by Jennifer Eivaz
Have you ever heard someone pray and use the phrase, “I declare and decree. …?” These two words, declare and decree, are very powerful in the context of prayer but they carry distinct differences. When we understand what each word means, we can more fully release the power of what each does. The word declare (Hebrew: achvah) means “to make known” or “to set forth an accounting.” We understand this term in the light of what customs agents commonly ask international travelers, “Do you have anything to declare?” The agents are asking for the specifics of what you have and what you are carrying. Spiritually speaking, declarations are words that we speak into the atmosphere and based on: “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10).” These principalities and powers in the heavenly places are the spirit beings that we are wrestling with in prayer based on Ephesians 6:12. When we feel tension and a sense of fighting for something in prayer, remember that it is our words that carry the firepower. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers ofthe darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).” When fierce arrows of the enemy come, and they often come in the form of negative thoughts against our minds, this is when we begin to make declarations. We make known to these entities what we already have possession of. We declare our righteousness, our salvation, our eternal victory and our friendship with God. When the enemy attacks our identity attempting to convince us that we are not all that God says we are, we fight back with our words and declare who we are and what we have. Enemy: You are such a loser. You are powerless. It will never happen for you. You: I am victorious in Jesus. I am powerful by the Holy Spirit. I have what I ask for. Good things are happening to me. In Matthew 6:10 Jesus teaches us to pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In other words, when we pray for His will to be done, then His Kingdom will be established as a result. When we pray amiss of His will or we don’t bother to pray at all, His Kingdom doesn’t come. It’s an awesome yet sobering thought that we really have that much spiritual authority.
We’ve been born again into God’s Kingdom as well as fully empowered to be successful in His Kingdom. Everything starts with prayer, and a power tool for prayer is our ability to “make a decree”. Making a decree causes the blessings of Heaven to be released from heavenly places into our natural realm. We decree our peace, we decree our health, we decree salvation to our families, our destiny, favor, wisdom, financial abundance, stability, and more. If He said it in His Word, then it’s ours and it’s “decree-able.” A decree is defined as an official order issued by a legal authority. Naturally speaking, a decision made by order of the court supersedes the desire or opinion of the defendant, whether it’s a fine, a denial of driving privileges, or even a jail sentence. We read in the book of Job, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways (Job 22:28 KJV).” The Hebrew word for decree in this passage (gazar) is a command that not only establishes something but also divides and cuts something down at the same time. The powerful promise for making a decree is that the light of God will shine upon all our ways. In other words, the decree cuts away and destroys anything from the kingdom of darkness that has been purposed against you. When Ron and I began pastoring our church (www.harvestonline.church) it looked hopeless and dead. Ron and I began to make the decree, “This church is alive! This church is anointed! People are saved, healed, and delivered at this church! We are reaching cities and influencing nations!” Our decrees were based in knowing what God intended for this church and knowing that God brings dead things back to life. “… and calleth those things which be not as though they were (Rom. 4:17).” When our son was diagnosed with a neurological disorder and could barely speak, we made the decree, “By the stripes of Jesus, our son is healed! He’s already healed! In Jesus’ name!” Our son, now 20, is currently on the Dean’s list at his college and you would never know he had an issue with speech or comprehension. “…by whose stripes you were healed (I Peter 2:24).” It needs to be understood that a decree needs to align to God’s heart and to His word. We don’t decree that our cantankerous neighbor gets what they deserve. We don’t decree that our boss loses their job so that we could have it. There was an older woman back in our early days of pastoring who did not like the new worship music on Sundays. She openly and selfishly “decreed” that our worship pastors would move out of town. When it comes to making a decree, the heart matters. Things that are selfish and self-serving, not God-serving, are not what we should decree. We need to remain aligned to God’s word and His heart in these matters. Biography
Jennifer Eivaz is a minister and international conference speaker with a heart to equip the church in the supernatural and for raising up passionate and effective prayer. She is a content contributor for many online Christian publications, has been featured on several Christian television shows, hosts the popular podcast Take Ten With Jenn, and authored several bestselling books. Jennifer and her husband, Ron, co-pastor Harvest Church now meeting in several locations - in addition to hosting a thriving online campus. They also have two wonderful children.
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