Written by: Liz Hill. Los Angeles, California, USA.

Here is a quick "spiritual gangster" story for you... may it build your faith for both the ordinary and the supernatural in your life.

My previous pastor had a tumor growing on his face. He was well versed in scripture about our authority in Christ, because of this he touched the tumor daily commanding it to "wither and die, in Jesus’ name." His tumor shrank over the course of about a week, withering and dying, literally FALLING OFF HIS FACE.

This story was so powerful that I locked it away into my spiritual arsenal, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice if I ever needed it.

Fast forward 5-10 years later, my parents had black widow spiders in their backyard, and I got bit by one. My leg was hurting and starting to swell. The fiery side of me wasn't having it and I remembered the testimony of our spiritual authority. It was time for the spiritual gangster in me to rise up. I touched where I was bit saying, "I command full healing right now in Jesus name. This spider bite will NOT harm me. All pain and swelling leave in Jesus’ name." 

The pain, discomfort, swelling, even the bite mark went away immediately and completely!

Nearly 20 years later I had a health screening and it came back showing I had been bitten by a black widow spider at some point in my life. I got to share how the effects of the bite were "karate chopped" in the spirit, by the authority & powerful name of Jesus. 

Jesus says in Luke 10:19 "behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY, and nothing shall hurt you.”

The spiritual authority we have allows us to command tumors to wither and die, black widow spider bites to not harm us, to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and more. The enemy wants us to cower and be afraid, living in fear. But the Bible tells us that though the battle continues, it has already been won & we are on the winning side. We have promises in scripture that tell us what our authority looks like, who God is to us, and who we are to Him (our Identity in Christ).

The word of God is alive and active. We hold the keys to activate these promises, to use as our sword whenever we need to. 

Truth is, there is a battle. And there is an enemy. The Scripture says “the enemy roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” The Scriptures also tell us what our battle gear looks like in Ephesians 6. We don't cower or need to be afraid. We can rest and have peace… even in the midst of the struggles we face. 

We can combine knowing there's a battle with knowing our God-given promises in scripture—knowing who God is and knowing who we are—and asking Holy Spirit to guide us when we face a battle. We don't just whip out a sword and flail it around without precision and purpose. The Holy Spirit was given for many reasons, one of which is to LEAD us with the word of God…"but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things. (John 14)

So, whenever you're in a "battle moment" tune in to the Holy Spirit to ask what is going on and what He wants you to do.

And remember that although there is a battle, the focus isn't the battle. “The battle belongs to the Lord." And during it we're not afraid of the battle, nor are we afraid of the enemy, but we go to The River of Life (Christ) to be filled with joy, peace, and rest.... as we keep moving through our days connected to the Vine.