We often think of authority as applying to outside stuff. But what about on the inside?
Do you have a lot of wounded and broken places in your heart and soul? Been there.
The good news is this: we have authority to overcome those places. This includes bad habits, attitudes that are less than godly, thinking that is counterproductive, etc.
Have you ever spoken directly to your soul? David did it all the time. “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5-6 (NIV). Doesn’t that sound like David is using his authority for an “inside problem?” This theme comes up a lot in Psalms. The writer, whether David or others, is commanding his soul to reject the doldrums, to praise God, and to put his hope in Him.
If David, a king with an entire kingdom full of problems, can do it, why can’t we? After all, our problems don’t usually encompass a kingdom!
I should mention that authority is not the same as will power. You can’t just decide not to do something (as a rule) and expect success. I tried that lots of times, and it just never helped. What did help was to turn my thoughts to God, to ask Him what I needed to do at that time. Or to ask where those negative thoughts were coming from. Or to simply rest in Him when I realized how stressed I was.
Think about this: what other things might you use your authority to overcome?
I know there are many times when using your authority like this doesn’t seem to help. That’s often because there is a generational curse or a vow in operation. Maybe it could be a soul tie that’s the issue. Sometimes there is a dissociated part that is causing a repeated problem. She is very troubled and wants to be heard.
Even if there is a long-term issue like this, you can still ask God for direction. You can call a trusted and experienced friend for advice (I had to do that recently!). You can contact a counselor or minister. Just don’t stay alone in your problem. “Lone Rangers” get ambushed. And God loves you too much to want that!
So, don’t just ignore those negative habits, attitudes, and thoughts. Take authority over them and command your soul (mind, will, emotions) to hope in God. Ask Him to reveal the source of those issues. He is faithful.
Believe me when I say this: no matter how much you’ve been through, no matter how badly you’ve been hurt, God loves you and hurts for and with you.
I know.
this is part 6 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
all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net