Authority through Submission

While the Bible gives us no basis to believe there are demons under “every rock” making every bad situation happen, it also gives us every reason to realize that demons (like angels) are real and active in our lives and the lives of people around us. Consider: Jesus’s encounters with demons were frequent and real. The angel responding to Daniel’s prayer makes it clear he was delayed in answering because he was caught up in spiritual warfare with a demonic principality for 21 days (Daniel 10:10-14). The pagan gods which people worshipped were (and are, today) true demonic entities—for example, see verses like Psalm 106:36–37 which says: They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and 1 Corinthians 10:20 which says: No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. . . Additionally, it is clear Pharoah’s magicians had true power to some degree that came from a source not of God, as did Simon in Acts. Or, simply talk to missionaries today who have encountered witch doctors with true power over a village and the villager’s health and welfare, or to people in the United States who have encountered the demonic through occultic or “ghostly” encounters.

Yes, the Bible makes it clear the spiritual world is real and that we are not to engage in the occult or contacting it. So, with it being true, and likely, that we will encounter the demonic world at work against us or those around us, what should our stand be as Christians? In a nutshell, we should be aware but not afraid, dealing with it in simple authority and not giving it more attention than we give God. As Christians we have authority against the demonic realm when we encounter it, and interestingly that authority comes from submission. One would think authority would come from being the biggest and most powerful we can make ourselves, but the contrary is true. Our authority comes from our submission to Christ.

The Centurion recognized that structure of authority when he asked Jesus to heal his servant and Jesus said He would come and do it. Matthew 8:8-9 tells us: But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." The Centurion recognized, as seen when he said “I too”, that Jesus was under God’s authority, and he understood the authority that gave Jesus because he, himself, was also a man OF authority because he was a man UNDER authority.

When I was in Panama in the military I visited many amazing villages deep in the interior that I fell in love with, so to speak. I visited them in a place of authority, as a platoon leader with a heavily armed platoon, under the authority, and with the backing, of the United States army. But, as a civilian, as much as I would like to take my family to visit them I wouldn’t because I would not be sure of our safety since I would not be in a position of authority. Back then I carried authority in the village because I was, myself, under authority I was submitted to.

As Christians we have authority in the spiritual realm because we, ourselves, are under authority. The seven sons of the priest Sceva found out what it is like to confront demons when they themselves were not under God’s authority. Acts 19:15-16 tells us what happened when they tried to command a demon to leave a man simply using Jesus’ name, but not being under Jesus’ authority. It says: But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. On the other hand, Paul, who the seven men were trying to imitate, simply commanded demons to leave and they did, and there is no indication it was a big, showy, screaming, drawn out exorcism process. Paul was a man of authority, because he was a man under authority. On his own he was nothing, but in Christ he carried Christ’s authority. This is a Kingdom of God principle we must understand.

Two of the best known New Testament passages about the devil are 1 Peter 5:6-9 and James 4:7. Do you see a common theme in each of them?

1 Peter 5:6-9  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God . . . Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him . . .

James 4:7   Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Do you notice that both talk about resisting the devil, and both begin with humbling and submitting ourselves to God? By placing ourselves under God’s authority and reign, we walk in God’s authority. This makes sense. If we humble and submit ourselves before and to God we will walk in His plans and ways, and that means we will be right where He calls us to be, doing His will, and with His full backing. But when we resist God and go on our own paths, we find ourselves outside of God’s plan, and therefore under our authority and not His (this is not a salvation issue, but a daily issue). May this amazing reality give us a place for thought this week as we reflect on the authority we gain by submitting to authority.

Thanks for sharing in my life. God bless you.   —Erick

“Surrender” is a Beautiful Word . . .

Dad and me.

I want to share an example that I believe God gave me this weekend when the youth camped at our home. I believe it illustrates the Christian life in such a powerful way that I shared it in my Sunday teaching at church as well. May it bless you . . .

I love my dad. He is a wonderful, supportive dad and I am blessed to have him. I miss him when we are apart, and I look forward to the times we are together. I admire him and his dedication to what he feels is important. He loves history and he is an author, and he has a passion for preserving history in written form and passing it, and his love for it, on to others.

Over the last 2–3 years he and I have spent countless hours on my days off working on his latest book (a revision of a book he wrote years ago on the Monterey/Cannery Row sardine industry that caused the waterfront to become famous through it and the writings of men like John Steinbeck). I probably need to back up and say that, before I started pastoring full time, Mary Ann and I used to do computer typesetting—taking author’s manuscripts and art and turning them into print-ready format.

This book is my father’s book. It is his vision, his desire, his goal. It is not mine. I have other things on my heart to do. I did not wake up those days saying that I wanted to work 6–10 hours in front of the computer on a book about Cannery Row. It is not that the book, or Cannery Row, is bad in any way. It is just not my desire or priority.

But, what is a greater truth is that I love my dad, and this is a gift I can give him—and that is, at that moment, my greatest desire and priority—my desire to love my dad is a greater desire than to do my own thing. I can be his hands, positioning words and pictures exactly where he wants them, moving and adjusting them at his word, giving him a level of control he couldn’t get otherwise. I can sit with him and keep working and changing until my father says, “I like it!”

I did this, and I did it gladly, because I love my dad. When this book is finally on the shelves of bookstores (sometimes we wondered if it ever would get there!), it will be a total reflection of my dad. When people look at the book they will see him, because it will be the expression of his desire. He often made choices of typefaces and positioning I wouldn’t have made, but it wasn’t my book. Had I pushed my desires the book would have reflected me and not him. It’s not my book, it’s his, and as such it should reflect him. I would only get in the way and cloud that reflection by pushing my desires and preferences on him.

What did it take? It took surrender. A surrender birthed in love. I woke up those mornings and gladly surrendered my plans and desires to my father’s heart, for my father’s work. I did it gladly because I love him, and it is my great pleasure and joy to give him that gift. In the end, no one will stop me on the street and say, “You are the one who typeset that book!” And, they shouldn’t. I was just the hands to bring my father’s vision and work to completion, in exactly the way my father wanted it. But, in the end, people do stop my dad on the street and say, “I love your books! I have them all!” and they say, “Your books changed my child. History is now their favorite subject.” And that’s the way it should be. I am just his hands—he is the one with the vision, and when I do the typesetting I am simply doing my father’s work . . . or, rather, he is doing it through me—he is moving a word, or changing a picture, using my hands to do it. It is his, and that is how it should be.

The parallel to the Christian life should be obvious. If I want to say that I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ in me, it requires surrender. It requires me setting aside my plans and my desires and, in love and honor for my Father in heaven, surrendering to His work and His plans. And then, as I let my light shine before men that they may see my good works, they glorify the Father in heaven. As it should be. He deserves it. If I do it my way, then they see me. If He does it through me, then they see Him. I am merely His hands and feet, letting Him work through me to bring to pass His desires and vision. He alone deserves the glory and praise . . . and because I love Him, that should bring me the greatest joy and be my greatest pleasure. Surrender is, truly, a beautiful word.