EXERCISING AUTHORITY

Exercising Authority
By Alice Smith

First thing let me mention--today is my birthday. Yeah, getting older isn't always so much fun, but it's better than the other option!! I am 57 years old today.

I have always been a warrior. When I was a teenager, my friends nicknamed me Bulldog. Just as a bulldog will grab and hold the pants leg of its victim, I will take a prayer issue and hang on to it until I see something happen. However, untrained and undisciplined warriors can be a danger to themselves and to others--as I was during my earlier years.

In the 1980s, I began to research the history of the city in which we live. It soon became clear to me the nature of the spiritual darkness we were facing. My heart burned in prayer for Houston, America's fourth largest city. With the tenacity of a bulldog I sought the Lord, intent on finding out what territorial spirits held our city in their grip. Daily I begged the Lord for insight.

One winter morning during prayer, I felt the Lord speak to me about my city's spiritual condition. I sensed that He was telling me the names of the demonic princes that are the "puppet masters" assigned to carry out Satan's bidding. They rule in the affairs of men through wicked and deceived leaders.

Arrogantly (although I didn't realize it at the time), I began to bark at the principalities that hindered our city. From my prayer closet I zealously attacked them in fervent warfare.

"In the name of Jesus, you spirit of _______, I command you to get out of Houston. We don't want you here. I stand against your every scheme to steal, kill and destroy."

After several weeks of ranting and raving against these workers of darkness, their counterattack came against me like a nuclear blast. I came within 10 hours of dying from peritonitis of the spleen and liver. That's not all. Eddie and I had six major surgeries in 14 months, and three of them weren't covered by insurance. Our savings were depleted and we were on the brink of losing our home. With a growing family, a new baby, and a young church that had just lost its first pastor, I was in a terrible place. To the demons' delight, the church was struggling, our family was struggling, and I was struggling.

"And it came to pass," found 446 times in the Bible, is one of my favorite portions of Scripture! Thankfully, painful times do pass, and eventually the dust settled around us. I had believed that all of this persecution from the powers of darkness had come because I was such a godly person. Boy, was I wrong!

One morning, I was praying about all that we had experienced. The Lord spoke so clearly to my heart that I can almost hear the echo of His voice to this day. He said to me, "Alice, I told you the names of the spirits over Houston, but you never asked Me what you were to do with the revelation." I could hardly believe it! Now I know--diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean assignment! Knowing what is wrong, and being told to correct it, are two completely different issues.

Has Christ given us authority to deal with the enemy? Absolutely, He has! But the authority given to us is ambassadorial, not carte blanche. We are not called to be spiritual Rambos--an army of one. We are called to be disciplined warriors who explicitly follow the orders of our Commander-in-Chief and the Lord of Hosts--the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord's timing and assignment to the battle are critical. To engage the enemy without His direction is presumptuous at best. With the best of intentions, but with arrogance and pride, I found myself fighting for my life in a battle I had picked on my own. I repented to the Lord and then to Eddie. It was a costly lesson but one I will never forget.

My preacher husband often says, "We have two teachers in life: mentors and mistakes. We choose whether we will learn from our mistakes or from our mentors." I trust I am your mentor today. Please take this issue to heart and learn from this bulldog!