Stand Strong

How to Stand Strong in Steadfast Authority in Prayer by Debbie Przybylski

“Many in the church today are being held captive spiritually, not because of the enemy’s power, but because we do not clearly understand our authority and calling in Christ...  As we begin to understand the hope of His calling, we will begin to walk in an abundant life of freedom and power.” Angie Weaver  Dear intercessors, Most Christians do not exercise the tremendous authority they have in Christ. God has called us to make a difference in our nation. He can enforce His will, but He limits His dealings on earth by working through His people. He does not want us to passively stand by and watch the earth fall into decay (Psalm 8:4-6, 115:16). But if we were to evaluate the situation, isn’t this what many Christians are doing? How many of us exercise our authority? This needs to change in the coming days.    God has given us authority on earth to rule. It may not feel like it, but it’s true. He does nothing on earth unless he does it through a person. He always intended to rule the earth but through His delegated authority in mankind (Genesis 1:26). We were to carry out the government of the earth, but Adam and Eve gave it away through disobedience. You know the story. Adam transferred authority over the earth to Satan (Luke 4:4, 2 Corinthians 4:4). All of mankind was then under his dominion. God did not give Satan authority over the earth, Adam did. We needed someone to stand between us, and Satan, in order to break that dominion. Jesus was the only one who could. He came as a man completely fulfilling God’s will and became our intercessor - the one who could join us to God again and break Satan’s headship over us (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus purchased us with his blood (Revelation 5:9, 1 Timothy 2:5) and not only restored us to God, He became the way that God could again have dominion over the earth (1 Corinthians 15, Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus could now rule in the affairs of earth. He has given us authority to rule - and through prayer - we exercise this authority in Christ.   We are called to pray and seek justice on the earth on behalf of others. Not only can we break the personal strongholds in our lives through prayer, but we can impact our cities and nations. The world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Look around and you see this everywhere; drugs, pornography, murder, evil and so on. But we can make a difference. Jesus has authority in heaven and on earth, but since He is no longer on the earth, He rules through his Church. He changes things on earth through us! We must learn to exercise our authority right in the middle of Satan's territory. As we use our authority, we can actually subdue powers and principalities (Ephesians 3:10). Wow! But how can we walk in authority in the midst of personal, and sometimes unrelenting, spiritual warfare? What are some ways we can stand strong? Ways to Stand Strong in Steadfast Authority "Praise be to the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle” (Psalm 144:1). Abide in Christ - As you abide, you are able to pray the things that are on God’s heart. Be steadfast in prayer and ready for battle - Know that you are in enemy territory, and you are here to fight for God’s Kingdom in prayer. Watch for those fiery darts, hold up your shield of faith, and put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6). Stand upon the promises of God - Do not listen to the enemy. Speak God’s promises over your family, neighborhood, city, and nation.  Know and Pray God’s Word - The Bible is filled with Scripture you can pray. Declarative prayer is a key way to exercise your authority in prayer. Try praying Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3-19. Focus on God during times of warfare - The enemy will try to discourage you as to your authority. Focus on God instead of the things you see happening in the world. Remember, you have authority in Christ. Mix praise and prayer together - Worship is the atmosphere where truth dwells. There is power released in worship warfare. God is greater than all enemy attacks.  Practice fasting on a regular basis - Fasting gives you spiritual power and strength to steadfastly stand against the enemy. Let God’s peace rule in your heart - Come in the opposite spirit of the world system. An attitude of peace and joy in the midst of darkness is powerful (Colossians 3:15).     When we got new inter-net access a few years ago, a man came and installed it outside our house. While we were at church one Sunday, someone cut the wires. We were unable to communicate with anyone! We knew that it was an unreasonable next-door neighbor because he had done bad things to us in the past. In this and other difficulties, we’ve learned to walk in God’s peace and take our authority in prayer by practicing these points. Perhaps you can identify with some form of spiritual warfare where you live or work. Practice taking your authority in prayer, look to Jesus, and realize that God has called you to live in steadfast authority on earth for such a time as this. It’s time for the Church of Jesus Christ to arise and aggressively take back land stolen by the enemy. Are you and I going to let the devil control our cities when Jesus died for the entire world? The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). Let’s not forget that. This will be our finest hour if we learn to wield the weapons of warfare and stand in our God-given authority. It’s time to arise and realize the victory we have in Christ. It’s time to arise in steadfast authority in prayer.