The prophet Elijah and King Ahab had been in conflict for some time over idolatry and false worship in Israel
before Elijah declared a showdown. Elijah commanded the king to call the Israelites to Mount Carmel, as well as
the prophets of Baal and Asherah who were supported strongly by Queen Jezebel. When all parties were assembled,
Elijah said to the people, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but
if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). The people didn't respond, so Elijah challenged the prophets to a duel of
sorts.
The prophets of Baal and the prophet Elijah were each given a bull to sacrifice. Elijah said, “You call on the
name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God” (1 Kings
18:24). The prophets of Baal agreed to this plan and they spent all day—from morning until the time of the evening
sacrifice—crying out to Baal, leaping about the altar, and cutting themselves with knives, all without any result
whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Elijah took twelve stones to make an altar to the Lord, surrounded the altar with a trench, and then
cut wood and soaked both it and the sacrificial bull with water until the trench was also filled with water—in
fact, he soaked the wood and sacrifice with water three times. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed:
LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant,
and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God,
and that You have turned their hearts back to You again. (1 Kings 18:36–37)
When Elijah had finished his prayer, the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice, as well as the wood,
the stones, the dust, and all the water in the trench. When the people saw what had happened, they fell on their
faces and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” (v. 39).
What a wonderful example of praying with boldness and authority! Elijah didn't pray in secret, off in some corner
where nobody could see or hear him. He prayed openly and publicly. There was nothing tricky or shady about what
he did; there was no doubt about what he said.
God has filled the Scriptures with promises. Oh, how few of them we claim as our own! A man once said to me,
“I feel that when I come into the throne room of God, I just tiptoe around. I'm afraid of what God may say or do.”
I believe his behavior is that of many Christians.
God, however, tells us to come boldly into His presence. He grants us the privilege to come before Him with
authority because of our position in Christ Jesus. We are to be bold in believing with our faith that God is going
to do what He desires to do and what He says He will do in our lives.
What the Word Says
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all points tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need. (Heb. 4:15–16)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus … let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith. (Heb. 10:19, 22)
What the Word Says to Me
• How do you feel when you enter God's throne room?
• In what ways do you feel challenged by these verses from Hebrews?
What Is Our Authority?
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about a great multitude of people who rose up against King Jehoshaphat and the people
of Israel. Three groups of people—the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the people of Mount Seir—launched a major assault
against Jerusalem.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, but rather than cower in fear, verse 3 says he “set himself to seek the LORD.” He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and called the people together
to join him in seeking the Lord. He stood before the people in the house of the Lord and prayed, “O LORD God of
our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand
is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” (v. 6).
Jehoshaphat was not doubting the power of God. Rather, he was affirming his belief in God. He was declaring
that he was putting all of his trust in the God of unlimited power. He went on to pray:
Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the
descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your
name, saying, “If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple
and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear
and save.” And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when
they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—here they are, rewarding
us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. O our God, will You not judge
them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but
our eyes are upon You. (vv. 7–12)
Jehoshaphat stated very plainly that he, even as king of the land, was standing in a position of total humility
and weakness before the Lord. He claimed no authority in or for himself. He said to the Lord:
• You are the One who gave us this land.
• You are the One who has allowed Your people to dwell in it and build a sanctuary for You in it.
• You are the One who said that we should cry out to You in our affliction and You would hear and save us.
• You are the One who told us to spare these enemy people when we first came to occupy this land.
• You are the only One capable of judging these enemies who are rising against us—we have no power and no plan.
He concluded by saying, “Our eyes are squarely on You and on no other.” In sum, Jehoshaphat was saying, “If
You don't exercise Your authority in this matter, we are doomed. We are putting our entire trust and confidence
in You and You alone.”
There is no trace of egotism in Jehoshaphat. He made no demand that God do something that God did not desire
to do. Jehoshaphat claimed no authority in himself, and also no power for himself.
• Have you had an experience in your life in which you knew with certainty that you had no power or authority
apart from God?
• What new insights do you have into the prayers of Elijah and Jehoshaphat?
Authority vs. Power
Matthew 28:18 records the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples. Jesus said,
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
The word power refers to the ability to bring about, execute, or act with hindrances removed. This word
refers to a divine capacity, a divine right or privilege. Jesus declared that He has the authority to send out
His own disciples.
In Acts 1:8, the word power is translated from the Greek word dunamis.
But you shall receive power [dunamis] when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to
Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
This word for power refers to the dynamic ability that will be given to the disciples so that they can
be witnesses. This is an enabling, life-changing, highly effective power.
Jesus was not turning over the fullness of His authority to His disciples—He retains His authority as Savior
and Lord always. What He was imparting to His disciples through the Holy Spirit was the ability to do whatever
Jesus authorized them to do. In other words, in their receiving the Holy Spirit, His disciples would receive
the power to carry out the mission that Jesus was sending them on. Jesus is the One who possesses the authority
and imparts the ability through the Holy Spirit.
This is a critical distinction for us to make. As Christians we do not have authority in and of ourselves. All
authority resides in Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord. But, we have been given power to carry out the commandments
of Jesus on earth. Furthermore, we do not have this power in ourselves apart from the Holy Spirit. It is a power
that is given to us by Jesus, and which we must actively receive from the Spirit.
Both words, authority and power, are recorded in Luke 9:1:
Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure
diseases.
Jesus sent out His twelve disciples to preach the kingdom of God and He gave them both power and authority for
a ministry of healing and deliverance. He imparted to them the capacity for this type of ministry, as well as the
power to do this ministry. In other words, He gifted them with both the can-do authority and will-succeed
power.
Jesus expected His disciples to fulfill their mission because they had been fully equipped to do so. The same
holds true for us. When God sends us out on a mission, He gives us both the ability to do the mission and the power
that will ensure the mission is accomplished. He gives us everything we need.
Our Authority and Power in Prayer
God has called us to pray and has given every person the capacity to pray. Prayer is both a commandment of God
and a mission. God has fully authorized us to pray and He has given us the privilege to call upon His name at any
place and at any time. God can be accessed from anywhere on earth, at any moment in history. He has given us the
name of Jesus—the greatest name on earth and in heaven—as our authority in which to pray.
Not only does God give us the authority to pray, but He empowers us to pray. He moves in us and through us by
the Holy Spirit so that our prayers are effective. The believer who prays in Atlanta can be effective in bringing
about spiritual change in Tehran. The believer who prays in southern California can be effective in bringing about
God's blessing on the church in China. There is no distance in prayer. Prayer can affect any situation, alter any
circumstance, and bring about any type of change anywhere on earth.
The questions are, Will we pray with boldness? Will we move forward in our faith, claiming all of the promises
that God has given us in the Scriptures, knowing with full assurance that Jesus Christ is our authority and the
Holy Spirit is our empowerment? Will we pray and believe and see God act?
Nothing other than prayer allows us as individual believers and collective groups of believers any greater potential
to affect the state of an individual sinful heart and the state of world affairs. Think about it! Prayer is the
most potent, effective, life-changing force given by God to humankind.
It is up to us, therefore, to pray. And to pray boldly and with the full force of our faith in Christ Jesus.
What the Word Says
Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree,
but also if you say to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it will be done. And whatever things
you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. (Matt. 21:21–22)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
You do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:2)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
We have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do
those things that are pleasing to his sight. (1 John 3:21–22)
What the Word Says to Me
• In what ways are you feeling challenged in your prayer life?
Our Offense Against the Enemy of Our Souls
When we begin to pray with power, the enemy of our souls will come to us and say, “Why do you think you have
the right to pray for that? Who do you think you are?”
Paul addressed this matter in Ephesians 6. He told the Ephesians that they must adopt a posture of boldness
in prayer: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (v. 10). Paul stated up front that our authority
and power are clearly resident in and imparted by Christ Jesus. We are not bold or powerful in our own right.
He then reminded the Ephesians that the ever-present enemy is Satan. We are in mortal conflict with the devil
and his demons. We battle against the wiles of the devil and wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of
the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness (vv. 11–12).
Anytime we begin to pray we can expect Satan to put up a fight against our prayers. How do we overcome him?
Paul said we are to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand” (v. 13). Paul described this armor as
• the breastplate of righteousness;
• feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
• the shield of faith, by which we are able to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy;
• the helmet of salvation;
• the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (vv. 14–17).
When we put on the whole armor of God, we are putting on the identity of Christ Jesus. We are recognizing that
Christ alone is our authority. Jesus is our righteousness. He is our peace. He is the Author and Finisher of our
faith. He is our Savior and the One who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, reminds us of the word of God and teaches
us the deep meanings of God's Word. He has the full capacity to defeat the enemy at every turn, and He has imparted
to us the capacity to defeat the enemy at specific times and places through our prayers.
Paul closed this illustration by telling the Ephesians that they were to pray always “with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (v. 18).
Prayer is our offense against the devil's attacks and against his strongholds. Paul stated very clearly that
we have the power of the Holy Spirit working in us and through us to make certain that we are able to exercise
the authority of Christ successfully. Paul declared this to be a winning posture. We will not fail against the
devil if we recognize the real enemy, put on the armor of Christ Jesus and take on the authority He alone imparts
to us, and then pray with persevering, enduring faith.
None of us have either the authority or the power to stand against the devil on the basis of our own personality,
intellect, or gifts. But in Christ, we have His authority and His power to soundly defeat the enemy regardless
of what he may launch against us.
What a contrast this is to simply wishing and hoping in prayer that God will act. We must understand that God
wants bold, assertive action in prayer. He wants us to pray as if we are fighting and defeating the most real of
all enemies, not only in our personal lives but also on behalf of other believers.
• What new insights do you have in your study of Ephesians 6:10–18?
• In your past experiences with prayer, have you ever felt weak in your battle against the devil? Have you
felt strong? What made the difference?
Praying with Perseverance
Paul admonished the Ephesians to pray “always … being watchful to this end with all perseverance” (Eph. 6:18).
Jesus repeatedly told His disciples to “watch and pray.” Knowing we have the authority in Christ and the power
to pray successfully means very little if we do not pray. Our command from God is to pray and to do so boldly and
consistently, relying totally upon Him and exercising the full authority and power given to us by Jesus.
• What new insights do you have into God's call to prayer?
• In what ways are you feeling challenged in your prayer life?
From Talking With God: Discover New Insights to Help Deepen Your
Prayer Life by Charles Stanley. Copyright 1997 by Charles Stanley.
