The Power of the Hidden Man

After Jesus delivered the sermon on the mount, his listeners sat in awe. Scripture says, "The people were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:28-29). The Greek word for authority in this verse means "with mastery, power, liberty; as one in control." Jesus' listeners were saying, in essence, "This man speaks as if he knows what he's talking about."

Note, this verse doesn't say Christ spoke "with authority," but rather "as one having authority." It's one thing to speak with what we think of as authority -- in a loud, boisterous voice, seeming to have total control. But in God's kingdom, authority is something altogether different. It's something you have, not something you simply speak.

The authority Jesus wielded shook up the entire religious system. Jewish leaders kept coming to him demanding to know where he'd obtained his authority: "By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?" (21:23). Jesus answered them point blank, "I'm not telling you" (see 21:24-27). Our Lord knew he didn't have to answer to the devil about where he got his spiritual authority.

Christ had this authority not only in the pulpit, but also over all satanic powers. When he entered a synagogue in Capernaum, he was accosted by a man possessed by a demonic spirit. The spirit cried out, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?" (Mark 1:24).

I believe this demon's cry reveals one of Satan's primary strategies against the church. When the evil spirit asked Jesus, "What do you have to do with us?", he was saying, "This matter doesn't involve you. It's between me and the dead church here in Capernaum. Nobody's been concerned about this man so far. He's been in this condition for years, and the pastors have chosen to live with it. We've got a cozy arrangement here, Jesus. It's not your concern. Why don't you leave us alone?" In short, Satan was contesting Christ's authority.

Now, Jesus knew this synagogue didn't need another sermon or interpretation of the law. It didn't need a how-to seminar or some exciting new program. It needed a person with authority -- someone who could chase the devil out of their midst, and cleanse both the possessed man and the powerless church.

Christ used his authority to do just that. Scripture says, "Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him" (1:25). In modern terms, Jesus said, "Shut up, devil, and get out of here." And Satan fled: "The unclean spirit...came out of him" (1:26). Once again, the people marveled, saying, "What thing is this?...for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him" (1:27).

If ever the church of Jesus Christ needed his power and authority, the time is now. In my opinion, Christians today possess very little spiritual authority, whether in the pulpit or the pews. As a result, Satan regularly enters God's house and spoils it uncontested.

God's people were in a similar condition when Jesus began his ministry on earth. The church was full of crippled, depressed, demon-harassed people. Evil spirits blinded people's eyes, closed their ears, withered their limbs, afflicted them with leprosy. These spirits even possessed children, casting them into water to try to drown them.

So, you ask, where were the shepherds over these harassed flocks? According to Jesus, they were busy robbing widows and stealing from their own elderly parents. These men were charlatans, getting rich on the backs of the poor, and showing no pity to widows and orphans. They were hypocrites, fornicators, with eyes full of covetousness. Christ called them whitewashed sepulchers, full of dead men's bones. He pointed straight at them and said, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33).

Likewise today, the church is filled with hurting, withered, devil-harassed people. Why? We have very little spiritual authority to challenge Satan's invasion. The devil has already brought his own false Christs into God's house -- godless, sensual preachers who speak as angels of light, just as prophesied. These men turn churches into feel-good comfort zones, where sin is never mentioned and people's consciences are dulled.

Satan has even brought his own music into God's house. Some churches now sponsor demonically inspired punk-rock concerts. Christian teens flock to these "mosh" events, where they dive into crowds of kids, smashing their bodies against each other. And they do it all with the blessing of their pastors.

Let me ask you: before Jesus came on the scene, to whom did devil-harassed people turn? After all, these were religious Jews, God's chosen. Where did the lepers go for help? Whom did the father seek when his demon-possessed son threw himself into fires? Where did the adulterous woman turn? To which church, to which priest?

Now think of all the desperate parents today who sit silently in church, grieving over sons or daughters who've become addicts, alcoholics, pregnant out of wedlock. What do these parents seek in a church? Do they want entertainment, fun, ten-minute sermonettes? No. They need someone with spiritual authority to bring them a word of hope.

Think of all the Christian couples who are on the brink of divorce. Their world is falling apart. Their children are confused. What are these people looking for in God's house? A funny skit? A feel-good message that tells them they're okay? No. They need spiritual authority, deliverance, power to endure their problems.

When the economy collapses, and jobs are lost, with bills piling up, what will people need then? To be part of a fast-growing mega-church? To hear a message on how to enjoy leisure time? No. They'll need answers. They'll need someone with authority who can interpret what's happening around them, someone who can read the times. And they'll need a word from heaven to keep their hearts and minds in God's peace.

Satan always contests those who grieve and pray over the condition of God's house. He aims to keep things just the way they are. So he tells God's praying servants the same thing he told Jesus: "These people are contented with this cozy arrangement. So, what business is it of yours? Why take on this compromised situation as your personal project? This isn't your battle. You ought to be praying for your own problems and needs. Let us alone. Go away and worship God. Enjoy yourself."

Yet those who possess spiritual authority won't be intimidated. They know the backslidden church is God's concern. And they refuse to stand by as the devil moves in and takes over. We dare not allow Satan to rob, deceive and steal from his people at will.

I recently watched a videotape of a church service where people were laughing wildly and making animal noises. What did the pastor do? He tried to be louder -- to "outshout" the distracting spirits from his congregation. Can you imagine Jesus reacting this way? Can you picture him trying to yell out a sermon above the din of such cries? No. Jesus saw what was needed, and he took authority over every situation.

I believe the church today is in a full-blown crisis over its lack of spiritual authority. I regularly receive calls from pastors and parents who are panicked about their children. They plead, "I just discovered my child is a drug addict. I've tried to get him to enter a rehab program like Teen Challenge, but he refuses. I don't know what to do."

My heart goes out to these parents. They're brokenhearted, desperate to find true spiritual authority that will lead to real help. Yet, I have to wonder: where is the spiritual authority in their home? In my opinion, many such parents think they're helpless when they're not. Somebody in the family has to have power to chase the devil out -- out of their child, and out of the house. I say to every suffering parent: you must lay hold of spiritual authority yourself. Even if your child shuts you out, you still can attain power in your secret closet of prayer.

You may protest, "But I'm not Jesus. He came to earth with divine authority." The fact is, Jesus, though God in flesh, faced the devil as a man, a Spirit-empowered man. He didn't fight Satan on any other grounds. Likewise, Satan always approached Christ as a man, even though he knew he was God's son. The demon acknowledged as much, saying, "Let us alone...thou Jesus of Nazareth" (Mark 1:24). They addressed Jesus as a human being, born in a particular town in Israel. Yet, even though Christ was a flesh-and-blood man, he wielded full spiritual authority over every demonic power.

You may also think, "If only I had that kind of power over the enemy. But I don't possess the type of authority to make Satan flee." That just isn't true. Jesus' disciples had this very power: "When he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease" (Matthew 10:1). "I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).

The apostle Peter was made of flesh and blood, just like the rest of us. Yet he wielded spiritual authority over the devil. He said to the lame man at the temple gate, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6), and the man was healed. The religious leaders of the day recognized this power in Peter. They asked him, "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" (4:7).

Nowhere does the Bible suggest that this same power isn't meant for us today. When did the Lord ever say to his church, "I've helped you so far. Now you're on your own"? What kind of God would empower his people in the wilderness when they needed it -- would empower Israel's kings, prophets like Elijah, the crowds at Pentecost -- and then withhold it from his last-days church, when we need it more than any generation?

According to scripture, Satan's power has increased in our day: "The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Revelation 12:12). Why would God permit Satan to attack a weak, powerless church that has no defense? His people have never lost access to his divine power.

Unfortunately, a number of Christians have a skewed idea of spiritual authority. This is especially true in charismatic circles. I know of a series of "Power" conventions, where preachers lay hands on people to endow them with an anointing of spiritual authority. Yet, when the recipients return home, their efforts against the devil still fail miserably. They end up asking the same question the disciples asked Jesus: "Why couldn't we cast out these spirits?"

You can't obtain supernatural power simply by having someone lay hands on you. It isn't a gift. It's a way of life, of walking with Jesus. And not everyone who asks for such authority will suddenly be changed into a spiritual powerhouse. The fact is, God entrusts his divine authority only to what Peter calls the "hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible" (1 Peter 3:4).

Paul also refers to an inward man (see Romans 7:22), saying the "inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Indeed, there are two such selves in all of us. There's both an outward man and an inner, hidden man. The outward man is always on display before others. But the hidden man is known only by God. This inner man doesn't display himself conspicuously. He resides where nobody else can see the work being done in him. And the Holy Ghost is constantly at work in him, strengthening and preparing him to receive true spiritual authority.

Peter illustrates this duality in us by giving us the example of a certain woman. This woman is decked out in finery, wearing the latest hairstyle and all manner of jewelry, rings, bracelets, chains. She's a living, breathing example of flesh appealing to flesh.

It's clear that Peter is speaking here of the backslidden church. This church operates in the flesh, basing everything on outward appearances. It has no inner holiness and therefore no real authority. Tragically, many Christians are attracted to this kind of church. They're impressed by flashy services that possess nothing of God's true glory.

Please don't misunderstand: Peter isn't asking any Christian woman to throw away her makeup kit. Rather, he's saying, "If you want to move in spiritual authority, then stop trying to impress others by how you act. Instead, focus on the hidden man. That's the only way to obtain Christ's authority."

When the disciples were helpless against the enemy, Jesus told them that power over Satan came only by praying and fasting. Why is this so? I believe it's because the Lord wants time to work on our inner man. He wants our heart completely attuned to him. We simply can't obtain any authority without having habitual communion with him.

How can we expect to chase Satan out of our churches, our homes, our troubled children, if we don't pray? How can parents expect God to endow them with spiritual power when they argue, fight and gossip in front of their kids? How can they expect to possess authority when they go out drinking, then fly into a rage when they learn their kids smoke pot?

Jesus could boldly say, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30). If you can't say this too, you'll remain powerless. And Satan will run rampant through your household.

Peter gives us a key to spiritual authority when he writes, "Ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives" (1 Peter 3:1). The word for conversation here signifies lifestyles or behavior. I believe Peter is talking about the bride of Christ. And the image here is of a wife who possesses true spiritual authority.

This woman submits to her husband because the Bible commands it. And because she allows herself to be governed by God's word, her hidden man is being conformed to his divine image. Peter infers that such a woman doesn't need to chide, harangue or preach at her husband. She'll be able to win him to Christ without saying a single word. How? Her witness is in the silent eloquence and power of her godly walk.

This woman's husband may be obnoxious and overbearing. She may have to bite her tongue time after time. But because she's in submission -- to God's word, and in turn to her husband -- she's gaining spiritual authority day by day. A mighty power is being released in her that increases her authority over the enemy's hold on her husband.

Now, this woman's neighbor may also be a believing wife. She too prays diligently for her unsaved husband. But instead of trusting the witness of her own godly walk, she hounds her spouse. She quotes scriptures to him, begs him to go to church, argues with him. Sadly, this woman is powerless. She's already lost all spiritual authority, because she has taken the leadership of their home from her husband.

I say to all such women: Don't try to witness to your husband, and don't try to hold prayer meetings in your home. If you're not submitted to your spouse, you have no power to deliver anyone. You've forfeited all spiritual authority, because you're no longer under the government of God's word.

Singles, have you submitted to the authority of godly sheherds in your life? And you pastors -- are you in subjection to God's word, and to the spiritual elders around you? I tell you, no person can have authority until he or she is under authority. Spiritual authority comes to the bride only when she walks in submission to God's word.

Most of us equate power with something visible, flashy, earthshaking. Yet this doesn't hold true with spiritual authority. Peter says God entrusts spiritual authority to the hidden man of the heart because of a certain character ornament. "Let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:4).

The Greek phrase here means "the incorruptibility of a meek and quiet spirit." Such a spirit is immune to decay, with no corruption whatsoever. And it is of great value in our Lord's eyes. We find the same Greek phrase used in Mark 14:3, when a woman broke open an alabaster jar of perfume and poured it over Jesus' head. This perfume also was called "very precious." Simply put, the character ornament Peter is describing has a divine fragrance. And it is made up of an incorruptible substance.

This particular character ornament -- a meek and quiet spirit -- is the source of all spiritual authority. Yet, don't be mistaken: it isn't something that can be cultivated in the soul. Rather, it's a power from heaven that lays hold of the hidden man, producing a pure, incorruptible spirit of meekness and quietness. Moreover, this character ornament isn't just for women. Peter adds, "Likewise, ye husbands" (1 Peter 3:7), and "be ye all of one mind" (3:8). He's directing this teaching to the entire body of Christ.

The Greek word that Peter uses for meekness means gentleness. And the word used for quietness means assured, undisturbed. Peter is speaking of a heart that's always at peace with its position in Christ. Such a heart possesses real spiritual authority.

Of course, this flies in the face of all secular philosophies about power and authority. The world tells us, "Assert yourself. Use power through intimidation. Make eye contact, use body language, stare others down. Put your own needs first." We see this attitude reflected on the album covers of today's music groups. Band members scowl, menace, "get in your face." They equate such posture with having authority.

Our attitude as believers is completely different. We pursue power and authority for one purpose: to put Satan to flight. We want to be able to stand up to his attacks on our lives, our churches, our families. And we must acknowledge that without a spirit of meekness and quietness in our hidden man, we have no real power.

David writes, "Thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psalm 18:35). The phrase "made me great" here means "abundantly increased my mercy for others." David is stating, "Lord, your gentleness toward me has increased my own capacity for mercy."

Think about what David is saying here. This king had doubted God's faithfulness to Israel. He'd committed adultery. He'd even murdered a man to cover up his own sin. Yet the Lord showed David incredible mercy and forgiveness.

David was overwhelmed by how gentle and loving God was to him during this terrible period. And now he said, "The Lord has been so tender in dealing with me. How could I ever be hard on anybody who goes through what I endured? God's grace toward me has enlarged my heart. Now I want to show tenderness to others -- to my spouse, my children, everyone."

David declared, "I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4). He's speaking here of the kind of quiet, unperturbed spirit Peter describes. David's hidden man remained unmoved, undisturbed in heart, no matter what Satan threw at him. Why? He was fully at rest in God's faithfulness to perform his word.

David was able to say, "I've had a revelation of my father's love and patience toward me. Therefore, I will accept no more lies from the devil. I know better than to listen to him anymore, because the Holy Ghost has educated me. Let storms of trouble come, let demons rage, let enemies rise up on all sides. Let sickness and even death stare me in the face. My heart is at rest, because I know all things are in my father's hands. And he's working everything for good."

By contrast, hand-wringing Christians have no authority. All they can think is, "Why would God allow this to happen? What am I going to do?" Their lives are full of chaos, fear and murmuring, because they've forfeited all resources. They've neglected to hide God's word in their hearts, so they aren't able to turn to it in times of crisis.

The only righteousness that frightens Satan away is the righteousness of faith. "The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quitness and assurance forever" (Isaiah 32:17). You can't stand against the devil simply because you don't drink or use drugs anymore. You may live by an entire catalog of do's and don'ts, but those aren't the essence of God's righteousness. Righteousness is believing that what God says is true, and committing your life to it. It's that simple.

You aren't truly righteous until you believe in the absolute power of Jesus' blood to cleanse your soul. Some of the most intense witnesses for Christ I know have never allowed themselves to feel forgiven. They're forever convinced God is mad at them.

When Isaiah says "the effect of righteousness [is] quietness and assurance forever," the Hebrew word used for assurance means confidence. Simply put, faith in God's promise of forgiveness produces an unshakable confidence in us. We may still be sorely tempted, but we know Jesus is at work in us. And the Bible says he's faithful to make a way for us to bear up under all our temptations (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

In short, spiritual authority is this: I walk in full assurance of the reliability of God's word. I do what it says, submitting to every command. And my faith in his word to me puts my heart at rest. Satan can no longer linger in my presence. I need merely to say, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan," and he will flee.

Dear saint, you don't have to live under condemnation anymore. You've been forgiven. You're being trained and matured in God's mercy and kindness. And you're learning to grow in your hidden man. Finally, you're trusting his word to you in every crisis. That gives you all spiritual authority.