You Have Great Authority

Fresh Manna 2008© by Pastor Tim Burt

Eph 1:14 “Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”

One day when opening the mail, I opened my bank statement. As I went through it, it appeared there was more money in my account than I thought should be there. As it turned out, I had given someone who owed me some money, a deposit slip to my account and told him to deposit the money in my account when he could. I had forgotten I had done that but discovered that was where the extra money had come from.

The Word of God tells us that as believers, Jesus put a deposit in our account. His word says we “were marked with a seal” – that seal being the Holy Spirit who is “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” When we are told that we were marked with a seal – it’s a powerful truth. Let me tell you why and then encourage you to reread the story of Joseph in Genesis.

For those that know this story, you know that Joseph was made to be ruler over all of Egypt only second to Pharaoh himself. We read in Gen 41:42 that when Pharaoh made this proclamation over Joseph, he “took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He then dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” The signet was a “seal” – a symbol of all Pharaoh’s authority given to Joseph to use like it was his own. When a law was declared or an order given, it was stamped with the signet. This was the final authority and nothing could change it. The robes represented royalty and the gold chain represented the wealth of the kingdom. This is what was given to Joseph. I am sure he had to adjust to this because in all of his previous years leading up to this moment, he had been only a faithful servant under repressive circumstances. Now he was royalty with riches and authority. What a sudden change!

As believers, we have been also marked with a seal. It means that the inheritance Jesus has provided for us is a deposit of royalty, authority and riches. God wants us to “by faith” learn to walk in our authority, our righteousness and our riches in Christ. “By faith” means you have to believe that God really wants to make these available to you. This kind of promise may seem contrary to any natural situation you are in today. Joseph went from prison to having all authority suddenly. So did we the day we received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. We were suddenly given the Holy Spirit – our seal and deposit of this rich inheritance.

You aren’t bound by the circumstances that face you. You are sealed with these riches as a gift from Jesus. Exercise your faith and speak your authority over those negative circumstances in your life. In prayer, loose the angels of God in your behalf and thank God in faith for the changes and blessing you know He desires for you. This isn’t just about you! You are blessed to be a blessing. So, as you thank God for His blessings that change your life, be the blessing you’ve been called to be. You don’t have to wait. Be the blessing now. Yours is on the way! Jesus made the deposit in your account. Have faith in it!

In His love,
Pastor Tim