The Power of Prayer for Supernatural Strength and Authority

“God’s purpose may be thwarted or it may be accomplished depending, to one degree or another, on the obedience of His people and their willingness to use the weapons of spiritual warfare that He has provided. God is powerful enough to win any battle, but He has designed things so that the release of His power at a given moment of time often is contingent upon the decisions and the actions of His people. A principle weapon of spiritual warfare is prayer. Not just routine or mediocre prayer, but prayer powerful enough to move God’s hand in order to determine the destiny of a whole nation.” C. Peter Wagner
 
Do we realize the power we have available to us when we take our authority in prayer? Most of us don’t realize our authority because if we did, we would be praying far more. We would be sacrificing everything else in order to pray. Instead of worrying about the increase in evil in our land, we would be on our faces before God crying out for His intervention. Unfortunately in many churches prayer is the weakest link. It should be the strongest one because it is the key to God’s blessing in the spirit realm. 

We work together with God's power when we exercise our authority in prayer.

 Authoritative intercession and heartfelt repentance is key to breakthrough in America. By exercising our authority in prayer and standing strong in God’s truth, we are working together with Him to determine the future of our nation. We have authority in prayer to actually see our personal lives and the lives of others change. We can pray authoritative prayers for our neighborhoods and cities. Certain things in history will happen through our intercession if we pray the way God wants us to pray. We can change nations through prayer if we choose to use this mighty weapon.

The power of prayer is waiting for you to ask and receive.

 Imagine being at a dinner buffet where there are many tables loaded with different foods. The foods are the best. They are mouth-watering and absolutely delicious. Guests help themselves to the different kinds of food, as they desire. The host walks around among his friends to see if everyone has enough to eat, while the servers keep loading the table with fresh food. You can take as many trips as you like to the tables as long as you have enough to eat. The host doesn’t care as long as you are full. 

In a similar way, God has provided everything for us if we pray. We can have all we need. Most of us have not realized the power there is in prayer. We are not asking. All we have to do is reach out by faith and ask Him to touch our lives, our cities, and our nations. When we tap into his resources by faith and pray, miracles happen. When we exercise our authority in prayer, God answers in a powerful way. There is a strength and power in prayer that the Church has not yet known or realized. 
 
My husband is a very practical man. He can fix almost anything. In our garage he has all kinds of tools. Once he decided to remodel our bathroom and tile the floor. To do an excellent job, he needed a good tile cutter. Whenever he fixes something in our home, he needs the right tools. Lately he has been working on our car. He needed a jack to lift the car up in order to work underneath. He couldn’t fix a problem underneath the car without that tool. It would be impossible. 

The body of Christ also has a task. 

We want to change the world for Christ. It’s a huge task for all of us, but we do it one life at a time. Some are reaching people in their workplace or in another country. Some are reaching people in the hospitals or in the schools. We are all in this together. We want to see people’s lives changed all over the world before Jesus’ return to earth but the task is huge, and we need the right tools to do it. The most essential tool is prayer. Only through prayer can we get the job done. There is strength and power in prayer that can change the world. 

When we exercise the power of praying with authority, things happen in the spirit realm. 

God remembers every prayer we pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit has effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten. When I was in a particular city in the country of Turkey, I remembered a prayer I had prayed in that very same city several years before. It was as if at that moment God showed me that He had remembered my prayers from several years before, and that it was extremely important and would have a powerful effect in that city one day. My prayer influenced God. When we realize the authority we have in prayer, mighty things will happen all over the earth that brings victory to the powerful name of Jesus. Well-known prayer author and intercessor, E. M. Bounds, wrote about the power of prayer: 
 
“Prayer is power and strength, a power and strength that influences God, and is most salutary, widespread, and marvelous in its gracious benefits to man. Prayer influences God. The ability of God to do for man is the measure of the possibility of prayer.”
 

The prayers you pray influence God.

 He remembers every single one of them. You may be thinking, “You don’t know me - My prayers seem so feeble and weak - God doesn’t seem to answer me.” Do not ever think that God hasn’t heard you or that your prayers do not matter. The enemy is trying very hard to discourage people in prayer in these days because he is afraid of prayer. He knows it’s strength and potential, and he is trying to keep this hidden from the Church. 
 
Prayer takes time. We have to learn to wait and believe. One day you will see that your prayers have had a mighty effect in the spiritual realm. Do not give up or ever think it is not important to pray today. If ever there was a need for intercession for America, it is now.  We are in a key (kairos) time in all of history. The Greek word “kairos” in the New Testament means the appointed or opportune time that God has set for something to occur. During a kairos time, we must respond in prayer and press through in intercession in order to see God’s plan fulfilled. We are in a time of urgency, and we must seize it in prayer. This is the appointed season for change and for intercession to increase. 
 
We must not fear the future or believe the lies of the enemy, but we must stand strong in authoritative prayer. 

Fear weakens us and gives us an unsound mind - the power of prayer gives us strength & wisdom.

 Instead, we must know our authority in prayer to see mighty changes on earth, in our own personal lives, and in our nation. We can pray God’s future plan into being through our intercession. If we pray strategic, authoritative, and prophetic prayers then we will be praying the future into being. Authority is the key to strength and power. We have awesome responsibility. 

We need God’s revelation of our spiritual authority.

We rarely grasp the full potential of the strength and power of prayer that is available to us. We often go about our daily activities and forget that we are united with Christ. We are connected with Him as our head, and we are His Church designed to express the fullness of His power on earth. Carefully meditate on the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-23 to get the full picture. God has incomparably great power, Christ is seated at God’s right hand, Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, and we are called to enforce Jesus authority on earth through prayer.   

I remember when I was on my way to a prayer meeting in a nearby church on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I was not very familiar with that church even though it was not far from my house. Therefore I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Having thought I passed it, I turned around and drove into the parking lot of a building. Going up to the door and finding it was locked, I knocked and asked a gentleman if this was the church. The man turned to me and said with a tiny laugh, “No, this is the fire department.” I realized suddenly what an incredible mistake I had made. I was at the fire department!

God spoke to my heart through that experience. We are in an emergency situation. The house is on fire! Cities are on fire! There is an emergency in the nations. Right now we are in a battle for America. The harvest is ripe, and Satan knows that his time is short. He is doing everything he can to steal, kill and destroy. We must pray - We must encourage everyone around us to pray - We must shake awake those who are asleep - We must become radical and passionate in prayer. The cities and nation are on fire! Prayer is the answer. When we pray, we are empowered to reach the lost. Then we take action with the power of God. God rules through His body, the praying Church!

“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the Kingdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world.”  E. M. Bounds

My Prayer for Strength and Power in Prayer

Lord, I pray that I might realize my authority in prayer. Teach me to pray with Your strength and power. I want to work together with You in prayer to determine my future and the future of my nation. I want to pray with authority for my city. I desire to pray powerful breakthrough prayers that move Your hand to action. Teach me to daily come to You and pray faith-filled prayers for my needs and the need of those around me. I can’t reach my workplace or neighborhood without Your power. I thank You that You remember all of my prayers and that they influence Your heart. Give me revelation of my spiritual authority (Ephesians 1:18-23).

Teach Your Church to use this powerful tool of prayer every day. We can’t reach the world and bring in the final harvest without strong day-and-night prayer. We are in a kairos time in history and we need a breakthrough in prayer. Help us to press through in intercession in order to see Your plans fulfilled. Teach us to stand strong in authoritative prayer. We will not fear the future but choose to take our awesome responsibility in prayer.

I thank You that there is hope for the future because You are seated at God’s right hand and we are seated with You in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). You defeated Satan at the cross and we fight a defeated foe (Colossians 2:15). Help us to enforce Your authority and Your will on earth through prayer (James 4:7). Thank you that we have breakthrough authority to change nations. Teach us to take hold of prayer and pray down blessings on our world. Thank You for the power of prayer that is available to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC)
deb@intercessorsarise.org
www.intercessorsarise.org

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang

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