Prayer is Your Place of Safety (Part 4):

Exercising Spiritual Authority in Prayer

2.2.2020

Review

In this series, we are addressing the importance of prayer in 2020, and how your prayer life can become the most important part of your day.

Week 1, we saw that Jesus lived out of His prayer life, and that He spent a lot of time praying before ministry.

We talked about the importance of our praying about everything, and how prayer can prepare us for the things that are in our future.

Week 2 and 3, we talked about why we must pray.

We began discussing 10 points that explain why we must pray.

1. An angel named Lucifer (Satan) became corrupted and rebelled against God.

2. When Satan was thrown out of heaven, he fell to the earth.

3. In the first man Adam, God gave the human race a measure of His all-authority. He became God’s under-ruler on the earth.

4. This authority was transferred to Satan when Adam sinned.

5. Two things happened when Adam sinned:

6. Satan now has a legal right to rule on earth until that original lease of dominion given to Adam by God runs out.

7. Satan now has a legal right to be here. And with that legal right he is working to hinder God’s plan and purposes in the earth.

8. Though Satan has a legal authority to be here, the church now has had man’s original authority restored in Christ.

9. Christians are the only people on earth with authority over Satan and his helpers.

Today:

10. Our prayers give God permission to bring to pass His kingdom and His rule and wherever authority over Satan is exercised.

Notice again that we, members of the church of Jesus worldwide, have the same authority that Jesus has!

Ephesians 1:19-23 – NLT

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power (20) that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (21) Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. (22) God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. (23) And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Ephesians 1:19-23 – TPT

I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power (20) that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! (21) And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming! (22) And he alone is the leader and source of everything needed in the church. God has put everything beneath the authority of Jesus Christ and has given him the highest rank above all others. (23) And now we, his church, are his body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it!

 

Ephesians 2:6 – NLT

For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:1-6 – TPT

And his fullness fills you, even though you were once like corpses, dead in your sins and offenses. (2) It wasn’t that long ago that you lived in the religion, customs, and values of this world, obeying the dark ruler of the earthly realm who fills the atmosphere with his authority, and works diligently in the hearts of those who are disobedient to the truth of God. (3) The corruption that was in us from birth was expressed through the deeds and desires of our self – life. We lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts our minds dictated, living as rebellious children subject to God’s wrath like everyone else. (4) But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy. (5) Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace! (6) He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!

We do not have authority over human wills! People do bad things because of their wicked hearts. We have police officers and security guards for that.

Example – When I first moved to Tulsa to go to Rhema, I was naive and surprised that security guards were around the Rhema campus and watched over the meeting inside!

Now, unless a believer responds to the nudge of the Holy Spirit and prays, God cannot intervene in a situation where Satan is seeking to steal, kill, and destroy!

Prayer is serious stuff!

Three things will keep us from Satan’s strategies:

1. Obedience to the Word and living by faith

James 4:7

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

 

New English Bible

Stand up to the Devil and he will turn and run.

Resist:

Strongs – to oppose or withstand

 

Bullinger – set one’s self against, either in word or deed or both.

 

Elliot – The devil can fight, but cannot conquer you if you resist.

 

Wheaton – Temptation when repelled disappear, and when habitually kept at a distance, cease to exist.

 

Flee:

Thayer – flee because of inspired fear and threatened danger.

Arndt – seek safety in flight

Liddle and Scott – run off as quickly as possible

Expositor’s Greek New Testament – If you resist him, he will be vanquished and will flee from you disgraced.

 

And Ephesians 4:27:

NKJV

Nor give place to the devil.

 

God’s Word

Don’t give the devil any opportunity to work.

 

NCV

Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.

 

Weymouth

And do not leave room for the Devil.

 

Kenneth Wuest

And stop giving an occasion for acting [opportunity] to the devil.

Satan does two things. He puts a thought in your mind and a feeling in your emotions and your body. And we decide whether or not we yield to the thoughts and feelings, or resist them by faith in God’s Word.

1 Peter 5:8-9 – NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (9) Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Remember that lions are sneaky!

Example:

1. No job, just moved to Tulsa. 21 years old. Thought: You are going to fail. My response: No, God answers prayer, and I believe I receive a job!

2. 1990 – July – Thought – you are a failure. You are a failure as a minister, as a husband, as a father, as a provider, as a man. Kill yourself. My response: Thought for a bit on how I could painlessly do it and leave Susan money. Then I heard the Lord – Get Up! Go outside and read!

Act on God’s Word in faith; do not act on wrong thinking and feelings!

2. Obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13-15 – NLT

When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. (14) He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever he receives from Me. (15) All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from me.’

1984 – Jan 3 – Bad ice storm. Leaving my house and going to pick up a co-worker, I had two ways to get there. I heard ‘go that way’ when I reached a road in my addition, but it was a longer route to the house I was going to. I went the other way, and broke my wrist!

3. Regular consistent prayer and praying in the spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:2 – AMPC

For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].

Example: 2004 – February 29. On the way to India and Nepal. Don’t get on that plane until you know what is wrong with you. My mother praying two weeks earlier: Lord, don’t let him get on that plane.

Example: 1995: August. Woke up every hour on the hour and prayed. Had a car accident. Totalled the other car. My dad had a dream the day before – Mitch is dead. Sat up in bed and told my mother. He prayed for me throughout that day.

Gordon Lindsay:

Consistent prayer builds bulwarks (defensive walls) around the believer against the works of darkness. The enemy’s sword is blunted. His secret plans for mischief are overruled. The cunning traps he sets are unsprung.

A praying person may pass by many dangers and never be aware of them.

Prayerless Christians, whether in the pulpit or in the pew, are candidates for the devil’s snares.

Action Points:

1. Act like God’s Word is true, even if it contradicts what you think and what you feel!

2. Listen to the Holy Spirit inside of you. Those deep perceptions we have are often the Lord challenging us to change something.

3. Pray over every life issue. Pray in the spirit every single day.