by Dr. Johnnie Blount
The Misunderstood Privilege of Prayer
Prayer is likely one of the simplest yet most misunderstood privileges revealed in Scripture. My goal is to illuminate the vital contrast between prayer and the full exercise of our God-given power and authority. Without grasping our authority, it is impossible to pray with the confidence the Bible intends. Whenever I listen to ministers deliver their sermons, I often find their teaching impressive. Yet, when it comes to their prayers, it becomes clear they have not fully embraced the authority Christ has bestowed upon them. Instead of exercising that authority, they plead for the Lord to intervene and fix what He has already empowered us to address. That’s why I want to take a closer look at prayer and authority.
Speaking to the Mountain: Our Scriptural Foundation
The Lord has explicitly instructed us in Matthew 17:20:
“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
We are called to use our God-given power and authority to cause situations to obey us, not merely to ask for divine rescue. Jesus demonstrated this perfectly when He spoke directly to the storm and it obeyed Him (Mark 4:39). Likewise, Jesus emphasized in Luke 18:1 that people ought always to pray and not lose heart, a call echoed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.”
A Personal Journey: From Petition to Declaration
For much of my life and a significant portion of my ministry, I believed prayer meant bringing my difficulties to the Father and pleading for His intervention. I frequently confided in Him about my struggles. However, I was completely unaware that He had already bestowed upon us authority and power to manage the very issues we face each day. I had the prayer, but not the authority until I learned to simply speak His Word over the issues.
Now, when I need healing, I declare: “He sent His Word and healed me, and delivered me from destruction.” The Word itself stirs and strengthens me as I voice it and hear it. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” This truth compels me to speak the Word, knowing it is life, health, prosperity, peace, joy, and deliverance. Speaking the Word stimulates our faith and causes our confidence to grow.
Authority in Action: Facing Leukemia
Exercising our God-given authority allows us to direct our circumstances to align with Scripture. When a physician diagnosed me with leukemia, I did not simply pray and wait. Every single day I commanded my blood to be healed. The Word had already revealed to me that because Jesus bore stripes on my behalf, I was healed (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
Luke 10:18–19 further assures us that Jesus has placed all illness, disease, and demonic activity under our feet. If these things are under our feet, we are not subject to them. We must therefore approach every thought, action, word, and prayer with the full awareness of the authority we carry.
What Prayer Really Is: Communion, Not Just Petition
In its purest essence, prayer is simply spending time with the Father, not requiring anything from Him, but communing with Him. I converse with Him, love on Him, and praise Him for supplying everything that pertains to life and godliness. Sometimes I enter prayer simply to express gratitude or to ask whether there are further steps I should take. He will reveal it either through a Scripture, a word of wisdom from someone around me, or a quiet understanding that rises within. I approach every prayer in anticipation, knowing the Father has already finished His work from the foundation of the world.
Prayer is something we can engage in anywhere: among others, at work, while shopping, or walking in the woods. The Father resides within our hearts. We need not summon Him from some distant place. He is nearer to us than the air we breathe or the blood in our veins.
The Lesson of the Barking Dog
There is a time for everything: a time for prayer and a time for exercising authority. As a child, I learned that a barking dog barks to shake your confidence. Occasionally, a dog will lunge as if preparing to attack. When this happened to me, I stood motionless as the dog charged. He wanted to intimidate me into fleeing so he could snap at my heels. But by holding my ground and firmly commanding him to halt, he came close, stopped, and barked fiercely. Yet, he did not attack. He recognized my dominance.
Life works the same way. Once you understand authority, you must be firm and assertive, commanding the noisy threats to be silent. In the spiritual realm, we carry the Holy Spirit within us. This grants our words power: every situation must yield to us in the name of Jesus. The Bible declares that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess (Philippians 2:10–11). This applies to every area of our lives.
Walking in the Fullness of Our Identity
We must know with unshakeable certainty Who abides within us: the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When prayer flows from that knowledge, it ceases to be a desperate petition and becomes a confident conversation with the One who has already supplied all we need. And when authority is exercised from that same knowledge, mountains move.
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