Many Christians spend a considerable amount of time asking God to do for them things He has already done, or has already told them to do. When we look at the concept of spiritual authority, it is simply the right to use God’s power. This power has been put under our authority, but we have the responsibility to “flip the switch” to activate it. We limit God when we refuse to make use of it, but praising Him releases His power in our lives. In order to see manifestations of this, we must embrace this spiritual law as a way of life.
Praising and worshipping Him connects us to all the authority we need.
Jesus has given us the power to defeat the enemy, and He promises nothing will hurt us (Luke 10:19).
Paul and Silas prayed from their prison cell, and suddenly an earthquake opened the cell doors and loosed their shackles (Acts 16:25, 26).
They chose to praise God instead of complaining.
There is no one like God, Who is glorious and wonderful (Exodus 15:11).
We are commanded to praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).
When we are praising Him and jumping for joy, we are stress-free.
God inhabits our praises (Psalm 22:3).
We are His people, and He rejoices over us. It is fitting that we give Him thanks.
God is worthy to receive glory and honor. He created all things (Revelation 4:11).
He formed us for Himself, and for us to praise Him (Isaiah 43:21).
As God’s children, we glorify Him by praising Him regardless of the circumstances.
We are a chosen and holy nation. We are to praise God, Who called us out of darkness into His light (1 Peter 2:9).
Praise supports and establishes our faith in His grace, and we see greater results in our lives of what Jesus has already done.
There is power in worshipping with thanks and praise.
We must walk in Jesus. We are rooted and built up in Him, and we should abound in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6, 7).
We can praise God in song and give Him our thanks. This pleases Him better than any offering we could give (Psalm 69:30, 31).
Out of the mouths of babes, God has ordained strength for us to defeat the enemy (Psalm 8:2).
We can exert our authority by using our mouth to verbally praise Him, which empowers Him to bless us the way He wants to.
When the evil spirit descended on Saul, David played music and the spirit departed (1 Samuel 16:23).
The music David played was to worship God. It demonstrated the power of praise.
Scripture References
Luke 10:19
Isaiah 43:21
Acts 16: 25, 26
1 Peter 2:9
Exodus 15:11
Colossians 2:6, 7
Psalm 150: 6
Psalm 22:3
Revelation 4:11
Psalm 69:30, 31
Psalm 8:2
1 Samuel 16:23
How Praise Releases Spiritual Authority
God has given us spiritual authority over everything in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, and praising Him invokes that authority and paralyzes the devil. The mistaken belief that God is in complete control is contradicted when we read in the book of Genesis that He gave Adam and Eve authority over all the earth. Because of their fall and the loss of that authority, Jesus came to restore it to us, as well as to give us dominion over heaven and hell as well. With that in mind, we must remember that God will not come down from heaven simply to get the devil off our back. As Believers, we are expected to use our power to do this ourselves.
God has given us something that many of us still do not realize we have.
Jesus gives us power over the enemy, and He promises that nothing shall hurt us (Luke 10:19).
The dominion we possess is even greater than what Adam and Eve had.
When Jesus was resurrected, He had authority over everything in heaven, in earth, and under the earth (Philippians 2:10).
When He gave us that same power, we then became responsible for using our authority to activate it.
When we refuse to use it, we limit God’s ability to intervene in situations on our behalf.
Our words and actions will empower either God or the devil to operate in our life.
We must walk in Jesus Christ, rooted and built up in Him and constantly giving Him thanks (Colossians 2:6, 7).
This establishes our faith.
Praise and thanksgiving have real power in deciding the outcome of situations.
Giving thanks to God paralyzes the devil, and allows Him to move in our life.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the priests and scribes disliked what Jesus did, and the fact that children praised and worshipped Him. He responded by quoting the Old Testament (Matthew 21:15, 16).
The Old Testament predicted that children would praise Him, and praise would be an effective tool in defeating the enemy (Psalm 8:2).
Nehemiah told the people to continue on with their lives while feeding the hungry and helping the needy. He said not to be sorry, because the joy of the Lord was their strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
As Believers, praising God and being joyful makes us strong.
When the Moabites and the Ammonites gathered against Jehoshaphat to battle, the people did not know what to do. They responded by keeping their focus on God, despite being outnumbered. God told them this was not their fight, but His, and when they praised Him, He delivered them and slew their enemies (2 Chronicles 20:1-25).
The people’s praise, worship, and songs allowed God to intervene.
When we praise God and give thanks to Him, it reminds the devil of his defeat.
Scripture References
Luke 10:19
Psalm 8:2
Philippians 2:10
Nehemiah 8:10
Colossians 2:6, 7
2 Chronicles 20:1-25
Matthew 21:15, 16
Proclamation and Demonstration
When we preach the Word of God the way the Bible tells us to, we should not stop at simply talking about it. Jesus spoke the truth, and backed His words up with action. He sent His disciples out in teams, telling them to spread the Gospel and perform signs to confirm the Word. As Believers, we are commanded to do the same. It is not enough just to proclaim doctrine—we should follow up our proclamation with demonstration.
Jesus commanded His disciples to not just speak, but to act. After His ascension, the Holy Spirit empowered them to do that.
When He sent them out, He told them to eat what was presented to them, heal the sick, and preach the Gospel in the cities where they were sent (Luke 10:8, 9).
In essence, Jesus said to proclaim the kingdom and then to demonstrate it.
The disciples went forth and preached, confirming God’s Word with signs and wonders (Mark 16:20).
This was made possible because the Lord was working with them.
The Holy Spirit was the Helper Who guided the apostles in everything they said and did.
When they took action and performed miracles, they were all of one mind (Acts 5:12).
We can accomplish the same things by our own hands.
The apostles spoke boldly because the Lord was giving them utterance. They testified about Jesus and performed supernatural works (Acts 14:3).
God bore witness to His Word through what He did (Hebrews 2:4).
We have the same authority as Jesus to command the manifestations of these signs.
The power and authority we have is real, but in order for it to work in our lives, we must believe in its reality.
After Peter and John were released, they reported everything the priests and elders had done to them. They praised God, and prayed for power to work miracles while preaching the Word (Acts 4:23, 24, 29, 30).
Preaching and manifesting go together. We must expect to see the manifestation.
God is not slow in keeping His promises to us. He is long-suffering, not willing that anyone should die (2 Peter 3:9).
It is His will to heal, and for all to be saved.
The path of destruction is wide, and many enter into it. The path to life is narrow, and few find it (Matthew 7:13, 14).
We are free to make our own decisions, regardless of God’s plan for us. Because of that freewill choice, His will does not automatically come to pass.
After God freed Paul and Silas from prison, they told the guard to believe in Jesus in order to be saved, and he believed (Acts 16:31).
Salvation and healing only work for us if we choose to accept them by faith. They work on an individual basis.
Others cannot call on God if they do not believe in Him, and they cannot believe if they have not heard His Word. They will not hear His Word without a preacher, and preaching it is impossible without being sent (Romans 10:14, 15, 17).
We are required to minister the Word first, in order for the lives of others to be touched.
Scripture References
Luke 10:8, 9
Mark 16:20
Acts 5:12
Acts 14:3
Hebrews 2:4
Acts 4:23, 24, 29, 30
2 Peter 3:9
Matthew 7:13, 14
Acts 16:31
Romans 10:14, 15, 17
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