CHRISTIANS AT WAR

By Mauro Pinheiro

God is calling the church to change people's lives, to change nations, to change the world. The church is the only one commissioned by God to do it, as we read in Mark 16:15-18, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

The focus here is not on breaking down denominational barriers, or bridging doctrinal understanding, but on opening the doors of the churches to the outside world. The days are coming, when "doctrinal barriers" will be overtaken by "servitude", and "servitude" will eventually break down denominational barriers. God is after "servants"; He is after people who as servants have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. God's vision is for the church to serve the world. Jesus' ministry was one of servitude. He came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). He asked His followers to do the same (Mark 10:43-44; Luke 22:24-27; John 13:12-17). Every Christian is called to serve, to be a minister of Christ. "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God" (1Cor. 4:1).

Jesus asked us to take the gospel to the whole world, starting at our own community (our Jerusalem), then to our cities (Judea), country (Samaria), and to the world (Acts 1:8). Your church cannot do it alone. You are going to need help, God's help. All churches are going to need God's help if the gospel is going to be taken to the whole world. Let's face it, this task cannot be accomplished without God and your involvement.

It is my intention with this writing to call your attention to the reasons why churches must come under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, if His Church is to fulfill the Great Commission. The focus here will be on the authority and power given to the church by our Lord Jesus Christ. I tend to agree with many voices today that are saying, that with the size of the church today and with the available technology, the gospel can be preached to the whole world in the next 20 years. But, I see two major obstacles to have this commission fulfilled: first; the churches lack unity, and second; many churches lack the authority and power to accomplish it. Both obstacles can only be overcome with God's help. When this unity, and authority and power is understood, there will be greater reverence, greater love, richer worship, praise and adoration for our Lord. Also, there will be greater authority and power, greater determination, greater passion for the lost, more love, compassion, and mercy for the people of God. The people of God will respond with intensified prayer, repentance, forgiveness, and holiness. This will result in a response from heaven, which has never been seen or heard of in the history of the world. This response will be in the form of a worldwide spiritual revival that will result in the greatest harvest of souls ever. I know that God is willing to do His part, are we willing to do ours?

We have the same purpose as Israel did, to be one nation, one people, to declare the praises to God, to give testimony of His greatness, kindness, mercy, love, and holiness to all people. God is counting on your church to do it. But a word of caution, Psalm 127 tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. The Father's house is a house that only the Lord can build. We cannot build it without Him, He has called us to be His helpers, His builders, and His partners (2 Sam. 7:5, 11; Heb. 3:4). Jesus prayed for the Father's house to be one (John 17:20-23), there is nothing wrong with having a house with many rooms (John 14:2). God wants all of us to be on the same team. A divided team cannot win, or a divided house cannot stand (Matt. 12:25).

Church unity must start at our own communities (our Jerusalem), then at our cities (Judea), country (Samaria), and through out the world.

BIBLICAL AUTHORITY AND POWER

The Bible makes it clear that God is the true source of authority and power. In 1 Chr. 29:11-12 we read: "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all." There is no authority except from God (John 19:11; Rom.13:1). See also Ps.145:6, 11; Dan. 4:17; Matt. 22:29; Acts 1:7.

The concept of authority and power is embedded in the "Image of God". When God created Adam and Eve in His image, he gave them dominion over all things on earth (Gen. 1:26-28). The word "dominion" means authority. Authority is inherently human because of God's image and nature. Human beings have a very special place in God's creation. They are created in God's image, and only a little lower than God himself (Ps. 8:5), with authority over all creation (Ps. 8:6-8). Human beings are the only beings capable of creating other human beings in God's image (Gen. 1:28). Human beings are the only beings that can be united in Jesus Christ (John 17:11; 20-23). The authority given by God to human beings was lost when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The fellowship they had with God was broken, and the authority was transferred to Satan (Luke 4:6). By loosing their authority over this world, they also lost their authority over the spirit world, giving Satan authority to enslave human beings and rule over this world (John 8:34,44; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 1 John 5:19). Jesus won the authority back for human beings by becoming a human being himself. He came to challenge and destroy Satan's authority over this world (1 John 3:8). He came to reconcile us to God, and to restore our place and authority in the spiritual realm. His work is called redemption.

Since we are dealing with authority and power, I shall define these words, keeping in mind that there is no power without authority and vice-versa.

In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, the word authority is "togeph" which according to Strong's Concordance means "might", or figuratively "authority", "power" or "strength".¹  In the Old Testament the word "togeph" is used to express "those who prevail", "Those who are stronger", "Those who have the power", and usually refers to kingship or government.

In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word authority is "exousia", which according to Strong's Concordance, means "privilege" "authority", "competency", "magistrate", "right", "power", and "strength".² In the New Testament the word "exousia" has wider application than its counterpart in the Old Testament., referring to the power of God and to judgement. The word is used to express "those who have the right", "those who give permission", and "those who are judging". Another word used in the New Testament is "dunamis", which is used to express power and ability.

The Bible is very clear on the types of authority and power that are given to angels, human beings, and evil spirits. The Bible is also very clear that God possesses all authority and power. In Rom. 13:1 we read: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

1. God possess all authority and power (1 Chr. 29:11; Luke 12:5; Acts 1:7; Rom. 9:21; Jude 25).
2. Evil spirits were given some form of authority and power (Eph. 1:21; 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:24).
3. Jesus Christ received absolute authority and power from God the Father (Matt. 28:18; Heb. 1:1-4; Rev. 12:10).
4. When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples, He gave them authority and power to go in His name, "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1-2).
5. Jesus sent out the seventy disciples (seventy-two in some Bible translations), (Luke 10:1, 17).
6. Jesus commissioned all disciples, that is, all those who believe in Him with authority and power (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:44-49).
7. Jesus promised the disciples authority and power when the Holy Spirit would come over them (Acts 1:8).

Many Christians have occasionally experienced the authority and power of God in their own lives, or witnessed healings, the blind see, demons cast out, and even miracles. We have yet to experience the fullness of the authority and power of God. As Paul said we only know in part, only see in part (1 Cor. 13:9-10,12). Our authority and power is only partial, but strong enough to do all the things that Jesus did and more. This authority given to Christians by Jesus is conditioned to love, faith, and obedience. This is what Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12); "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." (John 15:10); "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:19-20). Christians must embrace these conditions. The greater the love, faith, and obedience, the greater the manifestation of the authority and power of God.

The authority Christians posses is strengthened by their relationship of love, faith and obedience to God. When a person disobeys God, the relationship is only weakened, not broken. If not quickly restored through repentance and renewed obedience, Satan can take advantage of this weakness. Christians must remain under Jesus' authority and the authority of His name at all times.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

All those who desire to follow Jesus Christ are called into the war that is waged in the spiritual realm. This war between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan causes battles to be fought in this world, with tremendous repercussion into our daily lives. Almost all writers of the Bible have something to say about this war in the heavens. We know very little about this war, but we should be very aware of the battles that are fought right here. These battles rages in all fronts; inwardly, through pride, lust, greed, hate, fear, envy, sickness, and others, as well as outwardly, through war, social unrest, hunger, poverty, crime, and others. Anything that opposes the advancement of the Kingdom of God becomes a battleground. It is called Spiritual Warfare.

Paul wrote to Timothy to endure hardship and be a good soldier for Jesus Christ. (2 Tim. 2:3). We are not to approach this spiritual warfare with guns, bombs or rockets, but we are to approach this warfare more like an ambassador, representing the authority of Jesus Christ. He works behind the scenes to set the captives free. When you are speaking there are people who will oppose what you say and do. You are to assist these people in coming to their senses and escaping from the captivity that Satan has set up in their lives (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

In the book "Powers of Darkness", Dr Clinton E. Arnold writes: "The spiritual warfare passage, in Ephesians 6, is often viewed in individual terms; that is, each individual Christian should pray and ask God for strength to do battle. Paul actually depicted the armor in corporate terms. The whole church is involved in the process of arming. In fact, each believer is responsible for arming other believers."³

Our world is filled with demons, a vast horde of evil spirits that is hierarchically divided into principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph. 6:12; Col. 2:15). The objective of these spirits is to control and inhabit the flesh and blood of people, enslave their minds and hearts, to rule over territories, and prevent the expansion of the Kingdom of God. In Daniel 10:13, 20, the Prince of Persia and Prince of Greece are mentioned, they are considered territorial demon spirits. Satan controls the nations of this world (Eph. 2:2; 2 Thess. 2:9; 1 John 5:19; Rev. 13:3). He aims not only at the spiritual destruction of individuals, but also their physical destruction. Christians are his main targets (1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11-12,16).

Why should Christians spend time exploring the various activities of evil spirits when they should be exploring the various activities of God? I believe that if you were a soldier in an army, you would want to know as much as possible about the activities of the enemy. You would want to be prepared defensively as well as offensively to avoid surprise attacks or defeats. It would become almost impossible to understand the authority and power of God without knowing what kind of authority and power He is battling against.

Jesus understood the activities of evil spirits during his ministry, and with authority he defeated them. His death and resurrection delivered the decisive defeat to Satan, and as a result He liberated the entire human race. Jesus speaks of Satan's defeat in the following parable: "how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house." (Matt.12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21-22). The "strong man" is a reference to Satan, his "house" is his Kingdom, and his "possessions" are the people he holds captive. Jesus is the one who ties the strongman, allowing the church (His representatives) to take away all his "possessions". Satan's power is greatly weakened, but not completely eliminated. (Eph. 1:21; 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:24). For analogy, it would be like a Mafia boss that is kept in prison (tied), but still give orders to his subordinates from behind bars.

In the spiritual realm, the objective of Christian authority and power is relationship. The objective of Satan's authority and power is dominance. Until Jesus comes back again, Satan will retaliate against the church. Jesus said: "The gates of Hades (Hell) will not overcome (prevail against) it." (Matt. 16:18).

CHRISTIAN AUTHORITY AND POWER

I mentioned before that all Christians are called to join in the spiritual war, but they also need to take authority over the battles that rage in their lives, homes, churches, communities, and in the world. The Bible is their battle manual, Jesus is the Commander in Chief and the source of their strength (Habk. 3:19; Phi. 4:13). The Holy Spirit is the source of power they need to win (Acts 1:8). The Lord provides them with a supernatural armor (Eph. 6:10-18), and gives them supernatural authority and power (Mark 16:15-18).

Christian authority is a gift from God. It is not given because of personality, position, or knowledge. The Christian's authority is given to everyone in God's family. This authority should not be used as if we own it. We must faithfully manage this authority for Him (1 Corinthians 4:2). If Christians only knew how much authority and power they possess, and knew how to use them. They could cause tremendous damage to Satan's Kingdom. Christians are a threat to Satan's Kingdom, and he knows that. I believe that God is preparing the church for great spiritual confrontations. As the church is coming together to do more and more of God's work, this cause Satan to become more irritated and restless.

God has made promises to Christians, and He is always making sure that these promises are been fulfilled. In order to support His promises, God is changing time and space, established structures, human knowledge, and hearts and minds. God is setting hearts on fire for Him as His light in the world is getting brighter. Satan cannot put this fire out. Revival comes when all are drawn to Him. God wants you to accept more of His love, more of His power, and more of His presence, so that your faith will increase. You will act with greater authority and power against Satan's Kingdom.

AUTHORITY AND POWER IN LEADERSHIP

In 1 Timothy 3:2, Paul admonishes leaders that the God's standard for leaders is very high. They must give an account to God for what they do with that authority (Hebrews 13:17). Ultimately the top leader holds the top responsibility before God. "teachers will be judged with greater strictness than others" (James 3:1). Dr. Charles H. Kraft in his book, "I Give You Authority" wrote: "Authority and power granted to human beings by God, is taken very seriously by the spirit world, even if the person does not have the proper qualifications or gifting."⁴

The entire spiritual realm is governed with authority and power originated from God. Even Satan is subjected to God's authority and power.

All persons to whom responsibility is delegated, must be accountable to the leader or the main church leader, and to God. The Holy Spirit will respond to them according to the authority assigned to them by God through the church leadership. Their authority must conform to God's will. Watchman Nee, in his book "Spiritual Authority" wrote: "The measure of one's knowledge of God's will is the measure of his delegated authority. God establishes a person to be His delegated authority entirely on the basis of that person's knowledge of His will. It has nothing at all to do with having many ideas, strong opinions, or noble thoughts. Indeed such persons who are strong in themselves are greatly to be feared in the church."⁵ We exercise authority in humility. We can only exercise authority and power that comes from God. We don't own the authority and power delegated to us by Jesus. We do nothing on our own authority, only what the Father instructs us to do (John 8:28).

Leaders must be conscious of their delegated authority at all times. They must perform regular checks on their conduct, and the ways they are carrying out their duties. They should compare their activities with the way Jesus conducted himself. Many church leaders do not realize or understand the spiritual implications of delegated spiritual authority. I recommend that churches hold seminars and workshops on the subject of spiritual authority, because it not only affects leadership but the whole congregation.

Dr. Charles Kraft poses the following scenario (p. 260): In the Book of Revelation Chapter 3, verse 20, Jesus writes to the Laodiacean Church, that He finds himself outside of His own Church, knocking at the door and asking permission to enter. The question is: How did Jesus get to be outside His own church? What if He is outside your own church, what are you going to do about it?

Why don't you let Jesus Christ enter you church and take charge? Things will definitely change if you allow Him in. There are only three steps you must take as you invite Him in:

First, you should let the Lord build His house. If you build it, it will not last, but if He builds it, it will last forever. The Lord will always be the head of His Church.

Second, you must set aside your differences and work together with others, for the sake of the lost, the poor, the sick, the oppressed, and the dispossessed, as they are all children of God. Their spirits cry out for God's help. The church is where God's help comes from.

Third, you must surrender everything to the Lord.

I ask that, when you return to your church, invite Jesus to come inside. Take Jesus' hand and lead Him to the pulpit and give it to Him, saying "Lord Jesus I give this pulpit to You, I surrender the authority I have had over it. From now on You are its rightful owner". Next take Jesus to where the musical instruments are, the piano, organ, guitars, drums, whatever instruments are used for worship and give them all to Him. Then take Him to where the music director or worship leader stands and give him or her to Jesus; then go to where the choir sits or stands and give every member to Him. Go down in the sanctuary giving each seat and its occupants to Jesus. Continue on through the offices, staff members, their family members, and their homes, finally give to Him the church building. Jesus needs to have complete authority over His church. In 2 Chr. 6, Solomon dedicated the Temple to the Lord. Even though it is a lengthy dedication you may adapt portions of it.

AUTHORITY & POWER MINISTRY

How Much Authority and Power do Christians Have?

First of all, we must realize that Christians have no authority or power of their own. All of their authority and power comes from God. The apostle Paul writes about God requiring that all persons entrusted with "charge" (authority) must be trustworthy and faithful (1 Cor. 4:2). We are to treat this authority with respect and care. Since we do not own this authority, we must model ourselves after Jesus. We are not to show off or use it for our own benefit and reputation. Jesus himself refused to misuse His authority and power even when challenged (Matt. 12:38; 16:1).

Just to illustrate how much authority and power Christians have, let me quote a story from Dr. Charles Kraft's book "I Give You Authority", (page 64): "A friend told me once about an acquaintance who had been converted to Christianity out of a New Age group. While in bondage to Satan, this woman had the ability to "see" the amount of spiritual power different people carry with them, and could spot Christians "a mile off" by simply noting the amount of power they carried. Although she knew Christians wield more power than New Agers, she also knew that most Christians have no idea what to do with that power. The Christians were no threat, except the occasional one who knew how to use the power of Christ. She and her fellow New Agers tried to keep well away from such people". It is safe to assume that she met the power of Christ and became a Christian.

The most important aspect of Christian authority and power is how and when to use them. There are a lot of people hurt by the church because of misuse of authority in ministry. We are not to ever force the hand of God, or command God to do our will. We exercise our authority in humility, love and compassion, but also with determination, just like Jesus did.

The only way to keep Satan in check is God's way. We must stay close to God, learn His ways, His Word, obey His commandments, and stay at the foot of the cross. Jesus' biggest victory over Satan came at the cross (Col. 2:13-15). The cross is a safe place, to receive forgiveness, healing, deliverance, love, peace, and freedom. At the cross there is no condemnation, despair, pride, or fear. Satan will have no hold on you, if you stay at the foot of the cross.

PRAYER WITH AUTHORITY

Since the subject of prayer is very extensive, I cannot go into the details of all the different types of prayer, (petition, confession, thanksgiving, intercession, intimacy, healing and deliverance). All prayers require understanding, but some prayers require authority from the person doing the prayer. I will cover only the types of prayer that requires authority, since this is the subject that I am dealing with here.

Prayer is a powerful weapon against Satan's Kingdom, and can cause irreparable damage to his works. Prayer can bring tremendous victories for God's Kingdom, in the form of salvations, healings, deliverances, and miracles. Prayer is an act of war says Dr. Charles Kraft. Dr. Clinton Arnold in "Powers of Darkness", (p.158) writes: "When Paul spoke of prayer it was closely related to his concept of faith. He also mentioned faith for its role in engaging in spiritual warfare. Through Ephesians, Paul stressed the role of faith in appropriating the power of God. God's power is not imparted to Christians by wearing a magical amulet or even a crucifix. Neither does one gain access to it by performing a rite or by chanting certain words. God's power is given through simple trust in Him. This trust finds expression most commonly in the acts of prayer."

Without prayer there cannot be victories in spiritual warfare. Warfare prayer requires persistent prayer, and constant alertness to what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing. Prayer changes the battlefield. The battles requires "all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph. 6:18), and we must pray with authority and understanding (1 Cor. 14:15). Like Joshua in Jericho, prayer disarms the enemy and crumble fortifications. We are to pray "in the Spirit" (for some it may be in "tongues"), this means to pray in harmony with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27).

We are to pray with authority against the powers of darkness, like Jesus prayed for Peter. "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:31-32). "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Eph. 6:18).

AUTHORITY IN HEALING AND DELIVERANCE

Jesus has not called us to explain sickness and prescribed a cure for it, we have been called to heal the sick. As you have read in the previous pages, Jesus gave us authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. The lack of spiritual authority in these areas has a lot to do with immorality, disobedience, unbelief, and lack of training in the church today. You may find many ministries with adequate training, but they may lack the authority and discipline necessary for a successful healing and deliverance ministry.

Ken Blue, author of the book "Authority to heal", wrote: "Our need to participate in more of the signs of the Kingdom of God, particularly healing and deliverance, intensified as we tried to integrate new believers into our church. Many young people from our community wanted to follow Jesus but were in bondage to drugs and alcohol, Some were deeply involved in the occult. A few, both men and women, were prostitutes. No amount of counseling and community support could significantly help many of them. They needed to be spiritually, physically and emotionally healed and delivered from powerful bondage. It was then I became determined to find someone to train me in praying for the sick and demonized."⁶ Ken received the training he sought and as a result he himself received substantial physical and inner healing as a result of getting involved with healing and deliverance ministry.

Contrary to many that believe, Jesus never prayed for healing. He always used authority over the sickness or whatever the condition. For example, in Luke 4:39, He ordered the fever to leave the girl, and in Luke 5:10, He said to the leper: "Be Clean." Jesus' authority was more evident when He was involved with deliverance. Demons never questioned His authority over them. He did not engage in long conversations with them, nor lure them out with fancy promises. Demons recognize the authority Christians have, especially those Christians that know how to use their authority.

Authority in healing takes place when you are ministering to a person in need of the healing power of God. After you interview the person to find out what type of condition you are praying for, you take authority over that condition or illness. If afflicting spirits are the cause of the condition or illness, cast them out in the name of Jesus. If the condition or illness is caused by natural causes, you can order that condition to leave or the illness to be reversed. The person may need inner healing if the condition is emotional wound or physical abuse.

In Dr. Charles Kraft's "I Give you Authority" (p. 221), I found the following story, which I summarize: "A woman I will call Teri has written me about her discovery that she really does have spiritual authority. Teri was attending a seminar at a church in California for ministry leadership. They had just finished working with someone when they became war of another ministry group that seemed to be having difficulty with a demon that had manifested loudly and violently, and the group was unsure what to do next. Although Teri was headed for her lunch break and had no experience dealing with demons, she felt led to help the group. She remembered some of my teaching and she rebuked the demon, for bidding it to be violent or to cause the person to throw up. The demon responded immediately, and the people in the group thought she was an expert. Teri called on the Lord for help, and immediately felt led to ask the demon who had more authority, him or Jesus. The demon admitted that Jesus did. Then I told the demon that I came in Jesus' authority and that it had to obey me. What happened next really startled me. The demon agreed with me that I had authority over it, and it tried to convince me that I should let it stay in this man. It took me a few moments to get over the initial shock of discovering that the authority Jesus gave us is real. After a brief pause, I continued with the deliverance, commanding the demon to leave the man and go to the feet of Jesus. It disagreed three or four times, then gave up and left the man. My authority was no longer mere head knowledge and theology, she said, it became reality, that was the start for me of learning to walk in His power and authority and to do the things Jesus did".

I cannot go into the details of a study in "demonology" because of lack of space, but it is extremely important for you to know a few things about the subject. Satan and his demons recognize the authority and power that Christians have. They are deceivers and will lie, confuse, and try to outsmart you. They are most fearful of the Christian "leader". If several persons get around a person manifesting a demon and all start shouting to the demon to get out, there will be no response because the demon only sees a group of people without a "leader". The best approach is to move the person away from the crowd, allow one person to take the leadership, then gather no more than 5 people in the group for the deliverance session. While the leader is conducting the session, the other members of the group pray, and listen to what the Holy Spirit may say. If the leader gets tired, he or she can pass the lead to another person. Everything must be done in an orderly fashion on, with authority, power, determination and perseverance, in the name of Jesus. There is no need to shout, demons are not deaf, there is no need to engage in long conversations either, they lie anyway, just take authority over them and order them out in the name of Jesus.

AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD

Simple events in human life such as the dedication of a baby to the Lord, has tremendous repercussions in the spiritual realm. Words spoken over the child usually set in motion battle plans from Satan, who will try to prevent those words from coming true. Dr. Charles Kraft, (p. 270), points out that he has asked many demons, when they were cast out of a person, he was surprised that many of the demons answered that they did not come out when the person came to Christ, but during infant baptisms or dedication.

In my understanding there are three types of "spoken words", used by Christians: Prayer, Commands, and Pronouncements. We know that there is power in prayer. The type of words said in prayer is not as important as from where these words are coming from. The words must come from the heart.

Command words are usually short sentences, sometimes two or three words. "Stop it", "I order you to leave now", Get out of him", "Let go", "Be healed in the name of Jesus". Command words require determination and persistence. The choice of command words is very important, because you must mean what you say.

Pronouncement words are usually short sentences. The most common pronouncement words are blessings: "Peace be with You", "God Bless You", "God Loves You", "I Bless You", "Rest in Peace", "May God's Grace be upon You", and others. Pronouncement words may involve prophetic insight words, such as: "The Lord has healed you", "You will walk in lands where you never walked before", and "Your ministry is to teach children". I do not understand fully how these "spoken words" work, but in my experience, I have noticed changes in my feelings and senses. Sometimes receiving mental impressions or thoughts, occasional visions, and sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit through the build up of power and authority, and receiving anointing for healing, deliverance, words of knowledge, prophetic insights, or whatever the Lord wants to do.

VOWS, CURSES, AND BLESSINGS

The spirit world and the human world are inseparable. The authority given to human beings in this world carries with it spiritual authority. Christians can exercise such a tremendous spiritual authority that all powers of darkness recognize and fear it. When Christians, weak and strong alike, worship and praise God, invoke His presence through prayer, fasting, ministry, or call upon His name, causes Satan and his demons retract.

Christians should not be engaged in "vows" and "curses". A word by itself has no power, but a word can be empowered and given authority to act. By intention or invitation, words can be empowered by God or Satan. Vows and curses that are made in line with Satan's purpose get empowered by him. All authority of vows and curses can be broken by the authority that Jesus has given us. Even ancestral vows and curses can be cancelled by taking authority over all vows and curses in the father's and /or mother's ancestral line. Any power assigned to the vows and curses by Satan will cease to exist. When taking authority over vows and curses in the name of Jesus, try to be as specific as possible. I have heard persons cursing diseases or Satan. The proper way to do this is take authority over the disease and command it to "Leave" or to the part of the body to "Be healed". When dealing with the demonic, take authority and command the demons to "Stop" (whatever they are doing) and "Get out", in the name of Jesus.

Blessings on the other hand are contained in words directed to people or things. We can bless the oil, but the power is not in the oil, but in the blessing words spoken over it. The power of God flows through the oil onto the person receiving the anointed oil, or onto objects or buildings receiving the anointed oil. By blessing the oil, we simply facilitate a "path" for God's will to take place.

There are more than three hundred blessings in the Bible. The most famous model for blessings is in Jesus' Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12. The spirit world takes blessings very seriously. Demons react when a person receives a blessing from God. Somebody that takes authority to bless someone in the name of Jesus, causes all "hell to brake loose" in the person's life. "Peace be with you" was Jesus favorite blessing. Paul used three blessing words, "peace", "grace", and "mercy". Jesus blessed food regularly, as well as people he came in contact with.

BINDING AND LOOSING

In Matthew 18:18 we read the following words from Jesus. "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven".

Some Bible translations have rendered the words bind and loose differently, perhaps using synonyms:

To bind: to prohibit or forbid, to imprison, and to allow locking.

To loose: to permit or disallow, to set free, to open or unlock.

Whatever synonym is chosen, the fact is that those who are proclaiming the gospel, are in effect binding and loosing, forbidding and allowing, prohibiting and permitting, they are forgiving and not forgiving, depending on whether the listeners of the gospel accept or reject Jesus Christ. In summary they are pronouncing guilt or innocence. See the example of Peter with Amanias and Saphire in Acts 5:3-10. See also Acts 15:10 where Peter looses what certain Judaizers want to bind. See also Acts 2:14-39, 3:11-26, and 18:9-10.

Jesus said in John 20:23 "If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven". Once again Jesus is telling us that we do have authority to bind and loose, through words or action of commitment, forgiveness, blessings, vows and curses, acceptance or rejection. Anything a pastor binds or loses in his church will be bound or loosened in heaven. What a pastor allows into his church has the right to stay, and what the pastor does not allow has to go. If sin is allowed, it can bring disastrous results to the church and its leadership. In many instances pastors side with the enemy, either conscious or unconsciously. This for the most part is because of little or no knowledge in the use of the authority and power at his disposition.

We must be extremely cautious and relay on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, when using this kind of authority. We should never misuse the authority and power given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

AUTHORITY OVER DEATH AND NATURE

Many Christians are very confident of their authority and power over demonic powers. But when it comes to using their given authority and power to command illness to stop, the dead to rise, or the weather to change, their confidence level is almost nil. This lack of faith comes from the apparent lack of response to what was commanded to happen. We are to continually pray until the desired results are obtained from God, or He tells us to stop praying. There are documented reports that through prayer some Christians have successfully raised the dead and commanded the weather to change.

In closing I would like to say that today we are living the last of the last days, and the Lord Jesus is coming very soon. 2000 years ago He did not leave us orphans (John 14:18), nor did He leave us powerless. He gave us the authority and power through the Holy Spirit, to survive in this world by calling and acting upon His name until His return.

Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have being doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12). I firmly believe that the present generation will be witnesses of the greatest outpouring of the Spirit of God the world has ever known, and at such time the gospel will be preached to the whole world (Joel 2:28-30; Acts 2:16-21). They also will be witnesses of the greatest judgement ever (Joel 2:31-32; Matt. 24:4-14). Jesus said: "And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matt. 24:14).

It is my prayer that this article will challenge you to increase the use of the authority and power the Lord Jesus gave you. The relationship we have with God determines the amount of authority and power we have in ministry.

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