Spiritual Warfare" By Contributing Writer Evangelist Shane Perry

Prayer is such an integral component in developing our relationship with God, not only because it puts us in direct contact with our Creator, but because it encompasses so many different methods in which to access Him. There’s the prayer of agreement, the prayer of intercession, the prayer of faith, and the prayer of consecration and dedication --just to name a few. But perhaps the most neglected method of prayer is the prayer of binding and loosing. Jesus says in Matthew 18:18, “Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Through God’s word and the authority He has given us, this form of prayer can be used as a weapon against the enemy. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” This scripture illustrates the importance of engaging in spiritual warfare against the adversary. The prayer of binding and loosing aligns us with our God-given authority on earth to defeat the enemy.

When I served in the military, we had rules that governed our authority that were agreed upon during the Geneva Convention. These laws were established as international standards that must be adhered to in order to bring the greatest level of humanitarianism during times of war. To properly engage our chief antagonist in spiritual warfare, we must first know his rights and ours. It is important to know that the enemy does not fight fair and will only come subject to spiritual authority when he has it superimposed upon him. Our purpose as prayer warriors is to enforce the will of God, which is found in his Word, and make Satan and all his cohorts come under subjection.

According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan is the "god of this world." The question we must ask ourselves is, “Who or what gave him this power?” To find the answer we must take a trip back to the dawn of creation in the Garden of Eden. Adam was created to rule the earth realm and establish God’s kingdom in the domain in which he had been assigned. At this point, Adam was the god (little “g”) of this world, under the authority of God Almighty (big “G”). In John 10:34, Jesus references Psalms 82:6 in driving this point home. Jesus says, "Did I not say ye are gods?" God created us to be fruitful and multiply and expand God's kingdom and to be the little g's of this planet. Of course, as we all know, that plan was met with a serious challenge. As the Genesis narrative unfolds we see man giving his authority to Satan during his actions with Eve in their disobedience. Instantly, the landscape of our planet changes--thorns and thistles grow and paradise seems lost. A prognostication is made in the aftermath of this awful event. Genesis 3:15 says, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This prophetic word would once again transfer the original power of man back to its rightful owner. Noted Theologian John Gill correctly states that this verse can only be understood as a prophecy to the coming Messiah. Isaiah 7:14 reveals that Immanuel (God is with us) will be conceived by a virgin. Therefore, "between thy seed and her seed" is referring to this child that will come by way of a virgin birth. 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 describes Jesus as the second Adam. Which simply means, what the first Adam got wrong, the second Adam (Jesus) got right. When Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead, he arose with all power in his hand and He literally redeemed mankind so that all who accepted him would have the ability to become the sons of God again and reclaim their rightful place of authority and dominion.

In essence, we must understand that the power Satan has in the earth, we gave it to him in the fall, and it was given back to us by Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection. So when we confront Satan as a believer in Jesus, we have to know who we are. We have every right to strip him of his power in every area of our life and the lives of others because we have been redeemed. We have been brought back to our place of spiritual prowess. The critical concept to grasp as it relates to spiritual warfare is that we are dealing with an enemy that has already been defeated, which means I am not fighting in the traditional sense of the word. I’m simply letting the devil know my rights.

There are many countries that do not adhere to the principles of the aforementioned code of conduct laid out in the Geneva Convention. It then becomes necessary for other countries to get involved and overthrow those governments. So it’s imperative for us to aggressively go in to every place the enemy has violated God’s word in our lives and take dominion. Now is the time to overthrow the kingdom of darkness. Now is the time to take authority in the name of Jesus over all demonic attacks against your physical body. God’s will for your life is to be healthy. Command the enemy to respond to Isaiah 53:5 and 3 John 2 and release your health. Break the generational curses of lack, poverty, and debt. You have rights! Malachi 3:10 states, “He will rebuke the devourer for your sake, open up the windows of heaven, He will pour you out a blessing you will not have room enough to receive.” Luke 6:38 states, “If you give it shall be given, good measure, pressed down shaken together, running over shall men give into your bosom.” Proverbs 10:22 states, “The blessing of the Lord makes you rich and adds no sorrow with it.” Take authority over your family, your house, your job, your business. You have the power to change the atmosphere of your situation. So pick yourself up and stand in your authority. You have power in prayer to engage, over come, and have complete victory over the enemy. From this day forward, as you use these tools, you will no longer be the victim--you are the victor! Thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!