Prophetic Decrees - The Authority of the Believer: Part 2
Posted: Sunday, November 30, 2008
by B RISTICH
I. The revelation of our authority in Christ
A. We need revelation of our spiritual authority that is based on our union with Jesus. The power and benefits that Jesus received as an "Exalted Man" are given to the rest of the Body of Christ. We need revelation of our deep connectedness with Him as our head and who we are as His body that is God's chosen vehicle to "manifest the fullness of Jesus' power" into the earthly realm.
B. We have been raised to sit with Jesus in heavenly places, thus are given positional access to God's Throne. Our prayers in union with Jesus and the Holy Spirit will reach His Throne and find approval leading to the release of power.
Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ ... (Eph. 2:6)
C. Jesus as a Man defeated Satan, and all demonic principalities at the cross and made a public spectacle of them before the audience of heaven, hell, and earth. Satan is a defeated enemy.
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (His death and resurrection) . (Col. 2:15)
D. Authority is delegated power. An example that is commonly used is that of a police officer who stops a car by the authority of the government. This is not the policeman's own physical power or authority, but is given by God alone. The person to whom it is delegated to is simply a figure or representation of God's authority.
E. We use our authority against Satan who seeks to steal, kill and destroy God's blessing in our life by fear, addictions, emotional oppression, division, sickness, financial oppression, etc..
The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10)
F. Our problems are often the result of several factors working together. They include factors that are physiological (diet, alcohol, chemical, etc.), psychological (our mind set, belief systems and life choices), sociological (what others do to us using their free will) and spiritual (demonic or ungodly).
G. When we use our authority, we remove the added pressure that demons bring to our problems, making it much easier to solve physiological, psychological, and sociological and spiritual problems. We are not to think that exercising our authority against Satan's attack will automatically cancel out the wrong life choices that we make (physiological, psychological, sociological areas), or others make. We are each responsible and accountable to God for our own thoughts and actions.
H. We are called to enforce Jesus' authority on earth as His body. Satan's attack against us will continue if we accept it instead of refuse it or challenging it with our God given authority.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (Jas 4:7)
II. how God's power is released in the earthly realm: Gen. 1 principle
A. The spiritual principle is that the Spirit moves at God's word (Gen. 1 principle). In Genesis 1, the darkness and the Spirit were there. But nothing happened until words were spoken. Then the manifestations began to unfold.
B. God taught Adam to have dominion over the earth in the same way God did, by speaking words. We are humans created in His image, and then given His Word to release His will on earth.
C. Faith does not come by asking but by "hearing" the Word of God. The way our heart "hears" the best and most is when the Word comes from our own lips out of the innermost person of our spirit. The most powerful words that affect your life are the words you speak. Your spirit is most sensitive to the very words that you speak.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom. 10:17)
D. There is an anointing of life on God's word and a spirit of death on Satan's. Our words affect our spirit. Many do not understand the power of their words. They cause either faith or fear to grow.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (Jn. 6:63)
E. Words release life or death to us, our families, etc. What we do not know can kill us. The saying that "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is not true.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21)
F. When our heart and words agree with God's will then they release His power. If our words agree with Satan's then we release his power in our life. Many have "faith" in the devil's accusing words. Jesus resisted Satan by speaking God's word (Mt. 4:4-10.) Whose word are you speaking and who is catching your words?
G. Ps. 116:10 establishes the necessary principle of speaking the Word with our mouth.
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak. (2 Cor. 4:13)
III. spiritual warfare: intercession and Prophetic decrees
A. Doors are open and shut in the spirit realm by believers on earth speaking God's Word. They can affect the heavenly realm by binding demonic activity and loosing angelic activity, etc.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Mt. 16:19)
B. God gives the responsibility for the earthly realm to people on earth. God allows us to determine some of the quality of our life according our actions and words (Rom. 5:12-21).
The heavenare the LORD's; the earth He has given to the children of men. (Ps. 115:16)
IV. Declaring the decree of the Lord
A. Eliphaz instructed Job to make his prayer to God, which included declaring things before God.
Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; you will remove iniquity far from your tents. Then you will lay your gold in the dust Yes, the Almighty will be your gold For then you will have your delight in the Almighty You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you... (Job 22:22-28)
B. God calls forth that which does not yet exist in the natural realm. It is in the invisible before it manifests.
God who calls those things which do not exist as though they did (Rom. 4:17)
C. We overcome sin (Rom. 6), fear and obstacles by the word of our testimony. Our testimony is what we testify as being the truth of what we believe about Jesus' testimony (Rev. 19:10).
They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Rev. 12:11)
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev. 19:10)
D. Jesus fights (even His own people) by the sword of His mouth or by speaking His word over them.
Repent, or I will come to fight against them with the sword of My mouth. (Rev. 2:16)
E. Jesus used both prophetic decrees and intercession (asking the Father) in Ps. 2:7-8.
I will declare the decree : The LORD has said to Me, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance" (Ps. 2:7-8)
F. Both are speaking God's word but with a different posture of heart and mindset. They have different functions. It is not always clear which one is most appropriate. We must first seek His will before speaking a prophetic decree.
G. Prophetic decrees stir up our faith to prophesy. We give expression to these impressions. We prophesy according to our measure of faith and our confidence in the Spirit's way of leading us into the manifestation of the Kingdom of God.
Let us prophesy in proportion to our faith (Rom. 12:6)
H. Prophetic decrees focus on what God wants to release "now" and stir our faith to operate in His prophetic spirit. In other words, it requires that we value the small measure of the Spirit's presence and impression in our midst now whoever it may come through.
I. As we recognize the presence of the Spirit in our midst now, we must avoid the error of lacking vision to contend for the fullness. In the same way, as we expect God's full future promises to manifest, we must avoid the error of neglecting to give expression to the Spirit's impressions. Intercession contends for the full release of what is on God's heart for the future. It is not focused on the present small impressions, but the future fullness of God's promises.
V. examples of prophetic decrees in Scripture
A. Jesus cursed the fig tree and taught us to speak to the mountains. He said the trees and mountains, dead bones, breath, and even the moon and sun would obey us.
Seeing a fig tree He said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you." The tree withered. (Mt. 21:19)
The Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." (Lk. 17:6)
Whoever says to this mountain, " be cast into the sea," and does not doubtbut believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. (Mk. 11:23)
B. Zechariah spoke to the mountain and then told Zerubbabel to shout to the capstone.
Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it (the capstone ) !" (Zech. 4:7)
C. Ezekiel spoke the word of the Lord to the bones and the wind of the Spirit.
He said to me, " Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! As I prophesied suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together He said to me, " Prophesy to the breathand say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: " Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." (Ezek. 37:4-9)
D. Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still and they obeyed him. (Josh. 10:12-13).
Joshua spoke to the LORDand he said in the sight of Israel: " Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." (Josh. 10:12)
E. Israel sang prophetically to a dry well, rather than crying out in intercession for water.
Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it." (Num. 21:17)
F. The Lord told Moses to speak to the rock, rather than interceding for water.
The LORD spoke to Moses, 8 "... speak to the rockit will yield its water." (Num. 20:7-8)
The LORD said to Moses, " Why do you cry to Me?.. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it" (Ex. 14:15-16)
G. We may make prophetic decrees to the elements of nature and to inanimate objects (wind, fig tree, mountains, etc.). We may make them over geographic regions. We should not make prophetic decrees unless the anointing of God is present (without this happening it is only man). We make them to demon spirits that dwell in people (not usually disembodied ones). We may speak to the spirit of a person to rise up as a mighty one. We make prophetic decrees to angels because they obey the word of God even from our lips (Ps. 103:20; 91:11). We may say, "We agree with Your Word, thus we declare the decree of the Lord and call forth the invisible to manifest Your Glory. We call forth the gifts of the Spirit or the spirit of prophecy or supernatural provision. We declare that You will release Your power, blessing, gifts of the Spirit or Your financial provision, etc."
H. We may boldly declare His Word, as we come to His throne of Grace to obtain all that we might need or require, to fulfill our destiny and purpose in Him. As it has been written before the foundation of the earth and all of creation.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Excellent thanks! Sound biblical truth! As God says no word of Him will return void unto Him! Shalom!
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