All authority belongs to our Lord Jesus following his resurrection, which is an amazing and awe-inspiring truth.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Matthew 28:18 (NASB95) — 

Allowing his followers to share in using that authority is a privilege and responsibility beyond compare. Consider these words of Jesus.

“Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19  Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20  But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Luke 10:18-20 (NLT)

The passage above teaches us four things.

1. Jesus defeated Satan and stripped him of all the authority he usurped from Adam. Consequently, all authority belongs to our Lord.
2. Jesus generously shares his authority with us who are called to co-reign with him in eternity.
3. Christ’s authority protects us from evil and equips us to drive out demons.
4. Our joy is properly centered in the amazing privilege of being children of God, not in having authority over demons.

Although Jesus does not want us to use his authority to “lord it over” one another, as I showed in the previous chapter, we are responsible to use His authority to resist and overcome the enemy.

Failure to do so amounts to disobedience and can make us vulnerable to needless attacks and suffering.

Christ’s authority always defeats the devil’s power because Jesus already won the complete victory.

It is important that we realize that the Holy Spirit’s power and anointing resides in imperfect people.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NASB)

Though we are weak on our own, Christ’s authority residing in us will always defeat the evil power of Satan because the power of God’s Spirit backs us up.

It is never up to us to force Satan or his demons to obey. We are to speak words of authority in Christ’s name by faith, which the Holy Spirit enforces with his power.

Since Christ has already defeated Satan and his minions, we should think of ourselves as being in a “mopping up” operation, enforcing the authority of Christ’s victory wherever we may encounter resistance.

In this way, he [Jesus] disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT) 

The next thing we need to know is where our authority in Christ has jurisdiction.

A local policeman would be out of order to try and enforce the law in another city. His jurisdiction does not extend there. I believe that our jurisdiction under Christ has limits, too. Obviously, certain things remain under God’s command only. The Bible says that the “secret things” belong to God, but that which is revealed belongs to us. (Deut. 29:29) We do well to remain within the limits of what has been clearly revealed to us in the Word of God. David said it like this:

LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great or awesome for me. Psalms 131:1 (NLT)

The Bible is clear regarding where we have the right to use the authority of Christ’s name.

1. To become a child of God (John 1:12)
2. To preach the gospel (The Great Commission)
3. To forgive (John 20:23)
4. To cast demons out of people (Mark 16:17)
5. To minister healing and miracles (Luke 9:1; Acts 3:16; Mark 9:39)
6. To administer church discipline (1 Cor. 5:4-5)
7. To pray (Romans 15:30)

We do not have authority to lord it over others, manipulate other people (witchcraft), or tell God what to do. At his point, I will give my view regarding whether our delegated authority in Christ extends to commanding Satan and territorial principalities and powers.  

I have a friend who served as a missionary and apostle for years in Thailand, whose base of operations was in a city that held an annual sacrifice to a territorial demon, asking that spirit for protection. That would be tantamount to chickens entering into an agreement with a fox or for a shop keeper paying off the mob for protection. The devil likes to pose as our friend while he works to oppress and destroy us. The point is that the territorial spirit in that area was invited to exercise dominion by the people who worshiped it.

This is what happened when Adam chose the serpent over God. God allows this sort of thing to take place as a form of judgment against their idolatry. Hopefully eventually the people will awaken to their need for a Savior.

Paul wrote about this dynamic in his letter to the church in Rome.

For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  Romans 8:19–21 (NLT) — 

God forbade my friend to engage such territorial spirits in a direct confrontation by rebuking or attempting to dislodge them, since they were there by invitation. Instead, his responsibility was to preach the gospel and make disciples. Once the people in an area renounce the evil spirits in which they formerly trusted, the devil’s evil spiritual authority is undermined.

If we seek to engage demonic powers or evil angels over cities or nations that perhaps have been placed there by God as a judgment against their sin or have come by invitation of an idolatrous people, we may discover that we have stepped outside our jurisdiction and opened ourselves to a direct attack. I see no clear-cut evidence that any man or woman of God ever did this in the Bible, except perhaps Elijah when he confronted the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. However, it should be noted that he was primarily confronting the prophets of Baal, not Baal himself, in a successful attempt to turn the people of Israel away from idolatry and back to the true God.

At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. 37 “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.”  1 Kings 18:36–39 (NASB95) — 

Similarly, the prophet Daniel precipitated a heavenly conflict between God’s angels and spiritual powers of wickedness over the nations of Greece and Persia when he began to pray and fast for God to release Israel from her Babylonian captivity. He did not knowingly or deliberately do this. He merely asked God to fulfill his word to restore Israel back to the land of promise. God released His angels to do the warfare. It is altogether proper to ask God to engage such spirits, but it is not ours to do. As creatures under Christ’s authority, we must stay in our lane.

We have authority over demons that oppress individuals, but I find no evidence that our authority extends further than that.

If we seek to depose evil powers who have been invited in by sinful and misguided people, we might expose ourselves to serious spiritual backlash because we have presumed to extend ourselves beyond the measure of authority God has given to us.

But we will not boast of authority we do not have. Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God's plan for us, and this plan includes our working there with you. 2 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

Some teach that the following passage authorizes spiritual warfare against principalities and powers.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.  Ephesians 6:12–20 (NASB95) — 

This passage shows that our warfare against such spirits is primarily defensive, as the words “resist” and “stand firm” suggest. The one offensive weapon Paul mentions is the gospel.

When Paul went to Ephesus, a center of the pagan worship of the goddess Diana, the Bible does not record the church in that city rebuking that spirit’s power during a prayer meeting. The people of that city worshiped that spirit and had erected a magnificent temple in her honor. The people invited that spirit to rule (and oppress) them through worship, sacrifice, and declared allegiance to her idols. In return, the worship of Diana afforded a lucrative income to idol makers and fame to the city. The devil often offers financial gain to those who bow down to him.

Paul engaged in spiritual warfare by preaching the gospel, which undermined that spirit’s hold on the populace by turning people away from Satan to God. The apostle described how God commissioned him to this ministry, saying…

…[I am] sending you to the Gentiles 18  to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’ Acts 26:17-18 (NLT) 

The more people in an area repudiate their affiliation with Satan and any evil territorial spirits, the weaker the devil becomes.

Eventually, territorial spirits will lose control as the populace comes under the authority of Christ through believing the gospel. When enough people become children of God under Christ’s authority, the entire spiritual atmosphere will change.

The preaching of the Gospel is the most powerful spiritual weapon God gave us to defeat spiritual wickedness in high places.

It is important for us to use the correct tool to get the job done. God has given us the gospel to bring down the enemy’s rule over nations. To expect something else to work in its place is unwise. Prayer cannot replace the preaching of the gospel.

But even when we properly engage in spiritual warfare, there may be a price to pay. Even though ultimately the devil cannot harm us, we may suffer as part of the cost of fearlessly proclaiming the gospel and representing Christ in areas ruled by hostile principalities and powers. Jesus said that we overcome Satan by more than just our words.

Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11  And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:10-11 (NLT) 

When I was in Antwerp, Belgium years ago as part of a team that was praying for that city in advance of an evangelistic outreach, we became aware of that city’s devotion to evil spirits and witchcraft. A slaughter of believers took place in the city square during the Reformation. It was also known as a place where ministers of the gospel encounter serious spiritual warfare and even die. While there, I tried to make sure that I (we) did not directly engage that spirit, having read John Paul Jackson’s book, Needless Casualties of War, which cautions against getting out of our “lane” when it comes to spiritual warfare. Instead, we prayed for the success of the outreach, the receptivity of the people to the gospel, and we commanded any ruling evil spirits over that city to be bound in their ability to block the gospel from being heard, understood, and believed. Rightly or not, I believed we had the authority to do that.

When Paul was in Cyprus, he encountered a sorcerer operating under the power of an evil spirit who resisted the gospel message.

But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. 9  Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10  Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11  Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12  When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Acts 13:8-12 (NLT) 

Later, the gospel outreach in Antwerp took place, and a small group was planted which eventually became a church. Nevertheless, some serious backlash occurred. Several members of our team ended up leaving the church within about a year. I developed cancer, and another couple who were involved in planting that church suffered serious marital problems for a season. Can we prove that all or any of that was directly related to praying and ministering in Antwerp? Correlation is not causation, but we do need to understand that spiritual warfare is serious business. Paul wrote about it in his letter to the church in Ephesus, where he experienced a high level of opposition from the devil.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 (NLT) 

Paul and his associates stood firm when fierce satanic opposition came against them. His prayer was for boldness to proclaim the gospel, for in doing that we usually encounter the most resistance, and it is tempting to back down.

We are to be unafraid but wise as we exercise Christ’s authority in proclaiming the gospel and casting out evil spirits from people.

Jesus said:

Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16 (NLT)

Christians are supposed to take up the armor God provides to do spiritual battle. One of the main weapons we have is the authority of Christ. We must wisely and courageously use that authority by faith to advance God’s kingdom in our personal lives, our families, our church, our neighborhood, at work, in our nation, and around the world. The promise is that God will soon crush Satan under our feet, according to Romans 16:20. It is important that we do it God’s way.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

1. How would you rate your own approach to spiritual warfare on the following scale? Circle what may apply to you. (AWOL – defeated – passive – cautiously engaged – fully engaged – wounded in action and recovering – wounded and out of the army – victorious)
2. Do you agree with my point that we must be careful not to engage in spiritual warfare outside our jurisdiction? Why or why not?