Authority

All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!" (Luke 4:36 NIV)

We think of being possessed by demons as a pretty old notion, don't we? Except for an occasional horror movie about denomic possession, we really don't think about it at all. We certainly don't give it any credence in our own lives.

But during Pastor Chad's sermon yesterday I had a small epiphany. Chad was talking about how the possessed man in the scripture reading had given authority to his demons, but Jesus had authority over the those demons.

What are our fears and addictions in our lives if not demons? And why do we continue to struggle with them, if not because we ourselves give them authority over us? And how do we get rid of these demons? We give Jesus authority over us instead.

We may believe that we have given Jesus authority over us, and we may have...to an extent. But in every corner of our lives where we retain fears or addictions, we find the areas in which we have not allowed Christ's authority to fully enter.

The problem is, we grow comfortable with our demons. We say we want them gone, but giving authority to Christ to drive them out requires change and change requires work. And so we continue to limit our lives by allowing our demons to control those portions of it.

Jesus wants authority over our entire lives so that we might have it abundantly. He stands at the door and knocks. Will we invite him in... Completely?

Lord Jesus,
Open our eyes to those demons we have grown comfortable with and give us the courage to give you authority over them and ourselves. Amen.

Joys: fun weekend with Cecelia; my precious Sunday school class;lunch with the family