Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin Zadai 05-07-2023

To Have Authority, We Must Be Under Authority

"Jesus taught me that in order to have authority in your life, you must come under authority; that's the bottom line"

~Kevin Zadai

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing by any means shall hurt you.
—Luke 10:19

DISCUSSION:
God has shown me a revelation about authority, which is what we will discuss today. Jesus taught me that in order to have authority in your life, you must come under authority; that's the bottom line.

When this revelation came, Kathi and I lived part-time in Seattle, helping in a church. We would fly there and help with the church for a week or two; then, we would fly back to Phoenix, where we were based when I worked for the airline. We had a house there, too. We weren't in the ministry then; we were just helping a pastor in Seattle.

Once, while we were up there, there was a guest speaker from Brazil. He didn't speak English at all, but was highly anointed. He was really tall and had long, dark hair, so he looked like Jesus in a way. He spoke Portuguese, so there was an interpreter that would translate for him. When we met him, he took to us, so we talked to him for a little while before ministering.

When the Brazilian speaker ministered, he called Kathy and me up, walked over to us, and extended his hand to pray over us, as he had for the other people. The power of God was so strong that before he even got to us, the wind of the Spirit came in and knocked us all over. This guy and his interpreter were very large people. These men, Kathi, and I all fell together under this wind that came rushing through. So they were actually on top of us while the guy was prophesying over us. Physically, we wouldn't have been able to handle it because these were big guys, but we didn't feel them because we were caught up in the Spirit. The translator told us what was being said, "Because you came under the authority of the Lord and you walk under My authority, you will have great authority on the earth." Then he continued to prophesy about our ministry for a while.

I'm sharing this story because I had a vision while the minister was prophesying. As soon as he said I would walk in great authority because I had been under authority, I was taken to a realm I couldn't explain. I couldn't see walls, the floor, or anything;
I was suspended in the spirit realm. The Lord came and boxed me up with His giant hands, then wrote "New Orleans" on the box. He said in a loud voice, "I'm sending you to New Orleans, and the doorway to your future is going to be from that city. That's going to be your launching place."

While in the vision, I said, "Lord, what about all of our stuff?" because we had two houses, cars, and all our belongings. I asked Him what to do with our belongings, and He said, "I'm sending you to New Orleans. I'm not sending your stuff." It turned out that we gave away the car, our furniture, and almost everything else. We only took our clothes with us. Similarly, with Phoenix, we shipped some stuff to New Orleans but gave most of it to the poor in both cities, including cars. We ended up in New Orleans, which is where we reside today. It is our headquarters and our launching pad; it has been the doorway he prophesied.

BEING CHOSEN AND SENT WITH A PURPOSE
So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
—John 20:21

The main idea is that I came under the authority of God. Through that minister, that man of God from Brazil, who didn't even speak my language, the Lord told me that I would walk in great authority because I had come under authority. While we are here on earth, we are called to be a part of God's kingdom. The ministry of the Holy Spirit has to do with being sent, which means we must be commissioned. It's not just enough to come and say, "Lord, I want you to use me." You must be chosen and sent with a purpose. When you are sent, you are under authority. So it's different than going on your own accord.

When I would go places, I would always say, "Lord, I want You to send me. I don't want just to go." I want Him to send me because then I'm under authority. We pray over every city we go to, every project we do, every book we publish, and every ministry. We only do what the Spirit is telling us to do. Every Warrior Notes School of Ministry course that we do is what the Lord tells us to do. When you are sent, you are under authority, and protection comes with that.

o Discuss the correlation between being sent by God and having authority.

AUTHORITY COMES WHEN YOU ARE COMMISSIONED
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go 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.
—Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus spoke about authority in Matthew 28:18-28. When He sends people out, they are under His authority. He commissioned people to preach the gospel, raise the dead, and cast out devils. He also told His disciples and us, that He has given us authority in Heaven and on the earth (Luke 10:19). All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to you. Period. There is nothing left uncovered; there are no gray areas. How do you explain this? You can't explain it any other way than; literally we have come under His authority; therefore, we have great authority.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
—John 14:12

Jesus talked about us being sent and able to do what He did and even greater things; it was because He gave us this authority. Authority is not a physical power and has nothing to do with your size or abilities. You could be a very light and skinny person, yet still carry authority. It has nothing to do with your height or weight; it has everything to do with the fact that Heaven has commissioned you and is supporting you.

Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin Zadai 05-07-2023

EVIL SPIRITS ONLY RESPOND TO AUTHORITY

What I saw on the other side is that the demons, the evil spirits we're combating, don't understand anything except the authority of God. They know they have to listen to us. The reason is that Jesus sent us; they fear Jesus and the Father. When we have been sent and commissioned, they are not afraid of us, but the One Who sent us.

They fear God and know we have authority because we've been sent.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better

to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

—Proverbs 16:18  

It's crucial to recognize that pride comes in when people start to misunderstand why things are working the way they are.

• You may have noticed that some ministries and ministers get prideful. They talk as though they are the ones doing all the supernatural works.

• Being prideful is dangerous because it won't be long before the fall; pride comes before the fall.

• Prideful people are deceived, thinking that it's them doing great works; it's not them; it is God.

• When miracles, the favor of the Lord, and prosperity come, it can be deceptive to where a person thinks it's them when it's not.

• Always remember that when God uses you to minister, it is His grace; He works through you.

• Why do the demons listen to us? They're not afraid of us; they're fearful of Who's behind us.

• When I was in Heaven, I saw that many people in ministry were in a lot of trouble because they started to think it was them when it had nothing to do with them.

• Spiritual authority has everything to do with the fact that we've been sent.

ALWAYS REMAIN IN CHRIST AND STAY HUMBLE

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

—James 4:10

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

—1 Corinthians 10:12

We must remain in Christ and stay humble. The only way that Warrior Notes has ever been able to succeed is because we were sent; God commissioned this ministry. If we would ever think that it was us, or if we would ever make it about anything but people, it would diminish and start to fade away. I have seen this happen with other ministries, so I am sharing it with you from my heart. As ministries grew in size and favor, they stopped discerning how it all started for them. It's tragic that they don't even see that they are diminishing, even when they stop growing, and that the anointing wanes. Have you noticed ministries wane in the presence of God, the anointing, and effectiveness? It's not as strong, and nobody wants to address their concern.

Pride causes people to think they are the ones causing powerful ministry. As I studied past revivals and people who were involved with them, I noticed that many people got into pride, but no one could talk to them. When I was at Rhema Bible College, Brother Hagen told us in class that he tried to speak to ministers that we are familiar with, but they would not listen. Because they were prideful, they were unteachable, and many of them disappeared. I fear that will happen with ministries today without an adjustment.

God gave us authority over demons. They listen to us because of Jesus and His blood. We can only do what we do because the Lord commissioned us. It's not us, but Him doing the work. The ministry of Jesus works through us, and it can stop anytime. God doesn't have to continue with anything. If we become prideful, He can just pull away. We must keep ourselves in the favor and grace of God and remind ourselves that it's not us doing this. We must guard against a false sense of security.

Always stay humble before the Lord and remember that experience that I had. Because Kathi and I came under authority, we now walk in great authority. We see what's happening at Warrior Notes because we came under God's authority. We remember He is the one that's doing all this.

PRAYER:

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for my family over the world. Help us, Lord, to humble ourselves under Your mighty hand so that we stay in Your love and never think that Your work is from us. Your grace and love for us are reaching out to people through our lives. Father, make this revelation so real to us. Lord, we ask that You do miracles and intervene in people's lives as they humble themselves before You. Show us the great authority that we walk in, in the name of Jesus, amen.

1. Describe the connection between Jesus' submission to the Father and His authority. According to Matthew 28:18-20 and Luke 10:19, how does Jesus' authority impact our authority as believers? 

2. What is the difference between spiritual authority and physical power?

Who can operate in God's authority?

3. What is the only thing that demons respond to?

4. Discuss the danger of being blinded by pride in ministry. What causes this to happen?

5. Discuss how to remain humble, keeping ourselves in the grace and favor of God.