fallen in the midst of combat. No greater love is there, than, when a man is willing to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus willingly gave His life. He could have just spoken the Word, and 10,000 angels would have come and taken Him off of the cross. He could have just spoken the Word, and all of those that were persecuting Him would have been struck down dead. He could have just spoken the Word and He could have come off that cross in His own power. The point of the matter is, He didn't! He died so that we might live.
- Jesus has life giving power. John 17:2 says, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” He has life giving power! There is a life just awaiting those who do not know Him, that they can live that won't compare to anything they've experienced before. All we have to be willing to do as spiritual warfighters is to take this Gospel to them and let them know about our Savior Jesus. This is the great commission that we have been called to go forth and do. We are warriors marching into enemy territory so that we might take back what the devil has stolen–the souls of mankind!
- Jesus has wonder-working power. Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.” I believe that many times we have taken the power of God for granted, especially so in Pentecostal circles. Sometimes we see God's power manifested so often that we tend to not recognize it in all of its force. Then, on the other hand, there are people that say Jesus does not have the power to perform miracles any longer. How wrong they are! Jesus still has the power to save the most vile, wicked sinner there is. Jesus still has the power to heal the sick. Jesus still has the power to raise the dead. Jesus still has the power to mend broken homes. Jesus always has and always will have power to perform whatever is needed to give us the victory in our battles.
- Jesus’ power was demonstrated by His resurrection. Romans 1:4 says, “And declared to be the Son of God, with power according to the Spirit of Holiness, be the resurrection from the dead.” Praise God! We serve a Risen Savior. One who actually raised His own self up from the dead. He had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it back up again. No other religion outside of Christianity can say that their God raised his own self up from the dead. Spiritual Warfighters know that even if we die in battle, we will be resurrected up from the grave through the same power that resurrected our Lord Jesus Christ.
As warfighters for the Kingdom of God, I truly believe that if we will realize the power of Christ that is working within our lives, in the midst of our battles, that we will see victories the likes of which we have never even dreamed of. I believe our minds cannot even comprehend the mighty power, the mighty authority, of our Commander-in-Chief, that is with us in the midst of our battles.