EXERCISING YOUR DELEGATED AUTHORITY: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 22ND MAY 2018

MEMORISE:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: Exodus 14:15

READ: Exodus 14:10-16, Luke 10:19

10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

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

MESSAGE

It is one thing to be given authority, and it is another thing to exercise the authority delegated. Some Christians are suffering today because they do not exercise the divine authority given to them as children of God. Some children of God are like Moses in today's Bible reading, crying helplessly at the Red Sea with the army of Pharaoh fast approaching. The children of Israel also did not help matters because they murmured against his leadership at this critical point. The perfect storm faced by Moses at the Red Sea made him forget who he was and the enormous power God had vested in him. In Exodus 7:1, God had told him:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.”

Unfortunately, either Moses forgot this or his mind could not grasp the extent of its meaning. Although crying to God is not wrong by itself, there is time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This was not the time for Moses to cry; rather, it was a time for him to exercise the authority given to him by God. Nevertheless, God graciously reminded Moses that the authority to deal with the situation was already at his disposal. In Exodus 14:15-16, God said to him:

“…Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”

Beloved, do you know that God has given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and everything they represent? Jesus Christ has given to us the power and authority to tread on all the powers of the enemy, and He promised that nothing shall by any means hurt us (Luke 10:19). However, to exercise this authority, we must live according to the dictates of the One who delegated His authority to us. A lesson from today's story about Moses is that he exercised authority by the instructions of the Almighty God. He was not presumptuous as many would have been. His cry to God could mean "what should I do in this situation?" 

Another lesson is that although the Lord had equipped him with the rod, he did not know the full extent of its power in solving the problems of the people he was leading. In other words, God has equipped His children with the necessary authority and power not only to defend themselves but also to rescue the perishing. You have the authority to bring change to the chaos in the world around you, but are you putting this to use?

ACTION POINT:
Stop any activity of the devil in your life and in the world around you by the authority given to you in the Name of Jesus Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 19-20, 1 John 2:7-27.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS

1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the Cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed.

2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict
In this His glorious day!
Ye that are men, now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.

3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone:
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.

4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song
To him that overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He, with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally.