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Teaching Notes

Walking In The Authority Of Heaven – Apostle Stephen Holford

Living According to Heaven Part 11

19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

We must walk in the authority of Heaven that Jesus has given us. What Jesus said in Luke 10, He meant. We have been given the authority from the first day that we were saved. Are we using it? We are to function according to the mandate given to us. The Church must not just wait to get to Heaven but exercise its authority on the earth. We are called to uproot and destroy the works of the devil, to reign and rule with authority on the earth.

From the beginning, man was created to have dominion on the earth and to rule with authority and power (Genesis 1:26-28). Adam was made in the likeness and in the image of God. He was created to be a representative of the character of God in the earth and to model Him. Adam was to be a replica of God. In order for this to happen, he had to be in relationship with God. He was given the ability and the authority to name every living creature (Genesis 2:19-20). Whatever Adam called it, God acknowledged it and it was. God was training and teaching Adam how to take authority, how to lead with boldness, how to have dominion and how to declare things in the earth. When Eve came forth, Adam called her Woman and God agreed (Genesis 2:23). Adam disobeyed and lost his authority.

Through out time, God raised up other men to be in relationship with Him and to have dominion and authority in the earth. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and the moon to stop in the valley of Aijalon and the sun and moon obeyed the voice of Joshua for an entire day (Joshua 10:12-14). Another example is Elijah who commanded the rain not to fall for three years (1 Kings 17:1). He spoke with the authority of God. Elisha declared to the Shunammite woman who extended hospitality to him, that she would have a son within a year’s time and she did (2 Kings 4:11-17). We need to stop praying and start declaring like these men. These men all walked in relationship and obedience to God. They were totally submitted to God and spoke for Him. It calls for intimacy and obedience. When we are in harmony with heaven, we hear from God and we speak on His behalf. We must spend time with God and build a relationship.

Jesus also walked in authority and power as He also was totally submitted to His Father. He spoke and did only what He heard and saw His Father do. Jesus declared a word and many were healed (Mark 1:32-34, 40-42). He functioned in the authority of His Father. Jesus gave this authority to His disciples and taught them to do the same. He cursed the fig tree and it dried up. Through this, He taught them to declare a thing and see it come to pass (Mark 11:12-14, 20-24). The disciples spoke and declared like Jesus in the book of Acts (Acts 3:1-8).

Today, men and women are rising up with power and authority through their relationship with Christ. We too must speak in faith from a heavenly perspective in order to bring change to our situations and those of others. We must go after intimacy with God. Authority comes from spending time with God. When we receive a word, we must believe it.

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:16-19

We have been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and to loose on earth. We will decree and declare a thing and see it come to pass. The devil knows what we are capable of and he has tried to stop us. But change is coming and has come! We are throwing off all the old shackles and stepping out in our authority! The church is arising. We are more than conquerors and we are going forth. We are a strong, bold, victorious army arising. No more fears! We are advancing against the kingdom of darkness and taking it by force. We speak to strongholds and say, ‘Be broken!’ and to gates, ‘Be opened!’. We are walking in our authority!