Spiritual Authority (6)

In Ephesians 5, Paul spoke about the need for us to walk in love. He warned the church against immorality, impurity and covetousness. He also cautioned against crude jokes, sexual immorality and idolatry. We are warned about keeping company with those who are walking in disobedience. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). Paul said it is even shameful to speak of some things done in darkness, but our light will expose them. We have to be wise and discern that we are living in evil times and remain full of the spirit. We are to speak to each other with psalms and hymns of encouragement, giving thanks and submitting to each other in love. Paul spoke of the need for submission and love in marriages.

As it relates to authority, couples can exercise spiritual authority over each other through their marriage covenant. I am not talking about the type of authority which controls, but remember when Paul said that a saved wife can sanctify her unsaved husband and a saved husband can sanctify his unsaved wife (1 Corinthians 7:14). In this sense, the spouse who is saved, stands in the gap before God for the other spouse. I also believe that there is a way in which spouses can pray for each other, with a degree of authority that is not accessible outside of marriage. Since the husband and wife are one flesh, then what affects one spouse affects the other. As such, many couples have testified of how one spouse accepted the Lord and then stood in the gap for the salvation of the other.

Paul also spoke about the importance of children obeying their parents and honouring them. This commandment comes with a promise of long life and blessings. Similarly, parents have spiritual authority over their children and their words and actions can shape their destiny. I think my father understood this principle as I remember a time when he took my brother and I to attend a new primary school. The principal wasn’t impressed by our presentation and spoke negatively over us. She said that we had a long way to go in terms of progressing in the school and scoffed at my father’s suggestion that we were intelligent. As soon as my father left her office, he took authority over us, cancelled every negative word which she had spoken and declared that we were intelligent. At the end of our time in that school, it was my father’s words that prevailed as we progressed ahead of most of our peers.

My father made sure to remind the principal at our graduation, about what she had said, to show her that her words did not stand in our lives. Many people have authority in this earth sphere including doctors concerning health, teachers concerning education, Pastors regarding their members, husbands and wives regarding their spouse and parents concerning children. We are spirit beings so spiritual authority extends outside of the church, as most things take root in the spirit realm before they manifest in the natural. Our words and actions activate spiritual laws, so understanding and using authority can help us to walk in victory. I believe that our words concerning our own lives, carries more weight than what someone on the outside says about us. Parents can use their authority through the spoken word, to cancel a negative pronouncement over their children and replace it with the word of God. We also need to exercise this principle, whenever anyone says anything about us that is contrary to the word of God.

A.P.-Y.