Ephesians 1:19–23 NLT

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. NOW HE IS FAR ABOVE ANY RULER OR AUTHORITY OR POWER OR LEADER OR ANYTHING ELSE—NOT ONLY IN THIS WORLD BUT ALSO IN THE WORLD TO COME. GOD HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST AND HAS MADE HIM HEAD OVER ALL THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CHURCH. And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.

Luke 10:18–20 NLT

“Yes,” He told them, “I saw satan fall from heaven like lightning! LOOK, I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY, AND YOU CAN WALK AMONG SNAKES AND SCORPIONS AND CRUSH THEM. NOTHING WILL INJURE YOU .But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

Colossians 2:15 NLT

In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

Jesus came and told His disciples, “I HAVE BEEN GIVEN ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. AND BE SURE OF THIS: I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.”

Acts 1:8 NKJV

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Romans 8:11 NLT

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Exhortation: Living in Kingdom Authority

Many believers live powerlessly, not because authority is unavailable, but because they misunderstand it. The world equates authority with control, dominance, and visibility. As a result, some chase influence while others withdraw in insecurity, assuming authority belongs only to spiritual elites. This dilemma leaves many Christians unsure whether they are meant to confront darkness or quietly endure it.

Scripture reveals a different reality. All authority has been given to Christ, and astonishingly, those who belong to Him share in His victory. Jesus did not defeat sin, death, and principalities only for Himself—He triumphed on our behalf. Through the cross, resurrection, and ascension, darkness was disarmed, and believers were seated with Christ in heavenly places. We are saved, called, and entrusted with Christ’s authority and power to go where He sends and to do greater works .

God is the Ultimate and Supreme Authority Over All

Authority in the Bible refers to the right to command, govern, and ensure obedience, and the power to act, originating solely from God, the eternal and almighty Ruler, Creator, and Sustainer of all things. AUTHORITY TO RULE IS GOD’S PREROGATIVE. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term most commonly used for authority is mālak, meaning “to rule” (Genesis 36:31; Judges 9:8). The related Hebrew noun melek corresponds to the Greek term archōn, which signifies “ruler” or “lord” (Matthew 9:34; Romans 13:3). This authority is absolute and supreme in Jesus Christ, and is delegated to human institutions—like Church, family, and government—to be exercised according to God’s will and for His purpose and glory and the benefit of others .

God’s authority—divine, eternal, supreme, ultimate, and final—cannot be refuted, resisted, or negated. It is His sovereign right to rule, command, govern, and ensure obedience, and the power to act according to His will. Daniel 4:35 NIV proclaims, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. HE [GOD] DOES AS HE PLEASES WITH THE POWERS OF HEAVEN AND THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH. NO ONE CAN HOLD BACK HIS HAND OR SAY TO HIM: ‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?’ ”Authority originates from God, the eternal and almighty King of kings, Lord of lords, Creator, and Sustainer of all things. Authority is inherent and fundamental to who God is, and He holds the indisputable dominion and power to rule over all things.

God alone is eternal, almighty, and supreme, possessing all authority and holding all power in His hands. Authority is intrinsic and fundamental to who He is—the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent One .1 Chronicles 29:11–12 NIV speaks of God, “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours…YOU ARE THE RULER OF ALL THINGS.” He holds the ultimate prerogative to make choices at will over all creation—visible and invisible, natural and spiritual; and every human government, regime, and institution. God speaks of Himself in the Bible as follows :

• “To you it was shown, that you might know that THE LORD IS GOD; there is no other besides Him. ”Deuteronomy 4:35 ESV
• “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST; besides Me there is no god.’” Isaiah 44:6 ESV
• “The Lord has made the heavens His throne; from there HE RULES OVER EVERYTHING.” Psalm 103:19 NLT
• “There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1 NIV
• “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.’” Matthew 28:18 ESV
• “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.” 1 Timothy 1:17 ESV
• “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16 ESV
• “’I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who is and Who was and is to come, THE ALMIGHTY.’” Revelation 1:8 ESV

Jesus Christ Submitted to His Father’s Authority and was Given All Authority by His Father

Throughout His earthly life and ministry, Jesus completely submitted Himself to the Father’s authority and embraced His will. In this, the Father entrusted authority to Him to rule, govern, command obedience, and act with power. Without submission to God, there will be no alignment with God. Jesus kept Himself in perfect and perpetual alignment with His Father through His absolute submission in all things. Their relationship was marked by such flawless harmony, unity, and intimacy that Jesus said to His disciples, if they saw Him, they had seen the Father. Christ’s submission to His Father is the central theme in all the gospels, demonstrating His obedience, dependency, and willing surrender of His will to His Father’s will. His perfect submission brought Jesus into profound unity with His Father. They were essentially one. The Bible often records Jesus stating that He was under the authority of His Father.

• “For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told Me.” John 12:49–50 ESV
• “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19 NKJV
• “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30 NKJV
• “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” John 8:28 NKJV

In obedience to His Father, Jesus Christ chose to put aside all His divine prerogatives as God, that He might come and live and function as the Son of Man, ultimately to be sacrificed as the Lamb slain for the redemption of the world. During His days on earth, He perpetually submitted Himself fully to His Father’s direct and delegated authority in living, walking, and functioning in complete obedience. 1 Corinthians 11:3 states, “The head of Christ is God.” Under His Father’s authority, He was obedient unto death, and the Father elevated Him above all things and assigned Him a name above all names, and also gave Him all the Father’s authority.

• “Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.” Philippians 2:6 NLT
• “Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, GOD ELEVATED HIM to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and EVERY TONGUE DECLARE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:7–11 NLT
• “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. FOR BY HIM ALL THINGS WERE CREATED, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE, WHETHER THRONES OR DOMINIONS OR RULERS OR AUTHORITIES—ALL THINGS WERE CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that IN EVERYTHING HE MIGHT BE PREEMINENT. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:15–20 ESV
• “I HAVE BEEN GIVEN ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

Jesus Christ was able to say with His last breath on the cross, “It is finished!” because He completed all His Father’s work and accomplished His will through His submission and obedience unto death. The Bible often records Jesus stating that He was under the authority of His Father .

Submission and obedience come with an extreme cost. It cost Jesus everything to submit to and obey His Father. He was tried and tested by indescribable sufferings—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—to learn obedience. Hebrews 5:7–8 NLT says, “While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who could rescue Him from death. And God heard His prayers because of His deep reverence for God. EVEN THOUGH JESUS WAS GOD’S SON, HE LEARNED OBEDIENCE FROM THE THINGS HE SUFFERED. ”Jesus was willing to pay the cost because He lived to do the Father’s will. For this reason He was steadfast in His submission to His Father’s authority and will. He set His heart to obey and His face toward Jerusalem like a flint in refusing to flinch or back away. Isaiah 50:5–7 NLT testifies concerning this,

THE SOVEREIGN LORD HAS SPOKEN TO ME, AND I HAVE LISTENED. I HAVE NOT REBELLED OR TURNED AWAY .I offered My back to those who beat Me and My cheeks to those who pulled out My beard. I did not hide My face from mockery and spitting. Because the Sovereign LORD helps Me, I will not be disgraced. THEREFORE, I HAVE SET MY FACE LIKE A STONE, DETERMINED TO DO HIS WILL. And I know that I will not be put to shame.

We Receive Christ’s Delegated Authority to Rule and Reign Through Submission

Without Christ’s delegated authority, the Church is powerless, faithless, and ineffectual to complete His work and execute His will, as the seven sons of Sceva discovered when they tried to cast out demons without submitting to Christ’s authority. They received no authority from Christ because none was given to them. They used the names of Paul and Jesus to cast out these demons, and the demons mocked and attacked them brutally. They fled naked, beaten, and terrified. The only authority all principalities and powers of wickedness and demons of hell recognize, fear, and bow to is the authority of Jesus Christ to which these men had not surrendered .

The Church is to victoriously exercise Christ’s delegated authority to crush and defeat satanic powers, strategies, and dominions. It is this delegated authority that ensures the Church’s supremacy over the kingdom of darkness as we, in obedience, advance His kingdom; and nothing shall by any means defeat us .

• “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:1–2 NIV
• Jesus promised “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19 NKJV

It is through God’s authority that we heal the sick, cast out demons, set captives free, crush principalities and powers of darkness, preach the gospel in power, and bring the lost into God’s kingdom. In submission to His authority, we are set above all other authorities, powers, names, and dominions because of being seated with Christ in the heavenlies. These men of God are examples of those who lived and moved in power and effectiveness because of their submission under God’s authority:

• Moses, the meekest man, delivered Israel from Egypt and their slave-masters and took them toward the Promised Land.
• Joseph became the most powerful man, next to Pharaoh, in Egypt, saving many nations from famine and starvation .
• Daniel, because he knew God did mighty exploits in the face of persecution.
• Paul planted the most churches in the book of Acts.

Our authority flows from our alignment with Christ. True spiritual authority is received from being under Christ’s authority, and it is to be exercised in obedience to His will. Kingdom authority is not seized—it is received. It does not come from position, wealth, or recognition. It flows from relationship, alignment, and submission to Christ’s reign. We have no authority of our own except that which Christ gives to us. To receive His authority, we must align ourselves with Him. Submission brings us into perfect alignment and unity with Jesus Christ. As Christ’s authority flowed from His alignment with His Father, our authority also flows from our alignment with Christ. As we submit to Him, we are in unity with Christ, and He is our head .

Unless we are under Christ’s authority, He cannot delegate His authority to us. Christ’s authority is only delegated to disciples living under His authority. Jesus knows, and satan knows, that we are given this authority if we are in perfect alignment with Jesus by living in submission to His will—but do we know? When we submit to Christ’s lordship, we walk in His delegated authority—not in arrogance, but in confidence. James 4:7 NKJV tells us, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The authority we are given must not be wielded against people, but against demonic principalities in high places. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to stand against darkness, resist the enemy, and proclaim truth with boldness. This authority is not about self-importance; it is about advancing God’s reign wherever we are sent.

The Bible testifies that Christ delegated His authority to His Church to go and preach to all nations, making them His disciples and teaching them to obey all His commands. Jesus does not delegate to the Church His equal authority, but He does delegate to us His authority to be and to do according to His assignment and command. It is an authority delegated to the Church that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against. It authorizes the Church to trample on serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall hurt the Church. It is a delegated authority that, in prayer, believing, we can command the mountains to be thrown into the sea and the mountains will obey. It is an authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. It is an authority that all satanic entities have to obey when exorcised in submission to Jesus Christ and in accordance with His will. Jesus will back up every move of His disciples who are functioning legally under His delegated authority. The rebellious, presumptuous, and lip-service Christians cannot receive or function in Christ’s delegated authority. In Luke 10, Jesus appointed 70 disciples and sent them out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons, so that many would be saved because the harvest was ripe but laborers were few. He sent them out with His authority and power. These seventy obeyed, went, and experienced mighty miracles, and many were saved. Upon returning, they joyfully reported to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Jesus responded to them, saying, “I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the 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 NKJV. Ultimately, this authority was for the salvation of souls as Jesus responded to the rejoicing of the 70, saying in Luke 10:20 NKJV, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Are we living in submission to God and moving in His authority?

Likewise, as we live under the authority of Christ, we can access His delegated authority to serve Him, so that even the demons will be subject to us in His name. Without being under His authority, we cannot rightfully exercise His delegated authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, preach to the lost, and see them saved. The power of our submission is the release of Christ’s authority to rule, command, and act in that situation according to His will, and nothing can resist the authority of God.

Today, step into who you already are in Christ. You are not powerless, overlooked, or forgotten—the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. Walk in confidence, speak with faith, and resist darkness knowing you stand under the authority of the risen King.