Blow the Whistle on Trouble by Richard Roberts

A police officer is a symbol of authority in this coun­try. Most of us have been taught from the time we were little that policemen are to be respected and obeyed, because they have been given a badge of au­thority to enforce our nation’s laws by the leaders of our government.

Notice what happens, for instance, when a police offi­cer is called on to help direct traffic. He may be stand­ing in the middle of the road with traffic moving all around him. But when he holds up his hand or blows his whistle, telling drivers to either stop their car or keep moving, we immediately obey him. But if that same policeman stands in the road without holding up his hand or blowing his whistle, what’s go­ing to happen? At best, the traffic will simply travel around him, and he’ll be ignored. At worst, he may get run over!

What makes the difference is simple. When the police officer holds up his hand and blows his whistle, he is exercising the authority that he has been given.

A lot of Christians are living their lives without exercis­ing the authority God has given them through the name of Jesus. It’s as if many of us are standing in heavy traffic, watching the cars speed along, and wondering, “Why is everything plowing into me?” We are getting run over spiritually, financially, physically, and emotionally.
The Blood of Jesus Is Our Badge of Authority In Matthew 28:18 kjv, Jesus told His disciples, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Not just some power—but all power has been given to Jesus. Notice that He doesn’t just keep that power to Him­self. In Mark 16:17–18 kjv, He delegates His power to His disciples when He says, In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues…they shall lay

hands on the sick, and they [the sick] shall recover. This is the kind of authority that Jesus gives to those who re­ceive Him and who accept the power of His name.

God has given you and me, as believers, authority through the name of Jesus over the problems and struggles in our lives. Just as a policeman has a badge of authority backed up by the law of the land, our heav­enly “badge of authority” is backed up by our Father God and His Word, and I believe it’s strong enough to overcome every negative circumstance we face. But we have to exercise that authority as the policeman does when he holds up his hand and blows his whistle to keep traffic moving in the right direction. When we use the authority God has given us through Jesus’ name, it can mean the difference between being overwhelmed by our problems and living a victorious Christian life.

Authority Begins When We Do Our Part

Jesus told us how to take charge over our circumstanc­es in Matthew 7:7 nkjv: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Before a change happens, we are told to do something first. We receive after we ask. We find after we seek. The door is opened after we knock. To put it simply, we have to do our part before we can expect God to do His part. We have to take charge of our lives. A police officer takes charge by doing the things he has permission to do. He blows his whistle and uses his hands and his voice to direct the traffic.
When you and I take charge spiritually, we have per­mission from God to do certain things, just as a police officer does. God has given us many ways to “blow our whistle” on the devil and command our circum­stances to begin to change.

For example, we can speak to the problems in our life and tell them to move out of our way (Mark 11:22– 24). We can pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We can use the Word of God to call things into existence—like healing, or finances, for example— that did not exist before, just as God called the world and all of creation into existence (Romans 4:17). We can sow our seed so that God can rebuke the devourer for our sake (Malachi 3:10–11).
We can choose to raise our hands to God in praise, and tell the devil, “Stop it! That’s enough! I will no longer put up with your attack against my body, my family, and my finances. We will serve the Lord!” The choice is up to us. (See Joshua 24:15.)

It’s Not Too Late to Start Taking Charge of Your Life Right now, you may be thinking, My troubles have gone on so long. Why didn’t I put up a fight in the first place? Or perhaps you feel, Now it’s too late to change things.

I want you to know it’s not too late! Even if you’ve had trouble run over you in your life, you can be­gin to turn things around right now. I encourage you to stand up on the inside and be who you are in Christ.

I encourage you to make the decision to use the au­thority God gave you in His holy Word. Then, as you act on your authority in Christ, I pray that you may begin to see changes that can turn your life around.