ARE YOU WALKING IN YOUR AUTHORITY

ARE YOU USING YOUR AUTHORITY?
 
And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.’ Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just SAY THE WORD, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under AUTHORITY, with soldiers under me; and I SAY to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. (Matt. 8:5-10)
 
​When the need is presented to Jesus, He is immediately willing to meet the need. There’s not one instance in the Bible where He refused ANYONE, and this is another example of His willingness to heal physical ailments. 

This Roman centurion understood authority. He knew that those under authority were required to follow commands. He had no doubt that the commands he gave would be followed.
 
He recognized that Jesus was also a man of authority. He had knowledge of Jesus’ track record. He knew there wasn’t an example of a demonic oppression or sickness that had not submitted to Him.
 
Jesus describes this man’s recognition of His authority over ailments and sickness to be the GREATEST example of faith He had found. 
 
The truth we can extract from this account is this: Jesus has AUTHORITY over sickness, and He is WILLING to exert that authority for anyone that comes to Him. 

But what about us? I mean, it’s clear Jesus has this authority. But He’s JESUS. The Son of God. Surely, we can’t have that same authority, can we?
The answer is YES! As disciples of Jesus, He has given us the SAME authority in His name!
 
“Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal EVERY kind of disease and EVERY kind of sickness.” (Matt. 10:1)
 
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10:17)
 
Are you using your authority? The Word of God is your weapon (Eph. 6:17). When you speak it with the same faith as the centurion, the situation (sickness, disease, demonic oppression) must submit. Life and death are in the power of your words (Prov. 18:21). 
 
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he SAYS will be done, he will have whatever he SAYS.” (Mark 11:23)