Kings Who Refuse to Reign
"He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father." — Revelation 1:6
What a King Actually Does
A king reigns. That is the definition of the office.
And Scripture is explicit about the purpose of God-ordained authority:
"For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God… For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil." (Romans 13:1, 3)
The purpose of governing authority is to restrain evil.
Which leads to an uncomfortable conclusion: a king who cannot control the thief in his own land is a very poor king.
This is precisely why Jesus told His disciples He was giving them power over the enemy in His name. We are His body; He is the head. As the head, He gives His body authority in His name to rule over the kingdom of darkness.
Therefore it is our responsibility to take up that authority and deal with the thief. We are in training here on earth to be kings and rulers. If we do not rule over the thief, we are not functioning as kings.
Authority Carries Responsibility
Some believers think they need not bother with curses at all. They assume God will handle it.
But Jesus specifically told us He was giving us authority over the enemy and his kingdom (Luke 10:19; Mark 16:17; 2 Corinthians 7:1).
And with authority comes responsibility.
It is our responsibility to break the curses sent against us. Jesus Christ gave us the power to do it, and He expects us to use what He gave.
An officer who never makes an arrest is not humble. He is derelict. The authority he holds was issued for a purpose, and refusing to exercise it does not honor the one who issued it — it wastes what was given.
Why This Matters Beyond You
There is a corporate dimension here that is easy to miss.
Most believers never exercise the authority they possess, and continue living in defeat. The result is not merely a lot of frustrated individuals.
The churches are weak and the gospel does not spread as it should.
A congregation of people who know their authority and use it looks entirely different from a congregation of people who believe in it abstractly. The first advances. The second maintains.
Point to Ponder
An officer who never makes an arrest is not humble. He is derelict.
Verse to Remember
"And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." — Revelation 1:6
Question to Consider
What am I waiting for God to do that He has already authorized me to do?
Today's Practice
Make a list of what you have been waiting on God for.
Now go through it and ask a different question for each item: has He already given me authority over this?
Some things genuinely require His sovereign action, and for those, keep waiting and keep asking.
But many things on most lists fall into a different category — things where He has already spoken, already commanded, already delegated. You have been praying about a decision He told you to make, a boundary He told you to set, a confrontation He told you to have, or a curse He gave you authority to break.
For each of those, stop asking and start acting. Today.
Then pray this and mean it: "Lord, I take up the authority You gave me. I will not waste what cost You Your life."
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You gave me authority over all the power of the enemy. You did not give it as a decoration. You gave it as an office, and You expect me to hold it.
Forgive me for the years I have called passivity humility. Forgive me for asking You to do what You already commanded me to do, and for calling that faith.
I take up the authority You purchased for me. Teach me to use it rightly — never in my own strength, never presumptuously, always under Your orders, and never again buried in the ground out of fear.
Make me a king who reigns in his own territory. Let there be no thief operating unchallenged in the land You gave me.
To You be glory and dominion forever. Amen.
You are in training here to reign. A king who cannot control the thief in his own land is a poor king.