Position vs location
- warrickstan
- 5 days ago
- 14 min read
POSITION VERSUS LOCATION
Ephesians 2:6 states that God has “made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The “heavenly places” the apostle Paul is talking about are thrones of authority in the spiritual realm of Heaven, provided by our Lord Jesus Christ for us. We will only be physically seated there when our purpose on Earth is completed, just as Jesus “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” when He completed His purpose (Hebrews 12:2).
The devil confuses some people about the meaning of “sit together in heavenly places.” He places questions of doubt like, “How do we operate in our Heavenly spiritual authority when we are still here on Earth?” “Don’t we have to be in Heaven to reign with Christ?”
Just like what the devil did to Eve in the garden, what the devil is doing by placing questions like these in the mind is to introduce doubt and unbelief. If he can to give us an image of ourselves inferior to what God has made us in Christ, then this will keep us from engaging our authority and power in fighting against him and destroying his works. The devil wants to keep us confused about this issue to make us ineffective against him.
Your Heavenly position in Christ is more powerful than any earthly position you may have, as God has made the spiritual realm higher in authority and power than the Earth.
Scriptures to know
One of the most important facts to get settled in your heart is that, because of who God is, the Word of God contains nothing but truth; there is no lie in it. God is also faithful to do what He said He would do and to bring to pass what He said you could do.
Listed below are some scriptures you must have settled in your heart:
Number 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Jeremiah 1:12, “…I am ready (watching over – RSV) to perform My Word.”
John 14:13&14, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask (the Greek word for ask here is “aiteo”, which means a demand of something due) anything in My name, I will do it.”
Mark 16:17&18, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
(“will” here indicates that it is surely going to get done).
I John 5:14&15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that is we ask (aiteo) anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
Note: Jesus places no restriction as to where we must physically be located on Earth for Him to answer our asking. Jesus can hear our faith-filled words anywhere we may be.
Our spiritual authority position
Our spiritual seat of authority is found in our relationship with Christ. Our physical place in Heaven awaits us until we get there, but our spiritual authority on Earth is not based on us physically being in our Heavenly location. We must keep in mind that it is “spiritual” authority given by Christ, not “earthly” authority given by man.
Spiritual authority is like rank in the military. It not dependent upon age, sex, race, or location. It goes with the person and is not limited by that person’s physical location.
A US Army general operates in authority of the military rank he carries, no matter if he is in an office at the Pentagon, or on the battlefield. It is his rank that carries the authority, and his authority is not dependent upon his location. His rank also gives him access to all the military power available under his command to carry out his mission.
He does not have to physically go back to HQ to get his orders followed. He just issues orders on the battlefield. The general will only go back to sit at his desk at the Pentagon when his battlefield mission is completed.
Our President is President wherever he may go in the United States. Same with a city fireman, a city policeman, or a county sheriff. Each has authority in the realm of their calling, not just in their physical office space.
Spirit of control
One of the tactics that the devil uses against believers in mind warfare is the spirit of control. He deceives believers to think that our authority is limited to a certain church denomination, personality, place, or time so that he has control over our warfare actions.
A prime example of this is the Roman Catholic Church, as they restrict any relationship with God or religious activity as having to be carried out according to their dictates rather than the liberty found in the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Believers on Earth operate in the authority and power that Jesus has given us, and faith to do this goes with us and is not limited to any specific physical location. Jesus gave us the whole Earth as the realm of authority for His Church in His commission to the Church (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).
When we focus on our spiritual authority in Christ rather than our physical location, we can more easily operate in faith to do the works of Jesus, and even greater works that He said we would do.
God’s order of authority
The works that Jesus did on Earth were supernatural works because He operated on Earth from His position as a sinless man’s rank in God’s order of spiritual rank in Heaven. He could do this because God made the spiritual realm a greater realm of existence than the Earthly realm. Earth was created with more limits on what can be done than the Heavenly realm is able to do.
Four stages of God’s Heavenly authority as man evolved on Earth:
1) Before man was created:
God
Angels/angelic beings
Animals
2) After man was created:
God
Sinless man
Angels/angelic beings
Animals
3) After man sinned:
God
Angels/angelic beings
Sinful man
Animals
4) After Jesus redeemed man:
God
Man, the New Creation in Christ
Angels/angelic beings
Sinful man
Animals
Sinful man only operates in the Earth by his physical and demonic given abilities and authority.
Like in a card game where an Ace trumps a King, those who are a new creation in Christ have the rank of sinless man, which trumps the rank of sinful man on Earth.
We can destroy any work of the devil and establish the Kingdom of God here on Earth like Jesus did because the spiritual authority we work with is based on the victory Jesus won over the devil, and by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
When we understand who we really are in Christ, the confusion about location becomes nonexistent. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom and is within us because we carry the authority of the name of Jesus and power of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate the Kingdom wherever we go, just like Jesus did wherever He went.
Faith is the activator
Faith activates our authority and power, which brings the promises of God found in Jesus Christ from Heaven to this Earth. The miracles which Jesus did verified that nothing restricts the power of the Word of God from working except when unbelief is involved (Matthew 13:58; 17:20).
What the centurion understood and Jairus didn’t
In Matthew 8:5-10, &13, we have incident of Jesus healing a centurion’s servant. It reads,
(5) “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
(6) saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’
(7) And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’
(8) The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
(9) For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’
(10) “When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.’”
(13) “Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done to you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour.”
The centurion understood the spiritual authority Jesus had and how the spiritual realm worked. He knew that it was in the spiritual realm where the servant’s health issue had to be addressed, and his faith was based on the authority Jesus had already exhibited in this realm over other works of the devil.
In Mark 5:31-43, we have the incident of Jairus coming to Jesus for the healing of his daughter. Jesus marveled to discover the centurion’s faith, who was not a religious official, yet He had to tell a ruler of the synagogue to “do not be afraid; only believe.” Jairus, of all people, should have known about spiritual authority and that Jesus operated that way, yet he didn’t. Makes you wonder about Jairus’ spiritual ignorance, him being a religious ruler.
The centurion knew two things about Jesus
First, for Jesus to be able to rule the spiritual realm with authority, He would need an army to back Him up. Indeed, Jesus had a host of angels available to Him by the Father for any purpose He would have spoken. Psalm 103:20 states. “Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.”
When the Jewish leaders came for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Peter swung his sword and cut off a servant’s ear, Jesus replied, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52&53).
Second, the spiritual authority from which Jesus spoke was evident by the miracles He performed, as the angels would respond to His spoken word and perform what He wanted done, just as the centurion’s soldiers and servant did for him.
This obedience of angels carries forward today for those who are one with Christ. Referring to the responsibility of angels, Hebrews 1:14 states, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” In other words, the angels assigned to us work along aside us to help us fulfill our purpose.
When Jesus spoke words of healing for the centurion’s servant (verse 13), He did not have to be in Heaven and sit on His throne and speak from there for Heaven to respond to His authority. Likewise, Christians do not have to be in Heaven, where we are seated with Christ, for Heaven to respond to our authority in Christ.
Our spiritual authority
Because the spiritual realm is superior realm of existence compared to this earth, our spiritual authority on earth is not dependent upon any earthly measure – be it age, sex, race, body qualities, economic or social status, political or religious status, occupation, education, geographical location, or any other physical Earthly limitation.
Phillip did miracles in Samaria. Paul did miracles in Phillipi, Ephesus, Corinth, and other places. Peter healed in Lydda. Just like a soldier carries his weapon with him on the battlefield, so these men carried their authority and power with them, and where they were physically on Earth did not determine Heaven’s response.
We also can see no human restrictions, other than faith, as evidenced in the lives of many of God’s saints: age - Abraham was 74 years old when God gave him the Promise; Moses was 80 years old when God called him; occupation - Elisha was a farmer; Peter was a fisherman; Matthew was a tax collector; D.L. Moody was a shoe salesman; Smith Wigglesworth was a plumber; sex - women like Kathryn Kuhlman and Amy Semple McPherson; and the list goes on forever of ordinary people God called to their purpose involving the exercise of spiritual authority in many places and times around the world.
Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave or free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
A believer’s spiritual authority only depends upon being one with Christ. When we are born again, we become one with Jesus (John 17:20&21; I Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 2:20). And if we are one with Christ, then we reign with Him as He reigns. Romans 5:12 reads, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Note: Believers are the mouth, feet, and hands of Jesus on this Earth. When we speak the Word of God, and declare His will, the angels of Heaven respond to bring about what we say as if God Himself was saying it.
We can see this played out in a military example. When a General wants the officers under him to receive his orders, he does not need go personally to each one. He sends a messenger, of lower rank, to the officers, and they obey the orders given by the messenger because it is the same as the general speaking himself to them. It’s not the rank of the messenger that the officers respond to; they respond to the one who sent the orders by the messenger.
Authority and power work by relationship
In Acts 3:1-10 is the instance with Peter and John and a lame man healed. Peter used the authority of the name of Jesus, when he said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Peter did exactly what Jesus had told them to do in John 14:13&14, and Jesus had the spiritual realm of Heaven automatically responded to bring about this declaration.
This miracle of healing was a result of Peter using the name of Jesus. II Corinthians 1:2 states, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” Peter brought glory to God by using the name of Jesus, which was the only thing of value he carried with Him. He gave the lame man more than what silver or gold could have provided.
A believer receives his spiritual authority rank when he is born again. He also receives the Holy Spirit, and an anointing to fulfill his divine purpose goes with that. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual marker that we are one with Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Demons recognize this mark as the mark of our covenant with Jesus and respond accordingly.
If you do not have the mark of the Holy Spirit, then your use of the name of Jesus is illegal and not recognized by demons. We find this evidenced in Acts 19:13-16 concerning the unsaved sons of Sceva, who tried to drive out a demon in the name of Jesus. They were defeated by that demon because that demon knew they did not have the mark of the Holy Spirit and were using the name of Jesus illegally.
The power of God is not restricted to a Church setting
Our relationship with Jesus is a spiritual covenant, enforceable anywhere, at any time, and any day. In all of the promises of authority and power that we have in Jesus Christ, Jesus placed no restriction as to a specific location or time.
God does not manifest Himself just in a Church setting. Jesus did not heal just in the Temple or the synagogues He visited. He healed in different villages, in country settings, even by the seashore; because He knew that the Kingdom of God went where He went.
Jesus even healed on the Sabbath day, indicating that the Sabbath was a day designed for man’s benefit (Mark 2:27) and because Jesus is Lord (meaning that He can do whatever He wants) even of the Sabbath Day that He created. If Jesus wants to bless man on that day, then He has every right to do so.
In II Chronicles 16:9, the prophet Hanani spoke a word from the LORD to King Asa, stating, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal (faithfully trusting) to Him.”
In I Samuel 17 we have the familiar story of David and Goliath. When all Israel was in fear of Goliath, a young lad with experience of faith in God came upon the scene and turned things around. He knew that he could call upon the LORD because of God’s covenant relationship with Israel, so he involved God in his fight.
David did what Jesus would later instruct us to do in Mark 11:23&24 (speaking to the mountain in full belief) and in John 14:13&14 (calling upon the name of the Lord). Jesus responds to the use of His name when we ask to glorify our Heavenly Father.
David did not go into a prayer closet or kneel at an altar. He just made a declaration on the battlefield in the name of the Lord concerning the situation he was in, knowing that God would hear His name declared in faith and respond (I John 5:14&15).
The Word of God is Spirit
In John 6:63b, Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (the Greek word here is “zoe”, meaning the God-kind of life, in fullness and eternal).” Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the word of God is living and powerful.” Power resides in the Word of God. God’s words are powerful in the superior spiritual realm and therefore also in the inferior the natural realm of Earth.
Because God is an eternal Spirit, everything exists because of the life He gives it through His words. He is alive forever and backs up His word by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When you take authority, you are not responsible for the results
Many people get discouraged when they pray for someone and healing doesn’t come immediately. The devil engages them in mind warfare, entangling them with thoughts of doubt and unbelief. They battle with the thoughts of the devil that the healing is up to their efforts rather than leaving it in God’s hands.
To counter this, all believers have to do is to rebuke the devil, remove these thoughts out of the mind, and bring them into captivity to Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 10:5), continuing on in faith in Jesus Christ.
Believers are not the ones responsible for the healing – God is. Just as a servant is responsible for what his master wants done, so the angels are responsible for responding to your faith action, and that responsibility is borne by God alone was He backs up His own words.
When David faced Goliath, his faith was not in his ability to throw his sling. He just did his part of putting his belief into action by throwing the rock with the expectation that God would finish what he declared the LORD would do. David released the rock and God took over from there because he had put the onus for slaying Goliath on the LORD.
The same is true when a soldier on the battlefield calls HQ for air support. The onus for the result is on HQ and the pilot flying the plane, not the soldier who called it in.
When you are in a restaurant and order food for your family, you order according to a menu that the establishment provides, stating what they have to offer. When you place an order through a waiter to the chef, you are not responsible for that order; the chef is. You do not have to physically be in the restaurant to place the order. You can do it at an outside microphone, or you can phone it in. Whatever way the chef gets the order, he is responsible to fill it.
The same applies when we operate according to God’s Word, His will, and the name of Jesus. When we act in faith, our Heavenly Father hears our faith filled words and our faith is what sets Heaven in motion to manifest the spiritual authority and power we have in Christ Jesus.
Speak the Word anywhere and the power will follow
Wherever and by any believer through whom the gospel is spoken, the authority and power of God goes with those words, as evidenced by what Jesus said in Mark 16:17&18.
Paul even verified this when he proclaimed the gospel, in his first letter to the church at Corinth. I Corinthians 2:4&5, it reads, “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” Paul understood fully who he was and what he could do in Christ.
The key here is knowing who you are in Christ. Once you are one with Christ by making Him Lord and Savior, you are automatically “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (I Peter 2:9). Jesus “has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.” (Revelation 1:6).
Because we are a New Creation in Christ, we carry new spiritual DNA within us that places us above anything of this Earthly realm.
That is not in the future, but it is now. When Jesus Christ becomes our Lord and Savior, we possess spiritual authority and power over everything that He has put under His feet, wherever that location may be.
Once this gets settled in your heart, there will no longer be any confusion about where you operate in your position in Christ. You will reign in life just as Jesus reigns in life (Romans 5:17).
Comments