Authority
in Prayer
Pray
and Believe – Jesus Said!
Can you remember the
childhood taunts of "Who said!? “Who told you that
you could do that!?!” "…such exclamations were
always uttered in a tone of outrage.
When you first enter
into the realm of prayer that changes things (scripture
prayer especially), you may hear similar taunts in the back
of your head. Do not be alarmed. You have simply outraged
the enemy. Press on!
Who told you that you
could, should pray powerful prayers of faith? Jesus!
Lk 18:1
Then He spoke a parable to them, the men always out to pray
and not lose heart . (parable of the persistent widow)
Matt
6:7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you. ; seek, and you
will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks it will be opened….
ASK:
AITEO #154 Strong’s Denotes insistent asking without qualms,
not commanding God, but
solidly presenting a
requisition whose items He longs to distribute.
(Word Wealth, Spirit-filled Life
Bible)
A paraphrase based on
the Greek tense of the verb is
“ask and keep on
asking.
Seek and keep on seeking.
Knock and
keep on knocking.”
Don’t give up!
So
Jesus is very clear with us:
…..Pray!
…..Believe!
Jesus’
Delegated Authority
Jesus is also very clear on the related issue of authority.
He has created a stir in the religious institution because
of the authoritative tone of His teaching:
Matt
8:28-29 The people were astonished at His teaching, for He
taught them as one with authority , and not as the
scribes.
Genuine
authority will always command attention…and Jesus
has it. He not only has it, but He delegates it to his
team:
Lk
9:1-2 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave
them power and authority over demons, and to cure diseases
. He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to cure
diseases.
We
can only imagine the amazement of these men as they
exercise Jesus’ authority in preaching and prayer.
They come back stoked with stories of Divine happenings.
Jesus is not surprised. He knows well what his delegated
authority can do:
Lk
10:19 " Behold I gave you the authority to trample on
serpents and scorpions, and over the power of the enemy,
and nothing may in any means hurt you. . "
So
Jesus and His team of disciples go through Israel upsetting
the religious status-quo with demonstrations of the power
of heaven. In His last week as team leader, Jesus lets His
crew know that the bar is now raised.
Renewing
of Delegated Authority
Jn 14:12-14 " Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works
that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he
will do. , because I go to my Father
And whatever
you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I
will do it. "
Jesus is coming
to the end of His Earth assignment and is delegating to His
disciples (and to us) the authority to continue the
mission…and do even greater things than Jesus had
performed in those three years.
Can’t you see
those disciples exchanging glances with one another? "Good
night, what more is there? "
A few days after this
they are thrown into the chaotic trauma of Jesus’
arrest and death. At this point, the disciples are probably
wondering if they had been hallucinating about the "greater
things".
But, you know the end of the
story…He lives!
The
Authority Enlarged!
After 40 days of
reassuring and reinforcing His disciples, Jesus departs
with a reminder that the mission is still a "go" and they
still have His delegated authority…which has been
enlarged!
Matt
28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, " All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.” "
The
word authority that He is using is:
EXOUSIA 1849 in the
Strong’s - it
means: …..Privilege, force, capacity, competence,
…..Freedom, liberty, jurisdiction, right, strength
Amazing! This is what
He has given you…is giving you, even today. This
authority is part of the covenant exchange. He secured in
His death and resurrection: He took your weakness and gives
you His strength. He took you lack of authority and gives
you His authority. Now he is saying in very clear
scriptural terms…"Use it! "
To carry that kind of
authority is like walking around with the biggest, meanest
weapon on the face of the earth! And, as disciples of
Jesus, that authority is ours to use in prayer, preaching
and ministry to the hurting.
Who said? Jesus
did….and still does!
More
Resources on Authority
• A
discussion of Jack
Hayford’s “Prayer is Invading the
Impossible”
• A discussion
of Dutch
Sheets’ “Intercessory
Prayer”
• Authority Over the
Thief
• No Storm Too
Great!: Scripture prayer based on Psalm 91;
good example of walking in faithful humility balanced
with confident authority
Release the Power of Psalm
91 - free
e-course that can raise the level of authority you walk
in