1. First, you have to know what belongs to you. You can’t exercise authority over something if you don’t know you have authority over it. So, to discover the things you have authority over, you must STUDY the Word (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:1-3; Prov. 4:20-22). Find out what Jesus purchased for you. Discover what’s included in your salvation. And when you know what belongs to you, you can stand on it with great confidence.
For instance, as a Born-Again believer, healing belongs to you: 1 Peter 2:24 says, “…by whose stripes ye were healed.” This is past tense. That means that it is already done.
So, when sickness attacks your body, you don’t beg God to heal you. You simply exercise your dominion by speaking to that sickness. You command it to leave your body immediately, IJN. You are not hoping that God might heal you. You are enforcing the healing that is already yours through the authority that Jesus gave you.
So, when you are facing any sickness, you don’t panic. Rather you exercise dominion over that sickness. You speak God’s Word over your situation. You declare His provision. You thank Him that your body is healed. You are not begging. You are ruling. You are exercising dominion over the sickness that is trying to dominate you.
2. You have to speak to your circumstances. James 3:2-4 talks about how a small rudder controls a large ship, and how the tongue controls your life. Your words have power. Not because the words themselves are magic, but because words spoken in faith, backed by the Word of God, and rooted in the authority Jesus gave you release spiritual force.
When you speak to a mountain, and don’t doubt, the mountain moves (Mk. 11:23). Similarly, when you command a storm and believe what you’re saying, the storm will obey. Not because of your eloquence, but because you are exercising the dominion God restored to you.
This was what Jesus did constantly. He spoke to fever and it left. He spoke to demons, and they fled. He spoke to a fig tree, and it dried up from the roots. He spoke to a storm and it became calm. He was exercising dominion through His words. Then He told His disciples to go and do the same.
He said in Mark 11:23 “Whosoever shall say to this mountain.” Say. Speak. Command. Exercise dominion through your words.
The believer who understands dominion is not passive in the face of circumstances. They don’t pray about problems and hope that God will fix them. They speak to problems in the authority of Jesus’ Name, and command them to align themselves with the Word of God. They don’t beg for healing. They command sickness to leave. They don’t plead for provision. They declare God’s Word over their finances and expect it to manifest. This is not presumption. This is faith. This is exercising the dominion that Jesus restored. That’s the difference.
Passive believers pray about circumstances. But believers who understand dominion command circumstances.
3. You have to refuse to be dominated. Dominion means that you are ruling, not being ruled. So, when fear tries to grip you, you don’t accept it. You reject it. You speak peace over your mind and refuse to let fear dominate you.
When sickness attacks you., you don’t resign yourself to it. You resist it. You speak healing over your body, and refuse to let that sickness dominate you.
When the enemy tries to steal your joy, you don’t surrender. You fight. You speak the joy of the LORD over your spirit and refuse to let the enemy dominate your emotions. This is what it means to exercise dominion.
You are not a victim. You are a victor. You are not helpless. You are not at the mercy of whatsoever comes your way. You have authority. And when something tries to dominate you, you rise up in the authority that Jesus gave to you, and you command it to stop.
4. You have to stay in fellowship with God. Adam had dominion as long as he remained in fellowship with God. But the moment he sinned, he lost that dominion. The same principle applies to you dear child of God. Your authority flows from your relationship with God.
When you are walking in obedience, when you are maintaining fellowship through confession and repentance, when you’re staying in the Word and in prayer, your authority is strong. But when you’re living in sin, when you are ignoring God’s voice, when you are walking in disobedience, your authority is undermined.
This does not mean that you have to be perfect. But it means that you have to be intentional about maintaining your relationship with God. But when you are walking with Him, when you are submitted to God, His authority flows through you, and you can exercise dominion over every circumstance that comes your way.
Now let’s addresses the objections: People say, “But doesn’t God let trials teach us? Yes, God allows trials. But He never intended for you to be dominated by those trials. He intended for you to rule over them.
James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Notice it says, “When you fall into trials, not if God sends trials. Trials come, but God expects you to walk through those trials by faith. Not to be crushed by them. And part of exercising faith is exercising the dominion He gave you to overcome whatsoever is trying to overcome you.
People also say, “But what about Paul’s thorn in the flesh? Did God not say no to Paul? Paul’s thorn was not a sickness that God refused to heal. It was a messenger of Satan to buffet him according to 2 Corinthians 12:7. And God’s response was not no. it was, My grace is sufficient for you.” In other words, you have everything you need to deal with that situation accordingly.
That’s not God denying Paul’s request. That’s God reminding Paul of the authority and grace he already possesses. The point is this: God never intended for you to be defeated. He intended for you to exercise dominion, when you understand the authority that is yours in Christ, when you learn to speak to situations instead of being controlled by them, everything changes. You stop accepting defeat as normal. You stop tolerating bondage as God’s will. You start ruling, you start exercising the dominion that Jesus restored to you when He made you a new creation.
The tragedy of the modern church is that believers live like beggars when they are actually seated with Christ in heavenly places according to Ephesians 2:6. They have authority. They have dominion. They have power. But they don’t know it. And because they don’t know it, they live defeated lives while possessing everything they need to live in victory.
That’s the truth. You have dominion. The question is whether you are going to exercise it. So, here’s the question: Are you exercising dominion over your circumstances, or are you being dominated by them? Are you speaking to your problems or are you talking about them? Are you commanding your sickness to leave or are you accepting it as something you have to live with? Are you ruling over lack, or are you being controlled by financial pressure?
Because you were created for dominion. You were restored to dominion through Christ. And it’s time you started living like it. Stop accepting defeat. Stop tolerating bondage. Stop living under circumstances that Christ gave you authority to rule over.
You have dominion. Exercise it. Speak to the mountain. Command the storm. Declare God’s Word over your situation. And watch as the circumstances that have been controlling you submit to the authority of Christ flowing through you.
Conclusion: Every aspect of your life will come alive as you position yourself for God’s favour by walking in dominion.
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)
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