by leaps and bounds

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)

Have you ever really thought about the two sides of our Savior? Consider that on one side He is the Lamb and on the other side He is the Lion.

As the Lamb of God, He allowed Himself to be sacrificed on the cross for our sins. He will never be sacrificed again.

From now on, He is the Lion of Judah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will return triumphantly for His Church and eventually He will judge all of mankind and pronounce eternal sentence upon Satan himself.

Our Jesus is not weak. He has been given all authority and all power. Truly He reigns! His authority is without question.

Consider the authority of His teaching. Jesus said, “”My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent Me.” Scripture says the people of His day were astonished by His teaching. He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:29).

Jesus has complete authority over all the power of Satan.When He met the demoniac of the Gadarenes, the demon spirits knew His name and literally begged Him not to torture them. They did not stand a chance in His presence. Again, the people said, “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

Then there is the authority of His Name. The following Scriptures describe this authority very well:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2: 5-11).

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it (John 14:13-14).

And these signs will follow those who believe. In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18).

His Word, His power and His Name make us victorious. Surely He is the one with all authority.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.