Matthew 8:8-9 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it (emphasis added, KJV).
A very simple Kingdom principle that we all need to grasp is, to have authority, we have to be under authority. All lawful authority is given from above, and it is not ours to take; rather, authority is something we receive. Authority is specific by nature in that there are limitations in what one may or may not do. Anything done outside of what has been authorized can be done in ignorance -not knowing what the boundaries are; however, in some cases it may very well be based upon presumption, or even outright rebellion -usurping authority. In order for authority to be granted there has to be an element of trust involved. If one wants to walk with more authority, one must be faithful with what one has already been entrusted with. Jesus makes this very clear in Luke 16:10, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (KJV). Ironically, when some people are unfaithful with what they have, they cry, “foul” when they fail to get more. For example, some are not faithful at their jobs, yet they expect to get the promotions. When they do not get promoted, they complain. Conversely, there are those who have been very faithful, and get the promotions without asking. Granted, in the natural affairs of men there are some injustices that take place; however, our focus here is spiritual. People are proven in the Kingdom before they get the promotions and rewards. In relation to rewards, we must remember that most of the rewards will be given at the other side of eternity; therefore, we cannot be moved by appearance and circumstance that we are in now -we must remain faithful to the very end!
The more surrendered we are to the Lord, the more He is able to entrust us with. Surrender requires an attitude of humility, which desires to fulfill the wishes of the Master -on the Master’s terms. Being surrendered means one is not concerned with the consequences of obedience; rather, it means one is solely concerned with carrying out His wishes -regardless of the consequences. Being surrendered means that one desires to carry out instructions in the way the Lord sees fit; not the way we think it should be done. If we will not be obedient with what He has already given us to do, we cannot expect to be given more. A person can be stuck where he is, because he failed to do what he has already been given. There is no leap-frogging in the Kingdom; it is a one step at a time process. The Lord does accelerate things to be sure, but some of that acceleration is based upon how we quickly we obey. We must also remember that our character is also going to be proven, before we move onto the next step -so keep stepping.
To walk in the fullness of authority that the Lord intends for us to walk, we need to surrender completely to Him. Jesus said,
When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And He that sent me is with me; for the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him” (emphasis added, John 8:28-29, KJV).
Because of His love for the Father, Jesus always did things in the manner, and with the attitude that best pleased the Father. Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey Him; therefore, ultimately our surrender has to be based in love. As it is written, “Faith worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6). The question is: do we love Him enough to surrender everything? Secondly, Do we trust Him enough to surrender everything?
