Prayer Unfiltered: Do Christians Have the Same Authority as Jesus? (Part 1)

One of our listeners recently sent in a thoughtful question after listening to our podcast discussion of the Jude 9 and “the Lord rebuke you.”

Building from a listener's thoughtful question, Elizabeth explores what Scripture actually teaches about authority in Christ, delegated authority, deliverance, humility, and the importance of remaining submitted to Jesus during spiritual battles.

Together, we'll examine:

• Jude 9 and Michael the Archangel's confrontation with Satan 
• The difference between Christ's authority and our authority in Him 
• Luke 10 and Jesus giving authority over the power of the enemy
• Spiritual warfare, deliverance, and biblical discernment
• Why humility and submission are essential in spiritual warfare

This episode is a reminder that our confidence is never found in our own power, but in the victory, authority, and finished work of Jesus Christ.

This conversation isn't about fear or passivity.

It's about understanding our identity in Christ while remaining fully submitted to His authority.

If you've ever wrestled with questions about deliverance, spiritual warfare, authority in Christ, or how believers should pray when facing spiritual opposition, I believe this episode will encourage and challenge you. Listen now!

As always, thank you for being part of The Father's Business community. We're honored to walk this journey of faith with you.

P.S. This is Part 1 of a larger conversation. Next week we'll continue exploring what submitted authority looks like throughout Scripture and what it means to stand firm in Christ without becoming passive—or presumptuous.

Transcript

When Loud Prayers Miss The Point

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Sometimes we think the more aggressive our words are, the more authority we have. If you yell it louder, it'll impact the kingdom more. But that is not necessarily biblical. Sometimes the most authoritative prayer is the most submitted prayer. Hey friends, I'm Kimberly. And I'm Elizabeth, and this is the Father's Business Podcast, born out of Sylvia Gunter's heart for people to know who God is and who they are in him. So wherever you're listening from today, we pray that you will sense his nearness and know that you are his beloved sons and daughters. We're really glad you're here with us today. Kimberly is off celebrating a special family graduation this week, so I am flying solo, but I am grateful for the chance to come back to something important from a previous podcast because I received a thoughtful question from a listener. And honestly, I'm grateful for the question. I love when people listen carefully. I love when they are thinking biblically. I love when they are willing to ask. Wait, how does that fit in with the rest of scripture? The question

A Listener’s Question About Michael

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came after we were talking about spiritual warfare, praying out loud, resisting the enemy, and especially the passage in Jude where Michael the archangel said, the Lord rebuke you. And it also leans into a subject that I am very passionate about, which is people understanding biblically about their authority in Christ and their identity. And I know we have listeners from all over the world with varying beliefs within the context of Christianity. So I hope this conversation speaks to the many different viewpoints on theology and invites all of us to center on Jesus. So my spirit is so excited to speak on these topics. So I might get a little wound up in this podcast, so you might need to buckle up. So in this episode, I want to talk about how there are times when I pray very simply, the Lord rebuke you or Father, push back anything that is not of you, instead of trying to address, name, define everything that's coming against a person or situation. The listener asked a question basically saying, Michael was an angel, not a man. He's not seated with Christ in heavenly places positionally, so wouldn't Michael have a different authority than believers? And as children of God co-heirs with Christ, don't we have the same authority of Christ? That is a really good question. And if one person is brave enough to ask that question in email, I know there are many others who are probably wondering the same thing, but didn't say it out loud or take the time to write us. So I want to come back and talk about this more fully. This is not a small theological side issue. It touches how we stand in spiritual warfare, how we understand authority and humility, and how we honor the order of God's kingdom. It also matters because sincere, zealous people who love God can unknowingly step outside of their authority. And I don't want to scare anyone, but I do want us to handle this with the seriousness Scripture gives it. So let me say this clearly from the beginning. I am not saying believers have no authority or we should be passive. I am not saying that we should fear the enemy or we should back away from the victory we have in Jesus. I believe in spiritual warfare prayer. I believe in standing firm. I believe in resisting the enemy. I believe in praying with authority in the name of Jesus. I believe in deliverance. I believe in the authority of Jesus' name. But I also believe this: we are not backing away from authority in Christ when we say the Lord rebuke you. We are calling authority back into its rightful order under Christ. And that distinction is important. So in this episode, and probably another one, because I feel like I have a lot to say, we're going to take a deep dive into what does it look like. Ephesians 2 says God raised us up with Christ and seated with him in heavenly places. Romans 8 says we are children of God and co-heirs with Christ. Luke 10 records Jesus telling his disciples, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. And then James 4, 7 says, Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So yes, we have authority in Christ. We are not helpless, we are not powerless, victims in the middle of a war with no protection, no weapons, and no covering. God has won. Jesus has the victory. It belongs to him. And we belong to him and we stand in him and we pray in his name and we're indwelt by his spirit. That is the glorious truth. But here is we've

Inherent Versus Delegated Authority

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got to be careful. There is a difference between Christ's inherent authority and our delegated authority in him. Jesus has authority because he is Lord. We have authority because we are in him. Jesus possesses authority in himself. We participate in authority by union with him. So Jesus is the source, and we are the submitted sons and daughters who stand in his authority. And that distinction matters because there is a true way to say we have authority in Christ, and there is a dangerous way to misunderstand that statement. The true way is this because I'm in Christ, I stand in his victory, under his name, and by his authority. The dangerous misunderstanding becomes, I now possess authority in the exact same way Jesus possessed authority, so I can command whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. And that's not humility. That is not submission, and that is not the pattern I see

Luke 10 Joy And John 14 Works

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in Scripture. Now some will say, but what about Luke 10? Jesus said he gave the disciples authority over all the powers of the enemy. Yes, he did. Luke 10, 17 to 20 says, The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submitted to us in your name. He replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. All right, there's a lot to unpack there. First, Jesus does affirm their authority. He does not correct them and say, no, no, no, the demons are not subject to you. He affirms that he's given them authority. But notice the language, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name, not in their own name, not because they have become independent spiritual authorities in his name. Notice Jesus' language. I have given you authority. That phrase matters. I have given you. This is real authority, but it is received authority. It is delegated authority. And then Jesus immediately recenters them. He says, Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. In other words, yes, authority is real. Yes, demons were subject to them in his name. Yes, he gave them authority over all the power of the enemy, but he will not let that authority become their identity or joy. He will not let spiritual victory become their focus. He recenters them in relationship with God. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. And that is so beautiful and so sobering because Jesus is affirming authority, but he's also guarding their hearts from becoming intoxicated with authority and power, which is so easy to do. That is part of what I'm trying to say. Luke 10 keeps us from being passive. Luke 10 also keeps us from becoming impressed with ourselves. The demons are subject in Jesus' name, but our joy is not that we have power over spirits. Our joy is that we belong to God. Another passage that often comes up in conversation is John 14, 12, when Jesus says, Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. That's a powerful promise. And again, I believe it, but we have to be careful not to make that verse mean something Jesus didn't mean. When Jesus says we will do greater works, I don't think he's saying that we have greater authority than he does. He's not saying we outrank him in any way. That would contradict the rest of Scripture. Jesus is the one to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given. Jesus is the name above all names. Jesus is the one before whom every knee will bow. So greater works cannot mean we surpass Jesus in rank, authority, or power. It means something more like Jesus is going to the Father, and because he will be exalted, because he will send the Holy Spirit, because he will work through his people, his ministry will now be multiplied across the earth during his earthly ministry. Jesus was one embodied man in one geographic region. And his resurrection and ascension by the power of the Holy Spirit, the work of Jesus has spread through his body, through his church, across nations, and across generations. So the greater is not necessarily because we have somehow more power than Jesus. It's greater in scope, greater in reach, greater in multiplication. The works are still his works. The authority is still his authority. The power is still his power, and the glory still belongs to him. So yes, Luke 10 says we have authority. And yes, John 14 says believers will do great works, but neither passage teaches autonomous authority. They teach spirit-empowered, Christ-delegated authority. And that is a very different thing. So now let's go back to Jude, because Jude is where this whole conversation started.

Jude’s Warning Against Spiritual Arrogance

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Jude 8 to 10 says, in the very same way, on the strength of their dreams, these ungodly people polluted their own bodies, reject authority, and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander, but said, The Lord rebuke you. Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct, as irrational animals do, will destroy them. Then Jude says, But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand. That's sobering. And there's a strange phrase in that passage we need to pause over for just a moment. Michael was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses? What does that mean? Honestly, scripture does not give us the details. Deuteronomy 34 tells us that Moses died and that God buried him in Moab, but no one knows the location of the grave. Then Jude gives us this additional glimpse that there was some kind of spiritual dispute involving Moses' body, but he does not explain all of it. Some people believe it may have involved accusation from the enemy because Moses had sinned and was not allowed to enter the promised land. And so the devil's trying to say he's somehow disqualified, but scripture doesn't give us enough information for dogma. And I actually think that supports the very point Jude is making. There are spiritual realities we do not fully understand. We don't know why they were fighting over Moses' body. Jude does not invite us to speculate endlessly about the unseen realm. He does not pause to satisfy our curiosity. He immediately points us to Michael and says, even Michael, when he is fighting and railing against the enemy, does not mock him. He says, the Lord rebuke you. So the point is not that we understand every detail of what's happened with Moses' body. The point is that even in what Michael understood, he remains submitted to the Lord's authority. And that should teach us about humility. Jude gives us just enough to sober us, but not enough to make us experts. And I think that's important. Jude is not primarily asking the question who has more authority, humans or archangels. That is not the main point of the passage. The main point is that these people were handling scriptural realities arrogantly. They were rejecting authority, they were speaking presumptively, they were using spiritual confidence wrong. They were mocking or slandering things that they do not fully understand. So when Jude brings up Michael, he's showing contrast. He's saying, in essence, if even Michael, an archangel, did not speak in arrogance, condemning ways towards the devil, and he knows a whole lot more about what's going on in the spirit realm than we do, then why would people think that they can speak carelessly about spiritual beings that they do not understand? So Jude 9 is about posture. And that's what concerns me. Sometimes in spiritual warfare circles, we can drift into language that sounds bold, but is actually presumption. We can start taunting the enemy, mocking the enemy, talking to the enemy more than we talk to God. It's easy to do. Naming things we may not have been given authority to name, stepping into battles God did not assign to us, assuming we understand the spiritual realm more than we do, and Jude says these people slander what they don't understand. That line should make us pause. Not because we're afraid of the enemy, but because we fear the Lord. There is a holy sobriety that belongs in spiritual warfare. Please understand me when I say, please understand me, when Michael says the Lord rebuke you, that's not weak. That's not passive. That is not cowardly. That is not Michael saying I have no authority. It is Michael placing the rebuke in the hands of the one whose authority is ultimate. The Lord rebuke you is an incredibly strong statement because it appeals to the highest authority. And I think we need to recover the strength of submitted language. Sometimes we think the more aggressive our words are, the more authority we have. If you yell it louder, it'll impact the kingdom more. But that is not necessarily biblical. Sometimes the most authoritative prayer is the most submitted prayer. The Lord, rebuke what is evil here. Father, push back anything that is not of you. Jesus, exercise your authority in this place. Those are not weak prayers, those are powerful prayers because they keep the battle where it belongs under the dominion of Jesus. And they keep the focus where it belongs, on God, because the enemy would love to become the center of the conversation. He would love for us to become obsessed with what he's doing. He would love for us to focus so much on the darkness that we forget to focus on Jesus. But Scripture does not call us to be enemy-centered. It calls us to be Christ-centered, spirit-filled, scripture anchored, and alert. That is

Discernment When It Might Be A Wound

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very different. Now I want to make some important distinctions as we continue in this conversation. When I talk about praying, the Lord rebuke you, I am not saying there is never a time to speak directly to something in the name of Jesus. Scripture gives examples of that. We see Jesus speak directly to demons. We saw Paul in Acts 16 command a spirit to come out in the name of Jesus Christ. So I'm not saying that it can never happen, but I'm saying that we need so much discernment, so much humility, and the leading of the Holy Spirit before we do, because there is so much we don't know. And unless I clearly hear from the Lord that I am to speak directly to something, I would rather pray the Lord rebuke you or Father push back anything that is not of you, because God knows exactly what's happening. He knows if something is demonic or emotional or physical or trauma or grief or sin or fear. He knows if something's is a wound that needs healing, not a demon that needs to be cast out. And I think we have to be honest, sometimes we have done more damage than help by trying to cast out something of a person that wasn't a demon. It was a wounded or traumatized place that was frightened. And we put those people in a place where they needed tenderness, but our volume or our spiritual warfare language might have done more harm than good. And that matters because if I treat a wound like a demon, I may shame the very place that Jesus is trying to heal. I may frighten someone who is trying to come to him for healing. And I may make them feel spiritually less than when what they actually need is to be comforted, restored, and loved into wholeness. So my caution is not because I do not believe in demons. I do. I believe in deliverance, I believe in the authority of Jesus' name. My caution is because I believe the Father knows what is in the room better than I do. And sometimes the most powerful prayer is not me trying to name everything correctly. Sometimes the most powerful prayer is Lord, you know. You know what's going on here. I don't. Rebuke what needs rebuking, heal what needs healing, expose what needs exposing, comfort what needs comforting, restore what needs restoring, on and on. You get what I'm saying. That is not a lesser prayer. That is a deeply submitted prayer. The Lord rebuke you is not my way of avoiding authority. It is my way of keeping authority submitted to the one who sees fully and knows the whole story. I'm praying from my own experience. I may not know what I'm dealing with. I may not know what the person in front of me is struggling through and what their whole story is and what God is going to use to redeem. And I rather ask him to rebuke, heal, expose, comfort, restore according to his perfect knowledge than presume I can diagnose the unseen realm accurately in every moment. And I do not want to use warfare language where the Father wants to use healing love. And I do not want to treat a wound like a demon and end up rebuking the very place that Jesus came to heal.

Key Takeaways Part Two Preview

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So I think this might be a good place to pause for today because this is already a lot, so I just want to focus in on what we said so far. Yes, we have authority. Yes, demons are subject to Jesus' name. Yes, said he we would do greater works, but none of that gives us permission to become careless or self-directed in the unseen realm. The Lord rebuke you is not weak. It is submitted, it is reverent, it is comprehensive. You don't know what all is out there, God does. And so we lean into him and say, You do what you know is best in this situation, and I'm choosing to stand. So in the next episode, we're going to keep building on this and looking at what does submitted authority actually look like in the life of Jesus and several other passages and other people in the Bible, and we're going to identify what does it look like as a covenant son or daughter of God most high to live in that authority. The goal is not passivity, but it's also not spiritual swagger thinking that I've been deputized by God to go deal with every demon behind every bush. The goal is submission to the authority of Jesus and asking him, What is my part and what am I to do? And I'm gonna go ahead and give you a little of a preview into next week. Nine times out of ten, the answer is stand. So join me for part two when we look more into what does biblical submission to authority and spiritual warfare really look like. This podcast is made possible through donations by people like you. To donate, go to www.thefathersbusiness.com. Be sure to follow us at TheFathers Biz on Instagram and Facebook.