THE FINAL AUTHORITY, THE FINAL SAY

The first thing that you must do in a pressured situation is you must make the Word of God final authority regarding your situation.  Matthew 8:5 says, “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.  And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”  This centurion’s servant was at home paralyzed and in intense pain.  There were a lot of voices trying to have the final say in this situation, but the centurion gave Jesus the final say.  The centurion knew what his servant’s body was saying, he probably knew what the doctors were saying, he knew what the circumstances were saying, but he gave Jesus the final say.  In essence he’s saying, “Jesus I know what everybody and everything else is saying, but your word is final authority in this situation and whatever you say is the way it is and the way it’s going to be (paraphrase).”  Verse 13 is a powerful verse because with no way of knowing that his servant was healed, and no natural reason to think he was healed, the centurion governed his life based on the words of Jesus.  He allowed Jesus’ words to be final authority, believing that if Jesus said his servant was healed, then he must be.  When you are in a pressured situation, you have to submit to the authority of the Word of God.  That means whatever the Word says is what you say, what you believe, and what you act upon.  You do not submit to how you feel, to what your circumstances are saying, or to what the “experts” are saying.  You submit to what the Word of God is saying.  For example, you may be experiencing a great deal of anxiety today, but in that situation you have to allow the Word of God to be final authority and not your feelings.  Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  According to that verse you have Jesus’ peace.  Therefore, you may feel worried and anxious, but if the Word of God is final authority in your life, then you’ll declare in faith, “I have the peace of God.”  Your feelings may be telling you that you’re worried; your head may be telling you that you are worried, the devil may be telling you that you are worried, but those things don’t have the final say.  The Word of God has the final say and Jesus said you have His peace.  That’s the end of the discussion.

When people are in a dark situation sometimes they will hear what the Word of God says and they’ll respond, “Yeah, but I just don’t feel like it’s working or yeah, but I just don’t see how that could be true.”  “Yeah but,” is clear evidence that the Word of God is not final authority in that person’s life.  They are trying to continue the discussion when the Word of God is the end of the discussion.  A person who is battling addiction may hear Romans 6:22 (“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”) and say, “Yeah, but I just feel so bound.”  A person battling depression may hear John 16:22 (“I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you.”) and say, “Yeah, but I just feel so depressed.”  A person battling financial lack might hear Philippians 4:19 (“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”) and say, “Yeah, but it just doesn’t seem like God’s doing that.”  When a person talks like that, it is proof that the Word of God is not final authority in their life.  When the Word of God is final authority in a person’s life, they don’t argue with the Word based on what they see or feel.  They say, “If the Word says I have peace, then I must have it.  If the Word says I have joy, then I must have it.  If the Word says my needs are met, then they must be.  How I feel about those things has nothing to do with whether or not they are true.  They are true because God said them.”

There are two questions that we need to ask ourselves in a pressured situation.  Number one, “What does God say about me in His Word?”  Number two, “Have I allowed that Word of God to be final authority in my life?”  Perhaps you’re in an addiction pit, a lack pit, a depression pit, a family pit, or a marriage pit.  Ask yourself, “What does God say about this in His word, and have I allowed His Word to be final authority in my life?

Here are four keys that will help you determine if the Word of God is final authority in your life.

1. When the Word of God is final authority in your life, that Word has the final say in your situation.  Once that Word has been spoken, it is the end of the discussion regarding that situation.  (If the Word says I’m healed, then I am!  End of discussion!)

2. When the Word of God is final authority in your life you need no other evidence to support what the Word is saying.  (I don’t need my checkbook to say I’m rich, I don’t need the bank to say I’m rich, I don’t need my financial advisor to say I’m rich, because if the Word says I’m rich, then I’m rich!)

3. When the Word of God is final authority in your life it carries more weight than any other voice. Other voices may be saying other things, but those voices and what they are saying mean nothing to you and carry no weight in your life because the Word of God carries more weight.

4. When the Word of God is final authority in your life you make decisions and conduct your life based on what the Word says and not based on anything else.  (If the Word says I have joy, then I’ll start conducting my life as though I have joy.)

If you want to be victorious in the pressured place, the Word of God must be final authority!