Authority in Prayer | Dutch Sheets

Dutch Sheets. Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose. Bethany House, 2007. 192 pp.

Are you ready to use your God-given authority to further His kingdom?

A few years ago I was given a double-billed cap with one bill pointing to the left, the other to the right. The words on the front of the cap, “I’m the leader, which way did they go?” are intended to prompt the obvious question, “Who, really, is in charge?” I loved the humor in spite of the not-so-subtle and obviously asinine aspersion it cast on my leadership skills.

That question in one form or another is asked throughout the world millions of times a day. I recall the day our dog, Mercedes—she’s a Boxer, so ugly she needed a classy name—tried to assert her dominance over me. She was young, and the two of us were in a season of trying to establish who would rule our house. I was lying on the floor watching a football game, and she, very ceremoniously I might add, sauntered over and sat right on my chest. She then stuck her chest out, head up, and looked disdainfully at me out of the corner of her eye, glancing proudly at everyone else in the room. Easy to interpret: I’m in charge here; you will submit to me. (Maybe it was because I was wearing the cap.)

Mercedes is quite large, and at that time she was already full grown. Having her plop down on me was uncomfortable, not to mention humiliating. The guffaws of my wife and daughters didn’t help matters much. Of course, girls do stick together. I took authority over the situation immediately, commanding Mercedes to get off of me. As I’m sure you’d assume, she obeyed her master–and within two or three minutes promptly removed herself! I won that power struggle and have been in charge ever since.

But it is not only people and their dogs that struggle with the “Who’s in charge?” question. It is at the heart of all conflict on earth. The question was born in the heart of Lucifer when he tried to sit on God’s chest in heaven, and it spread to earth when he passed the question on to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan spewed his poisonous deception, and our foreparents also tried to sit on God’s chest. We humans have been wearing a double-billed cap ever since, thinking we’re in charge, all the while stumbling around, wondering which way to go. It seems that at every level and in every arena of life, power struggles occur:

• Men and women wrestle over control of relationships.
• Parents and children struggle with who will rule the house.
• Siblings quarrel over toys, clothing, tv, and a host of other issues.
• Businesses connive to corner various consumer and investment markets.
• Sports teams vie for first place.
• Democrats and Republicans strive for the domination of America.
• Leaders of nations war over control of lands, people, and wealth.

Everybody wants to be in charge!

Who is ruling your world?

I’m not referring to the big one, as in planet earth. At least not yet. I’m talking about the world you live in every day, your personal world. I’m speaking of your home, family, job, health, dog–well, okay, maybe not your dog. God doesn’t intend that any outside force dominate you. He has given you jurisdiction over your life.

God began dealing with me a few years back about governing my world. And He wasn’t referring to Washington, D.C. He was talking about the gray matter in my cranium–my thoughts as well as my house, my finances, my health, and so on. In ever-expanding circles He began to teach me about governing the world around me. God did actually want to use me to influence cities, states, and nations, and has since sent me to Washington dozens of times, to all fifty states on an amazing prayer assignment, and on numerous other prayer journeys.

I want to share with you what He has taught me.

I’m certainly not implying that I have full understanding of this or any other aspect of truth. In fact, much of my learning has come through paradigm-stretching assignments and frustration-prompted questions. Desperation often births inspiration, like the day at the airport . . .

I was about to break out in hives I was so tense. It was during a prayer . . .

Dutch Sheets is an internationally known conference speaker, senior pastor of Springs Harvest Fellowship in Colorado Springs, founder of Dutch Sheets Ministries and author of several books, including the bestselling Intercessory Prayer and How to Pray for Lost Loved Ones.

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