Authority to trample...all the power of the enemy

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:17-20

Jesus delegated authority to seventy disciples to preach the kingdom of God, to heal the sick, and cast out demons. They returned amazed at the power of His name to command demons. And Jesus assured them that in His name they did indeed have authority over these enemies. He also gave a promise that in executing this authority they could not be harmed. And finally He gave a sober reminder so that they would not get unbalanced or view everything in light of spiritual authority. He reminded them that they should rejoice because they had been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and its power and that through no merit of their own, they had received eternal life.

I know a lot of Christians are afraid to exercise spiritual authority like this. It's unfamiliar and unpopular. We've seen and heard excesses and downright kooky behavior evolve out of 'deliverance' ministries. Others believe that this is something that only specially anointed ministers can ever do, and some would say only the apostles of the early Church were given this authority. Most others don't really want to know more about this, whether they can or cannot, because of the fear they have of 'demons' and other supernatural occurrences.

I believe that many Christians are facing longstanding situations in their lives or lives of family members that can be more quickly overcome if they would combine their prayer with fasting, and faith in Jesus' words here. I am not only referring to dealing with demonization in people (which the disciples did often encounter) but there are various other activities, situations, and occurrences which are empowered or sustained by evil spirits. I believe that we were given authority over all the power of the enemy because God knows that we need it.

Those sent out with power  and authority in Luke 10 were not only the twelve apostles chosen by Christ, but also many others who were simply disciples, believers like you and me. The authority they had was linked firmly to Jesus and it was exercised in His name. Consider that Christ wielded such power and authority even before His crucifixion and resurrection. And now that He is seated at the right hand of God as the ultimate Overcomer with a Name above every name, for all ages, how can we have anything to fear when we place our faith in His word and His name (Eph. 1:19-22; Matt. 28:18; Col. 2:15)?

Do not be afraid then. Instead, study the Scriptures and ask the Lord to teach you what you need to know about equipping yourself with the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18), walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, and exercising this authority in Jesus' Name. Keep your eyes on Jesus. And continue to rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.