The Authority Of The Believer: How All Things Are Under Our Feet
I read this passage before but it struck me in a lightbulb sort of moment the other day: God has put all things under my feet (Psalm 8:6b). I could literally see all things under my feet. This is the authority of the believer – all things are under our feet!
To back it up, I didn’t know my authority or how to exercise it until July 2012 after I went through inner healing. I left knowing my identity and authority and I began walking in it. Little did I know that I only understood a fraction of my authority. But over the last two years, I’ve been on this journey of learning more about my authority.
So what things are under our feet? Time, fear, and circumstances. The enemy.
Time Is Our Servant
God created time to serve us not master us – it’s a gift. He created the sun, moon and stars to mark days, years, and seasons and to give light to the earth. Look at it with me in Genesis 1:14-18 ESV.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
We’re meant to live above the tyranny of we have no time or there’s not enough time.
I’m on my way to mastering time. Here’s how?
- I allowed Him to expose the lies I believed about time (and continue to) which He uprooted and replaced with the truth.
- I’m learning to stop using negative language as it relates to time, such as I don’t have enough time or time is flying.
- I declare out loud daily an identity statement about time.
I’m a master of time. I’m seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus above time (just added “above time” to it). Time is a gift that I will steward well and it’s underneath my feet. I have enough time to do everything I need to do today and I’m the perfect age to do everything God has called me to.
I’ll expand on this time concept in a future post.
Fear Is Under Our Feet
We’re meant to live fearlessly – meaning fear is under our feet. Most of my life I let fear rule me – or live above me – instead of below me where it belongs. No more. I’ve overcome many fears and I’m continuing to overcome them to the point that I will be fearless – fearlessness is my inheritance.
Click here to learn more about how being fearless is your inheritance. And here for a podcast and book on being fearless.
Rise Above Our Circumstances
God intends for us to rise above our circumstances. This is where we so fix our gaze on Him in trust and adoration that our circumstances don’t control or cripple us, or make us miserable. But where we operate from a place of rest – dwelling in Him continually and remaining in our place of authority – seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
- We do this by remembering how He’s been faithful in the past (dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness – Psalm 37:3) and praise and thank Him out loud – even shouting if we need to.
- We declare scripture – out loud – about His faithfulness, His power, His ability to do the impossible, His nature.
‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17
- We worship Him with songs that declare who He is and that speak to the aspect of His nature we need (our Defender, our Healer, our Provision). This gives Him the honor He’s due, but it’s also a way of fixing our eyes on Him and how He’ll provide all our needs.
The Authority Of The Believer Over The Enemy
The enemy is under our feet.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Romans 16:20 ESV
Back to the first part of the verse referenced at the beginning of this post…
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet. Psalm 8:6a ESV
This principle goes back to the commission in Genesis 1:28 – let’s look at it below.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
This verse speaks to the authority of the believer as a whole, but also over the enemy. We’re created to subdue and have dominion over the enemy.
How do we do that?
- Pray scripture out loud.
- Lord, You are the Great I am, that is Your name forever (Exodus 3:14-15). My enemy can’t begin to stand against You.
- The Lord laughs at the enemy, for He sees that his day is coming (Psalm 37:13).
- There is no one like You, the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help me and on the clouds in Your majesty! You, the eternal God, are my refuge, and underneath me are Your everlasting arms. You will drive out my enemy before me, saying, “Destroy him!” Deuteronomy 33:26-27
- Plead the blood of Jesus.
- Command him to leave in the name of Jesus.
- Worship.
- Intimacy with Jesus.
- Walking in our calling.
- And more which I’m still learning and will talk about in future posts.
The Authority Of The Believer: Above And Not Beneath
We’re above and not beneath. I believe this is a principle that applies to all we’ve talked about above – and parallels all things being under our feet.
And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Deuteronomy 28:13 NKJV
All Things Are Under His Feet
I like to journal what I hear from God in my Hearing God Journal. As I prepared to write God’s insights in my journal, God dropped another one on me – all things are under His feet.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church. Ephesians 1:22 NKJV
Then it hit me – this is what it means to be seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is being above it all.
But back to Jesus. He took back the authority we relinquished in the Garden through His death and resurrection and gave it back to us. He handed us the baton when He said “go therefore” in Matthew 28:18-20 ESV – take a look below.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Pulling It All Together
Now, to pull it all together…
All things are first under His feet (Ephesians 2:22).
He won back the authority we lost due to sin and passed it back to us (Matthew 28:18) and all things are under our feet (Psalm 8:6).
We’re operating from our place of authority – seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
We’re partnering with Him and using His authority to put all things under our feet (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 16:20).
We’re above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).
The authority of the believer is our God-given right (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:6; Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 2:6).
I hope this post expanded your understanding on the authority of the believer. Please share any insights or takeaways in the comments.
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