Authority of the Believer (8)

Staying in Your Authority

I was praying on how to close this series out and God told me this: teach them to stay in their lane. The biggest problem with Authority is when someone steps out of their area of Authority.

For example: Did you ever have someone discipline your kids that you didn’t give disciplinary authority. The kids get confused. The parents get upset and the person who didn’t it usually ends up offended. All because someone walked outside of their given Authority.

Two weeks Ago I preached about Balaam and Balak and how Satan will position himself find sin in your life to adhere a curse to, this week I want to go back into the recount of Balaam and Balak and look at what happened before Balaam blessed Israel.

This is something I was always confused on until God gave me the revelation.

Numbers 22:10–13 ESV

10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’ ” 12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

This happened 3 times. Balaam recieved the word no. After the third time God told him to go, but this where things get sticky.

Balaam gets on his donkey and road out. 3 times the donkey stopped Balaam from progressing in the path because of an angel that was trying to kill Balaam.

Numbers 22:31–35 ESV

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

Why this opposition. God gave me two reasons

Because it was a warning to speak only what God says to speak because God was going to use Balaam to bless Israel.

Balaam set Israel up for a Spiritual battle God knew they would lose.

Here’s the Spiritual truth.

If we don’t stay in our Authority we can set people up to fail.

If we aren’t in tune to what God is doing and God is saying than we will put people in a Spiritual position they aren’t ready for. We will have them confront sin issues they aren’t ready to confront and ultimately we can cause them to fail.

God was angry at Balaam because he didn’t accept the answer God had already given him. He finally let Him go.

So I asked God why did you let Balaam go anyway?

He told me because I gave him the gift to Steward. after we receive the gift it’s our free will where and when we use it.

We are going to get to Paulin a Minute but lets think about

Taylor Swift. Her vocal gift is a gift from God. Her business savviness is a gift from God to steward how she saw fit, but she isn’t stewarding it to bring people to Jesus.

Matt Rife-The new and upcoming comedian who found it big on instagram and FB reels got his gift of being funny from God. But he isn’t using it for God.

Paul made this mistake too.

Acts 16:16–24 ESV

16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Paul cast this demon out because he was angry. He used his gift, not because he was prompted to by the Holy Spirit or because he moved with compassion, but because he was angry.

The result was he got beaten and thrown into prison.

God used his disobedience to bring a jailer and his family to accepting Jesus Christ, but he used his gifting of his own accord.

Some might say…well at least the girl was freed, but what does the bible say: If the girl didn’t seek jesus after receiving freedom the result is

Matthew 12:44–45 ESV

44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

The girl could have been left worse off. When we use our gifts outside of God’s will we leave people worse off with no hope of an eternal future.

We must stay connected to God. We must be obedient to God. It’s why I believe Jesus said:

I only do what my father does.

I have cast demons out of people, they have received Jesus, but they didn’t stick with it and turned out worse than they were before. And every instance I know of I carry that with me as a reminder to disciple those who I help to usher into freedom.

Romans 15:1–3 ESV

1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

In everything we do we should have a pure heart.

The term strong can be translated

Mature

If you are a mature Christian we should bear the failings of the weak. In other words we should disciple those are less mature than we are into greater maturity and understanding of Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:17 ESV

17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

It’s the idea that everything we do should be through the lens of doing what you are called to do through God

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

We also need to understand the brevity of our calling. Not everyone is called to be ministers in the church. Some are called to be ministers in the business world.

If you are called into the business world than every deal you make, every contract you sign, every person you talk to should carry the weight of your authority of Christ.