Have
you ever heard of prophetic people who were interceding and who in the
course of their intercession began to rebuke, bind and cast down the
"principality" over a city or region and command it to let the
people go or stop doing some activity? What did you observe?
Were the people set free and revival hit that city with massive amounts of
people getting saved? Did crime rates go down? Most often I've
observed no change at all.
Rebuking
Principalities & Destroyed Lives
On rare occasions I've
seen one of two things occur. I have seen God move in a city and in
situations where the course of history was changed through corporate
intercession, and I have seen peoples lives fall apart after they
attempted to confront a principality over a city. Let me share one
report that was given to me by the rector of an Episcopal Church in
Washington. As I understand it, a man was prayer walking in a city,
he saw the principality over the city in an open vision, and then he began
to rebuke that principality. After he did that, his life fell apart
and he went mentally insane for a season. In another case a
friend of mine shared what happened to him and his wife. Apparently
this family and another family felt led to start a work in the Seattle
Tacoma area. In the process of preparing to start the work they went
to a certain location and began rebuking the principality over the
region. The result was the other couple ended up in divorce shortly
thereafter and my friends wife became extremely ill and that illness
lasted for years.
The Power of
Corporate Intercession With an Understanding of Authority
In
the early 90's I was in the Navy Reserve and I was the pastor of a small
local church in Springfield Oregon. I had been asked to participate
in the city-wide prayer and to lead our congregations in prayer at a certain
point. On that day I also received a phone call from the Navy
Reserve who asked me if I'd be willing to be recalled immediately because
of a conflict in Haiti. I was in a sense the perfect intercessor as
I identified with both the local church and I'd been invited to be a
leader in the city-wide prayer gathering. I was also an officer in
the Navy who was asked to be willing to go participate in this
conflict. That night when it came my turn to lead the city-wide
prayer gathering (about 250 present) we prayed that God would intervene
and turn the hearts of the leaders towards peace. The goal was to
save lives so that they would have opportunity to hear the gospel.Three days later the
newspaper reported what happened on that day. When we had prayed the
invasion force had already been launched. About 20 minutes after we
had prayed one of the Haitian leaders took the action required to ensure
peace so our invasion force was sent back. I could not help but
envision and wonder how the principalities and powers in Haiti must have
responded to the surprise attack of corporate prayer launched from a
little city in Oregon.
On another occasion we
saw a Christian business man who was on the city council, use his
influence to establish a law that made a righteous stand. Basically
it was promoting family values and defending our city from the homo-sexual
political agenda. Many churches got behind him and prayed regarding
the issue. It actually got national media attention for a while and
eventually, the liberal courts did over turn it.
The event above occurred
at about the same time spiritual intelligence had been gathered concerning
the area. That information was used by the leaders of March for
Jesus as the city of Springfield was mobilized to exalt the name of Jesus
corporately and publicly. Hence, the prayer, praise and worship was
provided some very specific local spiritual targets. But let me tell
you what I observed over a period of just a few years.
This little town was
next to the bigger city of Eugene. Eugene at that time had the most
educated city per capita income in the US at that time with about 75% of
the population having a college degree. It also had the largest
number of political action committees per-captia income of cities over
100,000. Springfield was considered a mill town with a bunch of
hicks. It was like Springfield was the ugly step-sister. But,
after that righteous stand was taken the economy began to turn in
Springfield. All of the sudden our little town was beating out the
big city for major economic development. For example, Sony decided
to build a manufacturing plant in Springfield in stead of
Eugene. That meant 300 new jobs. We also saw our house values
increase by 50% in about 3 years. Hence, the Christians in our city
as well as the non-saved benefited economically.
I am absolutely
convinced that one of the reasons we saw some victory here was that a
Christian in business and in government exercised his authority in his
area of responsibility. The church got behind in and provided some
prayer support for a season. It was shortly after this we moved to
the Seattle to become missions directors and later this man left politics
and moved from the area. I'm convinced that part of the reason he
left is that the prayerful support he had eroded.
Stepping Beyond the
Realm of Your Authority
So what is my
point? I believe that one of the reasons the peoples lives were
destroyed above is because they stepped beyond their realm of
authority. They tried to rebuke principalities in an area where they
had no responsibility. They stepped beyond their measure of gifting
or area of responsibility.
Practical Ways to
Determine Your Sphere of Authority
Authority and
responsibility are intertwined. They go together. The bottom
line is, if you have responsibility then you have authority as well.
For example:
Hence, each day I
address every area of my responsibility and declare and decree that God's
kingdom would come and His will would be done in each of these
areas. I have the opportunity to establish the rule and reign of
Christ in these areas. As I am faithful with little my responsibilities
grow and so does my corresponding sphere of authority.
So how does
this apply spiritually?
Let me give you
another personal example. One time we rented our home out.
When we moved back in my wife began having awful foul dreams. We
realized that the previous renter had some personal issues that allowed
the devil a foothold in her life. She has authority over hers own
thought life and can choose or not choose to exercise the Word of God in
that area. She also had signed a legal agreement to use our
property. Hence, she was there legally but after she had departed
there was a defilement. So, we took our spiritual authority and
exercised it. I took the lead in sanctifying our home and cleansing
it through prayer and anointing it with oil. After that, the
tormenting dreams stopped.
In another example
there was a young man who was demonically oppressed. I saw others
casting demons out of him. In that process they were struggling with
him physically trying to restrain him from hurting himself and
others. They were convinced that there were more so they asked for
my help. I invited this young man to my house and as he came in, I
spoke to him and to the demon that was apt to manifest. I told
him that this was my home, he was in my house and under my authority and
that demon would not be allowed to manifest physically or to speak.
We went through a session wherein he prayed, repented, and renounced
sin. Then I prayed and in Jesus' name, cast the demon out.
There was no growling, yelling, screaming, wrenching, fighting or you name
it.
What is the Lesson
to Learn?
We all have authority
in Christ. If we are faithful in little we'll also be faithful in
much. The first place to exercise your authority is in your own life
over your own body and mind. I am convinced that many of the bad
experiences people have is when they step beyond their sphere of
authority. If you are not faithful to exercise the Word of God in
your own life or in your own family, how can you expect to exercise
authority over anything demonic.
1 Corinthians 6:8-10
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
In times past there
was a man in my congregation who was a good guy. Everyone loved
him. But, he had an area in his life of habitual sin (lust of the
flesh, pleasure, money, etc.) that he choose not to deal with. It
affected his marriage too. Hence his life was out of order and his
home was out of order. Do you think he would have been able to
exercise any authority in the church or at a city-wide level?
Certainly not!
First, he did not have responsibility in the church or in the city.
Secondly, how can you exercise authority in any area that you do not apply
to yourself first? How could he minister to anyone who came to him
to asking help to be delivered from pornography or any sexual sin if he
had not applied the Word of God first in his own life.
I confronted him
numerous times. He almost always responded quickly and would seem
genuinely sorry. But, in just a short time he would return to the
sin. After months of this cycle I confronted him and then without
thinking I ended up prophesying to him. I told him if he did not
repent, God would send a prophet who would pick him out of a crowd and
expose his sin publicly. Within 6 months that is exactly what occurred.
This man was the one
responsible to exercise authority and establish the kingdom of God first
in his own life. But since he allowed this one area to dominate him,
he was very ineffective in almost every other area of life as well.
This included his family. Second, we had developed a relationship of
trust. He knew that we loved him and his family.
Since I was
responsible for the church, there was no way I could give him any
responsibility with any sort of authority. I had opportunity to
speak into his life and I was faithful to confront every time the issue
arose. As his pastor he accepted my input but their were boundaries
that I could not cross. For example, his lust affected the way he
handled money. I could pray, counsel, and advise but I could not
tell him what to do with his money and his check.
I could go on and on
with stories, but I won't. Suffice it to say that God has given each
one of us a measure of faith. He has given each one of us spheres of
authority for which we are responsible to establish the kingdom of
God. If you understand the principle it is easy to apply in any
situation.
Romans
12:3-11 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every
man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith. 4
For as we have many members in
one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6
Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us
prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us
wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that
exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with
simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with
cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is
evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to
another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Eph 4:7 But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of
the gift of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:13-14
We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us
— a sphere which especially includes you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;
