Spiritual Authority

Rom 16:20
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

This is truly one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible.

I have heard so many preachers misuse this verse to tell people to stomp on the Devil’s head. I have heard other’s tell people to rebuke Satan.

Contrary to what you may have been taught, we do not have that kind of authority.

Col 1:16
“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”

First of all, we need to know that God has created an order to things here on earth and in the heavens and that order is hierarchical. In the KJV it talks about power and principalities.

Eph 6:12
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Secondly, we need to know that there is a very real war that is being waged in the spiritual world.

Third, we need to learn what our place is in that war.
Col 2:15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Jesus has exposed them and has power over them. He is the Commander in Chief. That doesn’t mean that we have that kind of authority. I defy anyone to show me where in the Bible it says that we are to rebuke the Devil. Use the best concordance you can find and you just won’t see it. We look at verses and we see what we want to see. For example, a lot of people use verse 11 in Chapter 6 of Ephesians to justify their stance against Satan. They simply misread this passage because it says that we are to come against the Devil’s schemes or wiles (KJV) not against Satan himself.

Jude 9-10
“But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals — these are the very things that destroy them.”

Even the Archangel Michael, the most powerful of all the angels, the General of God’s heavenly hosts, did not presume to rebuke Satan. Know that it is God’s job to rebuke Satan. In His time, Satan will give an account and suffer the punishment for all He has done. Someday God will put Satan under our feet, but that is God’s job not ours.

Our job is to use the authority we have. We have authority over our families. When we get together with other believers we have authority over the area which our congregation serves. If we gather with other pastors and churches we have authority over entire regions.

We are called to rebuff the flaming arrows of the enemy, to be aware of his schemes and come against them.

While we are not to rebuke the Devil, we are to resist him and when we do that in the power of the Holy Spirit he won’t hang around for very long.

James 4:7
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

See the order. We submit ourselves to God and yield to His Holy Spirit and once we are one, Satan will want nothing to do with one who is covered in His glory.

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