Spiritual Authority in the Marketplace

After a day at a conference today, I started thinking about spiritual authority and how it applies to the current economic crisis, the coming election and marketplace ministry in general.

There are many aspects to spiritual authority, but the one I want to focus on here is the authority we have as we walk by faith in peace and confidence in our source of authority, the eternal, one and only God, rather than reacting to circumstances around us and making decisions based on fear. Although this has always been critical to walking in spiritual authority, it is even more critical today.

The economic crisis alone is devastating many people and leading them to make decisions that they are likely to regret in the near future. I'm not saying we shouldn't plan for the future, but those plans need to be under the direction of God who knows the future. You may be thinking this is a pretty nebulous statement, but if you have a dynamic and intimate relationship with the God of the Universe through His Son, Jesus Christ, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

But even those of us who have this kind of relationship can make unwise decisions and even relinquish our spiritual authority if we act out of fear or if we place more value on what circumstances tell us than on what God's Word says. Take the example of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 1:27 & 28 it says, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" God basically gave Adam and Eve complete authority over all of creation but with one stipulation - there was only one tree from which they were not to eat the fruit.

We don't know how long Adam and Eve lived in the garden before that first act of disobedience, but we do know that one day Eve entered into conversation with the serpent (over which she was supposed to be exercising authority!) and the serpent began to plant seeds of doubt and curiosity in her mind. That ultimately led to direct disobedience to God's one and only command. I can imagine that as she reasoned with the serpent, perhaps pride, fear, doubt and many other emotions flooded her soul leading her to disobedience. And in that one act, she and Adam relinquished the unique spiritual authority they had been given.

How easy it is for us to fall into a similar trap! When circumstances appear to be contrary to what God has already told us, how often we react to those circumstances to our own detriment and in the process, lose the spiritual authority we should have to overcome in the way our heavenly Father would have us overcome. Making our decisions, even those that involve our finances, who we are going to vote for, how to proceed in business, guided by His hand rather than by our own wisdom enables us to walk in greater and greater spiritual authority.