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Learn
to Pray With Authority
Dutch Sheets
When we pray with godly
authority, we can issue prophetic proclamations that shift heaven and earth.
Almost
10 years ago, prophetic evangelist Chuck Pierce and I traveled to all 50 U.S.
states.
Our goal was to meet and pray
with intercessors and other church leaders in each state to make a difference
throughout the nation on a spiritual level.
We
set out to accomplish five purposes:
(1) to
gather God's people for agreement in prayer;
(2) to
discern Satan's strongholds over a given region and what caused them;
(3) to
discern the Lord's strategies for breaking those strongholds, and also His
strategy for moving the church forward toward revival;
(4) to
release priestly intercession through corporate repentance and prayer; and
(5) to
release kingly, governmental intercession through prophetic decrees.
I
quickly learned that ministering with Chuck was a lesson in flexibility.
In San Antonio, he ran to the
platform, interrupted my message, took the microphone and began to prophesy.
At
first his behavior took me off-guard. But throughout the tour we operated this
way often.
Our purpose was not to teach
but to discern what God was saying, pray it and decree it.
Therefore, Chuck's prophesying
was never truly an interruption, but a welcome accomplishment of our mission.
Sometimes I would continue my
message after he finished; other times we moved into prayers and declarations
based on what he prophesied.
The
night we were in San Antonio, Chuck prophesied that if we prayed, Saddam
Hussein would be captured within seven days.
Then he
turned around and handed me the mike with an "I can't believe I just
said that, you'd better do something" expression.
My
first thought was, Why are you handing me the mike? You got us into this
situation; you get us out.
But it was too late — I had the
mike and everyone was looking at me. I did the only thing I knew to do — pray.
As
I prayed, I began to move from priestly to kingly intercession.
I discerned that the Holy
Spirit was leading me to command and decree that the demonic activity keeping
Hussein hidden be broken.
Other leaders came to the
platform and offered similar prayers and decrees.
Hussein
was captured three days later!
Kingly
intercession is released through decrees. With them we "legislate"
God's will on earth, in much the same way an earthly king would dictate his.
In Releasing
the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation, Chuck writes the following about
prophetic revelation and decrees:
"God
has chosen us as the necessary link to bring His will from heaven to earth. He
wants us to commune with Him, listen carefully to His voice, gain prophetic
revelation, and decree that revelation into the earth. This will unlock
miracles and release His blessings.
"Once we hear God, we can intercede, but we can also
prophesy. Prophesying is declaring His mind and His heart. As we speak, He
forms His will in the earth.
"We
should always be willing to say 'yes and amen' to His promises. When we receive
prophetic revelation, we need to decree the prophetic revelation. This was the
pattern that we operated in, once we gathered together in our meetings from
state to state."
There
are two types of prophetic activity, and here Chuck alludes to both.
Prophesying is more than foretelling — predicting the future.
It is also forthtelling — speaking forth the plans and will of God for the
present and the future. This is still classified biblically as prophetic because
of the discernment required for us to know His plans and will.
John
the Baptist was called a prophet, yet as far as we know he did no foretelling
or predicting of future events.
He did, however, discern the
times and speak forth what God was saying about the present. Accordingly, this
forthtelling aspect of the prophetic is also referred to as "prophetic
intercession."
While
on our tour, we never released the same prophetic words, decrees or strategies
for any two states.
In the Texas gathering where we
decreed Hussein's capture, God had given me a word about the state's prophetic
calling and destiny.
When I spoke it, saying God's
purposes for America would sometimes be declared, launched or pictured from
there, Chuck began to receive a prophetic download.
He heard the Spirit say, "Go to the platform and
prophesy what I give you — and don't think about it."
He knew later that he probably
wouldn't have given the prophecy about Hussein if he had thought about it
first.
What
prophetic dynamics occurred in the meeting that night?
First, there was prophetic
discernment of one of God's overall purposes for a state. This prepared the way
for a prophetic word concerning His specific desire at that moment.
Then the word prompted me to
seek prophetic instructions, and those led us to release prophetic decrees — a
type of governmental intercession or legislating from the heavens.
All
this worked together to become kingly intercession made by the ekklesia,
the legislative body of Christ, ruling for Him on earth.
It was kingdom
authority releasing kingdom power, just as Jesus instructed us to do: "Your
kingdom come, Your will be done!"
We and an army of intercessors
moved in every state in this prophetic, kingly intercession.
You
can and should release this type of intercession, not only for the world at
large but also for your private and immediate world.
Do it for individuals, your
family, your business, your church and your city. Sit on the devil's chest!
The Power of Words
What are decrees, declarations and proclamations? Chuck writes,
again in Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation:
"A
decree is an official order, edict, or decision. A decree is something that
seems to be foreordained. This is what makes a decree prophetic.
"Decree can also mean to order, decide, or officially
appoint a group or person to accomplish something. A decree is linked with
setting apart or ordaining something or someone.
"A declaration is an announcement, a formal statement. ...
This statement is what a plaintiff sometimes releases in his complaint, which
results in a court action.
"A proclamation actually brings something into a more
official realm. A proclamation can ban, outlaw, or restrict. This is linked
with the process of binding and loosing."
The power of words is amazing. Job alluded to this power when he
said, "How forceful are right words!" (Job
6:25, NKJV).
The
word translated "forceful" actually means "to press"
in Hebrew.
One of
its biblical uses describes a king pressing his seal of authority onto a
decree or legal document with his signet ring, making it legally binding (the
law of the land).
Words
seal deals and decree laws. They are powerful, even influencing life and death (see Proverbs
18:20-21).
The New
Testament says we are justified or condemned by them (see
Matthew 12:37).
Words may be the most powerful conduit of authority and power in
the world. God's, "Let there be …," created the world and
everything in it.
Ecclesiastes 12:11 says, "The words of the wise are as
goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies" (KJV).
Nails
help us build, construct, assemble and hold things together. So do words.
God,
the master craftsman, used them to build the earth and its seas and mountains,
and all the other amazing elements and dimensions of creation.
Hebrews
1:3 tells us He holds it all together by the power of His words and decrees!
Luke's Gospel says that even the incarnation — God's becoming human —
was caused by a combination of God's words and His Spirit.
When
Mary asked how she, a virgin, could have a child, the angel informed her that
the power of the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and impregnate her with Jesus
(Luke 1:35).
Then he said, "Nothing will be impossible with God"
(Luke 1:37, NASB).
This translation doesn't do justice to the strength of what the
angel actually said. The most literal and accurate rendering is: "No
word spoken by God is without power."
What a
claim this is, and what ramifications it carries for us! Our all-powerful God
infuses transcendent power into His words. They become the carriers of His
awesome strength.
In the
Scriptures, God issues a myriad of decrees or declarations. When God issues a
command or decree, it is earth's law. To violate His command is rebellion
against His authority and invites certain judgment.
God
also calls His Word a sword with which He rules and judges. His declarations
not only create and build but also judge and destroy. They are both
constructive and destructive.
Consider the following verses: "Out of His mouth went a
sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its
strength" (Revelation 1:16, NKJV); "'Repent; or
else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war . . . with the sword of My
mouth" (Revelation 2:16; see also Revelation 19:15,21).
Some of
God's decrees are to create or perform something in the present; others are
declarations about the future.
In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says of Himself: "'I am God, and
there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from
the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying,
"My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure"'" (emphasis
added).
What an
amazing God! He stands outside time, looks ahead and declares the future, and
eventually time catches up to His decree.
You
Will Decree
In The
Worship Warrior, Chuck shares the following story that illustrates God's
ability to declare the future:
"When my son Daniel was seven years old he came to his
mother and me with a question: 'What is anthrax?' We both were astonished that
a seven-year-old boy would ask such a question. My stepfather (Daniel's
grandfather) had cows and land, so I assumed that he had mentioned the issue of
anthrax occurring in a natural context.
"However, when my wife and I questioned Daniel over where
he had heard the word 'anthrax,' he said, 'The Lord spoke it to me and said it
is coming to America.' I explained to him what anthrax was.
"We have always been honest with our kids, so I just laid
it all out on the line. [My explanation] caused Daniel to fear that it might
come upon him. When he would touch something, he would immediately wash his
hands. This threw us into a crisis as a family.
"In my quiet time one morning I began to seek the Lord, asking
Him how He would pull us out of this awkward situation and bring freedom and
confidence to Daniel. The Spirit of God said: 'This will not be an issue in
Daniel's life until he is 20 years old.'
"At breakfast that morning when he began to obsessively
discuss anthrax with us, I told him what the Lord had said. … Nothing really
changed, except that I had heard God.
"When I do not know what to do, I either worship or ask God
what I can give. I find that I can … hear Him when I begin to worship, and He
will always tell me where to give. Then I can hear Him on the issues that
burden my heart.
"That night when I put Daniel to bed, I said to him, 'Let's
worship.' We listened to an audiocassette and sang along. At the end of the
music, I said to Daniel, 'You know how much Mom and I love you. We have tried
every way we know to help you get through the fear of what God has shown you.
'Perfect love casts out all fear. God does not give you the
spirit of fear. Therefore, ask the Lord to show you how much He loves you.
Since we've worshiped, is there anything you want to ask the Lord?'
"Daniel replied, 'I've been trying to catch a butterfly
all week, and I've not been able to.'
"I wanted to go out and find every butterfly I could and
put them all in his room so that when he awakened, they would be surrounding
him. However, I knew I could not do that. I had to trust the Lord.
"The next morning … an interesting thing happened. A
butterfly flew into our yard and landed on Daniel's shirt.
He cupped his hands around the butterfly and looked up at the
Lord and said, 'Because You have shown me how much You love me, I'm just going
to set this butterfly free.' This was quite a moment.
"On Daniel's 20th birthday, the headlines in the newspapers
in America read 'Anthrax Strikes America.' I was traveling and called him on
his birthday. Remembering God's word about anthrax, I asked Daniel how he was
doing.
"He said, 'Dad, since we worshiped that night and God
revealed His love to me the next day, I have never questioned His love
protecting me in the midst of this particular crisis.' He had received faith
that would last him the next 13 years of his life and extend into the
future."
Thirteen
years before the anthrax attacks happened, God had declared that they would
occur.
When
time catches up to the decree God makes concerning the future, He involves us
in its fulfillment. We become the voice of God in the earth, decreeing His
decrees for Him!
Job 22:28 says, "You will also decree a thing, and it
will be established for you; and light will shine on your ways" (NASB).
The first part could be more literally rendered "You
will decree a decree."
We
discern God's will and decree — what He has determined about a given situation —
and then decree His decree.
The
verse then says that when we decree the decree, it will be "established."
This is the Hebrew word quwm, which means "to rise."
God's
Word is called a seed (see 1 Peter 1:23), and when we sow it into
a situation, we are sprinkling the seeds through which He causes His will to
spring up.
According
to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, quwm also describes a
variety of other activities, including God's "creative, saving and judging
action" rising up.
Our decreeing
the Lord's Word releases His creativity, His salvation, and yes, His
judgments!
The
power of God's inspired words is extraordinary. He rules through words — and so
must we.
In
fact, you will never truly rule your world until you learn the force of words.
Thank God for leaders and intercessors who understand this spiritual authority
and know how to pray!
You too
are a part of God's government on the earth, and He desires to decree His will
and purposes through you.
You are
a member of His church — the ekklesia — and as such have authority to insist on
His will and stop the plans of hell.
Dutch
Sheets
is the pastor of Springs Harvest Fellowship in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He
is the author of several books, including the best-selling Intercessory Prayer
and, with Chuck Pierce, Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation. He travels
extensively as a conference speaker and Bible college teacher.
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