Reclaiming Your God-Given Authority: How to Walk in Spiritual Power
In our daily Group Bible Study devotionals, we are focusing on Increasing our Faith. Our goal is to Learn to Walk in God’s Power. Let’s jump in:
As believers in Christ, we are no longer our own; we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). The precious blood of Christ is the redemption payment that set us free from Satan's dominion. Colossians 1:13 tells us, "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves."
What does it mean that we were under Satan's dominion before we came to Christ? How did we get under Satan's control in the first place?
When the devil tempted Jesus in the desert, Satan took Christ to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8). Scripture also declares that the earth belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1), so Satan’s offer should not be understood as ownership equal to God’s. Rather, Jesus’ response suggests that Satan exercised a real but usurped authority in the fallen world order, which is why Jesus elsewhere calls him “the prince of this world” (John 12:31).
That authority traces back to the Fall. Satan deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, and Adam then chose to disobey God. Adam’s choice placed mankind in servitude to the power he obeyed. We serve whomever we listen to and obey: "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).
God's Original Intent: Human Dominion and Stewardship
Humanity has not always been under Satan's dominion. When God created Adam, He made him in His image and gave him dominion over the Earth. God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth..." (Genesis 1:26). The Hebrew word radah, translated as "rule," means to rule over or subdue. God gave Adam responsibility and authority over all creation.
King David echoes this truth in Psalm 8:5-6: "You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet." The Hebrew word mashal ("ruler") indicates that humans were created as God's managers, governors, or stewards over the earth. Psalm 115:16 adds, "The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man." The Hebrew term nathan signifies assigning territory. The earth is the territory assigned to humans to oversee and keep (shamar—to protect and guard).
The Fall and How Humanity Forfeited Authority
In the Fall, Adam forfeited the righteous exercise of this authority. This explains why Satan could offer Jesus influence over the world's kingdoms (Luke 4:6). Satan was luring Christ to receive authority apart from the Father’s will and without the cross.
Because humanity was given stewardship of the earth and fell under sin, redemption had to come through a Man. The Redeemer had to come as the true Man who could obey where Adam failed. Christ was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and lived without sin. Satan had no rightful claim over Him.
How Jesus Restored Our Spiritual Authority
Through the cross, Jesus did not bypass justice; He fulfilled it. Satan used leaders to bring Jesus to the cross, but because Jesus was completely innocent, Satan became a murderer under divine law. Satan was stripped of the keys of death and Hell (Revelation 1:18). Legally condemned in the courts of heaven, the prince of this world was driven out (John 12:31). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus reclaimed humanity's authority and restored our position as stewards in God's kingdom.
Daily Application: Walking in Your Restored Identity
The Spiritual Authority Audit: Identify one area in your life where you feel overwhelmed or defeated by spiritual resistance (e.g., persistent fear, relational conflict, or spiritual lethargy). Write down Colossians 1:13 on a card. Speak this Scripture out loud over your situation today, declaring that Jesus has transferred you into His kingdom.
Stewardship Assessment: Genesis shows we are called to steward the earth under God’s authority. Take inventory of your three main spheres of influence (family, workplace, community). Pick one practical area where you can exercise faithful stewardship, grace, and order today.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for paying the ultimate price to rescue us from darkness. Help us understand the restored authority we have in You and walk boldly as Your stewards today. Amen.
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· Series: This excerpt is taken from the series Growing Faith in God
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