Were you taught as a child to never vote for yourself, to always let others go first, and to not be selfish? Me, too. However, using your God-given authority to help yourself is not only permissible, it’s imperative. And it definitely is not selfish. It’s a powerful, God-given weapon.
If you have a history of severe abuse, chances are good that no one who had authority over you used it to protect you. They may not have known about the abuse (this is my situation), or they may have been afraid to intervene. They may not have been taught about spiritual authority, as we discussed in part 7. But now that you are an adult, you have been given all the authority you need. The God you serve has bestowed it on you, with full permission to use it according to His will. His love has provided it for you.
Remember, we cannot use our authority to interfere with someone’s free will. I know there probably is a ton of anger left over from the abuse, but that anger is not a proper reason for manipulation. It’s your choice when to let go of it and allow God to heal it. Please do so ASAP. Several techniques exist to facilitate the process.
If the enemy attacks you with old damaging thoughts (you deserved whatever happened to you or you will never amount to anything because of your history) use the helmet of salvation to counter them. Remind the attacker that you are a fully redeemed child of God, and that your history is not your identity. The enemy has lost all his rights to you.
I found lots of peace when I spoke the words of “Allegiance” out loud and with my authority. The words remind us and the spirit world of who we are in Christ.
Bind those tormenting spirits that have been sent after you and send them to the feet of Jesus. If they resist, remind them that they are resisting the blood of Christ.
If you are currently experiencing abuse, use your authority to come against the spirit behind it. Declare your status as a child of God and a priest in His Kingdom with all the authority that entails. Don’t try to be the abuser’s savior – only Jesus has that responsibility. Release him to the Lord for His judgment.
Be sure to protect yourself physically. Leave if you have to. Get the legal system involved. Don’t be a doormat or a punching bag. God has not called you to that. You are His beloved.
Get connected with a mature Christian minister/counselor who can teach you more about your authority and its use. I firmly believe that any counselor who doesn’t mentor his/her clients is missing the mark. That is, unless they want to be called in the wee hours of the morning, which is when most attacks come!
One good book on the subject is Praying With Authority by Barbara Wentroble. It goes much deeper than I can in a few blog posts. I highly recommend it. There are many others, as well as Scripture-based websites where you can find the truth about your authority.
And the proper ways to use it.
This is part 8 of a series on authority
Part 1| Hey, Who’s in Charge Here?
Part 2|Total Control or No Control?
Part 3|“Losing” Control?
Part 4| Power Trip
Part 5| Heirs Apparent
Part 6|Taking the Reins
Part 7| The Suffering of a Child
all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net