Our Starting Point
What if one of the enemy's strategies is to keep Believers focused on power while distracting us from the authority Jesus has already given us? We were never meant to meet the enemy merely on the level of power. Jesus gave us authority over his power. And then He gave us the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. We were made to walk in both authority and power, in that order.
Colossians 1:13 says, "Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of the Son of His love" (LSB). This word is exousia (Strong's G1849), and it means "authority," "jurisdiction," and "right." This is our starting point: you have been rescued from the authority of darkness. You changed kingdoms. You changed jurisdictions. Darkness does not possess rightful governing authority over someone who belongs to Jesus. Jesus is Lord.
Then Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I have given you authority... over all the power of the enemy" (ESV). These are two different words: Exousia is the word translated as "authority"; dunamis is the word translated as "power" (Strong's G1411). Jesus gave us authority over the enemy's power.
The enemy can lie, tempt, deceive, and attempt to influence, but he does not possess rightful authority over the Believer. So deception looks for something—agreement. A lie seeks someone to believe it. Fear seeks someone to yield to it. Deception seeks someone to agree with it. That's why Scripture warns us not to give the devil an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27). Opportunity is not authority. Stop giving your agreement to something that has no rightful authority over you. But now we need to understand the other half of this message...
Authority Gives Power a Foundation
We were never called to be powerless. God has given us the ability to create, build, cultivate, dream, and bring increase. And Jesus promised, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8)—dunamis, supernatural power (Strong's G1411). We should believe for healing. We should prophesy. We should operate in spiritual gifts. We should believe for miracles. We should create what doesn't exist yet. We should build what God puts in our hearts. We should carry supernatural solutions into impossible situations.
We were made for authority and power. And here is where something beautiful happens: When God-given power flows from God-given authority, power becomes healthy. Authority doesn't diminish power. It gives power a foundation. Authority gives power direction. Authority gives power purpose. Authority frees power from having to prove anything. (Photo via Piqsels)
When I know who I am and what Jesus has authorized me to carry, I don't need power to establish my identity. Now power can accomplish the assignment. I can create without needing what I create to validate me. I can lead without needing influence to prove my significance. I can prophesy without needing the gift to establish my identity. I can pray for healing without making the outcome the measurement of my worth. I can build something extraordinary without needing its size to tell me who I am.
Power Liberated from Performance
This is healthy Kingdom power. It isn't less power. It's power liberated from performance, power without striving, power without proving, and power with purpose. It's authority and power, in that order. This is why an orphan mindset can gravitate toward power first.
Power is measurable. What did I produce? How big did it become? How many people noticed? What supernatural thing happened through me? When power becomes disconnected from authority, what we produce can become our measurement for success. But Jesus never told us to perform our way into authority.
He said, "I have given you authority" (Luke 10:19). Authority is received, not achieved. So we stop creating for identity and start creating from identity. We stop ministering for validation and start ministering from belonging. We stop trying to become powerful enough and begin depending upon the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. And, yes, this includes genuine supernatural power.
Learn to Live from Authority
We can have faith for miracles. We can operate in spiritual gifts. We can experience healing, prophecy, and supernatural manifestations. God can genuinely honor our faith. But experiencing supernatural power doesn't automatically mean we've learned to live from authority.
Look at the disciples. They returned to Jesus thrilled: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" (Luke 10:17). Something supernatural had happened! Jesus didn't diminish it. But He anchored them: "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in Heaven" (Luke 10:20). (Photo via Pexels)
Belonging. Jesus wasn't shutting down their power. He was giving their power a foundation. You belong. You know Whose you are. You know Who sent you. You know the authority you've been given. Now walk in power. This isn't my power versus the enemy's power. Jesus changed the equation. And then He empowered us by the Holy Spirit. We have both.
Imagine a generation of sons and daughters who actually live this way. They know who they are. They aren't intimidated by darkness. They don't need to prove themselves. And they are powerful. They create. They build. They heal. They prophesy. They dream. They innovate. They lead. They bring supernatural solutions into impossible situations. They carry the presence and power of the Holy Spirit everywhere they go, not to establish who they are, but because they already know. That is the kind of power we were made for.
We Were Meant to Walk in Both Authority and Power
Church, we were never meant to choose between authority and power. We were made to walk in both. I have been delivered. I have been transferred. I have been authorized. I have been empowered. I know who I am. I know Whose I am. I know my authority. I know the Source of my power, and I will walk in both authority and power, in that order.
Here's the difference: power without an understanding of authority will often lead us into performance. We strive. We prove. We measure. We compare. We try to produce enough to validate who we are. But when God-given authority is understood and received, something shifts. Power no longer has to prove who we are. Power is free to accomplish what Heaven has authorized. Faith rises. Gifts flourish. Creativity expands. Courage grows. Supernatural living becomes the overflow of belonging rather than the pursuit of validation. Kingdom power multiplies, and Jesus gets the glory.
Authority doesn't diminish power. It puts power in Kingdom order. And when authority and power come together in mature sons and daughters, we stop trying to prove how powerful we are, and start revealing how powerful He is. Authority and power... in that order, for His glory.
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Bobby Haaby, Senior Leader
Eagle Mountain Ministries
Email:Â office@eaglemountainfellowship.org
Website:Â www.eaglemountain.global
Bobby and Becky Haaby are the Senior Leaders at Eagle Mountain Fellowship, a church they planted in Bend, Oregon. Founder, leader, big picture dreamer, servant to all, Bobby is passionate about equipping and releasing the Body of Christ to be and do. He desires to see the Bride released into the revelatory realms of the Kingdom of Heaven. Bobby operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and seeks to live a life of intimacy and integrity before the Father. Bobby loves to present the power of God to pre-Christians and loves to refresh and train the Body of Christ to do the work of the Gospel. Bobby enjoys seeing sons and daughters grow into great leaders. As a mobilizer, he thrives on equipping and sending out teams to break into new territory as Heaven invades the earth. To Bobby, team ministry is a top priority, creating a culture where church looks more like a training center than a lecture hall.
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