Are you an animal lover? I am! In fact, It’s difficult for me to think of my childhood without coming across memories of my fondest pets. We owned dogs, cats, parakeets, turtles, and numerous goldfish. Not to mention all of the creepy, crawly, critters my brother and I brought home from our adventures in the woods. It was easy for me to carry this passion for Gods little creations into adulthood.
For a number of years, I owned a Beagle named Scout. Initially, he was an extremely timid little guy that refused to come out from under the sofa. It took several weeks of coaxing and encouragement, but Scout slowly adapted to his environment and became comfortable with his new family. The problem was that Scout became a little too comfortable with us. Beagles are WONDERFUL pets to have. They’re great with kids, fast learners, and extremely brave. The downside to them is that they get bored easily, are stubborn, and are VERY mischievous. This was Scouts problem. Instead of coming to you when you called his name, he would run in the opposite direction. He would chew anything that he got close to (including my pager from work) and he would continue to “tinkle” on the leg of the sofa even after being housebroken. The sad part is, these infractions were minor compared to what he would do when we would leave him home alone. Every time we left the house, Scout would manage to escape from his enclosure and trigger our home alarm system. It was kind of funny the first time the local Sheriff Department showed up at our front door. However, after the eighth time, our friends from law enforcement had begun to grow weary of our pets misbehavior and threatened us with fines and discontinued response if he ever did it again. This prompted us to get a “pet proof” motion detector.
The gentleman that came to the house to install the new alarm was a tall older man with a strong southern vernacular. In fact, he kind of reminded me of Jeff Foxworthy! We made small talk as he updated the alarm system and I told him the stories about the recent woes our beloved pet had given us.
“So where is he now?” he asked in his slow southern drawl.
“Oh, he’s outside playing in the back yard.” and I pointed out the window just as Scout had decided to destroy my new garden hose.
“That’s your dog?” He sounded more confused than surprised as he put his hand on my shoulder and began to shake his head. Puzzled, I asked him what was wrong and he opened my eyes to something that was hiding from me in plane sight. ”You know, son. The dog isn’t the problem. YOU are the problem.”
“Excuse me?” I quickly replied.
“You heard me. This is your fault.” I have to be honest. I was a little offended at first, but that usually happens when someone tells you a truth that you don’t want to hear. “Mr. Hunt. A dog is going to be a dog. And all dogs want to be the head of the pack. The problem is, as man of the house, YOU are supposed to be the pack leader. What you have done is willingly relinquished your authority over to your pet. And that’s not even a real dog, son. That’s a Beagle. He’s only got three inch legs.”
I was still a little perturbed, but Jeff was making a lot of sense. It made me wonder where else I had compromised my authority. I reflected back on the ungodly things I watched on television and allowed into my home. I thought about where I went on the Internet and the distractions they caused my family. It made me meditate on the way I managed my finances and the way I raised my children. I began to think about ALL of the weaknesses I had in my ability to run my household. Looking back at my response to theses shortcomings, I realized that I had been falsly blaming them on Satan when in fact they were my fault. I had willingly given the devil the authority to take residence in my home and the longer I remained passive to his subtle disturbances, the stronger his foothold had become.
Authority is defined as the power or right to give commands, enforce obedience, take action, or make final decisions. This is what the book of Luke has to say about our authority;
18He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you”. Luke 10:18-19 NIV
If God has given us the authority to “overcome all the power of the enemy” then you have the authority over Satan when it comes to running your household. I have a friend that is also a writer. She explained Godly authority in a recent conversation through a question she asked me. “Do you know how incredible it is to comprehend that you have God living on the inside of you? A God that can never fail?” What a powerful statement! We serve a God that created the Heavens and the Earth. He hung the stars in the eastern sky and separated light from darkness. He fashioned man from the dust of the earth and woman from a rib out of his side and He lives on the insideof us! We should be living a life of Godly authority everyday carefully shedding anything that is not of His will. The book of Colossians put it this way;
6″So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” Colossians 2:6-12 NIV
“So where do I go from here?” I asked Jeff.
“The next time he acts up, I want you to flip him on his back and bite him on the neck.”
“Do what???”
“You heard me, son! You need to show him who’s the boss. Take him, flip him on his back, and bite him on the neck! Then you growl at him and say I AM THE ALPHA MALE! YOU WILL DO WHAT I SAY!”
“But won’t that taste funny?” Jeff looked at me with a bit of a frown.
“I don’t know about you, boy but I wash my dog.”
Jeff was on to something. And not just about washing his dog. Someone once told me if you want something you have never had before, you must do something you have never done before. It’s easy to sit back and complain about our situations and expect God to take away our afflictions. But why would He if He has already enabled us with the power and authority to do so ourselves? The devil is a defeated foe. He can’t make us do anything we don’t want to . We have to willingly chose to follow his direction. We have to willingly chose to relinquish our authority over to him. God has armed us with His power and might and we as Christian Believers must simply choose to use it. Maybe you are suffering from an addiction, or maybe you have wrongly relinquished your authority to your disobedient children or an abusive spouse. It could be that you have placed yourself in a bad financial situation and cant find your way out of the revolving door of debt. Recognize Gods will for your life and use the Holy authority he has bestowed upon you. Be obedient to Gods word. Don’t allow the people in your life to tempt you into pulling away from the will of God.
So what happened to Scout? The very same night, Scout slipped out of the back door and refused to come back. He ran around in circles in the back yard and ignored my every command. It was a game to him. A game he was playing at 11:00 at night. I refused to allow myself to get upset. Instead I left the door open and waited for him. When he finally realized I stopped reacting to his disobedience, he strolled back inside like he owned the place. What did I do? Exactly what Jeff told me to do. I grabbed him by his little three inch Beagle legs, flipped him on his back, and bit him on the neck. Then I growled at him and shouted “I AM THE ALPHA MALE! YOU WILL DO WHAT I SAY!” Instantaneously, two things happened. First, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to wash my dog. Second, Scout totally stunned by my sneak attack, put his tail between his legs, lifted his paws in the air, and surrendered. Anytime after that, when I had a problem with him, I would look at him in the eyes and chomp my teeth at him a little bit. He would always give me the same response. He would put his tail between his legs and go sit down in a corner. As crazy as it sounds, he now understood my authority.
As followers of Christ, we need to stop allowing Satan free reign in our lives. We need to recognize the God given ability within us and operate in His authority. The next time you get a little week in your flesh or feel manipulated or controlled by ungodly people, refuse to give them a foothold. Show them whose boss. Stand your ground and bite the devil on the neck! Be Blessed, My Friends. Be an Overcomer!
Bro. Jason Z. Hunt
Memory Verse: “and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:10 NIV
Memory Word: “Authority”: the power or right to give commands, enforce obedience, take action, or make final decisions.
Inspiring Music: “Authority” by Karen Clark Sheard and “Thy Will” (Live) by the VIP Mass Choir featuring Pastor John P. Kee
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