In My Name

Mark 16 : 17 - 18, And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." NKJV

There is a huge difference between power and authority. A weight lifter has power. However, that doesn't automatically mean they have authority. They might be able to power-lift the front of a car, but a policeman can raise one hand in the middle of a highway and stop hundreds of cars. When you and I are weak, Christ is our strength. It is through His authority that we are His ambassadors.

When Jesus tells us that we can perform the miraculous in His name, He is giving us spiritual authority over the kingdom of darkness. Another word for authority is jurisdiction. Jurisdiction is the realm in which a person of authority must operate. If they should go beyond their jurisdiction, then they will lose their authority. 

When Adam sinned, he forfeited the dominion over the jurisdiction that God had granted to him. Satan gained that dominion over the realm of Adam through his sin. However, after Jesus came to earth and obeyed the will of His Father, God gave Him ALL authority in heaven, the earth, and beneath the earth. Before Jesus departed from the earth, He gave us (His ambassadors of the Kingdom of God) His name. In His name, we have jurisdiction over the principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness in high places, and the rulers of darkness.  

Everything that was lost in Adam as it pertained to our God-given dominion was replaced and increased in Christ for the believer. Adam was only given dominion in the realm of the earth and the first heaven. In Christ, whatever we bind on earth will also be bound in the third heaven where God and Christ dwell. Whatever we loose on earth will also be loosed in the third heaven. 

Now that you know you have authority in the name Christ, and you also know where your jurisdictional lines allow you to exercise your spiritual authority, you can begin to have signs and wonders follow you. Here's a hint: You have to exercise your authority in order to have the confidence to walk in your authority. Now go find a person in need and put that God-given authority to work for them. 

There Is Power in the Name of Jesus,
Pastor Asa Dockery