Faith and Authority
Devotional Reading: Mark 11:23 KJV
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Faith is not a title or a qualification that we gain, our faith is there to be put into practice and, like a muscle, the more we use it the more it will develop. It is our faith in action that allows the reign of God to come so that what is accomplished in the heavens becomes a reality on Earth (cf. Matthew 6:10). It is our faith that makes us men and women who do not give in to circumstances but instead write history.
When reading the Gospels, you will discover that Jesus did not perform miracles by asking the Father to do something. Rather He simply took authority over the circumstances, even death (case of Lazarus). And it is exactly what we are also called to live out in our daily lives.
In the passage from Mark that we read, Jesus says, “If someone SAYS to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea…” Jesus doesn’t say, “If someone prays, please can you take away this mountain…” No! He tells us to take authority. May I suggest that sometimes, by which I mean often, we don’t see the awaited miracles because we pray too much instead of using the authority that God has given us…
What Jesus asks of us is to address ourselves to the mountain, to the circumstance (including sickness), giving it a direct order. Whatever it is that needs to be moved or changed, faith is not happy with simply begging or pleading. It commands.
Faith allows us to know what God has already accomplished in the heavens and to simply command that it becomes a reality on Earth, in the visible world. We can always plea to God, and sometimes it is good to do this for specific situations, however, we cannot ask God to do something that He has already accomplished!
Prayer and Confession
Take authority over any circumstances you may be facing right now by faith.
Further Reading: 1John 5:4, Mark 11:22-24
