“Dad, could you put my name on your Visa card? I’m going to college about thirty kilometers away, and the car might break down. You wouldn’t want me to be stranded somewhere unable to pay the bill, would you? I promise not to abuse it.” These were the words of a great man’s son.

And they seemed reasonable, the father a bit concerned whether his son would keep his promise not to abuse the card. But he was his son, flesh and blood. He knew that, in addition to paying for his tuition, granting this request made sense.

In banking norms, the father’s name would always appear first on the card. As the ultimate responsible party, but the son’s name would immediately appear below the father’s, giving him the power to use the card. When his son’s name was added to the credit card, he gained all the financial authority that his father’s name granted him. At that moment, the son’s name had no authority since he had no credit with a financial institution.

But, with his father’s name, he would be able to handle almost any emergencies he might face away from home.

Authority of Jesus Under the Father

When Jesus came to earth, it was as if he carried a credit card from his Father with the father’s name at the top and his own name below. Like the son of that great man, he came with all the authority that his Father’s name would bring. He had the authority to spend anything that was in the Father.

Jesus knew both that he had the authority of his Father and that his right to use it was subject to maintaining his intimacy with his Father. For, as he stated in John 5:30,

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:19).

He said, “Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 8:28; see John 7:16-18).

Jesus was a man under authority. He operated according to the Father’s instructions agreed upon before coming to earth. That he would never use the power and rights of his divinity on earth (Philippians 2:6-8). He agreed to work only under the authority of the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Following the Father’s instructions.

The power of Jesus came from being filled with the Holy Spirit. However, the source of his authority was his intimacy with the Father. He spent hours and hours in solitary prayer with the Father, staying closely connected with Him and nurturing this precious relationship.

In this way, he aligned his will with that of the Father, ensuring that he always obeyed Him and did nothing without the Father’s consent.

When Jesus carried out his ministry, his ears were always open to the voice of the Father. He always listened to what the Father wanted to do.

Because he listened, he could manifest and exercise authority with confidence, knowing that he was acting in alignment with God’s purposes. Jesus’ intimacy with the Father allowed him both to maintain his authority and to receive God’s instructions regarding what the Father wanted him to do each day.

This text is an excerpt from the book “You hold authority in Heaven and on Earth” written by Benson Idahosa.