POWER WITH A PURE HEART
Kingdom Authority Must Still Look Like Jesus - May 25, 2026
There is power available to the believer.
There is authority.
There is inheritance.
There are promises.
There is victory in Christ.
But there is also a question we cannot avoid:
What kind of person are we becoming while we learn to walk in that authority?
Because Kingdom authority was never intended to make us arrogant.
It was never given so we could become obsessed with enemies.
And it certainly wasn’t given so we could use spiritual language to justify bitterness, revenge, pride, or hatred.
The Holy Spirit gives power.
But the same Holy Spirit produces:
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.
So if I’m talking about how much spiritual power I have while refusing to forgive somebody—
Houston, we have a problem.
🤣
Take the Kingdom by Force?
Matthew 11:12 contains one of those phrases that can sound like it belongs on the side of a Christian action movie:
“The violent take it by force.”
⚔️🤣
But this passage requires care because its wording has been interpreted in different ways. Depending on translation and interpretation, scholars have understood it as describing either forceful opposition against God’s Kingdom or the vigorous advance/reception of the Kingdom.
So this is not permission for believers to become spiritually aggressive toward people.
Our weapons are not carnal.
We don’t conquer human beings.
We don’t dominate people into believing.
And we certainly don’t use Scripture as permission to mistreat someone.
Whatever else we say about Kingdom authority, Jesus has already told us what to do with our enemies:
Love them.
Well.
That changes the movie.
🤣
Authority Has an Assignment
Luke 10:19 records Jesus giving His disciples authority over the power of the enemy.
But notice where that authority comes from.
Jesus.
☝🏽
Yes.
Bring the foam finger back out.
🤣
Delegated authority always points back to the One who delegated it.
That means authority isn’t:
“Look what I can do.”
It’s:
“Look what Jesus has authorized His people to do for His purposes.”
And what is the larger assignment?
The Great Commission.
We’re not trying to win arguments with darkness.
We’re trying to win people to Christ.
That’s different.
The Person Is Not the Prizefight
This keeps appearing in these livestreams.
Again.
And again.
And again.
People are not the enemy.
Even when somebody behaves like one.
🤣
Jesus commanded us in Matthew 5 to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
That means the person opposing you may actually become someone you’re assigned to intercede for.
And that completely changes spiritual warfare.
Instead of:
“God, GET them!”
It’s—
👀
We’ve been here before.
“God, GET them.”
🤣🤣🤣
Same sentence.
Different Kingdom.
Save them.
Reveal Yourself to them.
Deliver them.
Heal whatever is broken.
Bring them to repentance.
Let them encounter Jesus.
And while You’re doing that, Lord—
keep my heart clean too.
You Cannot Cast Out Bitterness While Feeding It
This is where forgiveness enters the conversation.
Matthew 6 gives an extremely serious warning about refusing to forgive.
Jesus doesn’t treat forgiveness as optional spiritual enrichment for particularly mature Christians.
Forgiveness belongs to the life of someone who has received mercy.
That doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened.
It doesn’t mean restoring unsafe access.
It doesn’t mean refusing accountability.
It doesn’t mean abandoning healthy boundaries.
And it doesn’t automatically mean reconciliation is possible in every relationship.
Forgiveness and access are not the same thing.
But bitterness cannot become our permanent residence.
Because eventually you have to ask:
How long am I going to make somebody else live in my head without paying rent?
🤣
The committee was fired, remember?
They cannot reconvene under another LLC.
😭🤣
Don’t Let Offense Become Your Prayer Partner
This is especially important in intercession.
Because sometimes we’re technically praying—
but offense is writing the prayer.
👀
“Lord, expose them.”
“Lord, show everybody.”
“Lord, vindicate me.”
“Lord, let them see—”
WAIT.
🤣
Who’s praying right now?
The Holy Spirit?
Or your irritation?
There are times when justice, truth, correction, and protection are absolutely appropriate things to pray for.
But Jesus gives us a safeguard:
Love your enemies.
If I cannot pray for someone’s salvation because I’m too invested in their destruction, something in my heart needs attention.
Grafted In
Then Romans 11 gives this message an extraordinary layer.
Paul describes Gentile believers as wild olive branches grafted into an existing cultivated olive tree.
And then he gives a warning:
Do not become arrogant.
That’s important.
Because Christianity doesn’t give Gentile believers permission to look down upon Jewish people or treat Israel’s story with contempt.
Paul’s argument goes in the opposite direction.
Remember the root.
Remember mercy.
Remember that you didn’t earn your place through superiority.
You were shown mercy.
And people who remember receiving mercy should become exceptionally good at giving it.
Don’t Brag About Being Grafted In
Imagine somebody receives an invitation to a beautiful banquet.
They walk through the door.
They’re welcomed.
They’re given a seat.
They’re fed.
They’re loved.
And fifteen minutes later they’re standing at the entrance saying:
“And WHO invited YOU?”
🤣🤣🤣
Sir.
Sit down.
You just got here.
😭
That’s essentially the humility check Romans 11 gives us.
Grace should never produce superiority.
Grace should produce gratitude.
Mercy Changes How You See People
Once you understand how much mercy you’ve received, you begin looking differently at difficult people.
Not naively.
Not without discernment.
But differently.
You remember:
God had patience with me too.
God corrected me.
God waited for me.
God forgave me.
God taught me.
God rescued me from things I didn’t even realize were destroying me.
So when I encounter someone trapped in deception, rebellion, hatred, occult practices, unbelief, or anything else contrary to Christ, my response cannot simply be:
“Destroy them.”
The Gospel makes another possibility imaginable:
What if Jesus saves them?
👀
What if the person causing trouble today becomes the evangelist tomorrow?
We’ve seen that story before.
His name was Saul.
Stand in God’s Counsel
Jeremiah 23:22 appears again.
And this keeps becoming a thread through these teachings:
Stand in His counsel.
Because you cannot effectively represent someone you never spend time with.
Before we rush out trying to change everybody else—
stand before God.
Let Him deal with you.
Let Him correct your theology.
Let Him expose your motives.
Let Him heal your wounds.
Let Him challenge your assumptions.
Let Him clean your hands.
Let Him soften your heart.
Then go.
Power and Fruit Belong Together
Galatians 5 brings everything home.
We love talking about the gifts of the Spirit.
Prophecy.
Tongues.
Healing.
Miracles.
Discernment.
Faith.
And those gifts matter.
But Scripture also talks about the fruit of the Spirit.
And fruit tells us something about character.
Love.
Joy.
Peace.
Patience.
Kindness.
Goodness.
Faithfulness.
Gentleness.
Self-control.
You can impress people with gifts.
Fruit tells them what kind of tree they’re standing under.
👀
SAY THAT.
Because if people encounter our “power” but cannot find love—
something is missing.
Freedom Isn’t Permission to Become Fleshly
Galatians 5 also says we’ve been called to freedom, but we’re not to use that freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.
Freedom has purpose.
Authority has purpose.
Inheritance has purpose.
Spiritual gifts have purpose.
And ultimately—
they serve love.
That’s the Kingdom reversal.
The world often associates power with domination.
Jesus associates greatness with service.
The world says:
“Make them serve you.”
Jesus says:
“Serve.”
The world says:
“Destroy your enemies.”
Jesus says:
“Pray for them.”
The world says:
“Protect your pride.”
Jesus says:
“Humble yourself.”
The Kingdom operates differently.
If My People Will Humble Themselves
Then we arrive at 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Notice what comes first.
Not:
“If everybody else gets their act together…”
“If My people…”
Humility begins here.
With us.
Prayer begins here.
Repentance begins here.
Turning begins here.
We can spend years diagnosing everything wrong with the world while avoiding the uncomfortable prayer:
“Lord, what needs to change in me?”
That’s a dangerous prayer.
Because He might answer.
By His Stripes
Isaiah 53 brings us back to Jesus.
He was wounded for our transgressions.
Bruised for our iniquities.
And His suffering becomes the foundation for our peace and healing.
So even when we’re talking about authority—
the center isn’t authority.
The center is Christ.
Even when we’re talking about inheritance—
the center isn’t inheritance.
The center is Christ.
Even when we’re talking about victory—
the center isn’t victory.
The center is Christ.
Power With a Pure Heart
Maybe that’s the simplest way to describe the message:
Power without pride.
Authority without arrogance.
Discernment without hatred.
Freedom without flesh.
Correction without cruelty.
Boundaries without bitterness.
Warfare without losing sight of people.
Truth without abandoning love.
Because we don’t have to choose between spiritual authority and Christlike character.
In the Kingdom—
they belong together.
And maybe one of the greatest demonstrations of spiritual strength isn’t shouting louder at darkness.
Maybe it’s being powerful enough in Christ to look at someone who genuinely hurt you and still pray:
“Father, bring them home.”
That’s power.
Not because you became weak.
But because hatred didn’t get to decide who you became.
POWER WITH A PURE HEART
Take authority over darkness.
Stand on the Word.
Walk in your inheritance.
Pray boldly.
Believe God.
Use your gifts.
Fight the good fight.
But while you’re doing all of it—
Stay humble.
Stay merciful.
Stay forgiving.
Stay loving.
Because the goal was never simply to demonstrate that we have power.
The goal is for the world to encounter Jesus.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the authority, freedom, mercy, and inheritance You have given us through Jesus Christ. Teach us to walk boldly without becoming prideful. Keep our hearts free from bitterness, unforgiveness, arrogance, and revenge. Help us remember the mercy You extended to us so that we can extend mercy to others. Teach us to love our enemies, pray sincerely for those who oppose us, and stand faithfully in Your counsel. Let the fruit of Your Spirit be as evident in our lives as the gifts of Your Spirit. Give us power with pure hearts, authority under submission, and courage governed by love. May everything we do point people toward Jesus. In His name, amen.
Charnette Kay ⚔️
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