Yesterday, I was working in my home office while 5 children were playing in our yard on the back side of our house. I launched out of my chair to their play area when I heard a hostile dogfight erupt from their playground. Jetting through the patio door I came upon 2 dogs in a vicious brawl surrounded by little children trying to break it up. Teeth were flashing, blood dripping, and a renegade dog was going for the throat of our 16 year old Labrador retriever. The situation was urgent and needed to stop immediately.

Not wanting to lose a hand or finger I refrained from grabbing the animals, but loomed over them and commanded them verbally to halt. “Stop fighting now!” bellowed out of my mouth. The aggressor instantly halted his attack. Our golden Lab relaxed and the aggression ceased. Instantaneously! And that was the end of the fight.

The effect of those three short words was so powerful and so immediate I was caught by surprise, and so were the children. A holy moment of awe followed as we all stood in brief silence to comprehend how quickly the fight had dissolved.

I’ve witnessed many dog fights over the decades, but have never seen one end with a brief command.

“Peace, be still,” Jesus commanded to the storm, and the violent winds ceased.

I thought about passages in the New Testament where it was reported that Jesus spoke with authority.

After Jesus cast a devil out of a wild-minded man, the crowd was awed by the spiritual power Jesus was able to exercise over evil spirits.

When I came back into the house, I asked myself why the dogs had responded so quickly.

As I inventoried my thought I found a conviction within that it was right for the violence to stop. When I spoke, there was no fear in my voice. I was not unsure about my command. I knew God’s creatures were meant to dwell in harmony with each other.

It wasn’t the words that came out of my mouth that stopped the attack. It was the spiritual conviction and understanding behind the words that neutralized the aggression. The evil influence over the animals’ thought was instantly destroyed and they ceased fighting.

Jesus gave all his followers power to cast out evil spirits. I definitely had a taste of what it feels like to exercise that absolute sovereignty yesterday, and look forward to similar experiences in the future.

You too, can “speak with authority” today. Enjoy!