Christians have been given great authority by God - particularly in prayer - to enforce his will.
That may seem like a pipedream, given the state of our world and the failures of the Christian church.
But perhaps the problem is with us as believers. Are we so focused on what we see around us that we forget that the real battle is being waged behind the scenes?
The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6 that our battle is "not against flesh and blood but against . . . the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms". These dark forces manipulated by Satan are the real enemy and the weapons we must use are spiritual - prayer included.
In Luke 10:19, Jesus tells his disciples: "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."
In Matthew 18:18, he says: "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."
He also goes on to say in the following verse that where two or three gather together in Jesus' name on earth, God will grant what they ask for.
Now, the key obviously is asking according to God's will. The apostle John says in 1 John 5:14-15 that God will give us what we ask for if we "ask anything according to his will".
To ask according to his will, we must have a good idea about what God wants. And that suggests knowing and obeying his word and having an intimate relationship with him in prayer.
Dutch Sheets says in his book Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose that authority is a crucial issue spiritually. God has ultimate authority in heaven and earth, Sheets writes, and the Lord has delegated authority to believers on earth.
When we pray in the authority of Christ, Satan and his minions cannot stand against us.
As children of God, says Sheets, we are to rule in the world, confronting and defeating the forces of evil. "To do so, we must learn to pray with authority and govern through intercession."
He adds: "Jesus, the sovereign king over the earth, wants to rule institutions, cultures, societies, and governments through you and your prayers."
A challenging task for all prayer warriors.
That may seem like a pipedream, given the state of our world and the failures of the Christian church.
But perhaps the problem is with us as believers. Are we so focused on what we see around us that we forget that the real battle is being waged behind the scenes?
The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6 that our battle is "not against flesh and blood but against . . . the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms". These dark forces manipulated by Satan are the real enemy and the weapons we must use are spiritual - prayer included.
In Luke 10:19, Jesus tells his disciples: "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."
In Matthew 18:18, he says: "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."
He also goes on to say in the following verse that where two or three gather together in Jesus' name on earth, God will grant what they ask for.
Now, the key obviously is asking according to God's will. The apostle John says in 1 John 5:14-15 that God will give us what we ask for if we "ask anything according to his will".
To ask according to his will, we must have a good idea about what God wants. And that suggests knowing and obeying his word and having an intimate relationship with him in prayer.
Dutch Sheets says in his book Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose that authority is a crucial issue spiritually. God has ultimate authority in heaven and earth, Sheets writes, and the Lord has delegated authority to believers on earth.
When we pray in the authority of Christ, Satan and his minions cannot stand against us.
As children of God, says Sheets, we are to rule in the world, confronting and defeating the forces of evil. "To do so, we must learn to pray with authority and govern through intercession."
He adds: "Jesus, the sovereign king over the earth, wants to rule institutions, cultures, societies, and governments through you and your prayers."
A challenging task for all prayer warriors.
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