How to Stand Strong in Steadfast Authority in Prayer

“Many in the church today are being held captive spiritually, not because of the enemy’s power, but because we do not clearly understand our authority and calling in Christ...  As we begin to understand the hope of His calling, we will begin to walk in an abundant life of freedom and power.” Angie Weaver

Most Christians do not exercise the tremendous authority they have in Christ. He can enforce His will, but He limits His dealings on earth by working through His people. He does not want us to passively stand by and watch the earth fall into decay (Psalm 8:4-6, 115:16). But if we were to evaluate the situation, isn’t this what many Christians are doing? How many of us exercise our authority? This needs to change in the coming days.
     
God has given us authority on earth to rule. It may not feel like it, but it’s true. He does nothing on earth unless he does it through a person. He always intended to rule the earth but through His delegated authority in mankind (Genesis 1:26). We were to carry out the government of the earth, but Adam and Eve gave it away through disobedience. You know the story. Adam transferred authority over the earth to Satan (Luke 4:4, 2 Corinthians 4:4). All of mankind was then under his dominion. God did not give Satan authority over the earth, Adam did.

We needed someone to stand between us, and Satan, in order to break that dominion. Jesus was the only one who could. He came as a man completely fulfilling God’s will and became our intercessor - the one who could join us to God again and break Satan’s headship over us (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus purchased us with his blood (Revelation 5:9, 1 Timothy 2:5) and not only restored us to God, He became the way that God could again have dominion over the earth (1 Corinthians 15, Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus could now rule in the affairs of earth.

He has given us authority to rule - and through prayer - we exercise this authority in Christ.  

We are called to pray and seek justice on the earth on behalf of others. Not only can we break the personal strongholds in our lives through prayer, but we can impact our cities and nations. The world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Look around and you see this everywhere; drugs, pornography, murder, evil and so on. But we can make a difference. Jesus has authority in heaven and on earth, but since He is no longer on the earth, He rules through his Church. He changes things on earth through us! We must learn to exercise our authority right in the middle of Satan's territory. As we use our authority, we can actually subdue powers and principalities (Ephesians 3:10). Wow!

But how can we walk in authority in the midst of personal, and sometimes unrelenting, spiritual warfare? What are some ways we can stand strong?

Ways to Stand Strong in Steadfast Authority

"Praise be to the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle” (Psalm 144:1).

Abide in Christ - As you abide, you are able to pray the things that are on God’s heart.

Be steadfast in prayer and ready for battle - Know that you are in enemy territory, and you are here to fight for God’s Kingdom in prayer. Watch for those fiery darts, hold up your shield of faith, and put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6).

Stand upon the promises of God - Do not listen to the enemy. Speak God’s promises over your family, neighborhood, city, and nation.

Know and Pray God’s Word - The Bible is filled with Scripture you can pray. Declarative prayer is a key way to exercise your authority in prayer. Try praying Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3-19.

Focus on God during times of warfare - The enemy will try to discourage you as to your authority. Focus on God instead of the things you see happening in the world. Remember, you have authority in Christ.

Mix praise and prayer together - Worship is the atmosphere where truth dwells. There is power released in worship warfare. God is greater than all enemy attacks.

Practice fasting on a regular basis - Fasting gives you spiritual power and strength to steadfastly stand against the enemy.

Let God’s peace rule in your heart - Come in the opposite spirit of the world system. An attitude of peace and joy in the midst of darkness is powerful (Colossians 3:15).    

Practice taking your authority in prayer, look to Jesus, and realize that God has called you to live in steadfast authority on earth for such a time as this.  

It’s time for the Church of Jesus Christ to arise and aggressively take back land stolen by the enemy. Are you and I going to let the devil control our cities when Jesus died for the entire world? The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). Let’s not forget that. This will be our finest hour if we learn to wield the weapons of warfare and stand in our God-given authority. It’s time to arise and realize the victory we have in Christ. It’s time to arise in steadfast authority in prayer.

A Prayer for Steadfast Authority

“Dear Lord, I thank You for giving Your people authority to rule on earth. Help me to understand the hope of my calling. Teach me to exercise this authority in my life, my city, and my nation. Thank You for becoming my intercessor and breaking Satan’s headship over my life (Isaiah 53:12). Help me to pray and seek justice on the earth on behalf of others. I thank You for giving your people authority to actually subdue powers and principalities (Ephesians 3:10). I choose to reign with You and walk in Your authority. I am called to declare Your authority and rule the earth with You (Revelation 1:6). Through steadfast authority in prayer, I can enforce Your victory on earth (Romans 16:20, Colossians 2:13-15) and fight for the nations (Psalm 2:7). ‘Praise be to the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle’ (Psalm 144:1). In Jesus’ name, amen.”

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13).

God is crazy about you and I am praying for you!



   
    

Why does God love our Intercession?

“Intercession! Would one not say that this is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God’s children? It is the highest privilege and enjoyment connected to our communion with God. It is the power of being used by God as instruments for His great work of making men His habitation and showing forth His glory.” - Andrew Murray

You may not realize it, but God loves your intercession. You may be right now in the thick of the battle in prayer and may not see any answer or way through. But know this! When you come to God in prayer, it moves His heart deeply. He is seeking for intercessors and for those who will give themselves to prayer. Jesus is the greatest intercessor. He knows what it is to sweat great drops of blood for others. He spent whole nights and long seasons in prayer. And there are others – Daniel, David, and Paul.

Today Jesus looks across the whole earth, seeking for intercessors. Are there others who will stand in the gap on behalf of the land? Are there some who will raise their hands and say, “Jesus, let me be your intercessor for such a time as this? I want to be your woman of prayer.” If this is the cry of your heart, God is seeking you out. His eye is upon you. We read in Ezekiel 22:30:

“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Intercession and prayer is so important to God. It is the primary way that God governs the universe. Through intercession He release His (government) power through Jesus and with His people. This requires cooperation on our part with Him. This is an expression of His desire for intimate partnership with us. He will not do our part and we cannot do His part. If we do not do our part, then God withholds some of the help and blessing He would have given us. We need a deep revelation of the majesty and mystery of intercession. I pray for you:

"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power" - (Ephesians 1:17-19).

Why God Loves our Intercession:

“You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways” (Job 22:27-28).

God wants us to ask in order to receive (James 4:2). He will answer if we pray and ask (Isaiah 30:18-19). He loves when we verbalize our prayers. I will mention a few reasons why God loves our intercession to help you realize the beauty and power of partnering with Him in prayer:

God passionately desires that we partner with Him in prayer and intercession. Prayer draws us into intimacy with God, and at the same time, it humbles and transforms us. When we bring the needs of others to God in prayer, we interact in partnership with His heart.

We are in governmental partnership with Him. The governmental center of the universe is in the prayer ministry. We partner with Him or we will not see these blessings. Intercession is God’s brilliant strategy for including the saints in ruling with Him in power. God seeks for those who will stand in the gap in intercession.

He opens doors of blessing when we intercede. We have a dynamic role in determining the measure of the quality of our life.

He changes us on the inside as His Word abides in us. The mystery of intercession is in its “weakness”, simplicity, humility, and accessibility to all. We are filled with God's heart as we pray, and our effectiveness in intercession increases. God’s mind then dominates and saturates ours, renewing us as we pursue Him in prayer.

He initiates prayer by declaring His will in His Word. We respond by praying His Word. Then He answers us by releasing His blessing because of our prayers. Prayer and intercession cause us to internalize God’s Word because when we speak His ideas back to Him. His Word builds us up in our heart and delivers us (1Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 20:32, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:21). We then decree God’s decrees with power from on high.

Jesus releases God’s justice in response to intercession Justice is God making wrong things right. He requires night and day prayer as the condition to release justice. Wrong things are made right, the sick are healed, those bound in sin are freed, and revival is released in geographical areas.
“Shall God not avenge (bring about justice for) His elect who cry out day and night to Him? I tell you that He will avenge (bring about justice) them speedily. (Luke 18:7-8).

“Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge us to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution we can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray - to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight - all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our husbands, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches... Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.”

God is crazy about you and I am praying for you.




   
   

   
   

   
   

Are You Ready for Forever? Ten questions to answer before you accept his Ring:

Your marriage will join you body and soul to another human. Your marriage will determine the father of your children. It can strengthen or hinder your effectiveness for God. It can bring you a lifetime of joy or leave you miserable.

The real questions are:  “Are we ready to care for, sacrifice for and love him through good times and bad?” And “Do you believe you will glorify God more as a couple than as an individual?” And “Are you ready for forever?” Many people are unhappily married because they failed to ask the important questions. The season of courtship is the time to be wide awake, with your eyes wide open.

Is your relationship centered on God and his glory?

Is Jesus Christ the Lord of both your hearts. A happy marriage is founded on mutual love for and submission to Him. Are you obedient to his word? Are you striving to find your soul satisfaction in God? If you aren't,  you’ll enter marriage with the false expectation that it will fulfill and complete you. You’ll put unrealistic demands on your man by asking him to play a role only Christ can fill.

Are you growing in friendship, communication, fellowship and romance?

Friendship: do you enjoy being together? Apart from your romantic feelings, do you have a solid foundation of friendship? Are there activities and interests that draw you together? If you were the same sex, do you think you would be friends?

Communication: have you grown in your ability to hear and understand each other? Every relationship will have room for improvement, the question is, do you see growth?

Fellowship: do you talk about spiritual things? Do you pray together? Do you love God more today as a result of your relationship?

Romance: are you growing in romantic desire for each other? Are your affections increasing?

Are you clear on biblical roles as a woman?

Do you have a biblical conviction about what it means to be a godly woman. Are you in agreement about the role of a wife? Is he a man that you would respect, submit to, and love. The bible assigns a wife two primary responsibilities: to respect and submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18) these two responsibilities are closely linked. If you respect your husband, submitting to him will be a joy, if you don't respect him, submitting to him will be burdensome.

Are other people supportive of your relationship?

Good counsel helps you carefully and prayerfully think through the decision. It sorts out whether your main reasons for marrying are self-centered, or if you know how to commit yourself to love someone else. Good counsel helps you identify potential problem areas and work on them now.

Is sexual desire playing too big(or too small) a part in your decision?

Sex is obviously a very important part of marriage, but remember that it can't make up for weaknesses in other parts of a relationship. While sexual desire shouldn't play too big a part, it shouldn't be too small, either. It's important that you are sexually attracted to your spouse. We shouldn't try to be more spiritual than God and marry someone we aren't excited about going to bed with.

Do you have a track record of solving problems biblically? Wrong patterns in your relationship doesn't necessarily mean that you should end it, but you need to be cautious and seek to change. Good marriages are not devoid of conflict. What is important is that both of you are committed to resolving problems according to God’s Word. Solving problems biblically means knowing how to bring up ad talk through difficult issues. It means being willing to ask for forgiveness for your contribution to the problem, no matter what the other person has done. Don't move ahead unless you see progress in this part of your relationship.

Are you heading in the same direction in life?

When the bible speaks of marriage, it speaks of leaving and cleaving. Leaving means you are no longer tied to the direction set by your parents and your single life. Cleaving means you choose to move in the same direction as your spouse. Amos says, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3). Have you talked about what leaving and cleaving will mean if you get married? Now is the time to discuss how you envision your shared life. Are you in agreement about lifestyle issues life religious beliefs and practise, children, church involvement, and money?

Have you taken into account any cultural differences you have?

Patiently talk through the issues with those that are especially opposed to the relationship. It's important to carefully think through the implications for your future.

Do you have complicating entanglements from past relationships?

We live in a time when many people bring the consquences of past relationships into the present. You should be committed to dealing with these issues on God’s terms.

Do you want to marry this person?

You should really ask yourself, “Do I want to marry this person?” and “Does this person want to marry me?” Getting married is your choice. You are the one who will affirm vows and say “I do.” No one and no “leading” can constraint or compel you to make these vows. Read 1Corinthians 7:25-40. Remember your saying yes to a person, not to “the man you hope he will become” Ask yourself “Am I willing to accept this person as he is? Do i want this person? Make sure that you are not coming into marriage with a hidden agenda, expecting to change the other person once you are married. Are you saying yes to a real person, with weaknesses as well as strengths, sins as well as gifts?

I pray that you’ll have courage and willing to stand by what God has shown you about the relationship you’r e in. Don't let pressure from others, fear of being alone, or a craving for marriage lead you to take a foolish decision. Trust God’s guidance and be courageous. And it doesn't matter if your coming from a broken family, your mother was the other woman, divorced parents and may think your marriage will fail as well, that's simply not true. By God’s grace, you can overcome your past and your own sinful tendencies and build a successful marriage.

If you’ve honestly answered the important questions and God’s Spirit is giving you peace about pursuing marriage don't let fear hold you back.

If he proposes, say yes!

Live courageously!

When you know in your heart that you’ve found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, forever can't start soon enough.

God is crazy about you and I am praying for you.