Authority of the Believer: Prophetic Decrees
I. THE REVELATION OF OUR AUTHORITY IN CHRIST
A. We need revelation of our spiritual authority that is based on our union with Jesus. The power and benefits that Jesus
received as an “exalted Man” are given to the rest of the Body of Christ. We need revelation of our deep connectedness with
Him as our head and who we are as His body that is God’s chosen vehicle to “express the fullness of Jesus’ power” into
the earthly realm.
17 That the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of…revelation…18 that you may know…19 what is the
exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him…
and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places… 22 He put all things under His (Jesus as a Man)
feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him…
(Ephesians 1:17-23)
B. We have been raised to sit with Jesus in heavenly places, thus are given access to God’s Throne. Our prayers in
God’s will reach His Throne and find approval leading to the release of power.
6 Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ... (Ephesians 2:6)
C. At the cross, Jesus as a Man defeated Satan and all demonic principalities and made a public spectacle of them
before the audience of heaven, hell, and earth. Satan is a defeated enemy.
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in
it (His death and resurrection). (Colossians 2:15)
D. Authority is delegated power. An example that is commonly used is that of a police officer who stops a car by the
authority of the government, not his own physical power.
E. We use our authority against Satan who seeks to steal, kill and destroy God’s blessing in our life by fear,
addictions, emotional oppression, division, sickness, financial oppression, etc.).
10 The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may
have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
F. Our problems are often the result of several factors working together. They include factors that are physiological
(diet, alcohol, chemical, etc.), psychological (our mind set, belief systems and life choices), sociological (what others do
to us using their free will) and spiritual (demonic).
G. When we use our authority, we remove the added pressure that demons bring to our problems, making it much
easier to solve physiological, psychological, and sociological problems. We are not to think that exercising our authority
against Satan’s attack will automatically cancel out the wrong life choices that we make (physiological, psychological,
sociological areas).
H. We are called to enforce Jesus’ authority on earth as His body. Satan’s attack against us will continue if we accept
it instead of refuse it or challenge it with our authority.
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
II. HOW GOD’S POWER IS RELEASED IN THE EARTHLY REALM: GENESIS 1 PRINCIPLE
A. The spiritual principle is that the Spirit moves at God’s word (Genesis 1 principle). In Genesis 1, the darkness and
the Spirit were there. But nothing happened until words were spoken.
B. God taught Adam to have dominion over the earth in the same way God did by speaking words. God created
humans in His image and then gave us His Word to release His will on earth.
C. Faith does not come by asking but by “hearing” the Word. The way our heart “hears” the best and most is when
the Word comes from our own lips. The most powerful words that affect your life are the words you speak. Your spirit is
most sensitive to the very words that you speak.
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
D. There is an anointing of life on God’s word and a spirit of death on Satan’s. Our words affect our spirit. Many do not
understand the power of their words. They cause either faith or fear to grow.
63 The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)
E. Words release life or death to us and our families, etc. What we do not know can kill us. The saying that “Sticks and
stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not true.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue… (Proverbs 18:21)
F. When our heart and words agree with God’s will then they release His power. If our words agree with Satan’s
accusations then we release his power in our life. Many have “faith” in the devil’s accusing words. Jesus resisted Satan
by speaking God’s word (Matthew 4:4-10.)
G. Paul quoted Psalm 116:10 to establish the necessary principle of speaking the Word with our mouth.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I
spoke," we also believe and therefore speak. (2 Corinthians 4:13)
III. SPIRITUAL WARFARE: INTERCESSION AND PROPHETIC DECREES
A. Doors are open and shut in the spirit realm by believers on earth speaking God’s Word. They can affect the
heavenly realm by binding demonic activity and loosing angelic activity, etc.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)
B. The responsibility for the earthly realm is given by God to people on earth. God allows us to determine some of
the quality of our life according our actions and words (Romans 5:12-21).
16 The heaven…are the LORD'S; the earth He has given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16)
IV. DECLARING THE DECREE OF THE LORD
A. Eliphaz instructed Job to make his prayer to God which included declaring things before God.
22 Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. 23 If you return to the
Almighty, you will be built up; you will remove iniquity far from your tents. 24 Then you will lay your gold
in the dust…25 Yes, the Almighty will be your gold…26 For then you will have your delight in the Almighty…
27 You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you…28 You will also declare a thing, and it will be
established for you... (Job 22:22-28)
B. God calls forth that which does not yet exist in the natural realm.
17 God who…calls those things which do not exist as though they did… (Romans 4:17)
C. We overcome sin (Romans 6), fear and obstacles by the word of our testimony. Our testimony is what we testify as
being the truth of what we believe about Jesus’ testimony (Revelation 19:10).
11 They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did
not love their lives to the death. (Revelation 12:11)
10 For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
D. Jesus fights (even His people) by the sword of His mouth or by speaking His word over them.
16 Repent, or I will come to…fight against them with the sword of My mouth. (Revelation 2:16)
E. Jesus used both prophetic decrees and intercession (asking the Father) in Psalm 2:7-8.
7 I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of
Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance…” (Psalm 2:7-8)
F. Both are speaking God’s word but with a different posture of heart and mindset. They have different functions. It is
not always clear which one is most appropriate.
G. Prophetic decrees stir up our faith to prophesy. We give expression to these impressions. We prophesy according
to our measure of faith or our confidence in the Spirit’s way of running the Kingdom by giving small impressions.
6 Let us prophesy in proportion to our faith… (Romans 12:6)
H. Prophetic decrees focus on what God wants to release “now” and stir our faith to operate in a prophetic spirit. In
other words, it requires that we value the small measure of the Spirit’s presence and impression in our midst now.
I. As we recognize the presence of the Spirit in our midst now, we must avoid the error of lacking vision to contend for
the fullness. In the same way, as we contend for God’s full future promises, we must avoid the error of neglecting to give
expression to the Spirit’s impressions. Intercession contends for the full release of what is on God’s heart for the future.
Intercession is not focused on the present small impressions, but the future fullness of God’s promises.
V. EXAMPLES OF PROPHETIC DECREES IN SCRIPTURE
A. Jesus cursed the fig tree and taught us to speak to the mountains. He said the tree would obey us.
19 Seeing a fig tree…He said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you." The tree withered. (Matthew 21:19)
6 The Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the
roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6)
23 Whoever says to this mountain, “…be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt…but believes that those
things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:23)
B. Zechariah spoke to the mountain and then told Zerubbabel to shout to the capstone.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the
capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it (the capstone)!" (Zechariah 4:7)
C. Ezekiel spoke the word of the Lord to the bones and the wind of the Spirit.
4 He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!… 7 As I
prophesied…suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together…9 He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath…
and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these
slain, that they may live." (Ezekiel 37:4-9)
D. Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still and they obeyed him. (Joshua 10:12-13).
12 Joshua spoke to the LORD…and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon,
in the Valley of Aijalon." (Joshua 10:12)
E. Israel sang prophetically to a dry well, rather than crying out in intercession for water.
17 Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it." (Numbers 21:17)
F. The Lord told Moses to speak to the rock, rather than interceding for water.
7 The LORD spoke to Moses, 8 "...speak to the rock…it will yield its water." (Numbers 20:7-8)
15 The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me?.. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over
the sea and divide it…” (Exodus 14:15-16)
G. We make decrees to the elements of nature and to inanimate objects (wind, fig tree, mountains, etc.). We make
decrees over geographic regions. We should not give decrees over individuals that are sick to rise up (without it happening
because it disheartens them). We make decrees to demon spirits that dwell in people (not usually disembodied ones). We
may speak to the spirit of a person to rise up as a mighty one. We may make decrees to angels because they obey the
word of God even from our lips (Psalm 103:20; 91:11). We may say, “We agree with Your Word, thus we declare the
decree of the Lord and call forth Your promises.” We make decrees such as “Go forth light of revelation. Go forth or blow
Oh wind of God. We call forth the gifts of the Spirit or the spirit of prophecy or supernatural provision. We declare that
You will release Your power, blessing, gifts of the Spirit or Your financial provision, etc.”