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Police Faith Fellowship Church?PO Box 1586?Broken Arrow, OK 74013?Pastor Terry Dashner

?Spiritual Authority and Spiritual Power?good partners to have?

I invested 14 years of my life in law enforcement. I was very first hired in 1989 by the Cob County Police Department in Georgia. Not long immediately after that I sought out and was accepted for employment with the Tulsa Police Department in Oklahoma, my property state. In September 2003, the Lord released me from my law enforcement assignment and placed me in full time ministry at Faith Fellowship Church as senior pastor.

Adequate of my ?bio??here?s my point: God taught me Police many practical lessons as a police officer to additional prepare me for pastoral ministry in the neighborhood church. A single of the lessons was concerning authority and power. I would like to share this lesson with you. Possibly it will assist you in your spiritual growth. Here?s the lesson.

Authority more than an adversary is only effective when it lies outside one?s self. In other words, the authority I had to subdue hardened criminals?sometimes really large and mean criminals?came from the entire community, state, and nation I served and was displayed in a small, shining badge I pinned over my heart. When I approached a person who was performing wrong, I didn?t attempt to apprehend him by my personal authority. I wasn?t there by the authority of my college degree. I wasn?t there by the authority of my proper to vote. I wasn?t there by the authority of my physical demeanor. I?m of average size and not quite scary looking. (Ok?I?m of typical size). I was able to subdue the criminal simply because I was there by the authority of the law. And the criminal had to succumb to that authority or suffer dire consequences.

Now allow me use that lesson as a spiritual application Police. As a believer in Jesus Christ I have authority more than His enemies of the Cross. As you know, there is still a spiritual war becoming waged in the unseen heavenlies. The Apostle Paul speaks about the ?principalities and powers in the heavenlies? in his letters to the Ephesians and Colossians. He tells them (and us) to ?put on the complete armour of Christ? to combat the unseen enemies that are really true in their try to thwart the church. If Christians?every Christian?attempts to resist these demonic forces by their own authority, they shed. On the other hand, if the children of light will stand in the authority of Jesus Christ, they will overcome the enemies of Jesus and the church every single time. Jesus guarantees the victory since He is raised from the dead, alive, and living with the Father in heaven. The Father has given Him ?all authority? and Jesus gives His authority to the church (Christians). That is why we are commanded in scripture to pray, speak, and reside in the authority of Jesus by saying, ?I claim this in the name of Jesus.? I stand here in the authority of Jesus Christ. He?s the Victor, and I have the victory in Jesus? name!

There is 1 final word that you should know. Occasionally the criminal, or criminals, I was sent to apprehend didn?t want to comply with my requests. In those situations I often referred to as for a ?backer.? At my request on the radio, any quantity of my brothers and sisters would come from all directions to assist me. And Tulsa has a very good size department with the Tulsa County Sheriff?s Office, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol to assist when required. This aid was in addition to my police authority to apprehend the unruly. It was POWER sent to help me. Here?s the spiritual application: When circumstances appear overwhelming in your life you can get help. You don?t have to face it alone. The Holy Spirit has been sent from the Father and the Son to support the saints of God, specially in prayer. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit helps us when we don?t know how or what we really should pray for. If you will call on Him, He will come to you with His POWER and lift you high above the circumstances. You can?t shed with God! You have the authority of Jesus? name and the power of the Holy Spirit on request to support you. That is why the Bible says that if God is for us, then who can be against us? Stand strong against your adversaries and unjust circumstances in life by the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.