Praying with Authority

Praying with Authority

Believers can pray with authority, directly addressing issues or "mountains" in their lives. The core principle is combining the creative power of words with childlike faith and the delegated authority given by Jesus.

Foundational principles

1. Our words have supernatural power (Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.)

• Context: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" is a dramatic proverb that establishes the tremendous impact of human speech.

• Application: Our words are more than just sounds; they are spiritual forces. When we speak, we are either unleashing life or death into our circumstances. This includes the words we say over our own lives, our families, and our situations. To pray with authority, we must align our words with God's Word, speaking life rather than confirming the negative reality of a problem. The proverb presents a stark choice, reminding us that we are responsible for our speech and the consequences it brings. 

  • Guard your words: Consider the impact of your words before you speak. James 3:5-6 echoes this sentiment, likening the tongue to a small rudder that steers a huge ship, or a tiny spark that can set a whole forest on fire.

  • Speak life: Use your words to build up and encourage others, not to tear them down. Speaking God's promises and truth over your life and circumstances can strengthen your faith.

  • Beware of gossip: Be mindful of casual conversation and gossip, which can cause great harm and is explicitly warned against elsewhere in Proverbs. 

2. God uses the unlikely to display His strength (Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger).

• Context: This verse declares that God uses the simple, innocent praise of infants to establish strength and silence His enemies. Jesus referenced this verse to validate the children's praise in the temple (Matthew 21:16), which rebuked the religious leaders. The verse is a reminder that God often uses the humble and lowly to accomplish his purposes, confounding the wise and powerful in the process (1 Corinthians 1:27). 

• Application: Our authority is not rooted in our own strength, wisdom, or status. It is a delegated authority that comes from our relationship with Christ, and it is most potent when exercised with a childlike, humble faith. This means our focus is not on our ability, but on God's ability working through us. 

  • Praise silences the enemy: When we praise God with a childlike heart, it can become a powerful weapon that silences spiritual opposition in our lives.

  • Embrace childlike faith: Jesus taught that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). This means approaching God with humility, trust, and simple faith.

  • Look for God's power in the weak: We should remember that God's strength is often perfected in weakness. He uses the marginalized and the overlooked to demonstrate his power and confound the proud. 

3. We have delegated authority in Christ (Mark 11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says).

• Context: Jesus's declaration that believers can "say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart," comes after he curses a fig tree, which withers instantly. He uses this event to teach his disciples about the power of faith-filled words. The command is not to pray to God about the mountain, but to speak to the mountain itself.

  • Faith without doubt: The key to this promise is a faith that is absolute, a complete trust in God's power and will, without doubt. Jesus emphasizes a simple, unwavering belief that God can accomplish the impossible.

  • Believing prayer: Verse 24 adds the crucial connection to prayer: "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." This requires aligning prayers with God's will and trusting him completely, not simply speaking what one wishes into existence. 

• Application: As believers seated in heavenly places with Christ (Ephesians 2:6), we have been given authority over the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). This authority is exercised by speaking directly to our problems—the "mountains" in our lives—in the name of Jesus and in alignment with His will. It requires unwavering belief that what we say will come to pass. 

  • Pray with bold faith: This verse encourages prayer with boldness and confidence, bringing the biggest problems to God. Nothing is too difficult for him to handle.

  • Don't doubt: When praying, actively combat doubt. As James 1:6 warns, a person who doubts is "like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" and should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

  • Align your will with God's: This is not a magic formula for personal gain. The most powerful faith aligns with God's purposes. Just as Mary simply told Jesus, "They have no wine," trust him to provide the best solution according to his will and timing (John 2). 

How to apply this in prayer

• Renew the mind with God's promises: Doubt and fear can't exist if the mind is filled with God's promises. Reading, meditating on, and memorizing scriptures can confirm God's will for any situation. The ability to speak from God's perspective, instead of the devil's, is strengthened when a problem arises.

• Declare the truth over circumstances: Speaking directly to a problem and declaring what the Bible says is key, rather than complaining about it. For example, when struggling with sickness, one can say, "Sickness, leave the body. By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Financial problems can be addressed by declaring, "God is my provider, and I am blessed to be a blessing" (Philippians 4:19).

• Bind and loose: Authority to bind and loose was given to believers by Jesus (Matthew 18:18). This power belongs to the entire body of Christ, not just formal church leaders. The demonic influence behind an issue can be bound, and God's will can be released into the situation.

• Release and forgive: Forgiveness is a crucial condition that follows the "mountain-moving" statement in Mark 11. One must forgive those who have caused harm to be forgiven by the Heavenly Father. Unforgiveness is a spiritual hindrance that blocks the flow of God's power. To pray with authority, bitterness must be absent from the heart.

• Combine words with faith: Jesus told the disciples to have faith in God (Mark 11:22). Words must be more than empty decrees; they must be filled with unwavering belief in God's power and promises. The power is not in the words but in the faith behind them and the authority of the name of Jesus. 

  • Power of words: Proverbs 18:21 establishes the foundational principle that words have powerful, tangible consequences.

  • Power in praise and humility: Psalm 8:2 highlights God's preference for working through the humble and weak, showing that even the simplest words of praise can accomplish his purposes.

  • Power in faith: Mark 11:23 demonstrates how human faith, when anchored in God, can unleash a power that can overcome impossible obstacles. 

A practical guide for praying with authority

1. Identify the "mountain": What is the obstacle you are facing? Identify it specifically. This could include a sickness, financial issue, family crisis, or addiction.

2. Find God's promise: Search the scriptures for verses that speak to your specific issue. This aligns words with God's will.

3. Prepare the heart: Ask God to reveal any unforgiveness. Confess it and choose to release and forgive those who have wronged you.

4. Speak directly to the issue: Speaking to the problem, stand on God's Word and have faith. State, "In the name of Jesus, I speak to this [insert problem]. You must go, according to the authority given to me in Jesus Christ."

5. Declare and believe: Declare God's promise over your life and thank Him for the victory, believing it has already been received (Mark 11:24). Maintain this confession of faith, speaking it out daily until you see the manifestation.