The authority you walk in is based on ownership… it is based on covenant. Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians chapter 6:
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters”,
Says the LORD Almighty.
Holiness is about ownership and relationship with Our Heavenly Father. We are to be set apart from the world and not allow ourselves to submit to the unclean. Don’t continue to team up with unbelievers in mismatched alliances, for what partnership is there between righteousness and rebellion? Who could mingle light with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Satan? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What friendship does God’s Temple have with demons? We must not allow ourselves to be unequally yoked with the world in any manner.
It is written by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 19:
11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Demons know your authority and they also know whether you realize and walk in that authority. In the above passage, the sons of Sceva were not believers but tried to walk in the authority of believers. The result… they were beat up badly. They had no authority over demons and as a result they suffered the consequences. They knew the Law of Moses for their father was a Jewish chief priest but that knowledge did not help them in dealing with the demon.
What was the result of their encounter? The demons admitted to the power and authority of the Name of Jesus thus the authority of the name of Jesus was exalted:
17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
Sorcery is defined as magic; enchantment; witchcraft; divination be the assistance of evil spirits, or the power of commanding evil spirits. It is a work of the flesh and is included in Galatians chapter 5:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
We are instructed to give preeminence to the Name of Jesus for He alone was worthy to be our sacrifice. We now have the same power and authority as He has when we walk as Sons and Daughters. As we renew our minds to this reality, our confidence will grow to the point of full maturity and we will not be hesitant when we come face to face with demons.
We must not let our mind’s soulish logic and reasoning hold has back from this important Truth.
In the Great Commission found in Mark chapter 16, Jesus spoke:
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 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.”
What was the first confirming sign of power and authority? We are to take authority over demons and cast them out of people. This authority is one aspect of authentication that the lost need to see which separates us from the religions of the world. Let us expect and embrace this power and authority given to us. There is a desperate world out there that needs us, now!