You are empowered by your new identity in Christ.
Child of God
As a child of God, you have been granted spiritual authority. God the Father has given Jesus Christ supreme authority throughout all of His creation. There is absolutely nothing both in the spiritual universe (heaven) and the physical universe (earth) that is not under the authority of the Lord and King Jesus.
Jesus has given us access to God’s supernatural power through the authority of His name. This delegated authority must be used to fulfill God’s purposes. It is not a magic lamp that can be used for our self-centered desires and will.
So what authority has been delegated to us?
We have authority over evil spirits.
Jesus said, “Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you” (Luke 10:19-20).
We have authority to demolish strongholds of evil deception.
The apostle Paul explained, “For the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
We have authority to bind the power of the devil and to set free that which he has made captive.
Jesus stated, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
Jesus promised, “I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12-14).
Saint with Righteous Nature
You are born again with a new nature. The Word of God declares that you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Your old self with the sinful nature has become powerless. By nature, you are no longer a sinner but a saint, a holy one, in Christ by His holiness! As you live out of your new identity, the power of the Holy Spirit will transform you into the image of Christ with Christ-like character and the fruit of the Spirit.
As you habitually abide in Christ and are being filled with the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) – will characterize your life in an increasing measure. As you spiritually grow in your walk with God, you will act, think, behave, and feel more like Jesus. “Christian” originally meant “little Christ”.
As a saint, you are an overcomer in Christ of sin, the flesh, and the spiritual enemies of God. You live in freedom because there is no condemnation for you (Romans 8:1).
Member of the Body
Every person is born with natural talents and abilities. When you are reborn spiritually, the Holy Spirit gives you supernatural spiritual abilities. These spiritual gifts are special capacities that equip you for supernatural ministry in the lives of others.
The gifts that you have received from the Holy Spirit equip you for the special life mission and ministry assignments that God has for you. Unity and maturity will result as you exercise your gifts for the body of Christ.
Some spiritual gifts are spectacular—like gifts of healing or the working of miracles. Others seem more subtle—like the gifts of teaching, mercy and giving. However, in reality, God’s supernatural power is at work in all of them regardless of how obvious those effects are on the surface to us and others.
It is important to understand that the Holy Spirit chooses which gifts each of us receives. The purpose for all the gifts is not for our own self-exaltation but for the glory of God and for the fulfillment of His purposes.
You know you are using your spiritual gifts to honor God and build up (edify) his people (church) when you are motivated by love. The famous 1 Corinthians 13, the “Love” chapter, is found between the chapters whose topic is spiritual gifts. Contextually, 1 Corinthians 13 is not referring to a love relationship of a couple but to the application of our spiritual gifts in the body of Christ.
Citizen of His Kingdom
You have been given all the rights and privileges that belong to citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. The kingdom of darkness no longer has any power over you. Your passport is now issued by the Kingdom of God. Your new passport shows that you belong to another realm. You simply have temporary work visas in this physical world so we can accomplish God’s purposes on the earth. This world is now a foreign county to you. Even though we remain in the earthly kingdom, we pledge our allegiance to the Lord Jesus and to His Kingdom.
As a citizen of the Kingdom of God living in this world, you are also an ambassador for Christ. You represent the King of all kings with all the power and authority of His Kingdom. An ambassador is usually the highest-ranking representative of a government to a specific nation or international organization abroad. A key role of an ambassador is to represent his or her country in another nation. Did you know that a foreign embassy in your country actually is not part of your country but is legally considered a foreign soil belonging to that nation it represents? As an ambassador for Christ, you truly are a foreigner in your own country, representing the lifestyle, values, customs, culture, and mission of the Kingdom of God.
These truths give us supernatural boldness (courage) to be a witness of God’s love and grace in every situation.