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Personal Leadership
You Have Authority in Your Life
You are not a doormat!
What comes to mind when you hear the word authority? Do you picture the image of a person with a badge and gun, a government official or agency, a parent, customer, your boss, or his boss? What about God and the Bible? There are numerous sources of authority and power in life, and many are needed to live a life of peace.
Yes, authorities must exist in our lives. We are often under someone or something’s authority and have personal authority over ourselves. There are times when we give some of our authority to our spouse, pastor, friends, colleagues, relatives, and others for our benefit. However, we must be careful in giving up our personal authority because of the potential loss of control.
As we begin our discussion of personal authority, let’s first look at the definition of authority in the Oxford Languages dictionary:
authority — noun
1. the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
2. a person or organization having power or control in a particular, typically political or administrative, sphere.
3. the power to influence others, especially because of one’s commanding manner or one’s recognized knowledge about…
