Transformed In Christ - The Believer’s Authority: Enforcing Christ’s Victory

Greetings, cherished readers, let us lift our hearts and minds to contemplate the profound message delivered by Pastor Sam Merigala in his powerful teaching on the "The Believer’s Authority: Enforcing Christ’s Victory." The heart of Pastor Sam Merigala's sermon centers upon the believer’s profound legal authority granted through the finished work of Jesus Christ, urging the Church to move beyond passive supplication into active enforcement of God’s established will on the earth.

I. The Authority Vested in Christ and Transferred to the Believer

Pastor Merigala establishes the foundation of all spiritual authority in the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ. He notes that all authority, power, and dominion lost in the Garden of Eden were won back at Calvary and are now entirely vested in the risen Christ, who holds it all (Matthew 28:18).

This immense authority becomes the basis for the Great Commission, emphasized by the word "therefore" in Matthew 28:19. Because Christ holds all authority, He now sends His followers. This commission is understood not as a hopeful suggestion, but as a transfer of a legal right - a declaration of humanity's dominion reinstated, though now exercised in Jesus’ name based solely on His victory, not on any merit of our own.

The power granted to believers is specifically outlined in Mark 16:17-18, confirming that signs will accompany those who believe: they will cast out demons, speak in new tongues, be protected from deadly harm, and lay hands on the sick for recovery.

When Jesus ascended, He sat down at the right hand of the Father, signifying that His work was finished, as there was no more sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). This finished work provides the context for our authority. When Jesus instructs believers to act "in my name," He is essentially giving them "power of attorney." His name is the key that unlocks the resources of heaven for the needs found on earth. The victory is already "past tense," and every spiritual blessing - including healing, provision, freedom, and peace - has already been bestowed upon us in Christ, completing us in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority (Colossians 2:10).

II. The Misunderstanding of Prayer and the Necessity of Faith

Pastor Merigala highlights a critical misunderstanding among believers regarding the operation of faith and authority. He employs the image of a vast house of wealth: believers often sit inside holding the key, yet they starve because they are praying for God to open the door from the outside, when He has already given them the key to open it from the inside. God cannot answer the prayer for Him to open the door, because He expects the believer to use the authority already granted.

Faith is described as the action of turning this key and acting upon God’s Word. The goal of the Father is not simply to meet a need, but to mature the believer into a mature son or daughter who understands how to operate in the "family business". To withhold the use of the key leaves the believer weak, dependent, and ignorant of their privileges in Christ.

Pastor Merigala asserts that when change seems absent, the problem is not a lack of love or power in God, but rather a misunderstanding of the believer's position. Many believers are mistakenly asking God to do what He has already done and authorized them to enforce. Our prayers, therefore, should shift from seeking something we lack to appropriating something we already possess. This is the active "rest of faith" spoken of in Hebrews chapter 4, where one ceases from striving and begging, resting in the confidence that the work is finished, much like resting in a lifeboat after a storm.

The analogy of the man dying of thirst next to a massive pipeline illustrates this provision: God built the pipeline long ago, providing the answer (the valve) right next to the man. God’s response is not to send a new miracle, but to open the man’s eyes through the Holy Spirit and the Word, revealing the covenant provision and encouraging him to turn the valve of his authority in Jesus’ name. Consequently, prayer should transition from asking for what is absent to thanking God for what is already present and acting on that reality.

III. Clarifying and Enforcing "Thy Will Be Done"

A significant part of Pastor Merigala’s sermon addresses the often-misapplied phrase, "Thy will be done," which has become, for many, a "quiet resignation to defeat" or a refuge for uncertainty, used when healing or provision delays. This passive approach substitutes for the responsibility of standing in faith.

Jesus' instruction in Matthew 6:10, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," was not teaching passive surrender to suffering. Rather, it was a "governing decree," instructing believers to enforce heaven's reality upon the earth. Since heaven is characterized by health, provision, peace, and freedom, when a believer prays "Thy will be done," they are declaring, "let what is true in heaven now manifest in this situation". This is the exercise of spiritual authority under divine commission.

Pastor Merigala emphasizes that God's will is not a mysterious, hidden thing. It is revealed in His Word. Looking at Jesus, who never refused to heal anyone, reveals the Father's nature and will (Hebrews 13:8). The desire of the Father is plainly stated: that we may prosper in all things and be in health, just as our soul prospers (3 John 2).

When a believer inserts the word "if" into prayer regarding a known divine promise - such as praying, "Lord, heal me if it be thy will" - faith loses its footing because one cannot stand firmly on a conditional promise. The cross already settled God's will for healing (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus definitively answered the leper’s uncertainty ("If You are willing...") with two powerful words: "I will," defining the divine will forever.

Submission to God, as taught in James 4:7, is not silence or acceptance of disorder; it is active resistance to the devil. A believer submits to God by enforcing His will against sickness, confusion, or fear, functioning as an ambassador for order. "Thy will be done," when spoken from revelation, is a decree of dominion, aligning the believer with divine intent and authorizing the Spirit to manifest heaven’s pattern on earth.

IV. The Power of Revelation and the Renewed Mind

The ultimate barrier to exercising this authority lies in ignorance. The enemy works tirelessly to keep believers unsure of God's will, knowing that uncertainty silences authority.

The renewed mind is therefore critical for operating in authority (Romans 12:2). Transformation occurs as the mind is saturated with the truths of the new covenant, such as our identity as the righteousness of God in Christ, our status as more than conquerors, and our inherent blessings. This is not self-help, but agreeing with God’s established declaration about us.

Revelation brings certainty, and certainty brings boldness (Proverbs 28:1). Jesus exemplified this certainty at Lazarus’ tomb, confidently declaring, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me," knowing that the Father always hears Him (John 11:41-42). He did not ask if raising Lazarus was God's will; He acted upon the known reality that the Father's will is always life.

Faith is the faculty God gives us to reach into the unseen spiritual realm and bring those realities into the seen natural realm. This is why believers must speak to their mountains and command situations to align with God's Word, invoking a higher reality.

Pastor Merigala concludes that the enemy’s greatest fear is not the believer's dedication, but a believer who knows their identity in Christ and stands in the righteousness God has given them. Righteousness is the foundation of confidence, and confidence is the foundation of authority. When the believer understands both the will of God and their righteousness in Christ, they become unstoppable, praying without hesitation or intimidation. We are called to stop pleading with a reluctant God and begin thanking a faithful God, enforcing a finished victory by declaring heaven's order onto earth.