AUTHORITATIVE PRAYER
As we search through the Scriptures we can find a kind of prayer that is the highest and most powerful of all prayers, yet too few people ever use it. It is called ìAUTHORITATIVE PRAYER.î We know about the prayer of praise, the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of asking, and the prayer of intercession, but we know very little about the prayer of authority. Authoritative prayer holds a very significant place in Godís Word. It speaks of authority; it even commands authority.

If our desire is to be men and women of prayer, we must learn and practice authoritative prayer. Jesus Christ said this: ìAssuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heavenî [Matthew 18:18].

The word ìbindî means to be made a prisoner, held fast, girded about, or kept. The word ìlooseî means to unloose, break, crush, smash, shatter, disrupt, melt, dissolve, or destroy. There is both a binding and a loosing prayer. The action of heaven follows the action of the earth. Heaven listens to the command on earth and acts on that command. Whatever YOU bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever YOU loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Itís not asking or wishing on earth but a binding and loosing, an action on earth with heaven waiting to respond to the command. THIS IS AUTHORITATIVE PRAYER.

Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: ìAsk Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Meî [Isaiah 45:11]. How dare we command God? Is this too preposterous? But this is what God Himself says. If we can believe the Word of God, there IS a commanding prayer. From Godís viewpoint we may command Him. This prayer must be learned by everyone who wants to live in the victory of Jesus Christ.

In Exodus, Moses was leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, as he came to the Red Sea he had a serious problem. Before them was the Red Sea and behind them were the Egyptians. They saw the Egyptians coming after them and they were afraid. They did two things. They cried to the Lord and murmured to Moses. What did Moses do? Moses cried to the Lord. God told him: ìWhy do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the seaî [Exodus 14: 15,16].

The rod represents the authority of God in the hand of Moses. God meant what He said: Donít cry to Me. You use authoritative prayer. You pray the prayer of command and I will work. What Moses learned and experienced was authoritative prayer or the prayer of command in action.

WHERE DO WE GET THIS AUTHORITY?
Where do we get this authority to use the prayer of command? It all originates in the power of the ascension of Jesus Christ. The power of Christís ascension gives us authority and victory. The death of Christ on the cross took care of our old sin nature we received from Adam. His resurrection leads us into a new creation in Christ. This is what is illustrated in baptism ñ a death of the sin nature and rising of a new creation to new life in Christ. Christís ascension gives us a new position in the face of satan. This is not a new position before God; that position is accomplished by the resurrection. But our new position before satan is achieved through Christís ascension.

Therefore He says: ìWhen He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to menî [Ephesians 4:8]. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it [Colossians 2:15]. This metaphor of a triumphant Roman general who strips his foes and leads them as captives behind his chariot in his victory procession is used to describe how God in Christ stripped from the powers of evil their control over the lives of men.

Öwhich He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feetÖ [Ephesians 1:20-22].

The significance of Christís ascension is different from that of His death and resurrection. His death and resurrection were for our salvation and redemption. His ascension was for warfare ñ to carry out and put into practice what was accomplished through His death and resurrection. Ascension makes possible our new position. Praise God! We are told that He has Öraised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ JesusÖ [Ephesians 2:6].

We must understand what God has done for us! In Ephesians Chapter one ñ Paul tells us that Christ ascended to heaven Öfar above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come [Ephesians 1:21]. In Chapter two he tells us we are now seated with Him in the heavenly places. Paul is telling us we are also Öfar above all principality and power and might and dominionÖ [Ephesians 2:6]. THANK GOD, THIS IS A FACT!


Just as Christ is now in heaven far above all; we too are far above all. As the Lord is far above all His spiritual enemies so are we far above all of our spiritual enemies. All of Christís spiritual enemies were dominated and subdued by Him at His ascension; therefore, our spiritual enemies are also dominated and subdued because we have ascended with the Christ. As we stand in our new position with Christ, all of our spiritual enemies are put under our control, under our feet.

Look at the connection between Ephesians Chapters 1, 2, and 6. Chapter 1 speaks of ìChrist in heaven.î Chapter 2 says we are ìseated with Christ in the heavenly places.î Chapter 6 speaks of ìspiritual warfare.î God has made us, His children, to sit with Christ in the heavenly places. But we are not to just sit there; we are also to stand. Where Chapter 2 says, ìsitî ñ Chapter 6 says to ìstandî in our heavenly position ñ against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places Öand, having done all, to stand [Ephesians 2:13].

Since our warfare is against the spiritual hosts of wickedness, it is spiritual warfare. Öpraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for meÖ [Ephesians 6:18-19]. This is the prayer of spiritual warfare. This prayer is different from the ordinary kind. The ordinary kind is praying from earth to heaven, but this prayer is standing in the heavenly position and praying from heaven down to earth. Authoritative prayer begins in heaven and ends on earth because that is where we are seated with Christ.

Once when praying, the Lord said, ìCome My child, I am calling you to come through a new door that I have opened for you. you have been working from the natural into the spiritual but I am calling you to come through the open door into the spiritual and work from the spiritual into the natural.î
All of us who pray know what it means to pray upward ñ but too few know what it means to pray downward. If you havenít learned how to pray downward, you have a great discovery ahead of you: AUTHORITATIVE PRAYER. In spiritual warfare praying downward is most important. Praying downward is standing upon the heavenly position Christ has given us and using His authority to tear down all the works of satan by commanding that whatever God has commanded MUST be done.

WE MUST ALWAYS SEARCH FOR THE WILL OF GOD BEFORE WE BEGIN TO PRAY DOWNWARD. After we have seen what the will of God is and know what God wants, we should not pray, ìO God, I ask You to do this.î NO! We should pray, ìIn the Name of Jesus Christ and the power of His blood and in the authority of His Word, I command this thing to be done.î This is commanding prayer, the prayer of authority.

The meaning of ìamenî is not ìlet it be soî but ìthus SHALL it be.î The word ìshallî in Godís vocabulary is an absolute. It shall be done. When we say amen to our prayer we are declaring, ìthus shall it beî ñ what we pray shall be accomplished. This is the prayer of command, which comes out of faith. The reason we may pray with this authority is because we have the heavenly position. We were brought into this heavenly position when Christ ascended up to heaven. As Christ is in heaven so we too are in heaven, just as when Christ died and was resurrected, we also died and were resurrected. We must understand the heavenly position we have been given. Remember, we are speaking spiritually.

Satanís biggest attack against us will be to cause us to lose our heavenly position. The heavenly position is the position of victory. As long as we stand in that position, we are victorious. If satan can drag us down from our heavenly position, we are defeated.

All victories are gained by standing in our heavenly, triumphant position. Satan will tell us, ìYou are on earth.î If we agree with him, we are defeated. But if we stand and say, ìJust as Christ defeated you and is seated with God in heaven, so am I seated with Him in heaven.î Stand in your heavenly position and you will be victorious. Authoritative prayer is based on our heavenly position. Because we are with Christ in the heavenly places, we can pray the prayer of authority.

WHAT IS AUTHORITATIVE PRAYER?
Authoritative prayer is the type of prayer Jesus taught. For assuredly, I say to you, ìWhoever says to this mountain, ìBe removed and be cast into the sea,î and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.î Therefore I say to you, ìWhatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have themî [Mark 11:23,24].

Mark 11:24 begins with ìthereforeî which means, ìbecause of what I have just said.î It is a connective term that joins the words in verse 24 to those in verse 23. Since verse 24 speaks about prayer, verse 23 also speaks about prayer. It doesnít say, ìO God, please take up this mountain and cast it into the sea.î It says, Öwhoever says to this mountain, ìBe removed and be cast into the seaÖî

The upward prayer would be: ìO God, will You please take up this mountain of trouble and cast it into the sea?î But the Lord is teaching us something different. He doesnít tell us to speak to God, He tells us to speak to the mountain. Not speaking to God, but speaking directly to the mountain ...Be removed and be cast into the seaÖ Just in case we might not consider this prayer, the Lord immediately explains in verse 24 that it is prayer. This word is not directed to God and yet it is prayer. To speak to the mountain and command it to be cast into the sea is prayer. It is authoritative in nature. Authoritative prayer is NOT asking God to do something but using Godís authority to deal directly with the problem. If we are to be overcomers we must learn to speak to our mountains.
If we speak to God about our mountains we wonít be able to see quick results, but if we take the authority of God and speak to these mountains, we will find them instantly removed.

ìMountainsî represent the difficulties that stand in our way. A mountain blocks our path so we canít get through. When we meet a mountain, what will we do with it? Many of us would pray for God to remove it. Jesus Christ tells us that we should speak to the mountain. All we need to do is command the mountain to Öbe removed and be cast into the seaÖ

To ask God to remove the mountain and to command the mountain to move are two entirely opposite things. To come to God and ask Him to work is one thing, but to command the mountain to move is something different. Too often we donít pray authoritative prayers. Too often we donít take the authority of God and speak directly to the difficulty. Authoritative prayer is for you to speak to whatever hinders you spiritually or physically.

Having complete faith and knowing what we do is in perfect agreement with Godís will and in alignment with His Word gives us the privilege of using authoritative prayer. But, before we do anything, we need to know whether it is Godís will. If we are in doubt of Godís heart, we will doubt the success of prayer. It is that simple.

Sometimes we may speak to our mountains too casually or too timidly. Praying like this will not be effective since it is obvious by our attitude we do not know Godís will. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind [2 Timothy 1:7].

When we are clear before God and know what He desires and donít doubt, we can boldly say, with power, to the mountain: Be removed and be cast into the sea and it SHALL be done. We are appointed by God to give the command. We command what God has already commanded. Authoritative prayer is not asking God directly, it is applying Godís authority directly to the problem or ìmountain.î

We each have our mountains though they may not be the same size, shape, or kind. As a rule, WHATEVER BLOCKS YOUR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS IS SOMETHING YOU CAN COMMAND TO BE REMOVED FROM YOU. THIS IS AUTHORITATIVE PRAYER.

Authoritative prayer is closely related to being overcomers. Those who do not pray authoritatively will not be overcomers. Remember, it is God who sits on the throne; He is our Lord and the devil is under the authority of the throne. Prayer is what releases the power of God. If there is no prayer, there is no power. If there is no power, how can we be overcomers?

Only those who know authoritative prayer know what prayer really is. The most important work of overcomers is to bring the authority of the heavenly throne down to earth. Jesus Christ said, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy SpiritÖ [Matthew 28:18,19].

Today there is only one throne ñ Godís throne, where Jesus Christ sits at His right hand. He alone rules and reigns. To share in that authority, there must be prayer. Prayer is very necessary because that which can move the throne of God can move anything and everything. We need to understand that Christ has ascended to heaven above all rule and authority and that all things are put under His feet. Because of this we are able to use His throne-authority to bind and loose all things. All of us MUST learn this authoritative prayer.


HOW IS AUTHORITATIVE PRAYER
PUT INTO PRACTICE?
There are four commands that were given to man from God that are involved in authoritative prayer. In Genesis 1:28, God commanded Adam to take dominion and subdue. In Matthew 16:19, Jesus Christ commanded the disciples to bind and loose. These are all military terms and as captains of the Army of God and ambassadors of the King of kings we have been given the authority to do these things.

Before you go into a store or building ñ take dominion over it and bring it under the power and authority of Jesus Christ the King. Subdue any enemies of Christ the King and bind them with all of their power and authority and loose them from the building. You will notice the difference.

We were in a copy store one day waiting in line to be waited on when we noticed the clerk was very agitated and short with the customers. We noticed she was wearing occult jewelry and stepped out of the line and quietly began to bind and loose every evil spirit that had been brought in through any of the articles she was wearing. We then commanded she be surrounded with the love and peace of Jesus Christ. There was an immediate change in her attitude, countenance and behavior! We enjoyed being waited on by what was now a pleasant, charming young lady. Not doing anything in our strength, but doing everything from the throne, we saw results. Authoritative prayer is not begging God against His will, it is notifying Him of what you know He wants to be done and He will do it.

Authoritative prayer may control weather as well as people. This story is told about an experience George Muller had. Once he was voyaging towards Quebec and encountered heavy fog. He talked to the captain of the ship, ìCaptain, I came to tell you that I need to be in Quebec City Saturday afternoon.î

ìIt is impossible,î the captain replied.

ìThen if your ship cannot bring me there on time, God has some other way,î said Muller. He knelt down and prayed a most simple prayer. Then he said to the captain, ìCaptain, open your cabin door, and you will see that the fog has lifted.î When the captain got up to look he found that the fog had indeed vanished. Muller arrived at Quebec City Saturday afternoon and kept his appointment. This is authoritative prayer.

We also have experienced authority over the weather many times as we have traveled by using authoritative prayer. God is so good and wants to show each one of us His power and love.

If God is to have an army of overcomers there must be warfare prayer. We need to battle with satan not only when we encounter something, but also when things happen around us. We must control them through the Throne. No one can be an overcomer without being a prayer warrior. To be overcomers for God we must learn to pray in the authority of Jesus Christ.

We are able to control the very forces of hell with the authority of heaven. Since Christ is far above all and He is our Head, we are more than able to control evil spirits and all who belong to satan. How could we ever exist on earth if we were not given the authority to control evil spirits ñ if the Lord had not given His authority to us? We live because we have the authority over all satanic forces. We can cast out demons in the Name of Jesus Christ and we can bind and loose and expose the secret activities of the demonic spirits by authoritative warfare prayer.

Satanís schemes are many ñ his demon spirits not only possess people openly but he also works secretly in many ways. The battle is for control of the mind. Sometimes he begins to work in a personís mind like an injection of evil. Thoughts of suspicion, fear, terror, disbelief, disappointment, vain-imagination, or distortions that deceive, upset and confuse. At other times he may steal our words or thoughts and create different thoughts that he knows will cause division and a disturbance, though they may be totally against what we believe and normally think. Words just slip out of our mouth that we didnít intend, or want, to say that were totally opposite of how we feel or believe.

We must use authoritative prayer to overcome all the activities of the enemy and speak confusion in the enemyís camp. Before we go into an important meeting or family gathering or anywhere we meet with believers or unbelievers, we must take dominion, subdue, bind and loose in Jesus Christís Name. Only then will we see the results God wants to happen.

The fact is that all evil spirits are put in subjection under our feet. Authoritative prayer is not just ordinary asking; it is exercising our authority to command. But our final thought and prayer must be, ìLord, only Your will be done, I want nothing else.î When we use this authority, our prayer will achieve its goal. If there were more people in the church learning to pray like this, more problems in the church would be solved. We should rule over and manage our affairs through authoritative prayer.

Because Christ has already ascended to heaven, we have power to direct the affairs of earth. Christ is the head of all things, and all things are put in subjection under His feet. He is the head over all things to each one of us, His church. He becomes the head of all things for our sake. Christ is head over all things, and has given us His power and authority. All things are put in subjection under our feet.

We must remember we walk in the authority and victory of Jesus Christ. In the victory of Christ we take authority over our circumstances. In the victory of Christ we take dominion and subdue. In the victory of Christ we bind and loose. We bind all the things that are contrary to Godís will. Authoritative prayer is bringing Christís rule and authority on earth and using His authority to build His Kingdom on earth.

Not only do we bind to take the enemy captive but there is a positive binding as well. We also need to bind ourselves to the will of God, the blood of Jesus, the mind of Christ, the truth of His Word, the path of righteousness, the work of the Cross, and the timing of God.

Not only is there a negative loosing but there also is a positive loosing. We must loose ourselves from wrong attitudes, the old nature, strongholds of deception, wrong patterns of thinking, wrong ideas, wrong behaviors and habits, wrong desires, and wrong beliefs.

We are temporary residents on the earth. We are heavenly people with a heavenly address and have heavenly authority. We are Godís ambassadors. We have His life and have been delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of the Son of Godís love. Therefore, we possess heavenly authority. At all times and in all places we hold the authority of heaven. We can control earthly affairs by heavenís power.

May God give us grace that we may truly be prayer warriors for the Lordís sake, exercising His authority as overcomers so that the victory of Christ may be seen in us.

Finally, a warning: we must, ourselves, be under the authority of God if we are to exercise the authority of God. We must be under authority or we canít exercise authority. If we are under the authority of God, we will be feared by the demons that also will be under our authority.

The Bible also shows a close relationship between prayer and fasting and authority. Prayer shows our desire for God. Fasting demonstrates our self-denial. The first privilege God gave to man was food. God gave Adam food before giving him anything else. Fasting shows God we are willing to give up our first legal right.
Since prayer is desiring God and fasting is denying self, faith will instantly be sparked when the two are joined together. With faith there is authority to cast out demons, heal the sick and even to raise the dead. If we desire God but refuse to deny self, we will not have faith and so neither will we have authority. But if we have both a desire for intimacy with God and a denial of self, we will instantly possess both faith and authority.

Authoritative prayer is the most spiritual as well as the most important of all prayer. Try it! Your life will be changed! Amen!

In the heat of the battle sometimes we may lose our train of thought. We have found that writing out pattern prayers works very well. There are many warfare Scriptures that can be prayed. Put them together and pray Scripture against the enemy. An example is to combine Ephesians 6:12 with Psalm 83:13-18:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places [Ephesians 6:12]. O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind! As the fire burn the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with Your tempest, and frighten them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that men may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth [Psalm 83:13-18].

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The next pages contain pattern spiritual warfare prayers:

PATTERN PRAYERS

The following is a binding and loosing prayer that can be used when praying for a person who needs to be set free from bondage:
In the Name of Jesus Christ, by the power of His blood and in the authority of His Word, we bind _____ís body, soul and spirit to the will and purposes of God for his/her life. We bind _____ís mind, will and emotions to the will of God. We bind him/her to the truth and to the blood of Jesus Christ. We bind his/her mind to the mind of Christ that the very thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart would be within his/her thoughts. We bind _____ís feet to the paths of righteousness that his/her steps would be steady and sure. We bind him/her to the work of the Cross, with all of its mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, and dying to self.

We loose every old, wrong, ungodly pattern of thinking, attitude, idea, desire, belief, habit, motivation, and behavior from him/her. We tear down, crush, smash and destroy every stronghold associated with these things. We loose every stronghold in his/her life that has been justifying and protecting hard feelings against anyone. We loose the strongholds of unforgiveness, fear and distrust from him/her. We loose the confusion and blindness of the god of this world from _____ís mind that has kept him/her from seeing the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We call forth every precious word of Scripture that has ever entered into his/her mind and heart that it will rise up in power within him/her.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, we loose the power and effects of any harsh or hard words [word curses] spoken to, about, or by _____. We loose all generational bondages and their strongholds from _____. We loose all effects and bondages from him/her that may have been caused by mistakes others have made in the past. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we crush, smash and destroy generational bondages and sins of any kind from mistakes made at any point between generations of the past. We break and destroy them by the power of Jesus Christís blood and place the Cross between them and him/her.


We bind the strongman satan and all his forces, that we may spoil his house, taking back every material and spiritual possession he has wrongfully taken from _____. We loose the enemyís influence over any part of his/her body, soul and spirit. We loose, crush, smash and destroy every evil devise he may try to bring into his/her sphere of influence during this day. We bind and loose these things in the Name of Jesus Christ. We now place _____ under the love and peace of Jesus Christ that the perfect will of God may be done in his/her life. Thank you Lord Jesus for Your truth. Amen.

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The following prayer can be used when praying for individuals, cities or areas:

In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and for the Glory of God our Father we call on the intercessors from around the world to pray for us and with us as we do battle for our King, Jesus Christ. In the Name of Jesus Christ we bring _____ under the power and authority and dominion of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We commission and send out the mighty warring angels to wall in _____ on every side and we commission and send out the mighty warrior angels to totally destroy the works of the devil in, on, or over _____.

We proclaim that _____ is under the Lordship of Jesus Christ the King, under His command and under His protection. The reason Jesus Christ came was to destroy the works of the devil. We take the sharp sword of Jesus Christ in our hands according to Psalm 149 to execute the vengeance and judgment written against every enemy of God. In the Name of Jesus Christ, by the power of His blood and in the authority of His Word,, we bind every principality, power, ruler of darkness, all the hoards of wickedness, every strongman and we tear down every stronghold of the enemy that are in, on, over or have come against _____. With the sword of Jesus Christ we destroy you all and all your works. We command that you release your hold on everyone and everything you have infested and we loose you from _____ in the Name of Jesus Christ. We bind you all together with all your residue, cast you out and send you to the abyss, chained until your judgment.

In the Name of Jesus Christ we take authority over the spiritual darkness and spiritual blindness that hinders the people in _____ from knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We bind the spiritual darkness and spiritual blindness and destroy you and all your works with the Sword of the Spirit.

In the Name of Jesus Christ we break and destroy any lines or devices of communication between all enemy spirits in, on, over, or around _____. We bind you all together, cut you to pieces and cast you out to the abyss. We speak confusion in the enemyís camp in the Name of Jesus Christ.

We send out the mighty warring angels to build a hedge wall around _____ that the enemy canít penetrate. We apply the blood of Jesus Christ over them for their salvation, protection and healing. We lift up the shield of faith over, under and around them to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the enemy. We send out the ministering angels to minister to their need of salvation and every need they may have. We send out the harvesting angels to bring in the harvest.

Lord Jesus, release Your glory, peace, love, power, blessing and the light of Your Truth on _____ that Your will may be done that no one should perish but that all will find and accept Your salvation. Amen! Amen! Amen!

PRAYING WITH AUTHORITY
by Chuck Nelson
godsnames.com

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