John Belt: "Pray! Decree and Command Mountains to Move!"

From the Desks of Steve Shultz and Julie A. Smith:

Praying, along with decreeing and commanding, is vitally important in this hour, and they go hand-in-hand.

John Belt writes a timely prophetic word about this, which will really help all of us right now.

Just ponder this for a moment... How many difficult situations in our nation alone need to be shifted and turned around? This is something we can ALL do together...using our God-given authority!

John Belt shares here:

When you encounter something difficult, are you going to just sit back, be passive and let it happen, or are you going to confront it? Jesus uses the picture of a mountain as something we can speak to, commanding it to be removed. He is encouraging us to use our God-given authority to shift things – to get things out of the way that are hindering us...

You will learn much more about praying, binding and loosing, and how Jesus demonstrated this all to us.

Enjoy this word from John Belt as you step into the greater works of Christ in this season. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

In Christ,

Steve Shultz and Julie A. Smith, Co-Editors
Elijah List Publications

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The Spirit is emphasizing our need to decree and "command" things to be removed, changed and brought to life in this season.

There is a fresh emphasis on this currently as God is breaking His people into new territories, greater purposes and greater expansion into new spiritual landscapes and blessings in this Jewish new year. It is not only prayer that we need. We also need to be commanding things into existence and out of existence. Like Jesus, we are called to walk in the fullness of His power and authority. Just as Jesus walked in power and authority, so must we as well.

Demonstrating Christ Through Faith

"So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.'" (Mark 21:22-24)

In Luke 18:8, Jesus poses this question: "...when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" This seems to indicate that faith will be rare to find when He returns. "And without faith it is impossible to please God..." (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is a commodity we can't afford to lose. For us to demonstrate the fullness of who Jesus is, we need our faith to be fully active and engaged on this earthly plane.

The purpose of the Son of God manifested was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). With this being our assignment as well, our authority is not negotiable. Faith is expressed through our actions – what we say and do.

Speak to the Mountain

In our lives we encounter obstacles, challenges, trials and tests (James 1:2). Within every trial is a test as well – to see how we will respond and walk it out. 1 Peter 4:12 teaches us not to think it is strange when we encounter trials. This is normal, giving us the opportunity to shine through overcoming and winning. Many times, the things that seem to get in the way are simply what God uses to grow us, to help us be all that He has made us to be. (Photo via Picryl)

When you encounter something difficult, are you going to just sit back, be passive and let it happen, or are you going to confront it? Jesus uses the picture of a mountain as something we can speak to, commanding it to be removed. He is encouraging us to use our God-given authority to shift things – to get things out of the way that are hindering us. When we speak to the mountain, "Be removed and cast into the sea," it will obey us. The spirit of religion strips us of authority, leaving us with empty, powerless prayers of form and formality.

Jesus wants us to know that prayer has life-changing effects. Prayer is where we communicate with God from the earthly plane to the heavenly plane of God's realm. He continues to encourage prayer but then also is shining light on the reality of speaking INTO the earthly plane of where the hindrance is coming from. It is not enough to just pray. We also need to speak commands as Jesus did.

Jesus Demonstrates His Authority

"Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.'" (Mark 11:20-21)

This conversation began with Jesus' disciples asking Him how the fig tree withered so quickly. It was a divine setup, where Jesus created an opportunity to inform His disciples on the realm of the authority they should walk in. He was essentially saying to them, "Walk as I walk, do as I do, pray as I pray and walk in authority as I walk in authority."

Here are some examples of Jesus' authoritative commands:

• He spoke to the storm (Mark 4:39).

• He commanded Lazarus to come forth (John 11:43).

• He taught with authority (Matthew 7:29).

• He commanded the paralyzed man to pick up his mat and walk (Mark 2:9).

• He spoke the word and the centurion's servant was healed (Matthew 8:8-13).

• He commanded the little girl to arise (Luke 8:54).

The people noticed that Jesus was not like the religious leaders because He taught "as One who had authority" (Matthew 7:29). That was a clear, distinguishing difference about Jesus. He knew the Father and walked in power and authority, which was an outflow of His depth of relationship with God.

For us it is no different. We are called to abide in Christ, and His words abide in us. We can ask and it shall be given. We can also speak with authority, commanding those things to be removed that are hindrances to God's Kingdom and purposes. (Photo via Unsplash)

Binding and Loosing

It is also worth noting that Jesus said this in Matthew 18:18: "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven."

Not only do we have authority to remove obstacles, we also have the authority to bind or tie up things that are against the will of God, and loose Heaven and all associated resources on Earth. In the Greek, the word "bind" means "to fasten with chains." It is the same word that is used in regard to the woman whom satan had "bound" for 18 years of her life with an oppressive physical condition, which Jesus healed in the synagogue.

"The Lord then answered him and said, 'Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?' And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him." (Luke 13:15-17)

We see a direct correlation here of Jesus using the principle of "binding" and "loosing" on someone who was bound by oppression. What we can draw from this is that our authority should be used most liberally in setting people from the chains of darkness, as well as loosing them into the fullness of liberty in Christ. Anything that is in opposition to the Kingdom of God is subject to the authority that we have been given in regard to every aspect of life, both personally and for others.

It begins with us personally experiencing the fullness of freedom that Jesus paid for; then it is to overflow into the lives of others as we live as conduits of His glory – as we exercise our authority in Christ. This is what Jesus died for; not for people to have a ticket to Heaven but that they would live in the fullness of freedom obtained through His sacrifice – free from every oppressive thing and filled with the glory of Heaven through His Spirit.

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John Belt
Overflow Global Ministries
Email: hello@overflowglobal.com
Website: www.overflowglobal.com

John and Brandi Belt are the leaders of Overflow Global Ministries. The heart of their message is that God's greatest desire is to indwell His people with His presence. They believe that man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. This overflow translates into touching the lives of others through living encounters with God. When John and Brandi minister, the intimate presence of God is manifest – being accompanied with demonstrations of God's power to heal, revive, and restore.

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