This is Part 2 of the teaching of Feb. 27, 2023, on:
TEMPTATIONS & the AUTHORITY entrusted to us when we overcome
Part 1 – https://youtube.com/live/uBp5lGr1vJE
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By George e Markakis, Shalom Apostolic Ministries, Athens, Hellas.
The full teaching on pdf: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XCteQI_NugNESwrXwCXwoxRx5i9NH_YT/view?usp=share_link
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In Part 1, we tried to explain the principle that authority granted to us by God, is not merely due to our position in Christ, or our faith in God.

God given authority is the outcome, the result, the fruit; it is a function of our own victories over the temptations which come to test our faith as well as our determination, our resilience and our loyalty to God.

There is a first, an entry-level authority I might call it, that is merely a function of our faith; it is the starting point of our relationship with God, same as the birth of a child is the starting point of the child’s relationship with his/her parents.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

In: “He gave the right to become children of God”, the word translated as “right” is the original Hellenic word “exousia” (written here in Latin) which means “authority”.

So, as a child born in the natural automatically has the status, the authority, the name and the respective inheritance of a child of the family, so does every person who is born of God.

However, this entry level authority as great as it is in its own right, it is at first limited. For example, this level of authority does not qualify a 12-year-old to drive the father’s car.

Galatians 4:1 Now I say [that] the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.

These words establish the biblical principle of understanding that the concept of authority granted by God is: at first, an entry-level authority that is a function of position; that is, our position in Christ.

Yet, it is still not the authority of an heir, but equivalent to that of a slave, as Ap. Paul said “the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave”.

So, if our position in Christ alone does not grant us God’s authority as sons and heirs, then what does? Could it be our faith? Does our faith, or, can our faith, summon God’s authority to such a degree as to walk in the same level of authority that Jesus had? Of course not!

Having faith is not relevant here; what is relevant is whether the heir is still “under guardians and stewards”, or, if the heir has overcome the state of being “in bondage under the elements of the world”.

When does the heir receive the full authority of the son in the father’s house? That is a function of maturity through the process of growing up, which is, in Christ, in this case.

But when is the right time? The Father will know if He can, e.g., trust the child with the car’s keys, when the child has passed the trials and has been found proficient and approved to be trusted with more of the Father’s authority. This is the right moment to remember that:

Proverbs 17:2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, and will share an inheritance among the brothers. 3 The refining pot [is] for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts.

This is exactly how it works with the temptations which are manifestations of the areas of our lives where Darkness still has a hold on us. That is why the Lord allows, or, … perhaps gives the right to the enemy to test the hearts of His own children. The testing is the same as “the refining pot [which is] for silver and the furnace for gold”.

That testing happens when we are tempted by the powers of Darkness which are at work from within us, and manifest against us, as they try to overtake us, defeat us and bring us to subjection and bondage. If/when we overcome, we are then found approved to be entrusted with more authority from God, our Father.

So, in Part 1 we explained these things through the life, the temptations and the tribulations that Job experienced. We saw through the Scriptures, that when Job had overcome the temptations, the Lord gave him authority for/over 3 things – that he did not have authority for, prior to being found approved by defeating the temptations.

Job was granted the authority:
1 – to see the Lord face to face.
2 – to become a priest on behalf of his friends before God
3 – to receive blessings and become wealthy