Using the Spiritual Authority Given to Believers

By Marcus Warner

I grew up in a family that understands spiritual warfare. My dad has written two books on the subject and spent several years on staff with Neil T. Anderson and Freedom in Christ Ministries. While in seminary I joined my parents in their ministry of setting people free from demonic strongholds and the emotional baggage that keeps them from going deeper in their walk with God. I have been involved in hundreds of situations in which demons manifested themselves in people’s lives and had to be evicted.

In 2006, I became president of a ministry founded by Dr. Mark I. Bubeck. Today I travel the country and the world, teaching about spiritual warfare, emotional healing, and maturity development.

I write all of this simply because a lot of wacky ideas and practices regarding spiritual warfare are circulating, and I want you to know that I come from a background that takes very seriously the importance of a biblically rooted and biblically balanced approach to the subject.

Foundations of Warfare Prayer

Spiritual warfare ministry builds on two solid foundations: 1) legal ground and 2) authority. These two legal terms remind us of a courtroom. Whether we see it or not, these two rules govern spiritual warfare in the courtroom of heaven. Satan can’t do whatever he wants—or we would all be dead. He needs permission to do what he does.

He needed permission to harm Job and his family (Job 1:9–12, 2:3–6). He needed permission to “sift” Peter (Luke 22:31). In this present evil age, God has granted Satan permission to roam the earth like a roaring lion (Job 1:7, 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). As this age comes to a close, God will grant him even more permission to wage war on the saints (Rev. 13:7).

1. Legal ground. In this age, Satan receives permission in two ways:

• Sometimes God simply decrees that the devil will have greater freedom. (See the cases cited at left.)
• Sometimes we give him permission through the choices we make. When we give Satan permission to act, we call that legal ground. Our choices give him rights he otherwise would not have. Common areas in which we surrender ground to the enemy include sin, the occult, unforgiveness, lies we believe, and generational iniquity.

2. The authority of the believer. Authority over Satan is not a gift some Christians have and others don’t. We each have this authority because of our legal position in Christ: we are “seated . . . with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). This is the unique privilege of believers. The archangel Michael did not have this kind of authority over Lucifer (Jude 1:9). Michael and Lucifer were equals. Christians, however, are seated with Christ at the right hand of God far above the “principalities and powers” we war against (Eph. 6:12).

Some time ago, a young lady who had received a demon that gave her psychic powers, came to see me. She got the demon when she went to a church for help and the leaders there sent her to a yoga class they were hosting. A Hindu guru was leading the class, and when he laid his hand on her head, she felt energy release throughout her body with a focus in her forehead. She received what is called “the third eye of Shiva.” From that moment on, she had psychic abilities she had not had before. She came to me because, as a Christian, she was concerned that this was not right. What an understatement!

As I led her to renounce her involvement and command the demons to leave, she asked, “Do I really have the authority to command them to leave? Shouldn’t I simply ask Jesus to do it for me?”  Good question. Together, we read Ephesians 1:19–2:6, and I explained that she had authority because she was “seated with Christ” and did not have to be a victim of this anymore. She understood, and within a few minutes God set her free.

But we need caution here. Most people who get in trouble with spiritual battles do so because they rely totally on their authority and do not deal with the legal ground. This was driven home to me when a pastor in a very unusual situation called me. A woman under demonic attack sat in his office, making growling noises I could hear in the background. He was at his wits’ end. He had commanded the demon to leave several times with increasing volume each time. He tried praying. Nothing happened. He tried reading Scripture and singing. Still nothing.

His problem was that he did not understand legal ground. I walked him through the process of using his authority to bind the demon and command it to be silent and still. I could hear the room grow quiet. I then told him to ask the lady if she or her family had ever engaged in occult practices. He already knew the answer. This woman was related to him, and her mother was a witch. The woman in his office had herself engaged in several occult practices as she grew up.

Though now a Christian, she had never renounced her involvement or dealt with the demons she had given permission to enter her life. Once the pastor understood legal ground and how to remove it, he said, “I think I get it. I’ll call you back if I need more help.”

A few days later he called and said, “It took two sessions, but I think we got them all.”  Then he said something else I have never forgotten, “You know, I was taught in seminary that this couldn’t happen. I was told that Christians couldn’t have demons.” He and his wife later came for more training as he began to understand just how many Christians are burdened by the effects of spiritual warfare—with no understanding of how to fight.

Practices of Warfare Praying

Prayer is crucial in spiritual warfare because we are truly wrestling against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). Recognizing that we are “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37), we can use the following helpful practices in warfare praying:

Binding. The purpose of binding demons is to limit their ability to act until their legal ground can be removed. Prayer for binding is almost always needed when demons are involved. In one simple case, a seminary student, an active disciple-maker with a campus ministry, ran into a road block. He was dealing with an intelligent guy who couldn’t follow the simplest thought processes when they read the Bible together. In fact, his eyes seemed to glaze over, and he became easily distracted. I suggested that the seminary student insert one line into his opening prayer the next time they met: “In the name of Jesus I bind any demons from interfering with our time of study.”

The next week he came back very excited. “You won’t believe it,” he said. “He followed every word this time. It was our best study yet. We found out that his family had been involved in a lot of occult activity, and he also confessed, for the first time ever, that he had been a practicing homosexual for the last seven years.” Clearly there was legal ground in this man’s life.

Loosing. There are a variety of ways to “loose” ourselves, our property, and others from demonic activity. Two of the most important are forgiveness and repentance. Since sin and unforgiveness give legal ground to the enemy, we loose ourselves from that legal ground by canceling their right to exist. Sometimes this is all that is needed.

In other cases, demons may still need to be evicted. Another type of loosing is cleansing. This occurs when we cancel any demonic claims to a location or an object. I know a man who cleansed his hotel room with a simple four-step prayer: “Lord, (1) if any demons claim a right to be here, (2) I cancel that claim in the name of Jesus, and (3) I command them to leave. (4) I now commit this room to Christ and ask Him to cleanse and fill it with His presence.”

The man got halfway through this prayer when every light bulb in the room burst! He thought this was odd, so he went to see the hotel manager. “Just out of curiosity,” he said, “who stayed in my room before me?”

The manger replied, “You know, it is funny you should ask. There was a fortune teller in there for the last several days with clients coming in and out to see her.”

Those demons weren’t going to leave until someone with authority in Christ cleansed the room.

Hedge of protection. In the Book of Job we read that this righteous man offered sacrifices to God every day. In order to temporarily remove the resulting hedge of protection around his family, Satan needed a divine decree from God Himself.

Personally, I pray for a hedge of protection around my family every day. It is like taking a shower or washing my hands. It is just part of what I do. Satan gets enough permission without my giving it to him through negligence.

Fasting. A fast is a type of sacrifice. We are denying ourselves food (or something else) for a period of time. Fasting is often involved in making very serious petitions. It is often a statement of desperation (Esther 4:16). It is also a statement of worship and honor that the One we petition is worth our sacrifice. Fasting is not magic, but it is an important form of petition that God honors.

Doctrinal prayers. A doctrinal prayer is a scripturally based and doctrinally sound prayer written by an experienced prayer warrior (see page 21). Such prayers can serve as tracks on which our prayers are guided. We don’t necessarily have to pray them word for word, but they can serve as guides to lead us. Several doctrinal prayers written by Dr. Mark I. Bubeck can be found in his books The Adversary and Overcoming the Adversary, as well as at our website as free downloads (deeperwalkinternational.org). John Eldredge also has a very helpful daily prayer available at his website (ransomedheart.com) and in his book Waking the Dead.

Listening prayer. While the foundations of spiritual warfare are legal and relate to God’s sovereign rule over this world, the practice of applying those principles requires the guidance of the Spirit. Because of this, warfare prayer should be anchored in intimacy with God. As we learn to quiet ourselves and listen, the Spirit will lead us to understand issues of legal ground and how to remove them. He will also guide us to know how to pray or simply to trust Him that He understands and knows what to do.

A Believer’s Crucial Role

Warfare prayer is not magic. It is not a supernatural key to unlock every door nor an elixir to solve every problem. But in a world growing increasingly dark, where Satan is gaining more and more permission to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10), it is crucial that every believer learns to pray effectively from a position of authority, guided by the Spirit, and with an understanding of the devil’s schemes and how to overcome them.

1. Spiritual Warfare: Victory Over the Powers of This Dark World and Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, by Timothy Warner.

MARCUS WARNER is president of Deeper Walk International and serves as the primary teacher for their Deeper Walk seminars. He is the author of several books, including What Every Believer Should Know about Spiritual Warfare (available at deeperwalkinternational.org).

A Warfare Prayer

Heavenly Father, I bow in worship and praise before You. I cover myself with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as my protection during this time of prayer. I surrender myself completely and unreservedly in every area of my life to Yourself.

Heavenly Father, come and open my eyes that I might see how great You are and how complete Your provision is for this new day. I do, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, take my place with Christ in the heavenlies with all principalities and powers of darkness and wicked spirits under my feet. I am thankful that the victory the Lord Jesus Christ won for me on the cross and in His resurrection has been given to me and that I am seated with the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenlies; therefore, I declare that all principalities and powers and all wicked spirits are subject to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for the armor You have provided, and I put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the helmet of salvation. I lift up the shield of faith against all the fiery darts of the enemy and take in my hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. I use Your Word against all the forces of evil in my life; and I put on this armor and live and pray in complete dependence upon You, blessed Holy Spirit.

I am grateful, heavenly Father, that the Lord Jesus Christ spoiled all principalities and powers and made a show of them openly and triumphed over them in Himself. I claim all that victory for my life today. I reject out of my life all the insinuations, the accusations, and the temptations of Satan. I affirm that the Word of God is true, and I choose to live today in the light of God’s Word. I choose, heavenly Father, to live in obedience to You and in fellowship with Yourself. Open my eyes and show me the areas of my life that would not please You.

Work in my life so that there is no ground to give Satan a foothold against me. Show me any area of weakness. Show me any area of my life that I must deal with so that I would please You. I do in every way today stand for You and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life.   I am thankful, heavenly Father, that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, to the casting down of imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring every thought into obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore in my own life today, I tear down the strongholds of Satan, and I smash the plans of Satan that have been formed against me. I tear down the strongholds of Satan against my mind, and I surrender my mind to You, blessed Holy Spirit. I affirm, heavenly Father, that You have not given me the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I break and smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my will today, and I give my will to You and choose to make the right decisions.  Heavenly Father, I pray that now through this day You would quicken me; show me the way that Satan is hindering and tempting and lying and counterfeiting and distorting the truth in my life. Enable me to be aggressive in prayer.

I surrender myself to You. I refuse to be discouraged. You are the God of all hope. You have proven Your power by resurrecting Jesus Christ from the dead, and I claim in every way Your victory over all satanic forces active in my life, and I reject these forces. I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with thanksgiving. Amen.

Written by Victor Matthews, professor emeritus, Grand Rapids, MI, Theological Seminary. Reprinted from The Adversary by Dr. Mark Bubeck, p. 140.