Have you ever wondered why some Christians seem to walk with quiet confidence while others struggle with spiritual insecurity? The difference often lies not in their circumstances, but in their understanding of who they truly are.
There’s a moment in the story of Oliver Twist that captures something profound about identity and belonging. Throughout his young life, Oliver had lived as an orphan—passed from workhouse to workhouse, never knowing what it meant to truly belong somewhere. But there comes a pivotal moment when he discovers he has a family, that he’s not actually alone in the world. Suddenly, everything changes. He’s not just a forgotten child anymore—he has a name, an inheritance, and people who claim him as their own.
That moment of recognition—when Oliver realizes he’s not an orphan after all—mirrors something beautiful that happens to us when we become Christians. We discover we’re not spiritual orphans wandering through life alone. We have a Father, a family, and an inheritance that can never be taken away.
The Greek word “dunamis” appears over 100 times in the New Testament, and it’s the same word we get “dynamite” from. But here’s what’s remarkable—this explosive power isn’t something we’re supposed to strive for or work up to. It’s part of our inheritance package, woven into the very covenant God made with us the moment we said yes to His love.
Yet so many of us live like spiritual orphans, forgetting we carry the family name.
The Moment Everything Changed
There’s a beautiful moment in Luke’s Gospel that often gets overlooked. After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove, and God’s voice thundered from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).
But here’s what’s interesting—this happened before Jesus performed a single miracle, before He taught the Sermon on the Mount, before He walked on water. God’s declaration of love and identity came first, and everything else flowed from that foundation.
The same is true for us. Our authority doesn’t come from what we do; it comes from whose we are.
John puts it this way: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). The word “right” there is “exousia” in Greek—it means authority, power, the right to act. We’re not just invited into God’s family; we’re given the legal standing to operate as His children.
Living Like We Belong
I think about Peter walking on water. The moment he stepped out of that boat, he wasn’t relying on his own ability—he was trusting in Jesus’ authority. “Come,” Jesus said, and that single word carried enough power to suspend the laws of physics. Peter didn’t have special water-walking skills; he had faith in the One who had called him.
But then something shifted. Peter “saw the wind” (Matthew 14:30), and suddenly he was sinking. His circumstances hadn’t changed—the storm was still raging when he first stepped out. What changed was his focus. He moved from trusting in Jesus’ authority to being overwhelmed by his own limitations.
This is where so many of us get stuck. We know, intellectually, that we’re God’s children. We’ve read the verses about our identity in Christ. But when life gets stormy, we forget who we are and whose we are.
Living It Out: When you feel overwhelmed by circumstances this week, try this simple practice: place your hand over your heart and remind yourself, “I am a child of the Most High God. His authority flows through me not because of my strength, but because of His love.”
The Power of Remembering
Paul understood this tension. Writing to the Ephesians, he prayed that they would have “the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
Notice the progression: hope, inheritance, power. It all starts with understanding our calling—not what we’re called to do, but who we’re called to be. The inheritance comes next—recognizing what belongs to us as God’s children. And then comes the power, the dunamis that raised Christ from the dead and now lives in us.
Paul wasn’t praying for them to get more power. He was praying for them to recognize the power they already had.
This is why the enemy works so hard to keep us focused on our failures, our limitations, our circumstances. He knows that a Christian who truly understands their authority in Christ is dangerous to his kingdom. Not because we’re going to go around demanding things from God, but because we’ll start living like we actually believe what God says about us.
The Authority of Love
Here’s where it gets beautiful: the authority we carry isn’t about domination or control. It’s about love.
Look at how Jesus used His authority. He touched lepers and made them clean, spoke to storms and brought peace, and looked at broken people seeing beloved children. His authority was always exercised in service of love, always for the restoration and healing of others.
When we understand our authority in Christ, we don’t become demanding or entitled. We become more like Jesus—conduits of His love, agents of His healing, ambassadors of His peace.
I think about Mary, Jesus’ mother, at the wedding in Cana. When the wine ran out, she didn’t panic or make demands. She simply told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). She understood something profound about authority: it’s not about getting our way, but about creating space for God’s way.
Walking in Confidence
The Greek word for confidence, “parrhesia,” literally means “bold speech” or “fearless speech.” It’s the confidence that comes from knowing you have the right to speak, not because of who you are, but because of who sent you.
This is the confidence John writes about: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). It’s not presumption; it’s the quiet certainty that comes from understanding our relationship with God.
When we pray, we’re not trying to convince God to care about our problems. We’re aligning ourselves with His heart, which already beats with love for us and for the world He’s sent us to serve.
When we speak truth into someone’s life, we’re not sharing our opinion. We’re representing the One who called us to be His ambassadors.
When we stand against injustice or darkness, we’re not fighting in our own strength. We’re operating under the authority of the One who has already won the victory.
Living It Out: This week, before you pray, take a moment to remember whose child you are. Before you speak into someone’s life, remember who you represent. Before you face a difficult situation, remember the authority that flows through you—not because you’re strong, but because He is.
The Inheritance We Carry
There’s a phrase in Colossians that always takes my breath away: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Not Christ with you, though that’s wonderful. Not Christ for you, though that’s true. Christ in you. The same power that spoke the universe into existence, that raised Jesus from the dead, that will one day make all things new—that power lives in you.
This isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about becoming who you’ve always been in God’s eyes. It’s about living out of your true identity rather than your circumstances, your fears, or your past.
Paul puts it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We’re not trying to become new; we already are new. We’re not working toward our identity; we’re working from our identity.
When Authority Meets Humility
Here’s the beautiful paradox of kingdom authority: the more we understand who we are in Christ, the more humble we become. Not because we think less of ourselves, but because we think of ourselves less.
You don’t need to prove yourself when you know you’re deeply loved, and there’s no need to defend authority that comes from God. Security in your identity brings freedom to serve others without agenda.
This is what Jesus modeled perfectly. Though He was “in the form of God,” He “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7). His authority was so secure that He could wash His disciples’ feet without feeling diminished.
Your Daily Inheritance
Each morning, you wake up as a child of the King. Conversations become opportunities to represent His heart, and challenges transform into chances to demonstrate His power working through you.
This doesn’t mean life will be easy. Jesus promised us trouble in this world (John 16:33). But He also promised us something else: “Take heart; I have overcome the world.”
The authority we carry isn’t about avoiding difficulties; it’s about facing them with the confidence that comes from knowing we’re not alone. It’s about walking through the storms with the same peace that calmed the sea. It’s about loving people with the same love that transformed our own hearts.
Living It Out: Create a simple daily reminder of your identity. Maybe it’s a note on your mirror, a verse on your phone, or a moment of prayer before you get out of bed. Let this truth shape how you see yourself and how you interact with the world around you.
The Ripple Effect
When we begin to live from our true identity, something beautiful happens. The people around us start to see glimpses of who God created them to be. Our confidence in Christ gives others permission to discover their own identity in Him.
This is how the kingdom spreads—not through force or manipulation, but through the quiet authority of lives lived in the truth of God’s love. When we walk in our covenant connections, we become living invitations for others to discover theirs.
Your authority in Christ isn’t just about you. It’s about everyone whose life you’ll touch, everyone who needs to see what it looks like to live as a beloved child of God.
Living the Truth
The dunamis power that lives in you isn’t waiting for you to become stronger, more spiritual, or more worthy. It’s available right now, in this moment, because of what Christ has already accomplished.
Your covenant connection with God isn’t based on your performance; it’s based on His promise. Your authority doesn’t fluctuate with your feelings; it’s anchored in His unchanging love.
Today, tomorrow, and every day after that, you have the invitation to walk in the fullness of who you are in Christ. Not because you’ve earned it, but because you’ve received it. Not because you’re perfect, but because you’re loved.
The question isn’t whether you have authority in Christ. The question is: will you live like you believe it?
What would change in your life if you truly believed that God’s dunamis power lives in you? Remember, you’re not just a Christian—you’re a child of the King, an ambassador of Heaven, a carrier of His love to a world that desperately needs to see it.
