WINNING WITH THE WORD
“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life.
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Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is April 19, 2021, and this is Episode #11 of Series 2021. This episode is titled “Your Authority and Power in Christ”
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Have you had trouble getting some of your prayers answered? If so, this week’s post and podcast may explain why.
One of the key reasons we do not get answers to our prayers is that we ask God to do something that He has told us to do. Something which He has already given us the power and the authority to do.
God is a God of law and order. He has established spiritual laws, and He will not violate those laws. Indeed, in cases relating to man’s dominion on the earth, God has chosen to limit Himself.
Brother Kenneth Hagin, who is now with the Lord, told of the time that Jesus appeared to him. While Jesus was speaking, a demon got between Him and Brother Hagin and started creating such a ruckus that Brother Hagin could not hear what Jesus was saying.
As you can imagine, Brother Hagin was getting quite frustrated because he needed to hear what the Lord was saying to him. Finally, Brother Hagin blurted out, “Lord Jesus, please send this demon away. I can’t hear a thing You’re saying!”
To Brother Hagin’s great surprise, Jesus said, “I can’t.”
Brother Hagin was astounded. “Lord, what do you mean You can’t. You’re GOD!”
“Yes,” Jesus replied. “But I have chosen to limit My power and authority on the earth because I have given it to man. You have to command the demon to leave.”
So, Brother Hagin commanded the demon to leave in the Name of Jesus, and the demon immediately left.
As born-again Christ-followers, we have that same authority and power residing in us. A simple illustration will explain how the authority and the power of Christ in us work.
Most of us have electricity in our homes. If you walk into a room in your house and it is dark, do you call the electric company to ask them to turn on the lights? No, of course not. You turn on the lights yourself. Why? Because the electric company has already supplied the electric power to your home, but it is up to you to flip on the light switch. If you don’t flip on the switch, all the power coming into your house from the electric company will do you no good.
Well, the same principle applies to us believers. God has given us the power and the authority to fulfill His Great Commission as He commanded us to do in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16. That power is on the inside of us. God is the Electric Company. But we have to switch on the power inside us in order to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. In other words, we have to flip on the switch of that power to get it flowing. If we do not switch on the power switch, nothing will happen, even though all the power we need is inside us.
How do we flip on the switch? By faith.
To expect God to flip on the switch is a wrong expectation. His job is to be the Electric Company, to supply the power of the Holy Spirit. He will not flip the switch for us.
Why not? Because in His wisdom He has chosen to limit Himself in this regard. He has made us co-laborers with Him. Therefore, we have a part to play in the grand scheme of things. Our part is to flip on the switch of the power that resides within us and to use that power to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead.
So, if we ask God to do something He has told us to do, we will not get answers to our prayers.
God is a God of order. He establishes a principle and He sticks to it. But many believers are ignorant of this truth. When they pray, they start from a position of powerlessness.
For example, we often hear the statement that God is sovereign. Yes, God is sovereign in that, in the end, all things will be under His rule and dominion. But God chose to limit His sovereignty by giving man dominion over the earth.
If we do not understand this, we will develop the attitude that what happens must happen because God is sovereign. But this is not true. Man plays a big role in what happens and what doesn’t happen on the earth because God gave this authority and power to man.
In Matthew 10: 1 NKJV we read: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. God not only gave us the power over demonic spirits, but He also gave us the authority to use that power. In Matthew 10: 7-8, the Word of God says this: “And as ye go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give.'”
Who is supposed to heal the sick? We are, not God. Jesus said, “Heal the sick.” He already defeated sickness. Now He calls us to enforce His defeat in the earth.
When we beg and plead with Jesus to heal someone, we are implying that He did not already do it. We are waiting for Him to do something He has already done, when all the while, He is waiting for us to enforce what He has already done.
Sometimes believers are afraid to use their authority because they feel doing so is making them out to be greater than God. But it is God Himself who commanded us to use His authority.
Jesus is now back in Heaven. But He left us the Holy Spirit—the Electric Company, as it were—to provide the power for us to do what God commanded us to do in Mark 16.
Jesus did not say pray and ask me to do it. He said YOU do it.
Of course, we are not preaching the Gospel in our own strength, or healing the sick in our own strength, or raising the dead in our own strength, or casting out demons in our own strength. It is the power of the Holy Spirit within us that is behind it all, that backs us up. We are simply instruments of that power. We are the light switch.
John 15: 5 NKJV says this (and it is Jesus speaking): “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
So, without the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do anything God calls us to do. It is our job to enforce the Word of God in the earth. It is our job to flip on the switch of God’s power that we already have inside us.
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The Church is called to enforce what Jesus Christ has already done.
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Not only did the Lord give us the authority to use His power, He also commanded us to use His power. A command is not an option.
But how many Christians do you see preaching the Gospel, casting out demons, raising the dead, laying hands on the sick to heal them? How many demons have we ourselves cast out? How many sick people have we healed with the power of Christ in us? How many dead people have we raised back to life? If we have not done any of this, we have been disobedient to the Lord’s Great Commission.
God is not going to do for us what He has told us to do. Plain and simple.
Consider this: If we used God’s power as He commanded us, we would turn the world upside down as the early Christians did. We need to do the same. We need to stop asking God to do what He has called us to do.
Imagine this: If churches stopped having bake sales in their parking lots and, instead, put up signs for healing services and invited the public to come in to be healed–and if those same churches would, in the power of God, heal the sick, those churches would grow instantaneously. The news of the miraculous healings and of the miraculous casting out of demons would spread like wildfire throughout their towns and cities, and people would flock to Jesus Christ.
Remember: It is God’s power, but it is our responsibility to put it to use. It is the Electric Company’s power, but it is our responsibility to turn on the switch. God will not rescind the power He gave us. In Psalm 89: 34, He says this: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
When the Church steps into the full authority and power we have in Christ, we will see miracles like never before in our lifetime. When we lift up Christ through our exercise of his authority and power, He will draw men to Himself, and we will witness great revival in the earth.
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If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, I urge you to do so now. He is coming back soon for those of us who follow Him. Those who do not follow Him will be left behind to go through the worst time in human history, a seven-year period of horror the Bible calls the Tribulation. Do not be one of those left behind. Accept Jesus Christ now!
Just pray this simple prayer with me:
Lord Jesus, I need You to save me. I am a sinner in need of Your mercy and grace. I ask You now to come into my life. I receive You as my personal Savior and the Lord of my life. Forgive me of my sin. Thank You for welcoming me into Your family. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer sincerely, please write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I would like to send you a free e-booklet that will help you get started in your walk with Christ. I also encourage you to get yourself a Bible and read it every single day. The Bible is God’s love letter to you, His manual for your life. In the Bible, God reveals Who He is, and He teaches you how to live.
Finally, ask the Lord to lead you to the church of His choice for you where you can learn about Him and have fellowship and encouragement with other Christ-Followers. It is critically important in these last days to fellowship with other believers who are mature in Christ and can guide you as you grow in Him.
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PLEASE TWEET: “Your Authority and Power in Christ” (CLICK TO TWEET)
Now it’s your turn: Were you aware of the authority and power you have as a born-again believer? Please leave your comment in the Comment Box below. Thank you.
Photo Source: Jan Alexander (Pixabay)
Additional Resources: Andrew Wommack Ministries
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For those of you who may not know, I write fiction about many of the issues I deal with in this blog and podcast. My latest novel, Miracle in Milan, will be released in June. But you can pre-order a copy now on Amazon.com for only $0.99. I also encourage you to visit my website bookstore at maryanndiorio.com/book-table .
This podcast is funded by listeners like you. If you have been blessed by Winning with the Word, I invite you to become one of my special patrons on Patreon.com. For only $1.00, $3.00, or $5.00 a month, you can help me proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Winning with the Word now reaches 44 countries on six continents because of your faithful support. So please help me to keep Winning with the Word on the air by becoming one of my valued patrons. Your patronage helps to cover the costs of producing, hosting, and distributing Winning with the Word to the four corners of the earth. Patrons receive special benefits, including free books, short stories, podcasts, and videos. So, join my wonderful team of Patrons and be part of something great!
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This week’s podcast is being sponsored by patron Sharon Lamson. Thank you, Sharon, for being a valued patron and for choosing to become a part of something great!
I would like to thank all of my patrons who are making this podcast possible. I could not do this without you!
Finally, be sure to check out my latest book, The Iron Saint. This book talks about the coming persecution of the Church in America and how you can prepare for it. The Iron Saint is available on Amazon and on my website at maryanndiorio.com/book-table. Get a copy for your pastor as well.
Until next time, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are and that He will help you to keep on Winning with the Word!
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Now Available for Pre-Order: Dr. MaryAnn’s latest novel, Miracle in Milan.
When a young, female auditor discovers evidence that the man she loves is an embezzler, she must choose between ruining him or ruining herself.
Amy Torelli, Chief Auditor for New York City-based Enson Pharmaceuticals, is assigned to audit the books of Enson’s Italian branch in the enchanting city of Milan, Italy. Having made an inner vow never to trust a man again because of her father’s betrayal, Amy finds herself falling in love with Enson Italia’s American-born Vice-President, Ted Masters. Will Ted be the one to cause her to break her inner vow?
Ted Masters is on the run. A run from rejection. From himself. From God. Having been wounded by a father who made him feel worthless, and having been dumped by the woman he wanted to marry, Ted is determined to keep all women at bay. But will Amy be the reason he changes his mind?
Available now for pre-order at:
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Featured Book of the Week: THE IRON SAINT by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD
The Church in America is on the verge of a tremendous spiritual awakening, an awakening that will first be fueled by persecution unlike anything we have ever seen before in this land. Indeed, a prophetic word given in my home church during the month of November gave this warning to the Church: “Prepare for the fire of persecution!”
But the Church is not ready for this persecution. For the most part, the Church in America has been weak and lukewarm. Flabby and lazy. Consumed with the world and not with the things of God. As a result, the Church has been deceived and has subverted the divine order of things.
In THE IRON SAINT, Dr. MaryAnn Diorio seeks to help equip the saints for the work of true, integritous, and effective ministry. As a teacher in the Body of Christ, it is her burning desire to help correct this devastating error.
In THE IRON SAINT, Dr. Diorio has outlined a plan of action for strengthening the Church through uncompromising obedience to the Word of God. This plan of action is based on her own 50 years of walking with the Lord and being led by His Holy Spirit.
If you are a born-again believer and member of the Body of Christ, make this book a top reading priority.
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Check out these popular Winning with the Word podcasts below. You may also search for a particular topic in the search box at the top of the sidebar on this page.
__When Your Prayers Don’t Seem to Be Answered
__The Privilege of Persecution
__7 Signs That the Tribulation Is at Hand
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“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that helps you to deal with the daily problems of life by using the Bible as your guide to solving them. The Word of God will make you a success in life!
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