In the twelfth Chapter of Genesis, God called Abram and declares, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen.12:1-3)

We derive several principles about blessings from these verses.  First of all, God is the source of blessing.  Secondly, blessings seem to be associated with God’s purposes for a location, an individual, a family line, or a nation.  Next, it seems that blessings impart the power, life, health, and prosperity that enable the object of the blessing or the person receiving the blessing to fulfill their God-given purposes.  Finally, blessings can be passed on and are activated by the words we speak as God’s priests on the earth.

In a general way, a blessing deposits the favor of God or the grace of God and the resources of heaven on whatever or whomever God determines to use to fulfill his purposes. God even blessed a day. “Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex.20:11).  When God blessed the Sabbath, he apparently assigned his favor to the day and those who kept the day faithfully could make withdrawals from that favor.  God also declared that those who blessed Abraham would be blessed and that all the people on the earth would be blessed through him or through his descendants. \

That declaration applies not only to the Messiah coming through Abraham’s bloodline, but also to the contributions the Jews would make to the world.  If you research a list of Nobel Prize winners, Jewish recipients are hugely over-represented in all categories including the arts, science, and medicine.  All nations have truly been blessed by the descendants of Abraham.

Paul further refined our understanding of the descendants of Abraham under the New Covenant when he said, “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham” (Gal.3;6-7).  By faith, we are also descendants of Abraham and the world is to be blessed through us as conduits of his grace. This truth and this job description for followers of Jesus cannot be overstated.

It is the nature of God to bless.  As his representatives on the earth, our nature should mirror his.  If God is the source of blessings, then as his children who desire to be like him, we too should be constant sources of blessing…even toward our enemies.  Jesus commands, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Lk.627-28). A blessing is simply a prayer or declaration that directs the life-giving, enabling grace of God to rest on someone.

James pushes back on our propensity to speak death over others and sternly declares,  “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (Ja.3:7-12).

James makes the point that both blessing and cursing should not come from the same mouth.  He treats it as something unnatural. Instead, we should be sources of fresh water that give life in every circumstance. Since the Holy Spirit is living water within us and his words are life, our words should direct that life toward others and their circumstances.  As his representatives, we are to be distributors of God’s grace on the earth through blessings we speak.

In 1 Peter 2, the apostle tells us that we are a holy and royal priesthood belonging to God.  One of the primary functions of the Levitical priesthood was to bestow God’s blessings on God’s people. The Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” The priests directed the blessings of God toward Israel by speaking a blessing over them. God was poised and ready to bless, but he waited on his priests to declare the blessing before he released it, In short, regarding this blessing, God said, “I will do it when you have said it.”

Christ is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and that is the priesthood in which we serve. We serve under a better covenant, with a greater priesthood, lead by a great high priest who will never die. How much greater should the blessings be that we direct than those given by the Levites? As in many things, we partner with God.  There are those he is willing to bless but he waits on us to declare the blessing over them.  I don’t believe this is indiscriminate blessing, but blessing directed by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is our model for living and serving and he did nothing without a prompting from the Father.

I believe a large part of our ministry as believers should be the giving of blessings.  As we go, perhaps, one of our daily prayers should be, “Lord, show me who you want to bless today and give me the very words for that blessing.”  The holiday season would be a perfect time to begin your ministry of blessing to those God wants to bless.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

Paul wrote this section of scripture to the church at Corinth.  The believers at Corinth had come out of a culture that was famous for it’s sin.  It was a center of greed, sexual immorality, pagan worship, partying, and worldliness in the worst sense. If you read through Paul’s two letters to the church at Corinth, you will see that there was a great deal of spiritual immaturity and worldliness in the church. Interestingly, the church at Corinth displayed an amazing number of spiritual gifts including healing, miracles, tongues, prophecy, and so forth and yet was identified by Paul as immature and unspiritual.  Sometimes, spiritual gifts run ahead of Christian character so don’t let yourself be influenced by someone with amazing gifts, but rather by someone with amazing character.

In the midst of all their immaturity, Paul commanded them to avoid being “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. The term comes from the Old Testament law in which the Jews were forbidden from yoking an ox and a mule together for plowing. “Unequally yoked” doesn’t mean that one has more influence or power than the other, but it is a term implying that two things with different natures have been tied together.  An ox was considered a clean animal while the mule was considered unclean.  Clean animals could be eaten and offered as sacrifices while unclean animals could not be used for sacred purposes.

Paul goes on to make a point that there are two kinds of people in the world – saved and unsaved, redeemed and unredeemed, holy and unholy, and those with the Spirit of Christ in them and those who serve Satan knowingly or unknowingly. Paul points out the difference in those who have the Spirit of Christ and those who don’t when he says, “Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?”

Too often, we fail to see is that there is a huge difference in the very nature of people from the perspective of the spiritual realm.  The “unsaved” may be very talented, influential, enjoyable and even given to worthy cause, but they are still not sons and daughters of God.  Not only that, but they are still in a relationship with Satan as either slaves to sin or willing participants in the things of Satan. Most will have some kind of demonic spirit operating in his or her life because they are legally bound to Satan until rescued and redeemed by Jesus.

The danger of being yoked together with an unbeliever is not just influence but that the relationship opens a door for the enemy.  When you marry someone, that person is not just connected to your family but, suddenly, you have a legal connection with his or her family.  The parents of each spouse will not only have influence in your home, but may also have a legal claim on your children as grandparents. God says, because we are his children, we are essentially different from all other people on the planet and we are not to join or yoke the sacred with the profane or the clean with the unclean.

This is not a call to self-righteousness nor a call to isolate ourselves from unbelievers – otherwise how could we reach the unsaved for Jesus?  But it is a warning about yoking ourselves in covenants, marriages, allegiances, partnerships, treaties, and relationships with those who do not belong to God. We were ministering deliverance a few days ago to young Chinese Christian and one of our team was led to ask if she had sworn allegiance to the nation of China and it’s atheistic leadership.  Of course, she had done so as every “good citizen” would, but declaring her allegiance to a nation that disavows God and arrests believers, is to join with the spiritual ruler whom the leaders of China represent – Satan. She had to renounce her declaration of allegiance to that nation to shut the door which that “yoking” had opened.

We must be careful about our covenants and even participation in things that God would not sponsor. Promises, vows, contracts, covenants, or declarations of allegiance – not just to nations but to individuals or organizations that are not submitted to God –  can create open doors for the enemy to camp out in our lives and in the lives of our families.  Remember…you are made different and separate by the Spirit of Christ living in you. Treat yourself as holy and sacred because that is who you are.

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Amos 3:3

The somewhat familiar passage from the Book of Amos listed above, embodies an important principle in the spiritual realm. Basically, it states that those who are in agreement with one another form some kind of unity – they walk together. That’s because there is no neutral ground in the spiritual realm. You are either with Jesus or against him. He declared, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Mt.12:30). There is no “unaffiliated” category in the unseen realm. You are either a believer or an unbeliever. There is no “agnostic” box on the ballot.

Because of that, agreement is critical to our relationship with God. That’s why James warned the “double-minded,” who were trying to live with only a partial commitment to the Lord and his standards, by saying, “That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (Ja.1:7-8). Being double-minded is not just about whether I believer there is a God or not or whether I believe that Jesus died for my sins. It more often falls in the category of whether or not I believe God’s word is true for me.

Most Christians, if asked, would immediately declare that they believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is, therefore, true. Knowing what is true is critical because Jesus taught that the truth will set is free. And yet, my experience is that many, many Christians are not free. They are still in bondage to past hurts and past mistakes. They still walk under a cloud of rejection and condemnation. They still feel insignificant and unworthy. They still do not feel the love of God and often medicate their emotional pain with some addiction. These good people love God, pray, and attend church on a regular basis and yet can’t seem to break free from their pain and their pasts.

It is also my experience that, on a personal level, they do not believe God’s word for them. In conversations or counseling sessions, they often respond to the promises of God with, “Yes, but…” When God’s word declares his love for them, his provision, or their value and significance in Christ, they reject that truth for them. The issue is that they give their emotions, the wounding words of mothers or father, or the lies of the enemy more authority than the word of God. As they “disagree” with God’s word they unknowingly agree with Satan and through that agreement he gains a foothold in their life. The underlying belief in their objections is that if their feelings don’t agree with God’s word, then his word is not true…at least not for them. It is a trap that prevents many of God’s people from experiencing the freedom that Jesus has purchased for them. Remember that the blessings of heaven are accessed by faith.

The path to healing and freedom often must begin with a decision of the will to declare that God’s word is true regardless of our feelings. It’s good to confess that our emotions and automatic thoughts don’t line up with the Word as long as we stand on the truth that we are in error rather than scriptures – that our emotions are liars rather than God. Our prayer and our confessions must be aimed at bringing our feelings and automatic thoughts into alignment with God’s word rather than distorting his word to match our emotions.

The key to realignment is the renewal of our minds and the revelation of the Spirit in our hearts. The renewal of our minds will come with a constant expression of God’s truth through our own verbal declarations, meditation, conversations, writing the scriptures, memorization, etc. It is how we establish new neural pathways in our minds and extinguish old pathways that contain and prompt our automatic thoughts. At a deeper level, we need the Spirit to give us a revelation of those truths in our hearts as we pray for that revelation and listen to his voice. As we renew our minds through the Word, that truth eventually seeps down into our hearts where the real issues of life reside. Revelation, however, seems to be a moment when the Holy Spirit bypasses our intellect and deposits God’s truth in our hearts. When that happens, God’s truth overrides the lies the enemy or life has written there.

It all hinges, however, on our first and persistent decision to give God’s word more authority than our own feelings, hurtful words, wounds from the past, and our old thought patterns, which often contain lies from the enemy.   Think about your agreement. Where are you agreeing with Satan more than God? Wherever we would say, “Yes, but,” concerning God’s word and his promises for us, there is a pocket of unbelief. Those pockets can give Satan a foothold, which eventually becomes a stronghold. Ask the Holy Spirit and your spiritual mentors to point out the “Yes, buts” in your life. Apply the word of God to those places and give God’s word more authority than those old familiar feelings and beliefs. It is your first step to freedom.

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In the realm of spiritual warfare, we often hear conversations about making declarations over a circumstance or a person. So…what is a declaration anyway and why and what should we declare?

The spiritual realm operates on the basis of authority. As followers of Jesus, we live under grace, but the rest of creation operates under law. Law operates on the basis of authority. That is one reason the New Testament speaks so often about the authority of Christ. As he commanded his followers to go into all the world and make disciples, Jesus himself declared, “All authority in heaven and in earth has been given unto me” (Mt.28:18). Later Paul taught, “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Eph.1:19-21). Jesus has all authority and has delegated a measure of his authority to us.

As representatives of Christ on the earth, when we declare the word of God or the name of God over a situation we establish our legal ground and our authority for prayers or commands that follow. As representatives of Jesus on earth, we have been given authority to do what he would do in the same circumstance. The most important declaration we make is, “In the name of Jesus.” The Pharisees asked Jesus by what authority he baptized, cleansed the temple, and performed miracles. He stated that he had authority because he represented the Father. In the same way, we act in the authority of Jesus Christ and should clearly state that truth when we command sickness, infirmity, or demons to depart. We preach in his name, we baptize in his name, we heal in his name, and we command spirits in his name.

To attempt to operate in our own authority is a dangerous thing. In the book of Acts we are told, “Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding” (Acts 19:13-16).

When we declare the word of God and the name of God over a circumstance, we not only release his authority but also confirm our authority to work on his behalf. In other words, we declare that we are acting in his authority and that what we are doing is lawful for us to do. That is not too different from FBI agents showing up, displaying their credentials to establish that they are representatives of the federal government, and then producing a warrant which demonstrates that what they are about to do is lawful.

God assured Israel that if they were careful to obey his covenant and stayed aligned with his word, then he would exercise his authority through them and give them every place they “set their feet” (Dt.11:24). The Hebrew phrase translated as “set their feet” embodies the idea of soldiers marching to conquer or establish dominion over an enemy. Our declarations establish our authority and lawfulness to take dominion over a circumstance because of the one we represent.

As a young man, David declared his victory before charging Goliath, the surly Philistine warrior who stood over nine feet tall. “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.’ When David declared victory in the name of the Lord, he “set his feet” or stepped out to establish the Lord’s dominion in that place.

We are reminded of the verse from Job. “You will also decree a thing and it will be established for you” (Job 22:28). I feel certain that God put that decree on David’s heart. It was prophetic but not a prophecy. David never said, “Thus sayeth the Lord…” Notice that David did not identify himself as a man representing Saul or even Israel but rather declared that he opposed Goliath in the name of the Lord Almighty. Earlier in the chapter, he asked who the man was that was defying the armies of the living God…not the armies of Saul or Israel, but of God. When you have that heart, you can declare a thing and it will be established for you.

Speaking the word and name of God over a situation releases authority. If you begin to minister to people in the arena of deliverance, it won’t be long until you will have an unclean spirit begin to argue that the person you are ministering to belongs to him. We should respond with the Word of God, using scriptures declaring that the person in question does not belong to the demon but has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. We should also declare scriptures that establish our authority over the enemy. Demons will always attempt to persuade the person they are afflicting that they have every right to remain and that we have no power against them. That is when it is time to take out the sword of the Spirit and establish our authority in Christ to evict the unwanted intruder. When he came face to face with Satan, Jesus simply declared, “It is written…”

Declarations are divine weapons that undermine the position of the enemy. They have power in the spiritual realm to dislodge demons by releasing power and authority and to shore up our own faith in moments when that is needed. Every believer should make extensive use of this weapon as we charge the giants that occasionally get in our way as we are about the business of the kingdom.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord assures us that when his word goes forth it always fulfills its purpose. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:10-11).  For us the question becomes, “How does God’s worth go forth?”  Under the Old Covenant, God told Jeremiah, “I have put my words in your mouth.” He went on to tell him that he was appointed over nations and kingdoms to uproot, tear down, plant, and to build although he would never lead an army or a political movement.

Concerning prophets, God’s word goes forth from his lips to theirs by revelation from the Spirit or from the lips of angels and when his prophets declare it, his power is then released and his word fulfills its purpose in lives and nations on the earth. In the Book of Hosea, speaking of his judgment the Lord says, “Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you” (Hos.6:5-6). The declarations of God’s prophet released the angelic realm and even the Holy Spirit to make God’s word a reality.

Under the Old Covenant, God’s Spirit would reveal his will to those upon whom the Spirit operated – typically those appointed to the office of prophet.  Under the New Covenant, the Spirit of prophecy lives in every believer and each of us can hear directly from God and can declare his word over a person or circumstance.  Admittedly, those with a residing gift of prophecy can do so in just about any setting,  but all of us can receive a prophetic word form time to time as the Spirit determines.

Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Like the Old Testament prophets, uur words in prayer and prophetic declarations release the heavenly realms to fulfill God’s purposes on the earth. So why does he wait on us? He waits for his people to declare his word or lift up prayers because he gave his people – his children – his representatives – dominion over the earth and the works of his hands from the very beginning. He simply continues to honor that intent and honors the authority he has given us. Much or even most of what God desires to do on the earth will depend on our prayers and declarations. God is willing to run and if he runs he will win the race.  But he waits on his people to fire the starting pistol.

Even when we recognize the essential place of our prayers and declarations in releasing God’s will and purposes not he earth, it’s important to notice the analogy God uses for his word as it goes forth from his mouth. He uses the analogy of seed that sprouts and grows, of planting and harvesting. Jesus used the same analogy when he talked about the word of God being broadcast and the different soils it might encounter (Lk.8:4-21). As microwave Americans, we expect instantaneous answers to our prayers, instantaneous healings, and instantaneous shifts in relationships and cultural issues when we have prayed or declared God’s word over a situation. But when seed is involved, we must allow time for cultivation, watering, growth, and then the harvest.

It is true that sometimes, our prayers or declarations will release almost instantaneous results. A person may be healed immediately or within hours. A prayer will bring a check in the next day’s mail. A house will be sold in the afternoon when the prayer was offered in the morning, and so on. But typically, like seeds, the words we have offered up will seem to make no difference for a season. Like a woman who has just planted a garden, we will go out daily to see if anything is pushing up through the soil. Initially, there will be no evidence of God moving to establish what we have prayed or declared or even commanded. Like a master gardener, we will need to have faith, watch the soil, and continue to water with our prayers and declarations until we see the first green sprouts breaking through the soil. Even after the first evidence of life, we will need to guard the initial progress with faith, diligence, and prayer. We will need to pray against the involvement of the enemy in the same way that we would be vigilant to keep insects and “critters” from killing the young plants. Eventually, we will witness a plant growing but that is still only the promise of a harvest. Then, after a season of growth, the harvest will come and there will be the full answer to our prayers or the full impact of our declarations.

Paul encourages us by saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). The harvest comes if we do not give up. Undoubtedly, much of what God wants to do or is willing to do on the earth gets choked out because his people plant their seeds but do not continue to water them with prayer and expressions of faith. After a short season, we too often decide that God is not going to answer our prayer or honor a declaration so we stop tending the plant and it is choked out by the enemy or by our own unbelief. We need to be confident of our standing in the kingdom and of the authority our words carry in declarations and prayers. We need to be confident that if God has placed something on our hearts or has given us a word by his Spirit or a prophetic declaration, then we are the carrier of his word that is to go forth from our lips. We should then stand on that word until it is fulfilled or until God releases us. What a privilege and what a responsibility. Enjoy both. It comes with our dominion over the earth.

A declaration is the act of speaking or pronouncing God’s word and will over a situation. It is an essential weapon to be used in spiritual warfare.   Jesus modeled that strategy in his showdown with Satan in the wilderness after fasting and praying for forty days.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.      “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 3:2-11

Satan tried to bait Jesus into engaging in a dialogue with him about his rights and privileges as the Son of God on earth. When Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be drawn into a conversation, they were out maneuvered and manipulated. Sin was the outcome. I don’t believe for a second that Satan could bested Jesus at anything but our Savior modeled a better strategy. He simply declared the word of God over each temptation.

The word of God has authority. When we declare God’s word over a situation, it first establishes His authority and, as his delegated representatives, our authority over the circumstance. If you watch any crime show on television, you know that when police show up at a house, they first have to identify themselves as officers of the law or authorized representatives of the law and then they will still need a warrant or probable cause to begin to exercise their authority. The Holy Spirit within us and the name of Jesus on our lips identify us as representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven. A declaration of God’s word demonstrates the extent of our authority over a situation and establishes that the enemy is in violation of God’s law. That violation gives us probable cause to exercise Christ’s authority and issue commands in his name. The enemy is not always a demon but may also be disease, poverty, conflict, etc.

Paul tells us that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17), which can function either as a defensive or offensive weapon. The word translated as sword in that passage is not a Roman sword or a broad sword but a dagger. Daggers are used when the fighting is close – hand to hand. So when the enemy closes in, it’s time to pull out the word of God and use it as a weapon. Solomon said, “Reckless words pierce like a sword (Prov.12:18). If the words of a man can pierce, how much more the Word of God which is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4:12). These passages suggest that the word of God declared over the enemy not only establishes authority but may inflict pain as well. When I was being schooled in deliverance, I used to minister with a man who had done deliverance for decades. On occasion, when a spirit was stubbornly hanging on, James would lay his Bible on the back of the person and the spirit would leave as if the word had afflicted the spirit in some way. That didn’t work for me, but it did for James. He probably had more faith in the effect of the Word than I did.

Another important aspect of declaring God’s word over a situation is that it helps to keep us aligned with the word of God. The enemy is skilled at twisting the truth and introducing doubt just as he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden. The tempter himself came to Jesus and tried to lure him into sin. With each temptation, Jesus answered with scripture – “It is written…” Not only was Jesus wielding the sword of the Spirit but he was keeping himself anchored in the truth of his Father’s words. Those words were true and had authority. For Jesus, that settled the matter and it should for us as well. Any lack of confidence on our part regarding our authority or the Lord’s authority in a matter seems to give the enemy a right or at least the ability to continue his assignment.

When ministering deliverance, we always want to establish our position and authority first by declaring the Word of God. We typically begin with a declaration that we are servants and sons of the Most High God who come in the name of Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt.28:18) and a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord (Phil.2:9-11). We also declare that the prince of this world has been condemned by Jesus (Jn.16:11), that we have been given power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy (Lk.10:19), and that no weapon formed against those who belong to the Lord will prosper (Isa.54:17).   We may declare similar things over sickness as well when we suspect a spirit is involved.

Our words establish both the Lord’s authority and our delegated authority over the enemy like an arrest warrant. They also remind us of who we are in Christ as we begin to deal with the enemy. In addition, these declarations establish the victory that is ours in Christ and remind the enemy that he too must bow the knee to Jesus. If Jesus used declarations of God’s word against the enemy then how much more should we? The word of God declared through our lips over people, nations, and circumstances is powerful and an indispensable part of spiritual warfare.

Paul instructed Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). This verse suggests that we are to know and wield the word of God as a craftsman or as one who expertly knows how to use the tools or weapons entrusted to us. Getting the word in us so that the Holy Spirit can pull up the word that we have stored in our hearts whenever the enemy shows up is critical. There is no substitute for time in the Word and the capacity to declare that word over temptation, weakness, or crisis. I’m concerned that too many believers today have substituted good books written by their favorite authors and YouTube sermons for Bible study. Books and sermons are great resources but the Word itself contains the power. Jesus said that his words are Spirit and life. We need all of both that we can get.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Ezekiel 37:1-10

There is an expression among some of our contemporary prophets that “prophetic words don’t tell the future, they create the future.” That may sound arrogant, but not if you understand how God has determined to do his work in this world through his people. Ezekiel is a prime example and the familiar story above illustrates the principle. In a vision, God took Ezekiel to a valley that had probably been the sight of a large military battle. The dead were not buried but simply left where they fell. They had been there a very long time and the elements had stripped away everything but the bones. In the story, God is illustrating what he plans to do with Israel, which by all measures has become spiritually dead.

God could have easily set Ezekiel on a high cliff overlooking the valley so that he could have watched God’s handiwork from afar and reported what he saw. Instead, God made him a vital part of the process. God had already determined what he wanted to do but, once again, would not do it until one of his prophets declared his intentions. It’s as if God is always ready to run a race and will always win, but he will not leave the starting blocks until one his people fires the starting gun. Our words are the starting gun. God told him the words he was to declare, but would not act until Ezekiel was obedient to declare the word of the Lord over the situation. As he did, the Spirit of God began to move and amazing things happened. Where there was once despair, hope emerged. Where there was only death, life appeared. In what was once a sight of defeat and desolation, an army stood.

Remember God’s word to Jeremiah as he called the young man to be a prophet. “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer.1:9-10). God’s method is to put his words in the mouths of his people and when they declare that word, he will empower his words to create the very thing that is decreed. God’s original intent was to rule the earth through his representatives to whom he had given authority over the works of his hands (Ps.8). I believe God honors that intent by waiting on those to whom he has given authority to release the word over their rightful dominion before he acts.

Since the Spirit of God lives within every believer, every believer can hear the voice of God speaking to him or her. One of our prime directives should be to listen to God intently to discover the very things he wants us to pray or declare or command over a given situation. We have been taught that prayer is our opportunity to persuade God to do what we want him to do. There is probably a time for that but I’m convinced that the rule of thumb is that we have been placed here to declare the words he puts in our mouths and on our hearts. Jesus is our example and he clearly stated that he only did what he saw the Father doing and only spoke what he heard the Father saying. When we do that, we can have absolute faith that our prayers will be answered.

That doesn’t mean that we never initiate a need or a concern. But after having laid our concern or a crisis before the throne, the best approach would then be to ask the Father how he wants us to pray or what he wants us to say over that situation. I must confess that too often I act as if God is there to represent my interests rather than me being here to represent his.

The truth is that we approach just about every situation or need with a very limited view of all the issues and variables that will affect the outcome. We have no idea of what will transpire six months from the time we decide what should be done in a situation. We usually pray for the easiest road rather than the most beneficial road. We have a very short-term view of life rather than the eternal perspective of the God who has no beginning and no end. It stands to reason then that what he would have us do, pray, or declare would be very superior to what we would try to convince him to do.

All of this is why it is so critical for us to learn to hear the Father and to take time to do so on a daily basis. When he puts his words in our mouth, our prayers and declarations can change entire nations. How much more can they affect the individuals and smaller issues most of us deal with? Paul taught us that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom.8:14). So what does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God? It simply means that we do and say what the Spirit directs us to do and he tells us what he hears the Father saying. That is what makes us sons and daughters of God. You have heard the expression, “like father, like son.” A true son reflects the father in his words, actions, and motives. A father can be seen in a true son so when we pray or declare what the Father gives us, then we are most like him and accurately represent him on the earth. Let’s listen for him before we pray or declare. It is the way of the prophets and the Son and should be our way as well.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

We are continuing to look at the power we have to impart life through our words. We can do so primarily because we have been given the authority of Christ to establish God’s will on the earth and we do so by directing heaven’s resources with our words. God’s original intent was to rule earth through his servants to whom he had given dominion over the earth. That dominion was lost through the sin of Adam but regained through the cross of Christ. In Christ, we have been given authority to take back from Satan what was stolen. We will do that through our words expressed in prayers, declarations, and commands. For the most part, it is how we will establish God’s kingdom on earth. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of health, life, freedom, and blessing and our words have the power and authority to release those things on the earth.

Most of us understand the dynamic of prayer. When we pray, we simply ask God to set things in motion in the spiritual realm to create an effect in the natural realm. Our prayers may be long and specific or short and general. We may ask God to give favor to a person for a specific job he or she is pursuing or we may ask God to heal a specific hurt or disease. We may pray for safety for a person we care about as they travel or ask God to anoint a teacher as he or she steps to the podium. We may also pray for God to open a specific person’s heart to the gospel.

When we pray these things, we either anticipate angels moving invisibly to influence people or situations or we anticipate the Holy Spirit operating in someone’s heart. By faith, we expect God to respond to our words uttered in prayer and activate power in the spiritual realm. These kinds of prayers constitute blessings or positive outcomes in the life of the person we prayed for. As representatives of the Father on earth and ambassadors of Christ, we have heavenly authority to direct the power of heaven toward an earthly situation when we ask according to the Father’s will. When we ask things that are revealed in his word and consistent with his will, we are acting within the parameters of our assignment. When we have a scripture to stand on and declare that scripture in our prayer then the word of God has also gone out from our mouth to fulfill his purposes – on earth as in heaven.

We often think of prayer as a time when we get alone with God and enter into a time of worship, thanksgiving, and requests. But a prayer can also be as simple as a phrase like “Bless you.” If we have the authority of Christ to direct the attention of heaven, then short blessings as well as declarations over people and situations can move the Lord to establish positive outcomes in the lives of people and over situations. He responds to the authority he has given us. What we often carelessly say as a sentiment, truly has the power to direct blessings if we have faith for that.

A prayer based on the written word of God and his promises can be powerful, but a prayer based on a rhema from God can be even more powerful. A rhema is a fresh word from God for a specific situation and if he has told you what to pray for or how to pray for something specifically, you can pray with exceptional faith. Paul tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom.10:17). The “word” referred to in that particular passage is rhema ( a fresh, spoken word from God) rather than logos (the written word). When we ask God how he wants us to us to pray in a certain situation or what he wants us to speak or declare over someone and we hear him, we can be absolutely certain that our prayer will be answered and as our prayers are answered in powerful ways, our faith will grow in exceptional ways. When we ask God what he wants us to say or declare we are partnering with him and he has effectively put his word in our mouth. Too often, we fail to remember that God has chosen to do much of his work through us and much will be done based on our words.

Elijah received a rhema word from God after a three and half year drought in Israel during the reign of Ahab, the wicked king. The Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1). Following a confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is a sound of heavy rain” (1 Kings 18:41). Elijah then climbed back to the top of Mt. Carmel and began to pray for the rain God had just promised. Was that a lack of faith or something else? Perhaps, he was also declaring over the drought what God has just spoken to him. Even after a promise and a revelation that rain was at hand, it seemed that God waited on the prayers or declarations of Elijah to activate the promise. It’s as if God stored the promise in heaven, but the words of his servant pulled the promise down to earth.

John Wesley said that God does nothing until his saints pray. That may be an overstatement but it is not a great overstatement. God honors our dominion over the earth and so leaves much of what he will do in our hands. That is more responsibility than many of us want but it is also an honor and a privilege. Think how much more God would do on the earth if every Christian believed that his prayers and declarations were required before God would move and so every believer was diligent in prayer and declarations. If only a small percentage of believers understand the power they release through their words, then God is only doing a small percentage of what he is willing and desiring to do in the earth. When we believe our words don’t matter, then Satan has won a great victory.

More in Part 3

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:9-10

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. John 6:63

For the word of God is living and active. Hebrews 4:12

These four verses are incredibly significant and not well understood by the majority of Christians in America. They are based on the very nature of God. In the opening verses of Genesis, we discover two essential things. The first is that God exists. The statement, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” tells us immediately that God exists and that he predates everything in this universe both seen and unseen. Within the next few verses, we also discover that this God has the power to speak things into existence that never existed before. The Hebrew construction in those first few verses insists that God did not rearrange existing matter into a new configuration but rather made something where absolutely nothing existed before. God said, “Let there be light and there was light…” His very words contain creative power.

In Isaiah 55, God announces that because his words contain supernatural, creative power whenever they are spoken they fulfill their purpose. They have power to direct matter, energy, angels, hearts, and circumstances to produce the purposes of God. Biblically, some of those purposes manifested in seconds or minutes while others took decades and even centuries to fully develop, but what God had declared with his words came to pass.

Now here is the lesson for us. God’s word is most often declared through the lips of his people. He whispers his word in our spirit and then, as we verbally declare his words, his purposes are activated. It’s like the angels can’t start their work until they hear from us. God whispers the work order to us, we declare it, the angels here his word from our lips, and then they get busy making it happen. Most believers are unaware of their part in that process. The prophet Jeremiah clearly illustrates the point.   Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.

God did not declare his word but put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth for him to declare. These were words about kingdoms and nations that Jeremiah declared prophetically (by the direction of the Spirit). After he declared them, forces in the spiritual realm were activated so that God’s words came to pass. These prophetic declarations were like a starting pistol that put things into motion.

Jesus added a bit to the concept when he said that his words are spirit and life. When his words are declared either by him or his representatives, they move in the spirit realm to create life or again to bring God’s purposes to fulfillment. When we declare his words over a person or situation, because were are his representatives on the earth, the same effect takes place. Think of God’s word as a bullet – a projectile full of power that goes forth and makes it’s impact. Whether it is fired from God’s gun or ours, it will still have the same impact.

Declarations are like prayers except that we are not asking God to move but rather are declaring what he has already purposed to do. What I am discovering these days is that, like prayer, most things require persistent prayer before they come to pass and most things take persistent declarations before they come to pass. James says that we have not because we ask not, so we should pray. The witness of scripture is also that God’s purposes often don’t move ahead because we are not declaring his purpose….his word is not going forth from our lips.

Let me give an example. God’s will for his people is that we are to be strong and courageous. Sometimes, we don’t feel courageous. In those moments we need the Holy Spirit to infuse us with courage so we pray and ask for that courage. But we should also declare God’s word and will over that situation to empower the prayer. We might declare, “The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). That is the word of God for his people. When we declare it, his word is once again going forth and will fulfill its purpose. By declaring God’s word, we activate a process by which we will begin to manifest a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind rather than fear. It also gives notice that any spirit of fear that is afflicting you is doing so illegally.

If the will of God is clear and his word speaks to it in scripture, we should declare his word over a situation until it manifests in the same way that we should pray over a situation until a prayer is answered or the Lord releases us from the prayer. If we have received a prophetic word from another believer or if we have received a promise in our heart form the Lord, we should declare that as well. I agree with Dutch Sheets that our prayers and declarations seem to release or direct spiritual energy. Every prayer and every declaration strengthens us and weakens the enemy’s position. When we have prayed and declared enough, the enemy stronghold will crumble and victory will be ours.

Overcoming the enemy and establishing the Kingdom on earth can be hard and persistent work. The greatest part of the battle lies in the arena of prayers and declarations – sending forth God’s word over and over until it inevitably fulfills its purpose. The passage form Hebrews quoted above says that God’s word is living and active. The word translated as “living” means that something has physical vitality like a man, an animal or a plant. It has substance and life within it. It moves and produces after its kind. The word translated as active means a “cosmic force.” So the word of God contains cosmic force and its own life that gives birth to God’s purposes. It is a divine weapon that we need to use on a frequent basis. It is sent forth by our declarations. If declaring his word and his promises over your situation is not a significant part of your daily time with Him, you may want to add that as a powerful weapon in your spiritual arsenal.
Blessings in Him!

[This is the 3rd installment of an article I wrote on cleansing locations, especially houses, from the demonic spirits that have established some kind of permanent presence there. In Part 2, I began to discuss “open doors” that allow these unclean spirits to gain access to a home.  We begin this blog with the 3rd open door.]

A third source of demonic presence in homes is the presence of those who serve demonic spirits knowingly or unknowingly.  I am certain that our friend from India had no malice towards Susan and I. He most likely prayed to his “gods” on our behalf or simply prayed to them in our house and that prayer opened the door for their presence in our home as he honored them. We have discovered demonic spirits in new homes without a history, but sensed that some workman who built the house left something of himself there after he moved on. There are also individuals who willingly and formally serve Satan (cult members, etc.) who will dedicate their work to the enemy.

It is also possible that the home was built on property to which some spirit had laid claim. We have discovered that some spirits affect a house because of the property it sits on rather than something in the house – perhaps a location where violence occurred or over a place of worship where false gods were honored or their names invoked. We have also cleansed houses where satanic rituals, witchcraft, séances, etc. took place in the past. These homes can have intense manifestations, especially if the house or property was dedicated to Satan.   A dedication is like handing a deed over to the enemy. That deed has to be nullified by someone with greater authority. In the case of believers, Jesus is the one with more authority.

A fourth source of demonic presence in a home are curses that have been spoken over a family, a home, or property. A curse is an appeal to the demonic realm to visit failure, death, disease, poverty, divorce, etc. on a person, family, tribe, nation or location (See Numbers 22 – the account of Balaam). A curse may come as a result of prolonged, unrepented sin or as a result of words spoken deliberately or sometimes in anger or haste. Demons may be assigned to enforce the curse. Sometimes, it is difficult to define the source of a curse because it may have been assigned to a location or a family in previous generations. Exodus 20 tells us that the sins of the fathers will be passed down to the children to the third and fourth generations. It may be a good practice to make a declaration renouncing and repenting of any sins of your Fathers and asking Jesus to break and nullify any curses that have been operating in your house or family. A sample declaration is provided in the Suggested Declarations at the end of this article.

Solutions:

If any of this resonates with you, then your next question is probably, “What do I do if I think demonic spirits are operating in my house, my business, etc.?” Great question!

Let me take you through a simple process that has always been effective for us. This process is essentially the same as deliverance for individuals and involves aligning ourselves with Christ, renouncing the enemy and his works, declaring authority over the enemy and exercising that authority.

Alignment:

If you are not a believer, the devil has access to you at all times because you have not yet been delivered from the dominion (authority) of darkness (see Col.1:13). Your only way out is to sincerely make Jesus your Lord and Savior. If you are a believer, Jesus has taken away Satan’s legal right to oppress you or afflict you. However, you or those you are connected to may give him back that right. Satan may gain access to you or your home through areas of your life that are not aligned with Christ. He may also have access through the actions or words of others who have touched your life or home in significant ways after they had given Satan a foothold or a stronghold in their own lives.

Jesus taught us to pray “and deliver us from the evil one” (Mt.6:13). It’s always good to begin with a prayer of protection from the schemes, the influence, and the attack of the enemy when you are confronting darkness. After that, in house cleansings, the first step of alignment is to have the one(s) with authority in the home make a verbal declaration of his or her faith in Jesus as the Son of God and his or her allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior followed by a verbal renunciation of Satan and all of his works.

You might begin by making a verbal declaration like this:

Heavenly Father, I declare my faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and willing place everything I am and everything I have under his authority and lordship. In the name of Jesus I renounce Satan and all the works of Satan and repent of any and all sin in my own life.

If the owner or head of the home has areas of unrepented sin in his or her life or if someone who lives in the home has areas of unrepented sin, that sin may be an open door to the enemy. Sincere confession and repentance followed by renouncing the sin disarms the enemy in that area of an individual’s life and removes Satan’s authority to harass that individual and his or her family. Scripture tells us, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Prov. 28:13, emphasis added).  “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices” (Ezek.14:6, emphasis added)!

In addition to personal repentance, we ask the owner, renter, or head of the household (both husband and wife should do this together) to verbally place the house, contents of the house, and the property under the Lordship of Jesus and to dedicate all of that to his purposes. In doing so you transfer dominion of the house and any part of the house from the enemy to Jesus. Joshua declared, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

You should verbally declare something like…

In the name of Jesus, we dedicate and consecrate this home, it’s contents, this property and our family to the service and Lordship of Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and on earth. And in the name of Jesus we renounce and nullify any claim that the enemy has had on this house, this family, any contents in this house, or on this property. In doing so, we declare that Satan has no right and no place in this home, in this family, or on this property and is declared a trespasser.

Lastly, we look through the home to identify any objects that may be giving the enemy a place in the home such as the ones listed above – souvenirs, books, dvd’s, music that glorifies sin or violence or death, occult items, pornography, jewelry, etc. that, by their presence, provide an open window for Satan rather than honoring God. We also ask the Holy Spirit to highlight any other objects or areas that need to be removed or given special attention in the house such as places where sin has occurred – beds where adultery was practiced, tables on which occult activities took place, etc. We then ask those in authority to verbally renounce any sins that those objects clearly represent – pornography, idolatry, magic, false religions, fortune telling, adultery, sexual abuse, etc.

Say something like:

In the name of Jesus we renounce and repent of (name the sin) and ask forgiveness for its presence in this house and for our involvement in (name the sin).

Where unforgiveness is involved you may pray something like:

In the name of Jesus, I forgive (name the person) for the wrongs I have received at the hands of (name the person(s)). Because Jesus has forgiven me for the wrongs I have committed, I forgive (name the person(s) and no longer require payment for the wrongs done to me. I release (him, her, them) from the debt they owe and release all judgment to the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, Jesus I ask you to bless them as you see fit and to work on their behalf for their salvation.

When that has been done, then the owners of the house and the house itself have been aligned with Christ.

IN my next blog, I will finish this article with the process for cleansing and a summary of the declaration a person might make over a house or other location where unclean spirits are present.