ted4leaders

Greetings;

The basis of authority and the basis of dominion is who you are. Your authority is not just based upon your personal gifting or abilities alone. Your authority is very connected to your divine connection with others in life. In the church it has to do with your divine connection in the body of Christ. It is very relational. If you need a heart transplant a kidney won’t do, but not just any heart will do. You need a heart with authority. It has to be a match for your DNA. It has to be able to receive life from the rest of the body and supply life to that body. Like the connection of an organ in the body, our function of authority has to match the life source of the body it is joined to. It must be relationally compatible or, like an improperly matched organ, the body will reject it. You may have a good gift, but gift alone is not enough. Divine connection and divine choosing give authority. God is the one who determines who we are and where we fit.

Authority is not merely power. Authority gives power a legal right. The star of the morning Lucifer had authority, but he relinquished it for power. He then had to contrive a scheme to acquire authority. Lucifer as Satan has to contrive a plan to legally acquire authority because his grasp for power resulted in him becoming a perversion of his original creation. He has become a profane creation because he disconnected from his God-ordained place of relationship. He still has gifting, but his gifting is focused towards a self-seeking and a self-serving agenda. He left his place of purpose in his grasp for power. He lives for power, but he cannot live for authority.

If you have authority you will have power, but you can have power without authority. Power alone will not produce life. Anointing alone is not enough. When God appoints, He always anoints. The process of authority includes a calling, an appointment, and an anointing for that appointment. The anointing for the appointment begins with the calling and increases through the process of coming to that appointment, but legitimate anointing of authority is always connected to the responsibility of a God-given appointment. Anointing does not equal appointing, but appointing will always equal anointing and will invite increased anointing.

Authority comes out of responsibility. Remember, authority brings life to others and it brings legitimate freedom and release to others. A married person has the authority to be married. A single person has an authority to be single. If a married person chooses to act as a single person the result will be a measure of death and dysfunction to the marriage. If a single person chooses to act as a married person the result will be a measure of death and dysfunction to being single. If those actions end up producing the fruit of children, those children will suffer the challenge of dysfunction. Even the fruit of relationships will be affected by an illegitimate grasping for power. Acting outside of the boundaries of covenant and God-given responsibility will create destructive forces that will affect the lives of others. When this happens a supernatural intervention by God is necessary. Only God’s mercy and grace can bring healing and a restoration of life-giving authority in such situations. Power can produce children, but authority parents them. When things are established on a foundation of power alone it takes God’s intervention to recreate a foundation of authority. When authority is sought through legitimate means and covenant measures the result will be an anointing of life for true function and purpose. When shortcuts are taken we can end up functioning in tasks, but the function will be frustrated because of the illegitimate access that was taken to operate in that function. This is when God has to take what was intentionally or unintentionally intended for evil and turn it for good. Seeking to walk in covenant and within the proper boundaries of authority would save a lot of pain in the world.

Authority comes out of responsibility. Not everyone has equal responsibility in the body of Christ. Everyone does have equal value. The value of each and everyone is that of a one and only. God established the value of each and every one by giving His only begotten Son as the price of the ransom for each and every one. Authority doesn’t equate to value, but to responsibility. More authority doesn’t make you more valuable. It simply makes you responsible for the giving of more life to others.

If you are not responsible, you have no authority. You can find yourself in a situation where you have crossed a boundary and now you have to find the path to authority. To play on the English word for responsibility; responsibility means you have the ability to respond to another. When you have authority in an area it is because it has been given to you by another source of authority. When you have authority you are responsible to respond to the source of your authority and to respond to those you serve in giving life to by means of that authority. There is a submission to continually come under the source of your authority and a submission to lean in the direction of those receiving the life and release that comes from the authority you carry.

You cannot have the responsibility unless it has been given to you. When you have the responsibility, you have all the authority to fulfill your responsibilities. In the original creation man was given an authority of bringing life to the world. To fulfill that responsibility man was to remain under the authority of God. It was a place of intimate relationship. Man was not destined to have the responsibility of a knowledge of good and evil. He was destined to connect to and remain connected to God and the Tree of life. Authority is a responsibility of being a life source, and thus it requires a connection to life. Man wasn’t born to be right. Mankind was born to be loved and thus their authority to others was to be a measure of responsibility that gives love to others. True love is the giving of life to another. Seeking the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a grasping for power and the result was death and dysfunction. Man was created to be responsible for life and the source of anointing for that responsibility was found in being loved by God. To disconnect from that life source was a disconnection from authority.

A parent has authority over his or her own children, but not someone else’s children. If a parent seeks to apply thought, strategy, or action to be the parent of someone else’s children the result will be a measure of death and dysfunction. The only available power of action will be an abuse. It will be steeped in control or manipulation because it doesn’t carry the responsibility of life. If you are a parent of children your knowledge of being a parent can get you in trouble, because it can tempt you to believe you are a “qualified parent” to other children. If you discipline someone else’s children, you would be exercising power, but not authority. To function in life-giving authority we must mind our own business!

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings;

The basis of authority and the basis of dominion is who you are. Your authority is not just based upon your personal gifting or abilities alone. Your authority is very connected to your divine connection with others in life. In the church it has to do with your divine connection in the body of Christ. It is very relational. If you need a heart transplant a kidney won’t do, but not just any heart will do. You need a heart with authority. It has to be a match for your DNA. It has to be able to receive life from the rest of the body and supply life to that body. Like the connection of an organ in the body, our function of authority has to match the life source of the body it is joined to. It must be relationally compatible or, like an improperly matched organ, the body will reject it. You may have a good gift, but gift alone is not enough. Divine connection and divine choosing give authority. God is the one who determines who we are and where we fit.

Authority is not merely power. Authority gives power a legal right. The star of the morning Lucifer had authority, but he relinquished it for power. He then had to contrive a scheme to acquire authority. Lucifer as Satan has to contrive a plan to legally acquire authority because his grasp for power resulted in him becoming a perversion of his original creation. He has become a profane creation because he disconnected from his God-ordained place of relationship. He still has gifting, but his gifting is focused towards a self-seeking and a self-serving agenda. He left his place of purpose in his grasp for power. He lives for power, but he cannot live for authority.

If you have authority you will have power, but you can have power without authority. Power alone will not produce life. Anointing alone is not enough. When God appoints, He always anoints. The process of authority includes a calling, an appointment, and an anointing for that appointment. The anointing for the appointment begins with the calling and increases through the process of coming to that appointment, but legitimate anointing of authority is always connected to the responsibility of a God-given appointment. Anointing does not equal appointing, but appointing will always equal anointing and will invite increased anointing.

Authority comes out of responsibility. Remember, authority brings life to others and it brings legitimate freedom and release to others. A married person has the authority to be married. A single person has an authority to be single. If a married person chooses to act as a single person the result will be a measure of death and dysfunction to the marriage. If a single person chooses to act as a married person the result will be a measure of death and dysfunction to being single. If those actions end up producing the fruit of children, those children will suffer the challenge of dysfunction. Even the fruit of relationships will be affected by an illegitimate grasping for power. Acting outside of the boundaries of covenant and God-given responsibility will create destructive forces that will affect the lives of others. When this happens a supernatural intervention by God is necessary. Only God’s mercy and grace can bring healing and a restoration of life-giving authority in such situations. Power can produce children, but authority parents them. When things are established on a foundation of power alone it takes God’s intervention to recreate a foundation of authority. When authority is sought through legitimate means and covenant measures the result will be an anointing of life for true function and purpose. When shortcuts are taken we can end up functioning in tasks, but the function will be frustrated because of the illegitimate access that was taken to operate in that function. This is when God has to take what was intentionally or unintentionally intended for evil and turn it for good. Seeking to walk in covenant and within the proper boundaries of authority would save a lot of pain in the world.

Authority comes out of responsibility. Not everyone has equal responsibility in the body of Christ. Everyone does have equal value. The value of each and everyone is that of a one and only. God established the value of each and every one by giving His only begotten Son as the price of the ransom for each and every one. Authority doesn’t equate to value, but to responsibility. More authority doesn’t make you more valuable. It simply makes you responsible for the giving of more life to others.

If you are not responsible, you have no authority. You can find yourself in a situation where you have crossed a boundary and now you have to find the path to authority. To play on the English word for responsibility; responsibility means you have the ability to respond to another. When you have authority in an area it is because it has been given to you by another source of authority. When you have authority you are responsible to respond to the source of your authority and to respond to those you serve in giving life to by means of that authority. There is a submission to continually come under the source of your authority and a submission to lean in the direction of those receiving the life and release that comes from the authority you carry.

You cannot have the responsibility unless it has been given to you. When you have the responsibility, you have all the authority to fulfill your responsibilities. In the original creation man was given an authority of bringing life to the world. To fulfill that responsibility man was to remain under the authority of God. It was a place of intimate relationship. Man was not destined to have the responsibility of a knowledge of good and evil. He was destined to connect to and remain connected to God and the Tree of life. Authority is a responsibility of being a life source, and thus it requires a connection to life. Man wasn’t born to be right. Mankind was born to be loved and thus their authority to others was to be a measure of responsibility that gives love to others. True love is the giving of life to another. Seeking the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a grasping for power and the result was death and dysfunction. Man was created to be responsible for life and the source of anointing for that responsibility was found in being loved by God. To disconnect from that life source was a disconnection from authority.

A parent has authority over his or her own children, but not someone else’s children. If a parent seeks to apply thought, strategy, or action to be the parent of someone else’s children the result will be a measure of death and dysfunction. The only available power of action will be an abuse. It will be steeped in control or manipulation because it doesn’t carry the responsibility of life. If you are a parent of children your knowledge of being a parent can get you in trouble, because it can tempt you to believe you are a “qualified parent” to other children. If you discipline someone else’s children, you would be exercising power, but not authority. To function in life-giving authority we must mind our own business!

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings;

Authority is very real and it is what gives us the ability to rule today. Ruling is not about control. Power alone can manifest control, but only authority produces life. True authority brings life to others. Each of us has a measure of authority and authority is a continual growing reality in our lives. Who we are today determines the measure of life we give to the world today and it will also affect our ability to give life to the world tomorrow. As authority grows in our lives we are able to give more life to the world tomorrow. It is connected to who we are and who we are enables us to carry the responsibility of authority for the sake of others. The most valuable measure of authority in our lives is the authority we walk in each and every day. Who we are called to be tomorrow is not more valuable than who we are today, it is just a greater measure of life given to us for the sake of the world.

Who we are called to be tomorrow is not yet a measure of life in our lives. We cannot give life where we have not received life to give.

Tomorrow’s authority is not today’s authority. It is merely a calling upon our lives. If we grasp to function in tomorrow’s authority today it will produce death and dysfunction in our lives and in the lives of others. When Samuel anointed David to be the king that anointing was not the right for David to be immediately installed as the king of Israel. David was destined to be a king, but when Samuel anointed him his authority was still to keep a few sheep. He grew in his authority. His authority to keep the sheep anointed him to kill the lion and the bear while protecting the sheep. His authority to deliver a few cheeses to his brothers in the front line of battle brought him to the place of increased authority in his journey to become the king. His inquiry for permission from King Saul to battle Goliath authorized him to kill the giant. His authority to kill the giant Goliath gave him an invitation to serve in the courts of King Saul. His authority to serve Saul empowered him to manifest his authority of worship and bring peace to Saul’s demonic harassments. His authority to hide from Saul’s anger empowered him to walk in honor to the king. His honor to the king took him on the journey of becoming the inheritor of Israel. He grew in his authority, as he was faithful in each step of his destiny. It was a process filled with faithfulness in his daily appointments with the increasing draw of tomorrow’s calling.

You may have a calling, but you must first receive an appointment. Appointment only comes after training, faithfulness, and timing. The sound of God for that appointment must come into your character. A gift is a gift and a calling is a calling, but without proper ‘timing’ they are worthless. Abraham was called to be the father of Isaac, but when he tried to produce the seed of promise as Abram, the result was the birth of Ishmael. Ishmael’s are a result of acting on tomorrow’s authority today. When we act on tomorrow’s authority today we end up with a testimony of the flesh. Abram was destined to be the father of many nations, but the meaning of his name was only the “father of a nation”. His name had to be changed to Abraham, the “father of many nations”, before he could produce the seed of promise. The change of his name involved the process of destiny. Abram had the destiny to father Isaac, but he had to become an Abraham before he could father the promise. Ishmael was not the son of Abraham; he was the son of Abram (One Nation).

Ishmael’s are nothing more than works of the flesh. All authority is found in the Spirit and is not founded upon the flesh. It is God who makes us who we are in the path of destiny. The basis of authority and the basis of dominion is who we are, not who we are called to be.

A caterpillar is destined to become a butterfly, but it has to go through the process of metamorphosis to become what it is called to be. While it is at its beginning it has the authority to live in the testimony of an egg. While it is a caterpillar it has the authority of a caterpillar. The pupa reveals the testimony of a pupa and only when the process of metamorphosis is complete it reveals the testimony of a butterfly. It is only then that the creature exhibits the authority of a butterfly. Each season of the creature’s life has a glory of its own and an authority of its own. It is the same in the journey of our lives. There is a process in coming to the authority of tomorrow and in that process the greatest authority is that of each day in the process. There are no shortcuts to destiny.

The journey of our destinies begins with calling, progresses to appointment, and is proven with anointing. Calling precedes appointment and an anointing of life comes on the appointments of God. There is a measure of anointing that confirms our calling, but it is not meant to be the anointing of our appointment until the day of our appointment comes to today. Not one step of the process is better than another and no step of the process makes us more valuable. Our value is that of being children of God while our authority has to do with the measure of life we have for others today. We must be faithful to live in the fullest of each measure of our journey. As leaders in the body of Christ we must model and mentor this process.

Becoming a father includes learning the boundaries of authority. When someone crosses the boundaries they must have a supernatural intervention of God to bring about redemption and a testimony of true authority. There is always destruction and death outside the boundaries of authority.

If you work for a car wash company, but you are destined to be the president of the company you must embrace the process of promotion that takes you to the day. You will have to prove to be responsible in every position given you in the company. There will be a process of learning, training, and growing in your ability to handle the responsibilities of being the president of the company. There is a price to pay for authority. There is a process to coming to the authority of each and every day.

Tomorrow’s authority is not more valuable than that of today. It is just a greater measure or a further measure of who you are called to be. If we are faithful in the authority given to us for each and every day we will bring life to the world.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings;

All authority comes from God. Whether that authority is dealt with righteously or unrighteously is in the hands of those who exercise it. A true key in understanding authority is found in a proper understanding of submission. Authority doesn’t give any individual their value. Authority simply equates to the responsibility given to an individual. More responsibility given and received equals more authority, but it does not equal more value. The value of every person is the same. God the Father paid the price of each person’s value when He gave His only begotten Son as a ransom for each one. The value of every person is the value of being a one and only. Each person is unique and each person is equally valuable. Authority is simply a measure of life given to a person whereby they can give that life to others.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that they were to be subject to the governing authorities of their day. The governing authorities of their day were not by any means operating in true righteousness.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

The Greek word for authority here is the word exousia. It is a word that means power or in essence it “is what it is”. An example of exousia would be that of the policeman having the authority to enforce the law. He does not have the authority to create new law. That would be the responsibly of a different governing body. He simply has the authority to enforce the law. A doctor has the authority to be a doctor, but he doesn’t have the authority to tell you where you take your vacation. He might be able to suggest a vacation, but he cannot tell you where to go. A pastor can give you godly principles for raising your children, but he cannot tell you how or what disciplines to put in place in your process as a parent. As long as a person stays within the boundaries of their God-given responsibilities we must submit to them.

We are not just to blindly submit to those who say they have authority. We are to recognize those who have authority in our lives and we are to submit to them as unto the Lord. We do not submit to them as being the Lord. We submit to them as unto the Lord. We put our submission to the lowest level as to the highest level. That highest level is God Himself. When we submit to authority as unto the Lord we open an effective door for God to intervene when authority crosses the lines to illegitimacy.

We must always relate to the lowest authority above us as though it is the highest authority. The lowest authority above us is our connecting authority, or the authority we directly relate to. In this is found a secret and a key to God’s kingdom life. When we relate to the lowest authority above us as the highest authority above us, we allow the highest authority above us (God) to see to it that the lowest authority above us is a righteous authority. If the lowest authority above us is not righteous, we give God the right and the ability to deal with that authority. God will either change or remove that authority. If we submit to the lowest authority above us as being itself, we get that authority and not the authority of God. The secret in this submission is a matter of faith. We must stay in the place of hearing God in the authorities of our lives. This type of obedience cannot just be blind obedience to the abuses of men. It must be a faith in our obedience to God. Faith is not something we fake or attempt to do as an obligation to control or to be controlled. Faith is the fruit of hearing God and it has a great power of life.

I will use a story in my own life to illustrate this principle. In my early years as a believer I became a part of a Christian organization that had many discipleship homes. I lived in such a home with many other young men. The man who oversaw the home was a lay pastor in the movement I was a part of. I saw God do many amazing things in the lives of many people. We went from being a small group of people to a huge number in a very short time. God was very present and there were many life-giving things that took place. I experienced God on a very personal level in many ways. I felt that God had led me to join this group of people and that I was there in His perfect will. I believe this to be true to this very day. Although the place where I found myself was a God-directed connection, there were abusive things at work that I was unaware of. The leader of the home that I lived in was battling issues of homosexuality and was in fact seeking to take advantage of the young men who lived in the home. I was naive to his agenda and submitted to him as my pastor as unto the Lord. The home that we lived in was on a piece of land that was several acres in size. There was about two acres of garden space and I was responsible to oversee the gardens. We supplied many needy people with produce from the various crops grown. One day the leader asked me to multiply the strawberries in the strawberry patch. I did as I had learned growing up, but when this leader came home he was furious as to how I had done the task. He exploded in anger and told me to leave. He said he never wanted to see my face again. I looked directly at him and I said, “Sir, I cannot leave! God told me to be here. What do you need me to do?” He gave me a task of raking pine needles on the land. I raked pine needles until the palms of my hands were both an entire blister. It was a huge abuse on his part towards me. I was young and naive. I would not have submitted knowing what I know today, but my act of faith toward God opened a door towards a miracle. I know there were other things in play as well, but I believe that God saw my submission that day as unto Him. It was just a short period of time after that the whole issue of the man’s homosexuality was exposed and everyone in the home was rescued from disaster. The church authorities stepped in and brought order, healing and redemption to the whole situation. I have even found out decades later that the pastor bound to the deception has walked a path of repentance and has a restored life in the kingdom of God. I am not for a moment condoning the behavior of that pastor in the situation, but I am saying that God can do miracles when submission is unto Him. The secret is in the faith toward God in the midst of the situation.

I am not advocating that anyone remain in an abusive situation. I am simply saying that when we have faith, God can do amazing things. When we submit to the lowest authority as unto the Lord we give God the access to change that authority. There are boundaries to authority. An abusive husband loses authority by violating the Holy Spirit, the conscience of his wife, and his own delegated responsibility as a husband. A wife is not required to submit to her husband outside of his true authority, but God can and will intervene when the heart of those in submission call upon Him in faith.

There was a time in my life when I was in the process of being called by God into the ministry. I was spending most of my days praying, reading God’s word, and even ministering to people on the street of our city. During this time I was still working a secular job putting in anywhere from forty to sixty hours per week. It had come to the point where I was spending about forty hours per week in ministry and up to sixty hours per week at my job. This took me away from home while my wife had to deal with our three children and all of the responsibilities of the house. We lived in a log house and had no electricity, only a generator that we ran every three days to run the washing machine and charge the batteries for our DC electrical system. This was not just a simple process. The generator had to be fueled and it was in a location outside of the house. It wasn’t just a matter of flipping on a switch or turning on a key. It was inconvenient and a lot of work. The house was heated by firewood and there were a lot of extra chores such as hauling in wood, cleaning up the mess, and making sure the fire was always lit. My wife was left to deal with these things in my absence. She never complained, but the added responsibilities were beginning to wear on her. One day she went to God and voiced that it was not fair that she had all of the added responsibilities due to my absence. When she did, God simply told her, “That’s right, you do have all those things”. Instead of despising me for my absence, she willingly accepted the responsibility even though it was not fair on her part. She submitted to me as unto the Lord and it was only a short time after that God presented me with a choice between my secular job and ministry. I chose ministry. My choice of one gave me more time to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband. My wife’s submission was a key to God’s intervention in the situation. She didn’t submit to me as being her lord, she submitted to me as unto the Lord and the Lord in turn spoke to my heart to change the situation. I believe her faith moved God and allowed me to hear what God was saying.

The story of Abigail in the Scriptures is a wonderful story. It is recorded in 1Samuel, Chapter 25. Abigail’s husband’s name was Nabal. He was a very wealthy man and had plenty of provisions to spare. Although he was blessed by considerable means, he was a harsh man and evil in his doings. One day King David sent his men to receive supplies and provisions from Nabal. When David’s men arrived at Nabal’s house Nabal sent them away and gave no provisions to King David. When the men returned to David and told him of the situation David rode to destroy Nabal for his rejection of those David had sent. While in route to Nabal’s home, Abigail the wife of Nabal met David and his men along the rode and gave them provisions, pleading for King David to spare her husband Nabal for his ignorance of honoring the King. King David received her gift and spared her husband’s life. Immediately after God struck Nabal with a heart attack and within a week he died. When King David heard of it he made room for Abigail in his own palace and she lived as David’s wife. Abigail did not despise her husband. She covered him by giving provisions to the King on his behalf. God in response removed the unrighteous authority of Nabal in Abigail’s life.

When we submit to authority we must submit as unto the Lord. No person is a lord in our lives, but the authority they represent comes from the Lord. When we submit to authority as unto the true source we receive the blessings, protection, and benefits that come from the true source. God is good and generous in His ways. He can come to our rescue and change the circumstances we find ourselves in when we have a right heart in our submission.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings,

I have begun a series of teachings on the topic of authority. It is possible to have power without having authority, but it is not possible to have authority without having power. It is possible to default in laying hold of the power needed to fulfill authority, but legitimate authority comes from a life source and therefore the power to fulfill that authority is always given when legitimate authority is received. For a glass to have the authority of being a source of water it must be under a higher authority of water, such as a pitcher of water, a fountain, or a faucet. Because it is under a life source of water it can receive water and thus have the authority to give water to others. Illegitimate authority is really a grasping for power, because it is the taking hold of responsibility without being sent to receive that responsibility. Authority equals responsibility, or being responsible for what has been given to you. To take responsibility for what hasn’t been given is illegitimate and is merely a grasping for power.

Legitimate authority brings life to those that are under it. The mark of authority is release to others. If I am operating in true authority as a husband to my wife, my wife will become fully alive in who she is. To the degree that she flourishes in who she is as a wife is a testimony of who I am as her husband. To the degree that the members of a congregation flourish in who they are meant to be is a testament to the authority of their God-given leadership. When leadership operates in legitimate authority the members of the congregation will grow in liberty, maturity, and intimacy with God. Since the authority of God has been given to us through Jesus Christ, the testimony of that authority should be His increasing life.

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The discipline of authority is one of grace and not law. That grace is the power of God to bring life to those who receive it. The submersion of authority is one of the character, nature, way, power and authority of Christ. It is not a subjection to a power of control. The teaching of that authority is one of activation, facilitation, and release. It produces a power of transformation in the lives of those who receive it. The testimony of that authority is that of the manifest presence of Christ.

As leaders we must stand in the authority given to us by God. To grasp for power is totally different than standing in the authority given to us by God. True authority is standing in the measure of rule given to us by God. If the son of the morning (Lucifer) had stood in the measure of rule given him by God, he would have remained a magnificent testimony of the light of God in heaven. He traded his authority for a lie by grasping for power (Isa. 14:12-19; Ezek. 28:12-19). He grasped for something that was not his to take hold of. The result was, he became a perversion of what he was created to be. The worst thing anyone can get is someone else’s measure of rule. The result is a perversion of who they are meant to be and the testimony is that of the power of death. It is important that we all stand within the measure of rule given to us by God. This is our God-given authority and only our God-given authority will bear the fruit of life.

Let’s say you find the keys to a new BMW car and you see that car parked along the road. You get into the car and find that the keys fit and the car starts to run. You now have the power to drive the car down the road, but the problem is you don’t have the title deed to the car. The keys to the car are the power to start the car, but the deed to the car is the authority to take the car. If you don’t pay the price for the deed you are a thief with the keys. The result will be the pain of arrest and prosecution on your part. If you purchase a car valued at $500 you will have the authority to drive a $500 car. To drive a car the costs $50,000 requires the full price of $50,000 to secure the deed to own the car and drive it legitimately.

Our salvation is free, but there is a price to pay in order to stand in the authority given us by God. There is a process to the journey of authority in life. When a man or a woman is single they have the authority of being single. They can grasp for the power to produce children, but the result will be a dysfunctional family that will struggle in its attempt to find the freedom of true life. Their grasping is most often an attempt to reap the benefits of a marriage covenant without paying the price of that covenant. They are grasping for power. It is an attribute of taking and not receiving what is legitimately given them by paying the price of authority. The authority to produce children is the covenant of marriage. It is like the deed to the car. They have the power of the keys, but they lack the authority of the deed. This is why societies are so filled with the testimonies of death. Illegitimate authority will always produce dysfunctions in life. The authority of a single person is to live within the boundaries of a single life. The authority of a married person is to live within the boundaries of a married life. A married person cannot grasp for the sphere of singleness nor can a single person grasp for the sphere of married life. If either does they will produce a dysfunction of death in some measure. They will be bound to a sphere of taking and will not live in the true liberty of authority and life. Societies suffer for lack of understanding authority. Grasping for power will always produce dysfunction and death. Standing in God-given authority with God-directed function will always produce life. Ministries suffer for lack of understanding authority as well. When someone grasps for power to produce the benefits of a covenant without paying the price of that covenant they will create a measure of death and dysfunction in some way.

All life comes out of authority. Proper authority will always produce life. Improper authority will always produce death. Anything that is not birthed from authority will end in death. Authority is sent from a life source and is much different than a grasping for power. Illegitimate children are birthed from power, not authority. The end result is dysfunctional families. The authority to produce children is called the covenant of marriage. The power to produce children alone will produce a measure of death. God can work it out and can intervene with a supernatural grace to work things out, but if we pay the price to receive legitimate authority we will always produce the legitimacy of life. Our rights in life do not come because of power. They come from authority. God wants to release the sweet cane authority from heaven that brings the sweetness of His life in all things. The issues of authority are true in every arena of life, in spite of the ignorance of mankind toward the issue of authority. As leaders in God’s kingdom, we must seek the life that comes from authority and we must not seek power. We must accept and receive God-given responsibility, which is the testimony of true authority. God will anoint us for the place He appoints us.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson