Authority Comes When Authority Wants

Saying ‘In Jesus name” means nothing if is not backed by the actual authority of Jesus. It is as useless as me saying “stop in the name of the law of the State of Florida!” Why would anyone stop or pay any attention to me? Without a badge or uniform showing that I have actually been given authority from the state, then no one has a legal obligation to do anything I say.

“In the name of Jesus” has been used as some magical phrase for far too long. It is not magical or even mystical. Jesus GAVE authority to His disciples when they were sent to do a job. Just like a police officer, when the city authorities send them out to fight crime.

I know what the big name teachers have been saying to you over the years. I too got caught up into this. I had no authority, no matter how loud or firm I changed my voice. People didn’t get healed, storms didn’t cease, and demons didn’t run. None of those things happened when I used the wrongly stated magical phrase “in Jesus name!”

No, but God did do those same things on quite a few times when all I did was ask for Him to do it in prayer, from healing to, yes, chasing demons. I asked, and the one IN authority acted. But He didn’t do it all the time. Why? I think, simply because He didn’t want to.

He had a reason for the storm, demon or sickness. No matter how much I frustrated myself to “will” faith, thinking that I could muster up some spiritual energy and accomplish the same works that Jesus did. I would accomplish nothing.

No, there was no sin problem. No, there was no faith problem. I have trusted God through both storm and fire. If it makes you feel good to believe that there must have been something, be careful, or God just might put you through the same storm just to show you how your comparison may be prideful. Remember how God thought about Job’s friends!

Yes, God still does dish out His authority, and with it, a man or woman can accomplish great things. But, I think there are two reasons it does not happen much right now. One is His timing. I just think He is holding out a bunch of folks to serve when the end is fully upon us. The second is that we are way to prideful.

Imagine half the leadership in the church actually getting that kind of authority? They are already so arrogant! I think He relents so as not to be forced to bring terrible judgment on them. Sad, but true.

I still ask for that authority. We need it. We need to see God’s power to help all of us believe and know God, without being shadowed by the ego of a man’s importance. In the mean time, I trust God to hollow me out of my arrogance in order to be filled enough with the Holy Spirit and become much more useful.

Look, we can get all caught up in our “ability”, “gifts” or “service” and think we somehow deserve it. I was called by God 30 years ago and told to forsake everything. I did it too. Yet, every time I stepped out to serve, God would stop it…for 30 years. Usually by arrogant men who thought they could do it better or thought I wasn’t good enough because of education or personality (neither of which God cares, so why does man?)

Either way, it was God who did the stopping for what man can actually stand in the way of God’s plan?

None.

Keep in mind, if you have been called…Moses didn’t get to do what he was called to do for 40 years after he already knew he was called! If the pattern holds true, I may have another 10 to go. No happy face here.

It does no one any good to “pretend” to be happy with waiting. It is a lie. I won’t lie to myself and definitely not to God.

But my happiness is not required and neither is yours. So, my called friend, wait. Do your best to wait with grace and patience, but know that God is not offended by your tantrums every now and again. He knows who you are. He loves you anyway. I know this is true for me, He has told me enough. I want to be better, I will be better, but I am just a man…a child like one at that. But God is God. He is a good Father too.

So keep praying, keep asking, keep serving, but know that your frustration with the magical name of Jesus is misplaced.

Hopefully, I am writing all of this in Jesus name.