David Diga Hernandez - How to Access Divine Authority in Prayer

Once you grasp this truth of coming into agreement with what the Word of God says, your prayer life will be transformed and enriched. There’s a reason why praying the Scriptures works; there’s a reason why there is power added when we speak what we see written in the Word of God. When we pray the Word, we are praying God’s will. God’s will is like a river; it has a fixed direction, a fixed location, and a fixed flow. Many believers, when they pray, get it in their minds that their goal is to move the direction of that river. They imagine that perhaps God is in heaven with His arms folded and that the more they pray, the more He reluctantly says, «Okay, well gee golly, maybe I’ll do what you’re asking me to do.» Or they imagine that He’s being irritated by the many petitions that are being thrown His way, and He says, «You know, I’ve just had enough. I don’t want to hear it anymore. Fine, I’ll do what you want me to do.» That’s not it at all. The will of God, like I said, is that mighty river. Many Christians want to dip their hands in and take a sip; very few believers are willing to dive in. The difference between just drinking from that river and diving into that river is simple: who is in control? Many times when we pray, we use prayer as a tool to implement our own wills, or so we imagine that’s what we’re doing, or to worry out loud. Many believers confuse worry for prayer, as if God doesn’t already know what’s happening. But prayer is not the means of exercising your own will; prayer is the means by which we cause earth to come into alignment with the heavenly realm. That’s what you and I are called to do.

Now imagine you get pulled over, and a police officer asks you for your license and registration, please. You would, of course, provide your license and registration. But let’s say they come to your house at midnight. You’ve committed no violations; you’ve broken no laws. They knock on the door, saying, «License and registration, please.» And to add to it, they’re not even wearing their uniform. What would you do? You probably would be suspicious. You probably would not provide your license and registration; you probably would call other cops. In that scenario, that officer would be acting outside of their authority. We get it in our minds — and you’ve heard it said — that our words have creative power; life and death are in the power of the tongue. How many times have you heard that quoted, and then we misapply it? «Oh, you know, I’m not feeling too well. Ah, life and death are in the tongue! Don’t say it; you’ll end up in the hospital.» «My tire has been flat for a couple of days; I hope it doesn’t deflate or pop up!» Life and death are in the power of the tongue! Don’t you dare say it! We’re acknowledging something very practical. Faith doesn’t deny reality; that’s delusion. And a lot of believers confuse delusion for faith. I’m not saying our words don’t have power, but we have to understand why our words have power. Our words don’t have power because we can call things into existence and just create things; that’s not even biblical. Imagine the chaos that would result if every single one of us could just speak things into existence! I mean, there’d be a lot more Ferraris in the parking lot; there’d be a lot more zeros in your bank account! What happens then if, for example, two people on opposite sides of the teams are rooting for their own football team — one speaking the championship for their team and the other speaking the championship for theirs? I mean, I don’t know what would result from that!

So this idea that we speak things into existence is misunderstood in how that actually works. You and I, when we speak, have power in our words because, A, they can affect the mindset of the people who are listening to what we’re saying. So if you get around someone who’s constantly speaking ungodly realities or worldly philosophies, what happens is the mind becomes programmed to think according to what’s being heard. It’s not as though you can have one conversation with an atheist and then live with the doubt for the rest of your life. It would have to be years and years of being around people and allowing those thoughts to influence you without countering them with the truth. Words have power, not in a magic form of way. Words have power because what we speak can affect the way people think. Words are the programming of the mind, and as you speak the words, it’s like a computer; it’s like software being loaded. The more you hear something, the more likely you are to believe it. The more often you hear something repeated, the more likely you are to accept it. So that’s where the power of our words comes from. Or even in speaking something encouraging or discouraging: I can encourage someone by saying, «Hey, you’re doing an excellent job; you’re very much appreciated.» What does that do emotionally? It uplifts them in their heart. They’re uplifted because you’re speaking what we would say is life. But it’s not like you could say to the same person, «You know, I don’t like you; I wish you would drop dead,» and then they drop dead on the floor! That’s not how it works.

So what power does the believer have? The believer’s authority comes from God’s authority. Just like that officer acting outside of the law and acting outside of the uniform would be ignored, so the enemy can ignore you when you try to speak your own will by God’s authority. When God gives us His will, He is giving us the… (The text appears to be incomplete; please provide the remainder if you would like that to be revised as well.)