After reading the post about the shooting at Florida State University, I was moved by the author’s comments, but I was left wondering why more churches don’t teach their members about the believers’ Authority? Luke 10:19 Mark 11:12-25. Perhaps this would help prevent more school shootings. Also see "Mountain Moving Faith by Kenneth E. Hagin
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Hi @pamela7,
Thank you for your sincere question. The concept of the authority of a believer is understood and practiced quite differently across various churches. That may be one of the reasons you feel the authority of the believer is not preached in many churches.
Most churches do preach about the positional authority we have in Christ. For example, Ephesians 2:5–7 teaches us that we are seated in the heavenly places because of our union with Christ, so that the riches of God’s grace may be revealed in the coming age. In other words, the authority we have in Christ will be fully realized only in the age to come. While we do have authority in Christ—over sin (Romans 6:14), over principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:10–20), and over death (1 Corinthians 15:56–57)—we don’t yet fully experience that victory in our earthly lives. Just as believers continue to struggle with sin and death, they also struggle with sickness. The idea that not every power of the enemy will be experientially defeated now is also alluded to in 1 Cor 15: 24-27.
Our authority in Christ depends on our relationship with Him. As Ephesians 6:19–20 explains, we overcome the power of the enemy by putting on the whole armor of God—by living a life of righteousness, truth, and peace, through faith in the person of God, through obedience to His Word, and through constant prayer that seeks to know His heart and will. Living out our authority in Christ may not always look like victory. Think about the examples in Hebrews 11:36–38—those who faced many losses and yet were commended for their faith. They were commended because they understood that heaven is their true home. Their hope in God was not based on having all their problems fixed here on earth.
So, coming back to the question of how we respond to the shooting: as believers, we can cry out to God in prayer for the victims, knowing that He is always on the side of justice and against oppression. We can pray that God removes the blindness caused by the god of this age among those who act senselessly. We can share the gospel of Christ in faith so that hearts are changed and peace may come. We may feel called to take practical steps, in faith, toward stopping such violence. When we face obstacles, we persevere in faith, standing firm. These are some ways of putting on the armor of God, as described in Ephesians 6, and living out the authority we have in Christ against the schemes of the enemy.
You may wonder how this understanding fits with the verses you shared. Luke 10:19 can be seen as something that was specifically promised to the 72 disciples sent out by Jesus and not necessarily a pattern for every believer. And Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree in Mark 11:11-25 can be understood as a symbol of judgment on fruitless religion, particularly the temple system that was meant to be a house of prayer but had become corrupt and unfruitful, based on the context of the chapter.
This may be a different understanding than what you hold. But I hope it helps. Would you be willing to share a bit more about your perspective and expand on the Scriptures you referenced? It can help with bringing clarity to the question you posed. Thanks for starting the conversation.
I look forward to hearing from others as well.
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Thanks for your thoughtful response. Our teaches that we have authority over illness in the name of Jesus Christ and this was quite a learning curve for me coming from the Baptist Church and of course I received it gladly, but realizing that we have healing in the spiritual realm that hasn’t been manifested in the physical realm is still a challenge for me
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My husband and I are still in wheelchairs, but he reminded me while I was talking to you that we’re kings and priests in God’s kingdom. Please agree with me in prayer that our healing will manifest soon 
Have a great day
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It’s nice to meet you 
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Hi @pamela7,
Thank you for your great question!
As I understand Hagin, he teaches that Believers’ Authority is,
The God-given right and responsibility of every Christian to exercise dominion over spiritual powers and everyday suffering by directly commanding them to submit to our authority in the name of Jesus.
From your post, my sense is that you agree with this doctrine.
If you think it would be worthwhile, perhaps we could discuss this together?
The first set of questions I have about this doctrine is the way we’ve tested it with our experience as disciples of Jesus.
For instance, why haven’t you or I ended school shootings? It seems to me that millions of Christians have prayed for school shootings to end, yet they continue. (As do many other kinds of suffering).
For this reason, it seems to me that our ability to exercise dominion over demons, or cancer, is insufficient to end suffering.
Now, some might argue that this is because we lack faith.
But what about Hagin and other word of life preachers? They often present themselves as honored by God, eminently faithful, and role model Christians. Shouldn’t they be able to use their authority as believers to end school shootings?
It is confusing that, despite claiming they have the power to defeat demons and suffering, that they have not done so. In fact, despite their prayers, both they and their followers eventually succumb to the power of death.
One further concern I have is how this doctrine is taught. Even if it were true, why is it often explained in terms of demonstrating faith by giving money to the people who teach it?
In this sense, it seems like this teaching could function to take advantage of people. By targeting people who have disabilities, promising them they can heal themselves, and then leveraging their desire to be better in order to get donations, my concern is that preachers can used God’s word to, well, manipulate people.
And we are warned, many times, to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing. Whenever someone represents themselves as a follower of Jesus, but then uses the Bible to benefit themselves at the expense of those they serve, I see red flags.
So, that’s my first set of concerns!
Even more important, what does the Bible teach?
You mentioned Luke 10, which is a fascinating passage! We read:
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
We have to ask the question: do Hagin and others take joy in spirits submitting to him?
Because, if so, they are directly violating a command of Jesus. Jesus specifically instructs us not to rejoice in this. Rather, he directs our attention to the joy of being saved by God!
Second, what does it means to “trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you”?
Well, we have to remember that some of the early Christians died of martyrdom. Somehow, Jesus’ promise is compatible with these same people being tortured and killed by their enemies.
Looking at the meaning in the original context, Dr. Craig Keener explains in the IVP NT Background Commentary that “Here serpents, sometimes associated with Satan, demons or magic, probably represent Satan’s hosts.”
In other words, this is a metaphor. Jesus is telling his disciples: when you go to preach the gospel, you will liberate people from the kingdom of Satan and free them to participate in the kingdom of God.
At times, this can include miracles, healings, and radical transformation of people’s lives. But at other times, God works as we love one another: medicine, friendship, Bible study, cooking meals for someone.
The other passage we need to examine is Mark 11:22-25. In particular, verse 24:
Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.
As the Biblical scholar R. T. France explains, “The simplistic reading of this passage which attributes all ‘unanswered’ prayer to inadequate faith on the part of the one praying can be pastorally disastrous, and must be set against the fact that the will of God is not necessarily to be equated with that of the person praying” (New International Greek Testament Commentary, Mark)
That is, if we are praying in faith, this is conditioned by the fact that ‘faith’ is ‘alignment with God and his will.’ When we trust God, and we appeal to him in prayer, our ultimate conviction is for the Lord’s will to be done. God is not our servant; rather, we are his dependent creatures.
As we wrestle with these difficult topics, I believe we must maintain a balance between recognizing the spiritual authority Jesus gives his followers while acknowledging the mysterious ways God works in a broken world. Rather than seeing faith primarily as a means to command circumstances, perhaps we can understand it as trust in God’s ultimate purposes and presence with us through suffering.
I thought @lakshmi made an excellent point in distinguishing between our positional authority in Christ, which is not fully realized until we inhabit the new heavens and earth with God, instead of the misguided concept that we are in control of spiritual powers as Hagin teaches it.
Because, ultimately, the Bible consistently shows that following Jesus doesn’t guarantee freedom from hardship - in fact, it often leads to it. Yet it also promises that God is at work redeeming all things, sometimes through miracles, but more often through the patient, sacrificial love of his people caring for one another.
And isn’t that the kind of spiritual authority that we need? To resist the devil’s temptations to look out for ourselves, and instead, to be like Jesus as we love God and our neighbors?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, as well as further insights from @lakshmi and other members of our caring community.
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Whew! I remember what I said Thank God! May I recommend The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life by Charles Stanley and Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith by Andrew Wommack
That’s in response to the lesson on 2nd Corinthians 3:16
Hi @pamela7,
Thanks for sharing what your church teaches about the believer’s authority over illness in the name of Jesus Christ. For about a decade after coming to faith in Christ, I also attended churches that taught something similar. I would often pray, declaring healing in Jesus’ name for people in my life. However, I struggled with doubts about this kind of prayer. While I believed in God’s power to heal, I often wondered how I could be sure that He would intervene in a particular situation unless He had revealed it. If it were always God’s will to heal, then expecting healing would make sense. But as I turned to Scripture, I came to understand that it may not always be His will to heal immediately, as God is more concerned with our spiritual transformation.
When the Apostle Paul pleaded for the thorn in his flesh to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:7–10), God responded that His grace was sufficient and that His power is made perfect in weakness. This showed me that while we can plead with God to remove sickness, we are not entitled to healing in this life. Paul did not declare he is healed claiming any authority but pleaded with the Lord, setting an example of humble yielding to God’s will. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God with healing, and God’s desire is indeed for our restoration—but this promise is fully realized only in eternity. When I embraced this understanding, my prayers for healing no longer sounded as confident as they once did. However, I felt called to a deeper kind of faith—a faith that trusted in God’s goodness in a broken world, whether healing came or not.
That said, I don’t want to minimize the hope that God can supernaturally intervene and heal. I believe in the continuation of spiritual gifts but have serious concerns about how it is taught in many Word of Faith churches because of similar concerns as raised by @Carson. Infact, I have read that some of the beliefs in the Word of Faith movement started by christianizing New thought beliefs and these days even New age practices have infiltrated some of these churches. So we do have to be careful in evaluating these teachings biblically. Christian authors and apologists like Holly Pivec, Doug Geivett and Melissa Dougherty have done a lot of work researching the roots of these teachings.
So how do we respond to sickness as Christians? If anyone is suffering or sick, we are called to bring our requests before God (James 5:13–16). We can have faith that He will respond in the way that best fulfills His purposes for us. So I would gladly join you in prayer, asking that God brings healing to both you and your husband.
You talked about authority that believers have as kings and priests in God’s kingdom. It’s biblically accurate that believers are called kings and priests, but we relate to God’s kingdom as an inaugurated reality, and under His sovereign rule of our lives. As taught in the Lord’s Prayer, we seek to expand His kingdom on earth by living in obedience to His kingdom values. In doing so, we live out our identity as kings in hope of the day when it will be fully realized as we are welcomed into His eternal kingdom. This view is supported by the verse below:
2 Peter 1:5–11 (ESV):
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your partcipation. God’s blessings to you
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Paul’s thorn in the flesh was persecution not illness. More tomorrow morning. We just got home from church 
good night sweet dreams
Hi @pamela7,
There are indeed multiple interpretations of the “thorn in the flesh,” and one of them is opposition to Paul’s ministry as you mentioned. Whatever the affliction was, Paul makes it clear that it was a “messenger of Satan to harass” him. The point I’m trying to make is that God is more concerned with our spiritual formation than our physical comfort. So there will be times when God’s answer to our prayers may not be what we hoped for, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we lacked faith.
Here’s a note from the CSB study bible:
Paul did not specify what his thorn in the flesh was, although the Corinthians likely knew. The ambiguity surrounding its exact nature has allowed believers throughout the ages to relate the concept to their own circumstances. Suggested interpretations include physical ailments (such as poor eyesight or ill health); psychological or spiritual struggles (like depression, demonic oppression, or ongoing temptation); and opposition to his ministry from adversaries both inside and outside the churches.
You said that realizing there is healing in the spiritual realm, even when it’s not manifested physically, is still a challenge for you. But why should it be? Jesus won our salvation at the cross. Why do you think not everyone turns to Christ? Jesus purchased eternal life for us, yet believers still die. Doesn’t death often come through sickness? Besides there are many other examples of the faithful experiencing sickness and not receving healing immediately through prayer like Job, Timothy (1 Tim 5:23), Trophimus (2 Tim 4:20).
You may also remember that in John 6:26-27, Jesus points out that some come to Him for a miracle like multiplication of food but fail to recognize its deeper significance. He may choose to allow miracles in our life, but what He truly desires is for us to seek Him more than the miracles.
So to sum up, I agree with you that we can plead with God for healing but are not entitled to it. When it comes to authority over evil spirits, we can follow the wisdom from Jude 8-9. That way, our authority clearly rests on the foundation of our faith, Jesus Christ and His Word, as we stand against the enemy.
Please feel free to take time to consider the arguments both Carson and I have shared and feel no pressure to respond right away. Glad to discuss further though. God bless.
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Thanks for pointing that out. The reason it seems like a challenge to me is my Baptist background taught me that Jesus only works through doctors, but I am learning about faith for healing everyday
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