How do we pray with authority against the forces of evil in specific locations? And is our authority limited by location, or something else? These are important questions for intercessors called to engage in spiritual warfare connected to geographical areas.

Born-again Christians are now God’s dwelling place on earth, and they take up the fight against a world that is hostile to God and ruled by evil princes. We must be able to do battle with the forces of darkness effectively, and for that, we must know and understand our God-given authority and purpose.

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More and more intercessors are asking IFA about authority and the proper demonstration of our authority in prayer.

Born-again Christians are now God’s dwelling place on earth, and they take up the fight against a world that is hostile to God and ruled by evil princes.

The Basis, Scope, and Purpose of a Believer’s Authority

Jesus gave a Great Commission to His disciples and the Church of born-again believers they were about to form:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20).

The gospel of Mark adds a list of signs that will accompany believers as they fulfill the Great Commission. One of those signs is that they will in Jesus’ name cast out demons (see Mark 16:17). This expands to the whole Church the authority He initially gave to the 12 apostles (see Mark 3:14–15).

All of this adds up to three aspects of a believer’s authority:

1. Basis. Authority over the forces of evil is given to believers, in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. They have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness (Satan’s dominion) to the kingdom of light (God’s dominion). They have been given the name of Jesus as a divine endorsement of their prayers. In the biblical worldview, a name embodies everything its holder is and has, including power and authority. Since we belong to God as priests of His kingdom, we are His ambassadors. Everything we do on His behalf represents the will, purposes, and agenda of His kingdom. And even more, since Jesus indwells us by His Spirit, we speak forth His presence in us through our prayers, especially those aimed at waging war against the devil and his forces. Colossians states: He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Colossians 2:15). His triumph over sin and death (Satan’s two primary weapons) gives teeth to our authority, and it also yields us a vantage point of victory from which we fight, strengthening the basis of our authority.
2. Scope. Because the Body of Christ is worldwide, the scope of our authority over demonic forces is global. God is omnipresent — present everywhere at once. Therefore, His Spirit also indwells believers everywhere at the same time. This means that our authority over demonic spirits is not location-bound. Demonic spirits are local, however — they are created beings and are therefore not omnipresent. Some roam, others occupy people, and others still are higher-ranking and more powerful, in charge of an entire country or empire. For that reason, God’s ambassadors may travel from place to place and find that they have authority over demons as they encounter them. However, it also means we cannot fight demonic powers that are on the other side of the world from where we are. We must fight on-site with the authority that resides within us through the presence of Christ and has been mandated to us by the Great Commission. There is no biblical basis suggesting that only local believers have authority over demonic forces present locally, while other believers coming in from elsewhere do not. The book of Acts clearly demonstrates that missionary apostles could cast out demons anywhere, even when a local church was present.
3. Purpose. Jesus links authority over demons to the Great Commission. All instances in which He and His apostles took authority over demons were related to the freeing of people possessed by demons, or to their coming against demons who hindered the preaching of the Gospel (see Acts 16:16–18). The implication is clear: Because God’s dwelling place on earth is within born-again people and not tied to any physical location, like Eden or the Jerusalem temple, we are not in the business of claiming real estate for Christ. The purpose of spiritual warfare is twofold: resisting Satan’s attempts to bring us back under his dominion (see Ephesians 6:12–18); and advancing the kingdom of God by freeing people from demonic oppression. I have encountered people wanting to “pray down” evil influences coming into a city, to change the atmosphere through spiritual warfare, and to drive out demonic forces from the locality. The only time this should happen is when it goes along with a major evangelistic campaign or a revival. The atmosphere in a city or region can change due to large numbers of people coming to Christ and radically changing their ways, but it cannot change by itself. There is simply no biblical or historical basis for that.

All in all, the basis, scope, and purpose of our authority over demons must be embraced by the Church at large to effectively carry out the Great Commission. I encourage you to pray that the Church will do so — here in the U.S. and around the world.

Father, help me understand my place in the unseen realm of spiritual battle. I surrender to the Holy Spirit’s guidance to exercise authority over demons wisely and effectively. May I grow in knowledge and awareness of how Your kingdom advances in people’s hearts. Use me to set them free from Satan’s influence. And I pray that Your Church will come into a clearer understanding of the battle we face and the authority we have in Christ, so that people may be freed from Satan’s yoke. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Has this helped you better understand your spiritual authority in spiritual warfare? Share below.

Remco Brommet is a pastor, spiritual-growth teacher, and prayer leader with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the U.S. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and pastored his first church in Amsterdam. He moved to the U.S. in 1986. He and his wife, Jennifer, live north of Atlanta. When not writing books, he blogs at www.deeperlifeblog.com and assists his wife as a content developer and prayer coordinator for True Identity Ministries. Jennifer and Remco are passionate about bringing people into a deeper relationship with Christ. Photo Credit: Ben White on Unsplash.