Incremental Power We are discussing why it typically requires persevering prayer to receive breakthroughs. Yesterday we looked at the fact that we are spiritual wombs for God’s life, outlets of His power. Spiritual power is released, not only from heaven, but from the church through speaking God’s Word, touching (“laying on of hands” [Hebrews 6:2]), worship, and Spirit-led decrees. At times, when we are waiting for God to answer a prayer, He is waiting on us to release His power. In that post, I shared an example of this from when I needed healing from 45 warts on my hands. If you did not see the post, I believe it would encourage you. Today, I want to address the fact that invisible spiritual forces are measurable and that certain amounts are required for different situations. We do not typically think of invisible spiritual dynamics, such as power, love, grace, etc., as measurable elements/forces. But just as invisible elements of our natural world are real and can be measured, such as oxygen and other gases, there are unseen spiritual forces, as well, which are no less real and exist in varying measures. For example, there are measurable levels of faith. Romans 12:3 says, “as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” The Greek word for “measure” is metron, from which we get the word “meter.” In other words, God has “metered out” to each a portion of faith; from there, it must grow. (The Scriptures do not say we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains. Some translations say this, but they are paraphrases and interpretations, not true translations. The Bible actually says we need faith like a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), which begins small but grows into a tree. There are measurable levels of grace. Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you.” In Acts 4:33, we are told that “with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (KJV). The Greek word for “great” is megas, from which we get “mega.” There is grace, and there is mega grace. The same verse that speaks of mega grace mentions mega power (see Acts 4:33 KJV). The apostles moved in mega power because they were being given mega grace! My point is simply that the unseen elements or forces of the spirit realm are very real. The anointing is real, faith is real, and power is real. And they are measurable. Different Situations Require Different Amounts of Power Just as with natural forces or elements, different levels of spiritual power are required in order to accomplish different things. Just as a different level of power is needed to light a flashlight versus a building, or a building as opposed to a city, the same dynamic is true in the spiritual realm. Different amounts of God’s power are needed to accomplish different things. It requires more power to raise the dead than to heal a headache, for example. In Mark 6, Jesus desired to heal individuals in His hometown of Nazareth, but “could not” (verse 5). Matthew’s account of this simply says Christ “did not” do so (Matthew 13:58), as though He chose not to. Mark takes it further, however, and says Christ “could not” perform miracles there because of their offense toward Him and their unbelief (Mark 6:3-6). He was only able to “heal a few sick people.” This amazing passage clearly reveals that spiritual power is a measurable force and that different amounts are needed for different things. Enough of Christ’s power was flowing to the people to “heal” a few of them, but not to perform a “miracle.” (The problem wasn’t with Christ. The amount of authority and power He possessed hadn’t changed. Nor had His faith wavered.) In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples had been successfully casting out demons and healing the sick, having been given authority and power by Jesus to do so. However, an insane boy was brought to them whom they could not free from the spirit causing his insanity. Jesus arrived and had no problem exorcising the demon. Though the disciples had enough power flowing in their ministries to deal with most demons and diseases, they encountered one that required more faith and power than they currently possessed. Again, the obvious implication is that different measures of power are needed to accomplish different things. Power Is Often Released Incrementally At times, the release of this power is incremental. We don’t usually experience breakthroughs after praying or decreeing God’s Word over a situation one time. Usually, we must do so consistently, persevering until we have released enough power to accomplish what is needed. This is also why the prayer of agreement, which multiplies power, is helpful. Often, when it appears God has finally decided to answer a prayer, or when we think a breakthrough suddenly occurred, the reality is that enough power has now been released through our prayers and decrees to accomplish what is needed. When the prophet Elijah prayed for a widow’s son who had died, he spread himself out on the corpse, face to face, and prayed three times before the boy was resurrected (see 1 Kings 17:21). Why did this resurrection require three prayers and Spirit-led acts? Was it because the prophet was ineffective the first two times? We are not told the reason, but there is no indication that this was the case. The logical explanation is that he was releasing more power and life out of his spirit each time. It requires a good bit of power to raise the dead! In 1 Kings 18:1, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” God didn’t say, “I might send rain.” Nor did He say, “If you pray hard enough, I’ll do so.” He didn’t say, “I’m thinking about it.” He said, “I’m going to send rain.” Sending rain to end the drought was God’s timing, God’s idea, God’s will, and God’s promise. YET, we are told at the end of this chapter and in James 5:16-18 that Elijah labored in prayer diligently, seven times, in the posture of a woman delivering a baby, symbolizing travail, before clouds appeared and the rain came. Elijah didn’t pray casually, but with repeated “fervent prayer” (James 5:16-18 KJV). The question we must ask ourselves regarding this is: Since the rain was God’s will, timing, and idea, why did the prophet have to pray fervently, seven different times until the rain came? It certainly wasn’t to motivate or convince God to send it. The most reasonable explanation is that God works through people and was using Elijah’s persevering travail to produce the rain. When sufficient spiritual power had been released into the heavens, it produced the rain. It was a game-changer for me when this revelation became clear. I realized that when perseverance in prayer was necessary, it wasn’t to persuade God or overcome His reluctance. Nor was it to “earn” His help through hard work. It was to release more of His power. If what I was praying about was truly God’s will, it would eventually occur if I continued doing my part. Christ’s provision, Holy Spirit’s power, we release it. Tomorrow we will apply this to praying for people’s salvation and praying for revival. Pray with me: Father, it is very important that we learn, not only of Your power, but also Your ways. We must not only know You can, but we must also understand how You desire to work. You have chosen to work on earth through Your family; strengthen us in the area of perseverance and determination. May we never quit before we see the results You promised. When we have discerned by Your spirit that the opportune time has come for an outpouring of spiritual rain, You said in Zechariah 10:1 to ask for it. We have discerned that it is time and therefore are asking You for the rain of revival. We are appealing for a deluge. Let a mighty outpouring of Holy Spirit come to this nation and other parts of the earth. Pour out Your Spirit as You did in the book of Acts, with great signs, wonders, and miracles. May it be said of us, as it was of them, that our world was turned upside down. You have also said You were going to restore a righteous government to America. We have some righteous leaders who honor You, but many in our nation’s Capital oppose You and Your ways, blatantly opposing Your Word and mocking You. We boldly ask You to remove them; shake up our government. From the White House, to the Capitol, to the Supreme Court - we ask You to remove those who dishonor and oppose You. Do this in states and cities, also. Give us righteous, wise leaders - men and women of understanding and who honor truth. We will persevere in prayer until we see this take place. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that God is moving in America to bring righteousness and a mighty revival. And we declare that we will never relent in our prayers until we see this occurring. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer (published by Baker Books).

Change the Atmosphere As we pray for change in our nation, we must remember that it will come on two fronts. Spiritual breakthrough and revival will make possible natural remedies in the form of wise plans, strategies, and implementation. The natural strategies - laws, ideas, methods, programs - cannot possibly succeed without the spiritual breakthroughs. Today I want to share a great testimony from Cheryl Sacks regarding prayers of authority bringing spiritual breakthrough, but also being used to birth strategies for change. Both are coming to America. And both can occur for you personally. Tomorrow we will talk about authority to pray for our nation. Cheryl says: “Every household, workplace, neighborhood, and even nation has a unique spiritual atmosphere or prevalent climate. I am sure you have felt it. You walk into a store or someone’s home and immediately feel something difficult to explain, whether it is peace and joy, or a prevailing darkness and heaviness. “We may feel powerless to change negative atmospheres and start thinking, ‘that’s just the way things are!’ But that’s simply not true. Storms can be calmed instantly, as we saw when Jesus rebuked a storm at sea (Matthew 8:23-27). It’s true of spiritual climates as well. “I remember when I was teaching in a large public high school in Texas riddled with drugs, gangs, depression, and sometimes violence. It was a teacher’s nightmare! In one of my classes, the students’ absenteeism was higher than their grade average. The students who were in class would put their heads on their desks and sleep almost the entire class time. I was still new to teaching and didn’t know what to do. My college professors hadn’t mentioned that teaching would be like this, much less told us what to do about it. “Since I had no other training, my Bible became my manual. I prayer-walked the halls and the four-block perimeter of my school. I took authority over the oppressive atmosphere there and invited Holy Spirit to come in. I anointed the doorway of my classroom and prayed over the desk of every student. Then I gathered the other English teachers who I knew were Christians to pray with me during the lunch break. “I soon discovered in the back of the English department’s book room a classroom set of the book, The Cross and the Switchblade by Nicky Cruz. Nicky had been the leader of the notorious gang, the Maus Maus, in New York City. The book tells his life story and his conversion to Christ after meeting the preacher, David Wilkerson. Don’t ask me how these Christian books ended up in the book room of a public high school. All I know is that the Lord put them there for me. “I started teaching the book, ‘as literature,’ of course, and I saw an immediate change in the spiritual atmosphere in my classes. Students were interested and motivated, and there was an evident spiritual hunger. Just before the end of the school year, I had the thought that I should invite Nicky Cruz to come and speak to the students in our high school assembly. When I mentioned the idea to the school principal, he said, ‘NO way! We can’t have a preacher preaching in our high school.’ The school superintendent agreed it was not a good idea and that it was not going to happen. At first, Nicky Cruz himself said he couldn’t come. But we prayed, and God miraculously opened the door. “I will never forget the day Nicky Cruz stood on stage in our school auditorium and shared his life story with our 2,000 students. When Nicky explained how Jesus Christ died on the Cross for his sins and theirs, the room was filled with the palpable presence of God. As he shared how Jesus had changed his life and could change their lives, too, the student body, without any prompting, jumped to their feet and erupted in exuberant roaring applause. This went on for several minutes. Nicky wasn’t allowed to give an ‘altar call,’ but still, students streamed to the front of the auditorium to talk about God and ask for prayer. Revival broke out that day, and the entire atmosphere of my high school changed. “Scripture tells us that we live in two realms—a physical realm and an invisible realm. Just because we cannot see the spiritual realm doesn’t mean it is any less real. It has the power to influence our lives —and the atmosphere in our homes, workplaces, and even our nation. A spiritual atmosphere has the power to shape our lives—to confuse or inspire, to affirm or reject, to make sad or happy, to restrict or empower. “Since Jesus dealt with satan’s authority – the right to use his power and abilities against us (see Colossians 2:15) – then we need to deal with him as a usurper, a rebel, a thief that has no right to steal, kill and destroy, but who will if not stopped. If we have been delivered from satan’s authority and given a higher authority in Christ’s name, then we must exercise our authority over the devil’s works and power. When we do, God’s awesome power will back up our authority.(1) “Jesus put it this way: ‘Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you’ (Luke 10:19 NKJV). This means that we don’t have to submit to our negative circumstances and environment; we can change our atmosphere by walking in our God-given dominion.” Pray with me: Thank You, Lord, that You did not leave us powerless, but, in fact, have given us spiritual weapons and authority to use them in Your powerful name. We thank You, Lord, that the works of darkness have no authority to oppress us or prevail against us. Instead, we and our household can walk in abundant life and victory because of Jesus’ birth, death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave! And we continue to appeal to You for our youth and the schools of America. You have told us revival is coming to them. We believe this and release our faith and authority by saying what You say. America’s youth shall be saved through a sweeping revival. Scales will fall from their eyes, the veil will be lifted, and the light of the Gospel will be seen (2 Corinthians 4: 3-4). We release power into the schools now, and ask for millions of angels to work with us toward releasing this revival. Send Your presence, send Your power, send Your love. We ask that the plans of evil leaders who want to turn our children toward darkness will fail. Break the influence of the wicked, take from them their voices, cause their strategies to unravel and fail. Arise, Lord, and scatter Your enemies. Remove from them their funds. Continue to expose evil in our government. You have and are exposing hypocrisy, arrogance, wicked ideologies, pride, lust for power, hatred for America, desires to divide us, and more. Continue to expose the wickedness and give us righteous leaders. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: As believers in Jesus Christ and in His name, we decree that satan will not kill, steal, or destroy our children, our health, our schools, workplaces, or nation! We proclaim that we will live and work in an atmosphere of peace, joy, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Cheryl Sacks is the best-selling author and her most recent work is an excellent book called Fire on the Family Altar. You can learn more about Cheryl and her husband Hal’s work at BridgeBuilders.net __________________________________________ 1. Dutch Sheets, Authority in Prayer, (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1995), p 21.

The Miracle In yesterday’s post, we said authority increases when God gives assignments. They become a “sphere” in which we are given a “measure” of authority. With increased responsibility comes increased authority. These assignments can be long-term, such as a calling, or short-term, as the following. In the mid-80s, I was given a daunting assignment by Holy Spirit to pray for a humanly impossible situation. I knew the person I was going to pray for was very ill. What I didn’t know was that she was comatose with a tracheostomy in her throat, a feeding tube in her stomach, and had been in that condition for almost two years. Seeing her for the first time was a mind-numbing shock. I had made prayer an important priority in my life for the previous six years, had studied the subject extensively, and had just begun teaching my first series on intercessory prayer. I had been blessed to have read numerous good books on the subject, spent hundreds of hours studying Scripture, and been given what I believed was insight and revelation. Much of what ended up in my first book, Intercessory Prayer, I was teaching in this mini-course. The comatose young lady’s sister was attending this class. I taught the material with great passion and conviction, which was inspiring and encouraging her. After one particular class, she approached me and said, “I think you REALLY believe what you are teaching.” “Yes, I do,” I replied. “Well, I have a sister who is very sick and has been for almost two years. She’s so ill she just sleeps most of the time. I’m wondering if you would be willing to go pray for her.” She had not given me the whole story out of fear that I wouldn’t go. Diane (not her real name) had contracted viral encephalitis, which attacked her brain. The doctors gave her no hope for recovery or of living. “And if she did miraculously regain consciousness,” they said, “she would likely be in a persistent vegetative state because of the extensive brain damage. Every part of her brain is covered with infection.” Again, I knew none of this. Diane was in a nursing home in a nearby town, making it a little more challenging, but I said I would be glad to go pray for her. (A 20-year-old “sick” girl in a nursing home, should have been a hint that this situation was worse than I had been told!) Though I did not know it at the time, this was the beginning of a prayer assignment lasting more than a year. When I arrived at her room expecting to find a “very sick” girl, I found a hopeless, unresponsive, drooling, comatose young girl, fed through a tube and breathing through a hole in her throat. The shock was huge, to say the least. I laid my hand on her forehead and prayed over her for an hour or so, asking God to give her a miracle. It did not happen. I left that day deeply moved, not only for her physically, but she was not a believer. Normally, when one who isn’t a family member or pastor of someone they agree to pray for, it is a one-time occurrence. They obey the Scriptures, pray in faith, and leave the results to God. At times, the miracle occurs; often, it does not. However, in this situation, deep compassion gripped my heart for this young girl. I felt as though Holy Spirit might want me to go again and pray for her. I sought the Lord about this, asking if He was, indeed, wanting me to do so. His response was a bit unexpected. “Yes. I am assigning you the responsibility to intercede for her until she is healed. Not just in your daily prayers, from a distance. Go every week and pray over her, applying the principles I’ve been teaching you.” Holy Spirit wanted not only to heal her, but to teach and train me. It was time to DO what I KNEW. So this would not be an instant miracle through the laying on of hands, but healing “birthed” through intercession. I went at least once a week and prayed an hour or so for Diane - for more than a year. I prayed EVERY verse I knew regarding healing, MANY times. I read Scripture over her often. I worshipped over her. I prayed much in my prayer language over her. I took friends with me 2-3 times in order to agree in prayer with me. I implemented everything I had learned and taught regarding intercession. But I saw no change. Each time I went, I was tempted to quit. Staring at her lifeless form was gut-wrenching and intimidating. People thought I was crazy, and the nursing home staff treated me with complete cynicism. As far as I knew, only Ceci and Diane’s sister believed in what I was doing. I asked God the same question each time, “Did You send me to this girl, assigning me this responsibility?” I knew that if He had truly sent me, if this was indeed His assignment for me, I was moving in Christ’s authority and representing Him - re-presenting Him and His victory at Calvary. After several months of going, praying, spending many hours speaking God’s promises over Diane, praying in the Spirit over her, worshiping over her, and hearing Holy Spirit say, “Yes, I sent you. Don’t quit,” something began to change. Not in Diane - but in me. All the hours of praying Scriptures, of speaking and hearing the Word of God, was increasing my faith - 30, 60, 100-fold (Matthew 13:23). Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing the Word of God. As my faith grew, I became bolder in my decrees. I didn’t know if Diane could hear me - some people in a coma can - but in case she could, I spoke often to her. (It turned out she was not able to hear.) I told her often she was being healed…that Jesus loved her and wanted to heal and save her…that He sent me to her for this purpose. I told her that when she woke up, she would be normal, that her brain would be undamaged. I decreed all of this in Jesus’ name. And my faith continued to grow. After more than a year of this, Diane took a turn for the worse. An infection elsewhere in her body had occurred, and they moved her to a hospital for treatment. After administering more tests, the doctors determined her condition had grown worse and informed her family that she would probably die soon. They should all go see her. Diane’s sister relayed this information to me. “You should go see her,” she told me. And I did. On this Wednesday afternoon, I spoke to Diane, as usual. Leaning over her, close to her ear, with tears streaming down my face, I said, “This nightmare is almost over. Nothing can keep us from receiving our miracle. Nothing! You will live and not die. And you will have a new brain.” The memory is forever imprinted on my mind. As I exited the hospital, still weeping, I was declaring to myself again and again, “Nothing can keep us from receiving our miracle. Nothing!” Three days later, while alone in her hospital room, Jesus walked in and woke Diane from her 3-year sleep, with a full restoration of her brain. News about the miracle spread, even to other nations. The nursing home where she had stayed received inquiries from Europe wanting to know about her incredible recovery. Every hour and every tear I had invested became worth the wait when I saw Diane awake and heard her speak the words, “Praise the Lord.” We have authority from Christ to lay hands on sick people and ask for their healing. There may be reasons we aren’t aware of, at times, that keep the healing from occurring, but we should always ask! However, if God assigns you to pray for a situation, never quit until you see the answer! With His assignment comes increased authority. Pray with me: Father, we are Christ’s body - His hands, feet, and mouth - on earth; the Head wills, the body fulfills. As You sent Jesus, He sent us, calling us His Ekklesia and granting us the authority to operate in His name. Awaken Your people to this authority. Reveal to Your family that they have the right and responsibility to re-present Christ on earth. We are His voice of truth, His trumpet for the Gospel. Bring new boldness to the church. Miracles are in our hands, deliverances are in our mouths, words of knowledge and prophecies are in our spirits waiting for their time, and a river of living water is in our wombs. The transformation of individuals and nations awaits this revelation in the church. Again we ask, awaken us!!! And please heal our land. We boldly announce that this has begun. Desperation is growing, hearts are awakening, and minds are changing! The complete insanity of woke-ism, globalism, socialism, secularism, and other extremes is being acknowledged. The search for answers beyond human ability has begun - the search for Jesus has begun, though many do not yet know what they’re searching for. But the Jesus search will become the Jesus reveal, the Jesus find, and another Jesus movement. This is happening, is coming, AND WILL NOT BE STOPPED! Our decree: We decree that a Third Great Awakening is our assignment, birthing this Third Great Awakening is our measure of authority, and The Third Great Awakening will now go to another level. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer (and published by Baker books). Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Earthquakes and Jailbreaks Jesus authorized us to lay hands on the sick in the authority of His name, adding that “they will recover” (Mark 16:18). Yet, anyone who tells you that every sick person they have done this for has been healed, is not telling you the truth. James 5:14-15 tells elders to anoint the sick with oil and pray faith-filled prayers for them. The verses say if this is done, they will be healed. Yet, any elder who tells you every person for whom they have done this has been healed, is not telling you the truth. The Bible must be taken as a whole; no passage is meant to stand alone. Scripture is to be interpreted with Scripture. Also, we must avoid spiritual formulas. Those who try to apply spiritual truth as formulas will quickly discover that “the four easy steps to…” will not work. God does not want our walk with Him or our understanding of His Word relegated to religious formulas, methods, or systems. This does not mean there are no absolutes in Scripture - there absolutely are (pun intended). However, absolute truths in God’s Word must be balanced with and interpreted by other biblical truths, and applied with Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance. The law of Moses allowed for the stoning of the woman caught in an adulterous act. Jesus, however, balanced this with love, grace, and His desire to redeem. Her sin wasn’t condoned; it was forgiven, and she was told to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). A similar thing occurred at Ninevah. Their sins had reached a level for which judgment was required (Jonah 1:2). God announced that this would now occur. However, repentance changed this (Jonah 3:6-10). These are examples of scriptural truth being interpreted and applied with Scripture. We must do this when attempting to operate in the spiritual measures and spheres of authority we discussed yesterday. To operate in them effectively, we must know and apply the God-given principles pertaining to them in His Word. The first principle I want to mention has to do with assigned authority. Beyond just our personal right to ask for and receive the blessings of the New Covenant for ourselves and our families, God assigns us other spheres. We spoke yesterday of Paul’s assignment to Corinth. All of our assigned spheres won’t be places, however. They might be certain problems or segments of society, such as education, human trafficking, the homeless, drug addiction, etc. God calls and assigns individuals to impact and release His Kingdom life into them. With this assignment comes authority - to act, pray, decree, etc. God calls and assigns some individuals to evangelism. All Christians can evangelize, but does anyone seriously believe Billy Graham’s authority when preaching the Gospel did not release more spiritual power than that of the average believer? We all have the right and responsibility to evangelize, but with Graham’s sphere (his assignment) came a greater measure of authority, which released a greater power of conviction and revelation from Holy Spirit. All believers can cast out demons (Mark 16:17), but some are given/assigned deliverance ministries and operate in higher measures of authority in this regard than other believers. All can lay hands on sick individuals and see healings (Mark 16:18) yet some are given gifts of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9) and operate at higher levels of authority in this regard. In Matthew 10:1-15, Jesus sent out the 12 disciples and gave them authority to announce that His Kingdom was now present, to cast out demons, to heal every kind of disease and sickness, and to raise the dead. In the 10th chapter of Luke, He did the same with 70 followers. Great fruit resulted. After the Cross, Jesus assigned believers to go and preach the Gospel to all the world, and said He would confirm the message with signs and wonders (Mark 16:15-20). To be sure, this delegated an authority and responsibility to all believers, and we can expect Christ to honor His words. Yet, as Head of the church, He reserves the right to assign individuals, based on His plans and wisdom as well as our callings and maturity levels, where and when to do so. We can fail and even be harmed if we go presumptuously. We should not simply indiscriminately, but where and when He sends. In Acts 13, Paul was instructed by Holy Spirit to go from Antioch and fulfill his apostolic calling; he set out with a team to do so. In Acts 16, however, Holy Spirit “forbade” him to go to Asia (verse 6). Then “after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the spirit of Jesus did not permit them” (verse 7). Holy Spirit then directed Paul through a “night vision” to go to Macedonia (Philippi) (verses 9-10), resulting in the first European convert, Lydia. Shortly thereafter, Paul cast a spirit of divination from a fortune-teller (verses 16-18) stirring up much opposition. While in jail, God sovereignly and supernaturally delivered he and Silas through an earthquake. Their chains fell off and the Philippian jailor was saved (verses 24-34)! This assignment impacted all of history, setting a westward course for the gospel. Christ’s general assignment for Paul - and the church - to go into all the world and preach the gospel, was specifically applied by Christ through Holy Spirit’s direction, resulting in great authority and much fruit. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about one of my assignments which was used to change my life forever. And in a later post, I will address in more detail the subject of prayers and decrees for nations. For now, however, I want to assure you that all of us have been given the right and responsibility to pray for our governments (1 Timothy 2:1-4), our cities and nations (Jeremiah 29:7; 2 Chronicles 7:14), and the spiritual harvest of individuals into God’s family (Matthew 9:37-38). We are assigned the right and responsibility as Christ’s Ekklesia to bind spiritual forces that oppose Him and His Kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19), to stand against their wiles and plans (Ephesians 6:10-12), manifesting the wisdom of God in doing so (Ephesians 3:10). Let’s do it now. Pray with me: Father, in the authority of Christ, we ask You to save America from the evil and wickedness in our government. Many of our leaders mock and malign You, have rejected Your ways, and openly oppose You. They glorify evil, sacrifice children to Baal, and make diligent efforts to indoctrinate them in wicked ideologies. Forgive our nation for allowing this; remove these people from power, and help us to rebuild America. We also move in the authority of Your Word and the authority You’ve given us through Christ, asking for revival. We know revival will rescue millions and also give momentum to the transformation of our nation. Lord of the harvest, launch thousands of evangelists into the harvest fields. Awaken in the church with a passion to win the lost. Release powerful gifts of healing and miracle working. SEND FIRE!!! Send Your wind. Send glory. Gather dry bones and shape them into an army. And Father, in Christ’s name we decree that the powers of darkness and schemes of hell will NOT stop these things from occurring. We declare that all of satan’s plans for America WILL fail. We declare that his hold over our land is broken. We declare that the young people of America WILL be delivered from his schemes and WILL experience the most powerful and sweeping revival the world has ever seen. This will NOT be stopped! All in Christ’s name. So be it! Our decree: We decree that the church, the Ekklesia, is awakening to her authority and will arise and shine with Christ’s glory. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Understanding Your Sphere of Authority “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:12-18 NASB) In this passage Paul speaks of the measure of his God-given authority in Corinth, and also references spheres of authority. The word used for “measure” is metron (Strongs 3358). You can easily see the English word “meter” in this word, which is a measurement, or an instrument used to measure, such as a parking meter. It is also used in the context of “metering out” a measured portion of something. In this context, Paul was speaking of the authority metered out to him, the measure he had been given by God at Corinth. “Sphere” is from the Greek word kanon (Strongs 2583), which means “a sphere of rule or activity; a boundary.” Paul recognized not only his measure of authority, but also the places where he had been assigned this authority. He knew there were boundaries or limits to it, but he was also very aware that he absolutely did possess God-given authority in his God-given spheres. Certainly this passage was referencing Paul’s authority to deal with error and rebellion as an apostle and father in the Corinthian church. However, it also included authority to war over them in the spirit, breaking strongholds and demonic influence. This is clear from the verses preceding this: “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:1-6 NASB) These verses make clear the assertion that Paul’s authority at Corinth was not only a right to correct them practically and doctrinally, but also included authority to deal with spiritual strongholds in the community through prayer and spiritual warfare. The principle at play here is that: 1) God gives us authority within the “sphere” He has assigned us. Our authority level will be different in other spheres. And 2) this authority not only gives us the spiritual right to bring correction, it also affords us great authority to pray and war spiritually for the freedom and well-being of those within this sphere. I realize most of you will not be given apostolic authority over a region. The principle is true elsewhere, however. Each of has a personal sphere: ourself, our family, home, business, etc. No one has more authority to govern your life than you do. You have the right and the responsibility to do so. Also, no one can lay claim to God’s promises or declare His Word over your life as effectively as you. YOU have the right to do this, and no one can take it from you. We also have a higher level of authority to pray for our immediate family members - this is a part of our sphere. Where God assigns responsibility to guard, protect, or cover someone, He also gives us the authority to carry it out. Even if a family member is an adult, though I do not have authority to rule their life, but I still have a very high level of authority to pray for them. I can break strongholds over their life and appeal to heaven on their behalf, just as Paul did for the Corinthians. If they are a child I have even greater authority to pray for and impart to them. In Mark 5:22-43, a man named Jairus asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter. Jesus did so. He did not require an invitation from the daughter, nor was faith required of her. Her dad asking for her was enough. Patriarchs in the Old Testament understood this principle. They had great authority to decree blessings, even destiny, over their children - even adult children. The entire 49th chapter of Genesis gives us multiple examples of this, as Jacob blessed and decreed over his sons. In an upcoming post we will look at shared authority, as in praying for nations. Today, however, I want to encourage you regarding your God-given right to pray for yourself and your family. We are about to see many prodigals come back to the Father; you play a role in this. Your prayers for them have great authority. You can break strongholds in their lives, and free them from deception and demonic control. You cannot control the prodigal child’s will, but you can deal with strongholds that do! Let’s look at three of the above verses Paul gave us from the Living Bible: “It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 TLB) If Paul could do this for the Corinthians, you can do it for your family! Let’s pray. Pray with me: Father, we are not at the mercy of what demons and the world around us throws our way. You have given us great authority through Christ. He conquered FOR US and delegated TO US the right to lay hold of this victory. Faith, the power of Holy Spirit, authority - these things work in harmony to give us victories in life. Today we rise up in that authority and pray for those in our God-given spheres. We know that as we do so, Holy Spirit will release His power to back up this authority. We declare over ourselves that we will walk in health, victory, provision, freedom from sin, peace, and a sound mind. We bind every assignment against us and declare that we are clothed in the armor of God and protected from evil. We pray also for those You have assigned us the privilege of covering, those in our personal spheres of authority. We pray for our spouses that they too will experience Your blessing, health, well-being, prosperity - we declare over them that every promise You have made to your family is “yes” and “amen.” And we pray for our children. We decree over every prodigal that the strongholds of deception and rebellion are broken off of them. We release the power of Holy Spirit to go to them now and hover over them, releasing life and freedom. We decree that they will come to their senses just as the prodigal in Scripture did. We bind every demon that has attached itself to them, in the name of Jesus. And we decree according to your Word that all of our children are blessed by You. We cover them with protection from the many strategies of the evil one to influence and control them. We declare that they will know and serve You, that all of our family shall be saved! We pray all of these things through the authority we have in Christ. Our decree: We declare that we will exercise our God-given right to cover those in our God-given spheres. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Understanding Our Authority in Christ The body of Christ must come to a greater understanding of our authority in Christ. Only as we do so will we fully reveal Him on earth as His authorized church. All believers have the same level of authority regarding access to the Father and receiving the full benefits of Christ’s redemption. They do not all possess equal levels of representative authority. I hope to bring some understanding of this. This is a fairly in-depth teaching. Most of the time, I endeavor to write posts that can be listened to even with the distractions of driving, housework, etc., in a sense, instructional devotionals that inform and lead up to prayer. This is a deeper teaching. If at all possible, try to find a quiet time and place to listen. Some will study it; others will teach this material. To help you, I have included 29 Scripture references (though I won’t take the time to read most of them) and several Greek and Hebrew words. First of all, let’s review: REVIEW In last week’s posts, I pointed out that when it comes to spiritual control of the earth, power has never been the determining factor. God’s power is and always will be infinitely superior to all other beings. Authority, the right to control, is the issue. In Genesis 1:26-28 Yahweh stated that Adam was being given dominion here on earth. The Hebrew word adam (Strongs 120) literally means “humans” - humankind was being given dominion over the earth. Psalm 115:16 says, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; the earth He has given to the sons of men.” “Given” is the word nathan (Strongs 5414), which means “to give an assignment.” “Men” is the word adam. This verse is saying that God will take care of the heavens, but the earth He has assigned to humans. Yahweh honors His Word. He did so when Adam surrendered this authority to satan, and when recovering this lost dominion, He also honored it. The Savior, who would redeem humankind and take back their authority on earth, would have to be human, a member of the human race. God so honors His Word that to redeem us demanded the incarnation of Christ. Jesus became human. He is now and forever the Son of God and Son of Man. There is no greater love! This God-man, Christ, DID recover Adam’s lost authority. He now possesses, not only God’s authority, but regained the first Adam’s surrendered authority, as well. This is why Jesus said after the Cross, “All authority is now given to Me, both in heaven AND ON EARTH,” (Matthew 28:18-19). Christ took it all; satan lost it all. However, God is still honoring His original decision to rule and work on earth through people. Therefore, Christ needs humans here on earth through whom to release and exercise His authority. These humans are His body, the church. He provides them the authority, Holy Spirit provides the power. Authority is the right to rule or perform an activity; power is the strength or force needed to do so. Some illustrate this through a police officer. His badge is his authority; his gun is his power. Authority controls and releases power; power backs up and enforces authority. Authority is also a representation. This word literally means “to re-present” or “present again.” One to whom authority has been given represents the one who delegated it, “presenting again” their will, wishes, laws, etc. A police officer doesn’t say, “I have decided that you aren’t allowed to drive this fast.” She says, “The law [decided and declared by the city, county, or state she represents] states that you cannot drive this fast.” She represents the will and authority of another. PRINCIPLES OF AUTHORITY Let’s look at the subject of authority in a little more depth. Spiritual authority involves 1) different facets, 2) different spheres, and 3) different measures. First, let’s look at two facets of spiritual authority. They are (and you’ve already seen these words) our rights and our responsibility. Our rights involve our inheritance in Christ as His bride, His body, and His family. As such, He made us His joint-heirs (Romans 8:17). In His name or authority, every believer has an equal right to enter heaven’s throne room anytime and ask for this provision (John 14:13,14, 26; 15:16; 16:23; Hebrews 4:16). All believers have the right to ask for every blessing provided for ourselves and our families through Christ’s redemption (Ephesians 1:3). We have the right to resist the works and activities of all demons that oppose us (James 4:7), and the right to complete protection from them (1 John 5:18). We also have the right, in Christ’s name, to involve ourselves in priestly intercession, petitioning heaven for others to receive these benefits (Matthew 5:44; Ephesians 6.18; Colossians 1:9; 1 Timothy 2:1; James 5:16; and more). RESPONSIBILITY However, our authority in Christ also comes with responsibility as His Ekklesia. Many are still not aware that the word translated “church” in Matthew 16:18-19 (“I will build my church”) is ekklesia (Strong’s 1577), a word meaning a legislative, governing body. Christ was stating that His body, His family, would have the authority to represent His kingdom on the earth. This authority is pictured in the passage by “keys”. In this capacity, all believers do not possess the same level of authority. Our level is determined by our maturity (and our assignment, which we will look at in a later post). A person with representational authority derives it from the one who sent them. Just as Christ represented the Father who sent Him, we represent Christ who sent us (John 20:21). Jesus operated in the Father’s authority, we operate in Christ’s. This facet of authority involves our kingly ministries and activities, including intercession. It doesn’t involve priestly petitions offered heavenward for ourselves and others, but royal decrees issued earthward, enforcing the will of the King. With this authority, we command His Kingdom rule and will into the earth (Matthew 6:10). We are seated with Christ in His seat of authority (Ephesians 2:6), and from there, we release His authority over principalities and powers (Ephesians 3:10). This is not the church functioning simply as a bride or family, asking for their promised benefits; this is the Ekklesia, those who possess the keys to the kingdom, authority to bind and loose, representing the King and His Kingdom against the powers of darkness. This is who Christ said the gates of hell can’t prevail against (Matthew 16:18-19)! These are those who reign in life by Christ Jesus (Romans 5:17), the “more than conquerors” army (Romans 8:17)! Romans, chapter 8, contrasts these two facets of authority - rights versus responsibility. Verses 16-17 tell us, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him,” (Romans 8:16-17 NASB). This verse refers to the “rights” aspect of our authority. Holy Spirit, through Paul, uses the Greek word teknon (Strongs 5043) in referring to us as God’s “children” and, therefore, His heirs. The word describes a family member not yet fully grown and matured, nevertheless possessing the full rights and benefits of the family. In verse 14, however, Holy Spirit uses a different but very important Greek word, huios (Strongs 5207), in referring to the “sons” of God: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” A huios was a fully matured child, now ready for sonship, mature enough to run the family business. He was then given full authority to operate in the family’s name. (Don’t think of this as a gender issue, ladies. I’m part of Christ’s “bride;” you can be a “son.” In this regard, there is no male or female in Christ.) This passage in Romans 8 tells us the earth is groaning, waiting - not for God’s children - but for mature “sons,” those mature enough to be “led by the Spirit of God.” These sons of God know His Word and ways, carry His heart, and can be led by His Spirit, enabling them to re-present Christ, not just themselves. These mature believers can exercise great authority and possess great influence, even discipling nations and bringing healing to the “groaning” earth. The entire family, even the children, enjoys the rights, blessings, and benefits of being in the family. But mature sons and daughters can carry greater responsibility, re-presenting Christ’s will on earth. During the past several decades, the body of Christ has matured much in her bridal, familial, and priestly roles. We progressed greatly in increasing God’s family, fellowship with and teaching one another, and in our worship of God. We learned more about our rights and benefits as redeemed children of God. This has prepared us for a greater understanding of our responsibility as Christ’s Ekklesia. We are not as mature in this governing facet of authority; many do not understand what it means to be His Ekklesia. But this phase of restoration in the church will now go to new levels in the lives of millions of believers, resulting in much higher levels of authority. A church the gates of hell cannot prevail against will now emerge. It’s time. Pray with me: Father, awaken us to the incredible authority we have in Christ. Do for us as Paul prayed for the Ephesians - release a mighty spirit of revelation! (Ephesians 1:17) Cause us to see and desire more than just our rights and benefits as Your family members. We appreciate all Your blessings, and we honor our priestly calling. But we ask You to awaken passion in the church to represent You, to re-present Christ and His great victory. Bring millions of believers into “sonship” in this revival, a company of healers and restorers who walk in full maturity, taking Christ into all the earth. Raise up those who understand binding and loosing, and the keys of the Kingdom. Transform the church from being congregations only, to becoming congressional delegations. Use us to disciple and heal entire nations. Anoint us to turn the world upside down. For Christ and through His name we pray this. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the church in our day will walk in our rights as God’s family, and our responsibility as His Ekklesia. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Keys to Revival Ceci and I have some wonderful friends from Colorado, Pastors Jack and Terri Brown, who visited the Asbury Revival. Terri shared some of her thoughts after being there. Even though the revival in its initial form has ended, Terri’s insights and observations will help us prepare for what is coming. “On February 20th (2023), we attended the Asbury Outpouring. I have been praying, pondering, and processing it ever since, trying to understand what we experienced and what the Lord is doing during this season. The outpouring of the Lord at Asbury University began on February 8th (2023). It was attended by students from at least 200 campuses, as well as tens of thousands of visitors. “Jack and I have been praying for revival for a long time. I don’t say this to take some kind of credit, but to point out that this is something we have been longing for and even studying. Still, I don’t think I was prepared for what we experienced. “As we approached the Asbury campus, there were cars and people everywhere. No one was directing visitors where to go, so we circled the campus and found a line of people winding around, maybe a half-mile long. Our son and his family (whom we were visiting) dropped Jack and me off, then went to find a place to park. We didn’t know where to go, so we stopped and prayed, ‘Where do we go, Lord?’ I heard Him say, ‘It doesn't matter, I am here to meet with you.’ We approached a circle of about 150 people. There were young people in the middle of the group, passionately leading worship with a guitar and drum box, singing with their whole hearts unto the Lord. They would pause, another young person would read a passage of Scripture, then they would take us back into worship. They would pause again, and this time a young person would give a short exhortation, and then right back into worship. Some were weeping, some were passionately worshiping, and some were observing, but no one was ignoring what God was doing. “We eventually found seats in one of the overflow buildings, Estes Chapel, which is Asbury Seminary’s chapel and right across the street from Hughes Hall. This chapel was completely full with probably 500 people. In fact, while we were on Asbury’s campus, every overflow auditorium was full. “Here is what Jack and I saw: The worship was focused on Jesus. The worship team was focused on worshipping. Although they were leading, they made no effort to tell others how to worship. The congregational singing was passionate and unified. No one tried to raise their voice above the others. When they asked for those who had a Scripture to come read it for the Call to Worship, many young people got up and, often through tears, would read God’s Word. The leader would then declare, ‘This is the Word of God,’ and the crowd responded, ‘We believe it!’ The testimonies were faith-building demonstrations of God changing lives. I sensed people were being set free from hardness of heart, bitterness, anxiety, and fear. There was amazing hospitality and kindness. There was nothing for sale. No books, no t-shirts, no music. Even the food trucks were giving away snacks and water. No one asked for an offering, nor did I see a place to give an offering. No one was introduced by name. It truly was a nameless and faceless gathering. When people shared from the stage, it was short and concise, so as to not distract from the main focus - Jesus. The call was for radical humility, radical hunger, radical obedience, and transparency. There was no attempt to manufacture any fervor or emotion in the worship or sharing, nor did we see any suppression of fervor or emotion. We saw pure and simple devotion to Jesus. “Jack and I have been blessed to be in many services where one could sense the presence of God. When faithful people unite, humble themselves, welcome Holy Spirit and yield to Him, He is gracious to come. The way I describe it is: we pursue the Lord, and He answers. This was different. At Asbury, it felt as though He was pursuing us, and we answered. This was God’s idea. He was pursuing us: those who were hungry, those who were worn out, the resistant, the skeptical, the young, yes, but also the old. “It has become one of my core prayers that we won’t be satisfied with the fires we can create, but hunger for the fire only He can send. Only He can send the wind, the fire, and the rain! “As I was praying recently, the Lord showed me a picture of a person coming home after working very hard; they didn’t even know what time it was. As they entered their home and opened the door, they instantly smelled the fragrance of something baking in the oven, like fresh bread. Then they immediately realized how hungry they were. I think this is a picture of many today. They have been working hard, some secularly, others in the church. Though they may not have discerned it was God’s time for an outpouring, at the fragrance of Jesus, they realize how hungry they are; they realize what they need. “Many who have been touched by the Lord at Asbury didn’t even realize how hungry they were for HIM. Some who have been touched were seeking but didn’t know what they were seeking was Him. They may have tasted some stale bread or religion offered by the church, but hadn’t known their hunger was for Him. “I believe this is a first wave. God is releasing His fragrance, allowing hunger for Him to stir all over the world. We will see more. Miracles, signs, and wonders. For those of us who think we know how God will visit us, He is giving us the opportunity to repent for our judgments, and to surrender our expectations. He is giving us time to lay down our attempts to manufacture movements and yield fully to His good plans. “Many have asked me, ‘What do we need to “do” to bring this to where we are?’ It is a reasonable question. However, I sense that a better question would be, ‘What do we need to BE?’ “I sensed we need to be: Humble Repentant Surrendered Transparent Available Obedient Willing to lay down our traditions and sacred cows. Loving Kind Hungry “We came away from Asbury thinking this is what pure and simple devotion to Jesus looks like.” Pray with me: Father, thank You for what You have begun on campuses and other settings in our nation. Your passion to redeem and heal is obvious as we watch these events. It is equally clear that there is a deep hunger in the hearts of many for You; others do not yet realize it’s You they are hungry for. Show them. Let them smell the bread. Prepare the hearts of Your people for what is coming. Prepare us to serve, to be ready for the inconvenience of revival. Challenge and help us to lay down our preconceived ideas of what we think revival will look like. Deal with any religiosity or pride that could stand in the way of what You want to do. The Pharisees of Christ’s day looked in Your eyes, listened to You speak, and watched You work, yet did not recognize You. Our prejudices and preconceived ideas can blind us. Please do a work in us that keeps this from happening. Help us to soften our wineskins, making them flexible and ready for new wine. Remind us that no one or group has a monopoly on truth. We are all learning and transforming spiritually. Show us what needs to change, even if it was shaped by something You did in the past. We humbly and confidently ask You for these things, in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that Holy Spirit is releasing His fragrance, drawing us unto Himself, and we are hungry! Pastors Jack and Terri Brown pastor The Table Church in Colorado Springs, CO. The Table Church does not have a website, but it does have a Facebook page. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070146675684&mibextid=LQQJ4d Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Turning Point We are grateful for all of the anointings of Christ and gifts of the Spirit. Each has an important part to play in a functioning and growing body of people. Today, I will be sharing a prophetic word that came through a dream given to our friend in ministry, Gina Gholston. (Next week, I’ll be moving back into teaching on Authority.) Gina is a prolific dreamer whom God uses to share prophetic words and teachings with the body of Christ. This particular dream is especially meaningful, as it is about America, and our hope for America’s restoration. Gina shares: “On March 12, 2013, I received the first of many dreams regarding God’s strategy and plans for the body of Christ and for America. “In this dream, I saw myself standing on a beach where an urgent scene was unfolding in front of me. The setting changed, and I realized I was standing on a stage in front of a very large group of people. All of a sudden, the beach scene began being shown on a movie screen above my head, giving everyone in the room a full view of what I was seeing: a gigantic, beached whale. Written across its back were the words, ‘The United States of America.’ Suddenly, God gave me the interpretation of the vision, and I began urgently declaring, ‘We have to turn this thing! We have to turn it quickly, or it will die! It’s not dead yet, but we must turn it quickly!’ “As the dream continued, we saw hundreds, if not thousands, of people on the beach who were frantically trying to help. I knew, however, they were only going to do more damage than good because there was no order. Some people then stepped forward and began helping get everyone into position. All were then able to work together effectively, and the whale was turned back into the water. “As I reflected on this vision playing out on the movie screen, I heard myself announce, ‘Everyone must get in place. Some will know how to lead us. We must all be willing to listen and then get into position so we can easily turn this thing back to where it can live.’ “It was then that I realized all of the people in the room, as well as those on the beach, were a representation of the Church in America. I began to declare, ‘We must be assembled properly. We can turn this nation! We can turn it, but we must be rightly positioned.’ “End of dream. “The beached whale in this dream obviously represented America. For a whale, water is essential for life; it cannot survive without it! In Scripture, water is symbolic of the Word and the Spirit of God. The life source for America is God and the principles of His Word upon which she was founded. As the whale could not survive without water, America cannot survive as the nation God intended her to be without Him. “In 2013, God used this dream to show others and me that a time of urgency was coming, that America was veering away from Him, her life source. The days ahead were going to be a life-or-death situation for our nation. For a while, it would even seem that the purposes of God for America had been lost, and the death of this great nation was inevitable. However, He was showing us that there was a way to save it! Just as the people in the dream worked together to turn the beached whale back to the water, the Church would be used by the Lord to turn America back in the right direction. But God was giving us a warning. Though the Church was present, we were not prepared, for the tasks ahead. “I felt this dream was not a ‘wake-up call’ to America, but instead, was an urgent call to us - His people, the Church. It was a call to action! We were entering a new era, a time of major transition that would put a demand on the church. The Lord would begin to assemble and position us to be rightly aligned and able to function as His Ekklesia. We would need to know and operate in our true identity. “As members of Christ’s body, we each have a part in God’s plan. In the dream, people stepped up to give instructions regarding how to work together to get the beached whale back to its life source. Likewise, several years ago, when the Lord called the Ekklesia to get focused and rightly positioned, there was a response that launched a devoted remnant into a time of urgent preparation. I believe we have now emerged from that time of preparation and have become a people through whom the Lord can work. This is how we will turn this seemingly dying nation back to God! “The following is a portion of a word the Lord spoke to me several years ago that I feel is timely for now: The wind is blowing! Hear it in the spirit and know that I will blow My breath into this nation—Resurrection and Pentecost all rolled up into one unprecedented move of My Spirit. It will be an undeniable, gushing blast of My glory and My presence. This is a turning point. Stay in tune with My Spirit. Stand still in My presence and I will fill you afresh with My wind, My Holy Spirit. I will release you as My ‘whirlwind’ into this nation, bringing My life to what has seemed dead. I am now releasing My whirlwind, and I will blaze a clear trail through this nation that will cause the hearts of many to return to Me. Align properly with my plan. I have a remnant, an Ekklesia, assisted by My angels, who will carry My anointing - clothed in the wind of My Spirit - and through them, I will turn this nation and set it back on course. “The stage is now set. God’s desire for the Ekklesia to be used in helping to heal and restore America’s destiny is being revealed. The Body of Christ has been positioned and assembled, and through us, God will fulfill His intentions. This is the turning point, and America will live!” Pray with me: Father, if we evaluate the happenings in our nation through our own eyes, we will surely conclude that Your desired destiny for America has been lost. However, we agree with You that Your verdict has been rendered and declared. “America shall be saved,” and nothing and no one can stop what You have already set into motion! You are NOT late, and we are NOT without hope! You intend to reveal the fullness of Your purposes. As the Body of Christ, we are equipped with Your power to turn this nation back to You, its life Source! It is time, and we position ourselves to receive from You the refreshing wind of Your Spirit that will now catapult us as Your whirlwinds. You are sending us to release Your words, Your wisdom, and Your power that will awaken this nation and the nations of the earth! America may have been shaken, but she will not die; she shall be saved. In the name and authority of Jesus, we pray, amen! Our decree: We decree that the prophetic destiny of America is being revealed. This is the turning point, and America will live! Portions of this post were taken from Gina Gholston’s book, Awakening the Church to Awaken a Nation. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.org Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Get Ready! I am not finished teaching on the subject of authority in these daily posts, but want to deviate from it somewhat today. There is much more to share regarding this subject. By the way, thank you for all of the positive feedback I have received regarding the posts. Today, however, I want to talk with you about preparing for the coming revival. God does not pour out His life and blessings when He “finally chooses or decides to.” As the eternal God who sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), He does not have to “finally decide” whether or not He wants to do something. His works and ways are predicated on principles and truth, not His mood or emotions. Where revival is concerned, God must do so when hearts are hungry and ready to receive Him. Therefore, He uses the desperation and needs of people to create this hunger, and uses the prayers of His people in this process. He also prepares the hearts and understanding of His people to be able to work with Him in these outpourings of His Spirit. Obviously, these things take time. The Bible says much about times and seasons. I have often spoken about “time” on the GH15 posts because discerning the times and seasons is critical if we are to cooperate with God. We can miss an opportune time, and we can get ahead of His timing. He alone sees and understands all the parts of His overall plans, and we must discern and be led by Holy Spirit in order to successfully partner with Him (Romans 8:14). This is why the prophetic anointing of Christ is so important for the church. Let’s review for a moment. The Scriptures speak of chronos times and seasons. This is general time, a season of time (Strongs 5550). We get our English word “chronology” from this Greek word. In the life of a farmer, this would be the season of plowing, sowing, tending to the growing crop, and the many other practical aspects of producing a harvest. Kairos is a word meaning a strategic or opportune time (Strongs 2540). Again, where a farmer is concerned, this is when the harvest is ripe and must be reaped. For an investor, the kairos time is when they must pull the trigger on buying or selling. For a pregnant woman, it is birthing time. Abraham was told that he and Sarah would have a son. Most of us would expect the child to come within the next year or so. They certainly did. Instead, however, they entered into a 25-year chronos season of preparation. Then, Yahweh appeared to them again, saying it was time (Genesis 17:21) and Sarah would have a child a year from that moment. Understanding the times and seasons is important. There is also the word horaios. This is “the right time.” The now time (Strongs 5611). For the delivering mother, it’s time to push. For the farmer, the combine had better be in the field. This is the word used in Acts chapter 3 when Peter was used to heal the lame man at the gate called Beautiful. “Beautiful” is this Greek word, and does not mean pretty or attractive. It means “a right time.” It is only translated as “beautiful” in the context of circumstantial beauty. When circumstances come together in the right way at the right time, this creates a beautiful thing. In His sovereignty and foreknowledge, God had named it this to paint a picture. Then He made sure this lame beggar was positioned daily at the “right time” gate (Acts 3:2). Jesus passed by him multiple times and did not heal him. Why? He was saving this miracle for “the right time.” He wanted it to demonstrate to all of Jerusalem that Christ was truly the Messiah, and had risen from the dead. All of Israel knew of this man who sat at the gate, and the miracle performed in Christ’s name launched the early church into an entirely new season. The chronos season of Christ’s life and ministry had led to the kairos season of the Cross and Pentecost, which led to the horaios right time for this miracle and the outpouring in the book of Acts. The last word associated with time in the New Testament is pleroo, which means fullness (Strongs 4137). This is the fullness of time when a season has reached its culmination. A new one can now begin. It is becoming clearer each day that we are in a kairos season of spiritual harvest. Many horaios (right time) occurrences will take place: breakouts of revival, miracles, supernatural conversions and transformations, and more. Like Peter and Acts chapter 3, we must be prepared. Although it was time for the miracle, he (Peter) still had to hear Holy Spirit’s alert and respond in faith, seizing the moment. It would be hard to believe that the outpourings at Asbury and elsewhere, coinciding with the Jesus Revolution movie, are coincidental. Could God be telling us that the Great Awakening, which some of us have been speaking of, is about to go to another level? I feel that He is. Anyone with any discernment whatsoever knows there is no other hope for America. But we’ve been in equally low places in our nation before, and God has saved us through powerful and massive revivals. This will happen again. Since we know He uses our prayers to operate, we must continue to diligently pray. We must also prepare in other ways. As was presented in the Jesus Revolution movie, which I recommend you see, revival comes in unexpected ways and through unlikely people. And it usually gets messy. Stewarding it can be incredibly challenging. Many leaders in the church will reject it because of the baggage brought by new believers, others because it doesn’t fit their theology. I saw an Instagram clip regarding the Asbury outpouring, in which the entire post was arguing that it wasn’t yet a true revival, so shouldn’t be called one. As though the term used to refer to it is what matters most. Religious spirits will always seek to divide us and impose their theology. God is moving - rejoice! We must prepare in numerous ways, sharpening our sickles and trimming our lamps (Matthew 25:7). We must make sure they are filled with fresh oil. We should be allowing more time in our services for prayer and worship, giving Holy Spirit more opportunities to move. We should be looking for ways to work with other people and groups. It is not a time to critique; it is a time to partner in every way possible. Churches and leaders should be preparing their people to lead others to Christ. Make sure they know how to do this. Create entry points in the life of your congregation for unbelievers to enter. Begin discussions with your leaders on how you will handle challenging and delicate situations. How will you treat the same-sex couple, the prostitute, the drug dealer, the smelly homeless person, the gang member, etc., who enter your congregation looking for hope? How will you protect the innocent and the children, discerning the predators, without rejecting the true seekers? How will you feed and clothe the poor? Revival can and will be challenging. We must prepare. Watch the Jesus Revolution movie (it’s currently in the theaters). It tells the story of one part of the Jesus People revival of the 60s and 70s, the Calvary Chapel movement under Chuck Smith and others. The overall Jesus People outpouring occurred in thousands of churches all across the nation with millions of young people coming to Christ. Yet, the movie gives us a good picture of some of the challenges we will face. Watch it. Allow Holy Spirit to dream through you of this happening again. And allow Him to prepare your hearts. Pray with me: Father, we are confident in Your wisdom and understanding. Your ways are always right. You are never having to react to satan‘s or man’s actions, hoping You are making the right decisions. You have been planning and preparing for another great season of harvest around the world, and You have been preparing Your people as instruments of this revival. We recognize the times and seasons. We can discern with our spiritual eyes that the harvest is ripe. As Your harvesters, we know we must prepare. Help us to do so, Holy Spirit. Sharpen our sickles. Fill our lamps. Fine-tune us to Your gifts and voice. Give us Your ideas and instructions on how to prepare. Awaken the watchmen to sound the alarm even more. Awaken Your leaders to the fact that we cannot conduct business as usual in this hour. And regarding this harvest, we call it in with Spirit-led decrees. We decree that it will not be lost or stolen. We prophesy to the wind of Your Spirit, just as You instructed Ezekiel to do, “Blow wind of heaven, blow!” We decree that every strategy and plan of hell to stop this will fail. We decree that the veil of darkness covering the hearts of entire people-groups and nations will be lifted in this season. We decree that America shall be saved, and light will come to the nations of the world. And we pray and declare these things in Christ’s name. Our decree: We decree: it IS time for worldwide harvest, and the reapers are ready! Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Re-presenting Jesus In yesterday’s post, I spoke of representing Christ. A representative derives their authority from the person or entity they represent. The word means “to re-present” or “present again.” A representative “presents again” the will and desires of the one who authorized them, speaking and acting on their behalf. In legal terms, this would be similar to a “power of attorney.” This is the arrangement Christ has established with the church. We have personal authority to implement our will and desires, of course, but in order to operate in Christ’s authority - in His name - we must be implementing His Word and will. As we do so, His authority and the power of Holy Spirit back up our efforts. In 1977, while praying late one night about an upcoming missions outreach to Guatemala, I heard the Lord say, On this trip, represent Jesus to the people. I really did not fully understand spiritual authority at the time and questioned what this statement might mean. In response, I heard the words, Be His voice, be His hands, be His feet. Do what you know He would do if He were there in the flesh. Represent Him. Suddenly, I understood. I was not going to the jungles of Guatemala to represent myself or primarily the ministry with which I was going. In the same way that Jesus had represented His Father, speaking His words and doing His works, I was to represent Jesus. And if I truly believed I was His ambassador, then I could believe it was not my authority or ability that was in operation, but His. I would be re-presenting Him and what He had already accomplished at Calvary. Arriving in Guatemala, I traveled with the team to a remote village, far from any modern city. There were no vehicles, no electrical power, plumbing, phones - no modern conveniences. Our purpose in being there was to build primitive shelters for the villagers whose adobe homes had been destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1976. The quake had killed 30,000 people and left 1 million homeless! We trucked in materials and during the day, built small, one-room “homes” for them. At night we powered up our generator to run a small sound system and held services in the center of the village, preaching the gospel of Jesus. The entire village would attend. We explained that His love was what had motivated us to spend our time, money, and energy to help them. After doing this for a week, no one had come to Christ. The people listened intently, but did not respond by receiving Him. I was 23 years old at the time and was not the team leader, but I was asked to preach on the final night. Just as the service was about to begin, a team member told me about a scenario he and others had come across on the far side of the village. A six or seven-year-old girl was tied to a tree in her backyard, where she lived like a dog, filthy and alone. When asked why this was happening, the parents replied, “She is insane. We cannot control her. If we release her, she wanders off into the mountains, sometimes hurts others, and is completely unmanageable. There is nothing else we can do for her, so we just tie her up.” My heart broke as the team member shared what he had seen. It was heavy on my mind as we began the service. After a few songs, I began my message. A few minutes into it, while standing on a folding table underneath the stars, the same voice that had spoken to me under the stars prior to the trip began speaking to me again. Tell them you are going to pray for the insane little girl tied to the tree on the other side of the village. Tell them you are going to do so in the name of this Jesus the team has been preaching about. Tell them that through His victory at the Cross and the authority of His name, you are going to break the evil powers controlling her. And that when she is free and normal, they will know that what you are preaching is true. They’ll believe that the Jesus you are presenting is who you say He is. This conversation was taking place in my mind while I was trying to speak - through an interpreter, no less. I responded to the voice with fear and trembling, screaming internally: What did you say???? Same instructions. Being the man of faith that I was, I replied to Holy Spirit, What is Plan B? Disobedience and failure was the response. But then I heard that still, small voice again, Remember what I said to you before the outreach began? Represent Jesus. Do what He would do if He were here. Be His hands, feet, and voice. Faith began to arise in my heart. The responsibility to accomplish this miracle is not on me, I thought, but on the One who sent me, the One whom I represent. I am merely His spokesman. I simply release what He has already accomplished. He has finished the redemptive work of delivering this little girl; my prayers release His work. I’m a distributor of what Christ has already produced. Be bold! Enforce Christ’s victory! With new assurance, I informed the people of what I was planning to do. They nodded in recognition when I mentioned the little girl. Expressions of intrigue turned to astonishment as they listened to my plans. Then I pointed across the village and prayed a simple prayer. On a moonlit night in a tiny, remote village in Guatemala, with a handful of people as my audience, my life changed. Jesus came out of the past; He became alive, relevant, sufficient, and available, emerging from the cobwebs of theology. A “yesterday” Jesus became a “today and forever” Jesus. A Galilee Jesus became a Guatemala Jesus. I finally understood God‘s plan. We, the church, re-presenting Jesus. I understood the heavenly pattern: Jesus is the Victor; we are the enforcers. He’s the Redeemer; we are the releasers. Christ is the Head; we are His body. He set the little girl free. The whole village turned to Christ. Jesus received all the glory. (I can assure you that no one in the village knows my name, and it doesn’t matter. They know His.) There are many wounded and bound individuals tied to trees around the world. You work with some, others live across the street, another might sleep under your roof. One of them may have just served you in a checkout line, seated you in a restaurant, or served you food. Their chains are alcohol, drugs, abuse, broken dreams, rejection, fatherlessness, sexual perversion, gender confusion, love of money, a false religion - you get the point. God wants all of them loosed. Plan A is for ordinary people like you and me to wholeheartedly believe in the victory of Calvary, and rise up in our role as Christ’s authorized representatives. Plan B is to leave the tormented in their torment - to scream with our silence “There is no hope;” to hear the Father say, once again, “I looked for someone to stand in the gap, but found no one;” to hear the cry of the Lord of the harvest, “The laborers, where are the laborers?” (Ezekiel 22:30; Matthew 9:37-38) You have His authority - now use it. Pray with me: Father, when Jesus said, “Go…in My name,” hell must have trembled. Satan no doubt knew what that meant. Christ was multiplying Himself. Not only did You have Your family back, but they would now be Your ambassadors on earth, just as You intended in the beginning. Awaken the church to this reality. Show her that she is more than a bride, a family; she is Your Ekklesia, Your government, on earth. We are not powerless. We are not at the mercy of satan‘s activities. We are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are called to set captives free, liberating them through the power released when we preach the gospel and pray in Christ’s name. Father, we know our prayers are powerful. Holy Spirit responds to the name of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. When we decree the King’s will, in His name, all of heaven comes to attention on our behalf. Angels respond. Holy Spirit responds. And the powers of darkness submit to this. So, in His name, we decree revival in America and around the world. We decree the breaking of demonic strongholds over people and nations through the power of God. And we decree, with great confidence, America shall be saved! Our decree: We decree that we will represent Christ, being His hands, His feet, and His voice. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer and published by Baker House. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Turning the World Upside Down One of the primary keys to the success of the church is understanding authority. More discussion is given to power than to authority in the church, but spiritual power does us no good if we do not understand authority. To be sure, they are twins, working together. However, the proper order is that we operate in Christ’s authority, which releases Holy Spirit’s power. In yesterday’s post, I said that satan did not gain literal power, strength, or abilities at the Fall, nor did he lose his power at the Cross. He gained authority at the Fall and lost it at the Cross. Where satan and his control on earth is concerned, power has never been the issue. The issue has always been authority - does he have the right to use his power and abilities? That satan has power, though it is limited, has always been evident. Throughout history, he has been able to perform supernatural acts (Exodus 7:11-12), place diseases on people (Luke 13:11), empower individuals to do superhuman feats (Luke 8:29), etc. Even after his defeat at the Cross, satan is still able to place diseases on people, control individuals, and operate in regions through demons. Anyone who has ever ministered in places where satanic worship, voodoo, or occult practices are rampant has seen supernatural manifestations of demonic power, such as levitation, superhuman strength, etc. Clearly, the devil still has power, strength, and abilities. This does nothing to diminish Christ’s defeat of satan at the Cross. It WAS complete. When people, as individuals or corporately (regions), come under Christ’s rule, the evil one no longer has the legal right spiritually to use his limited power on them. The issue is always authority. That this is the issue can be seen by a statement the Lord made immediately after the Fall. Yahweh told satan that Jesus (“the seed of the woman”) would crush his head (Genesis 3:15). The word “head” is rosh, which means not only a physical head but also “headship, the first in rank or authority.” (7218) The Lord was using the word figuratively, as He often does throughout Scripture, to indicate authority, dominion or “headship”. Humankind had been given headship - dominion, authority, rule - over the Earth (Genesis 1:26-28), yet satan had succeeded in acquiring it. God was acknowledging this but telling the devil that Jesus would crush his newly acquired headship or authority over the earth and that Christ, the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), would take back this headship. How this would occur was a mystery, of course. No one realized how it would happen until Jesus became a human and went to the Cross. Luke 10:19 also delineates very clearly the difference between power and authority: “Behold, I have given you authority (exousia) [Strongs 1849] to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (dunamis) [Strongs 1411] of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.” Christ was telling His disciples that He was giving them authority over satan‘s power. This important difference between authority and power - and the fact that authority was the issue - is why Jesus announced in Matthew 28:18 that all authority (exousia) had been given to Him in heaven AND ON EARTH. He was declaring, “I have regained Adam’s lost authority on earth. I’m the new “Head” (Ephesians 1:22). Now you go and exercise that authority in My name, teaching what I have commanded you and discipling nations.” Of course, as Almighty God, the Lord, the Most High God, the Creator of Earth, Christ already held personal authority over the earth, even before the Cross. At Calvary, He was taking back for humankind what WE had lost through Adam. Christ wanted His earthly family to rule earth with Him, and for Him, so He came as one of us, a human, an Adam, to represent us, redeem us, and regain our lost authority. He crushed satan’s headship, rescuing us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Then He restored authority to us through His name. The degree to which this rule and authority of Christ operates is determined by how well the Ekklesia understands and exercises it. He is waiting for us to represent Him. The word represent means “to present again.”(1) Representing someone means their will has been presented to a representative, who then “presents again” that will to others. As ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom, we represent Him. If the entire church understood and operated in the authority of Christ, the world would be a different place. The early church in Acts was accused of turning their world upside down (Acts 17:6). The body of Christ multiplied exponentially, moved in His gifts, preached with authority, healed the sick, cast out demons, and transformed lives. As I have stated many times, we do not impose Christ’s dominion on people through physical force or natural government; we exercise it against the invisible forces of darkness. Where people are concerned, we love them and declare God’s truth, which includes the gospel. This releases authority. Holy Spirit backs all of this with His power, producing salvation and transformation. Release Christ’s victory with authority in every arena of your life. Do so for yourself, your children and family, your finances, your health, your city and nation. Jesus promised that the gates or government of hell would not prevail against you (Matthew 16:18-19). Do not lose the battle through ignorance or default! Pray with me: Father, thank You for sending Christ to redeem us and restore what satan had gained. Jesus is now our head, and we submit to Him - no king but Jesus. He is Lord, Master, Supreme Ruler, Redeemer, and Judge over all the earth. And You have instructed us to minister in His name. We do so now by binding every work of darkness in our lives and our families. We declare over our children that they WILL be saved. We break every stronghold, every addiction, all deception, remove the spiritual veil that blinds them (2 Corinthians 4:3-4), and release to them the power of Holy Spirit. As parents, we have authority in their lives, and we exercise it NOW! And You have given us authority to pray for our government and nation. We do so, just as You instructed us (1 Timothy 2:1-7). We bind the demonic powers that have infiltrated our nation, declaring that their hold is broken, and their influence is being abated. As this occurs, we ask for Holy Spirit to continue releasing His breath, power, and a great awakening into our nation. This will occur! It will not be stopped! We also ask for this to take place in other nations. We continue to ask for and declare that the greatest outpouring of Holy Spirit in history is beginning and will continue. The Head of the church and ruler over the Earth has decreed this, angels are at work to aid in it, and His body is in agreement. His kingdom will expand, nations will be saved and transformed, and a billion soul harvest will occur. This will NOT be stopped! Our decree: We decree that Jesus owns the earth, has all authority here, and has delegated it to His church. We will exercise this authority. Portions of today’s teaching can be found in my book Authority in Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________ The Consolidated Webster Encyclopedia Dictionary (Chicago: Consolidated Book Publishers, 1954), p. 615.

Does Satan Have Power? (True story) I don’t remember her real name, but it doesn’t matter because I just called her “Idiot.” She was stubborn, stupid, and strong. To this day, I can’t forgive her. Don’t judge me too severely—she was a horse. I don’t have anyone else to blame for this weeklong test of self-control—which you can already tell I passed with flying colors. The delusional idea of renting the horses for that year’s elk hunt was mine. Yes, I said “renting.” I paid $300 for my misguided, romantic decision to relive the Old West on our annual attempt to “feed the family.” I had probably just watched City Slickers or some great movie about taming the frontier. Anyway, back to Idiot. “Do you have enough experience with horses to handle them?” the man asked when dropping off the animals. “Sure,” I replied confidently. “All I need is for you to show me how to tie that fancy little knot with those straps that hold the saddle on. It’s been awhile.” He gave a big smile, chuckled, showed me how, and was on his way. What a friendly guy, I thought. The next morning we had our early coffee, dressed in our warmest clothes—it was very cold—took thirty minutes to tie the fancy knot on the saddle strap, and we were off for the mountaintop. Idiot behaved on the way up. But everything changed when we returned to the horses after several hours of hunting. With my knowledge of horses, I had known we couldn’t shoot from their backs; they weren’t used to it and would have reacted violently. So we tied them to some bushes and wandered off to hunt. I don’t think horses like being tied to bushes for several hours on the side of a hill with nothing to eat or drink. Because when we came back to ride them down the hill, they were really mad. Idiot wouldn’t stand still so I could load my gear. We were on such a steep slope that when standing on the downhill side, it was hard to reach up and over her back to tie things on. And she kept moving up close to the bush, keeping it on her uphill side. Oh, she knew what she was doing, all right. As I said, Idiot wouldn’t stand still. To make matters worse, I untied her before mounting up because the reins were so long I couldn’t have reached far enough to untie them from up on her back. Then things went from bad to worse. From the downhill side and with all my hunting clothes hindering my mobility, I couldn’t hike my leg high enough to reach the stirrup—I couldn’t get on my horse. And Idiot was ready to go! I was fighting her, trying to still hold her long enough to mount up, when finally my brother, Tim, after several minutes of dancing with his horse, succeeded in climbing on. (For a few minutes, we had looked like Laurel and Hardy—or rodeo square dancers.) When Tim finally made it on, his horse decided she’d had enough and took off for camp. And Idiot was not about to be left behind! So there I was, hanging on to the side of a moving Idiot, trying to climb aboard from the downhill side of a mountain. I had one hand on the pommel, the other holding the reins, one foot hopping off the ground, the other reaching for the stirrup. “Stop your horse!” I yelled to Tim. “I can’t get mine to stop with yours trotting.” “She won’t stop!” Tim yelled back. “You’re on your own.” So Idiot and I did the “mountainside do-si-do” for a couple of hundred yards until we finally reached a level-enough grade for me to jump on. It’s a good thing I’m as athletic as I am. In fact, if not for my amazing combination of intelligence and athleticism, I don’t think I would have survived the ordeal. When we finally caught up with Tim, he looked at me and said, “What an idiot.” “She sure is,” I said. He mumbled something that sounded like “not the horse.” The horses were moving so fast I couldn’t hear him clearly, so I just agreed. We never could get them to walk—they ran all the way down the mountain. It was a humorous sight when we came crashing into camp. And I do mean crashing. Guys started diving out of the way as equipment flew everywhere. “You idiot!” one of them shouted. “I know!” I yelled back. Nonetheless, I had the last word where Idiot was concerned. I made her stay in camp the rest of the week—wouldn’t let her go hunting with me. Tim did the same with Idiot’s sister. Each time we fed and watered them, Tim gave me a disgusted look and said, “Idiot.” “I know,” was always my quick response. “She sure is.” He later gave me a T-shirt with the word “Idiot” on the front in big letters. “Why would I want a shirt with that horse’s name on it?” I asked him. He just rolled his eyes. POWER AND AUTHORITY Most believers don’t understand the important difference between power and authority. Horses have much more power than humans, but one who knows horses well can exercise authority over that power. Other hunters in our camp, possessing a knowledge of horses, rode theirs all week. Though many dictionaries and lexicons include “power” in their definitions of authority, strictly speaking, authority and power are not the same. Power is the “strength or force” necessary to rule or accomplish a task; authority is the “right” to do so. They are governmental twins and should operate in tandem: authority without the power to enforce it is meaningless, fruitless; power implemented without authority—the “right” to use that power—is usurpation and is morally wrong. Where God and satan are concerned, the issue has never been power, including control on the earth. God is omnipotent, all-powerful. When satan tried to effect a coup in heaven, a flash of lightning was seen and satan was gone (see Luke 10:18). No battle, no time delay, no sweat or exertion on God’s part—just a release of His power and glory. So, again, where the struggle between darkness and light is concerned, who holds the greater power is never the question. The only question is: who has the right - the authority - to determine the outcome in the situation? It is always and only an issue of authority. Regarding the earth, humans (through Adam) were given authority here. (Genesis 1:26-28). Adam’s free will enabled him to forfeit this authority to satan through his rebellion at the Fall (Genesis 3). The devil then had the right (authority) to use his power and influence on earth. Satan didn’t gain any power or strength at the Fall; his power level and abilities didn’t change. His authority, the right to use that power, did change. And - hang on, this will surprise some of you - satan didn’t lose any of his power at the Cross. His level of power didn’t change at either the Fall or the Cross; his authority, or the right to use that power, did. (One day he will be cast into the lake of fire. At that point, his power will be dealt with [Revelation 20:10]) Scripture nowhere says that Christ delivered us from satan’s power at Calvary. He stripped satan of his authority - the right to use his power on/against us. The King James Version uses the Greek words dunamis (power) [Strongs 1411] and exousia (authority) [Strongs 1849] interchangeably, which is unfortunate and creates confusion. Colossians 1:13, for example, translates exousia as power: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” The verse should read that Christ has delivered us from the “authority” of darkness, as most other translations actually do. Likewise, in Matthew 28:18, Jesus didn’t actually say He had now been given “all power in heaven and in the earth,” as the KJV renders it. He already had all power - everywhere! - and He still maintained all authority in heaven. Christ used the word exousia, stating that He now had all authority in heaven AND ON EARTH. He was declaring that He had taken back Adam’s - and therefore our - lost authority over the earth. And just as He had done in Genesis, He delegated His authority to us. This is why we pray in His name. We will look at this further, tomorrow. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the great salvation we have in Christ. Thank You for restoring to us what was lost at the Fall. You stripped satan of his right to rule over us. Give us greater revelation of all that this means. The Church has failed so radically to understand our full redemption. Awaken and enlighten us. We use the authority of Christ’s name today to pray for our families. We bind any and all satanic influence in our lives, the lives of our children, our homes, and our businesses. We break the stronghold of deception and spiritual blindness over ourselves and our children. We break deception over our prodigals and release the light of truth to penetrate their hearts. We declare our freedom from sin. We use our authority to pray for our nation. We bind the powers of darkness from taking over America. We bind spirits of deception, communism, violence, lying, murder, and death. We release Your Kingdom authority to break through in the heavens and rain revival on America. Send Your fire to our churches, revival to our schools, and cleansing to our government. Heal our land. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that satan has no authority over our lives, homes, and families.We are free indeed. Today’s post is taken from my book Authority in Prayer, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video.