By Petey Prater
As a Christian are you tired of the “same ol’ same ol’”? I am. Do you wanna do wonderworks? I do. My spirit cries out for miracles, signs and wonders, healings, prophetic words that will meet the needs of our world. But wonderworks take power. How do we get power and authority to work the works of God?
As
I read about the centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 God began to speak to me about
authority. This centurion was a captain in charge of a hundred men in a Roman
legion; he had some power. He saw Jesus in Capernaum and recognized authority
resting upon the Lord. Leaders always seem to recognize authority in other
leaders. Although the centurion had a measure of power, he had a problem he
couldn’t fix; his servant lay suffering and paralyzed at home. He desperately
needed someone with enough power to heal him. Would Jesus the Healer help? Of
course the answer was, “I will come and heal him.”
But
the centurion protested he wasn’t worthy to host Jesus under his roof and
replied, “just say the word and my servant will be healed. For I, too, am a
man under authority; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another,
‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
Catch
that phrase: “I am a man under authority.” The word “under”
startled and stopped me. I would’ve said, “I am a man of authority,” not
“I am a man under authority.” What a great difference those two little
words make.
As
I pondered those words God spoke this truth into my mind: “To the degree you
will be a leader under authority, you will be a leader of authority.”
God
knows those submitted to Him. He releases miracle-working power through them
because He trusts them. The instant we surrender and come under God’s authority
and those in headship over us, He invests us with ability to do His
wonderworks. Committed disciples use power for His glory, not their own selfish
purposes.
Are
we convinced Jesus is All Authority and will entrust His power to us? These
scriptures prove He is and He will:
·
Jesus is God and created all things. John 1:1,2; Revelation 4:11
·
Jesus conquered Satan and redeemed all fallen men. Revelation 5:5
·
Jesus purchased all men with his blood. Revelation 5:9
·
Jesus makes all righteous men kings and priests to reign with Him.
Revelation 5:10
Jesus
commands surrender not to make us His slaves, but to invest us with authority,
ability and power for wonderworks. He wants us empowered to rule and reign with
Him as kings and priests. What a benevolent, incredible God!
Our
prayer: “We are your servants, Lord. Help us keep our lives submitted and
surrendered. We want to do Your works so the world will see Your glory in us
and choose You as their Shepherd King.”
Petey Prater writes
from Beaverton, Oregon. peteyprater@yahoo.com