3.3.4 Spiritual Authority 4

3.3.4 屬靈權柄4

Speaker: Ming

The Bible teaches that there is a legitimate pathway to gain access to the spiritual realm.

I often hear brothers and sisters, even among intercessors, frequently discussing something like this: someone says, “another person’s prayer condemned me”; “This person’s prayer made me feel be oppressed ”; or “This person’s prayer felt like an attack, and I was attacked by the people of my church, even to the point of saying, arrows from other believers pierced me.”

In the spiritual realm, many people enter through illegitimate pathways, perhaps unintentionally, because they don’t understand God’s principles. When you use an illegitimate pathway to enter, it’s not much different from the operations of heresy or New Age practices in this realm. There is a legitimate pathway to enter the spiritual realm, called “the power of agreement.” Whom you agree with is crucial. If you agree with God, you stand with God; but if you agree with the enemy, you stand with the enemy.

This power is subtle because it relies on agreement, meaning it depends on thoughts (mind or imagination) to enter the invisible spiritual realm.

We all know that thoughts play a significant role. This is why, when people share their heavenly encounters, they don’t need to speak in heaven; they can discern another’s identity of the person they met in heaven through thoughts alone. This is a key point. Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). When I agree with what God wants me to do, we will fully walk into the truth revealed through this verse. So, we must first know what God wants us to do before we can agree with His purpose.

How does God reveal His will to us? Simply put, God reveals it through His guidance—perhaps through visions, dreams, or prophetic words. God always shows us what He intends to do, so we can willingly align and agree with Him. This is called God’s revelation, or His will.

When a person receives a revelation and agrees with it, a spiritual contract is formed, and the power of agreement is activated. Thus, that person gains the authority and power to enter the spiritual realm and bring matters from the invisible realm into the physical, material world.

So, the first key to legitimately entering the spiritual realm is understanding what God wants you to do and discerning His will and intention.

The second point: bear the fruits of the Spirit in personal life, which came from your relationship with God. If a person’s relationship with God is not growing, or if it’s merely in the surface stage, that person may not be able to understand or discern the revelation and guidance God wants to give promptly. Our God is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). His ways are not our ways, like a moving cloud, not static or unchanging.

God always does new things in different seasons, and there is no limitation to his deeds. In other words, you cannot use an anointing received 30–40 years ago to operate in today’s world. New wine cannot be stored in old wineskins, as the wineskin will burst, unable to hold the new wine.

We know the anointing of past generations was powerful. How Dwight Moody showcased the anointing of that era, how the Azusa Street revival sparked that wave of the Pentecostal movement in North America, how the wave of healing and anointing transformed those people—but we cannot apply the same anointing to today’s new season. Sadly, many people remain stuck in the anointing of past generations.

The second key point is that your relationship with God must be continually growing. Our God is a living way, truth, and life, not dead. For every generation and era, His principles and truth remain unchanging, but he leads his body in different directions and anoints his people in different ways. An anointing from a century ago might have healed certain diseases, but the anointing today carries the great power needed for this generation. There are differences.

If your relationship with God is not growing, you cannot clearly receive His guidance and revelation. If you don’t know what God wants you to do now and only know what He wanted before, or what He wanted for a generation a hundred years ago, I’m sorry, you may enter the invisible spiritual realm in ignorance.

Since you haven’t clearly heard God’s voice and guidance, yet still desire to take action, what you want may not align with what God wants and may even contradict it. The problem arises here: you bring your own desires, the things you want, and start praying and interceding before God. From this invisible realm, you try to forcibly pull what you want into the physical world. Consider the consequence.

In reality, you are opposing God. This is why we often see many people praying, but nothing happens. Then, a large group becomes frustrated and says, “Prayer is useless.”

Do you know why things didn’t happen? Because we arbitrarily pray first, rather than fostering a growing relationship with God.

Your relationship with God is the key to receiving revelation. Through revelation, we discern God’s will and receive His strategies. Only then can we agree with His purposes and align with Him. This is what I’m emphasizing today: the power of agreement. We carry this power into the invisible spiritual realm, confident that God’s kingdom upholds us in that realm.

If you rashly enter the spiritual realm, relying on fleshly zeal and human ability, can God answer such prayers? Without understanding God’s will and without a contract of agreement, people often stand on the enemy’s side, resisting God’s will. When prayers go unanswered, we must return to the start, to listen and discern if we truly heard God’s voice clearly.

These past two days were remarkable. As I prepared to share this topic, the Holy Spirit led me to meet two people facing nearly identical issues, confused about their current choices. They felt they had heard God clearly with confirmation.

They believed God sent them to a new place, a new field, to serve in an organization. After they joined the new group, they found a problem: they couldn’t draw near to God because the organization kept them so busy working, with no space for intimacy with God. One person reported that she was trapped in a small room with many others, often hungry, and frequently fasting.

Of course, this fasting was not aligned with God’s will. They became very frustrated in a harsh environment with no peace. What should be done? You must return to the beginning, re-examine whether you truly heard God’s voice, repent, and ask God to reveal His plan again. Then, re-enter the spiritual realm to see a breakthrough.

This is a challenge and a bottleneck some intercessors face. Is the revelation I received truly from God? Or, in my current situation, is God teaching me a lesson? Before a breakthrough, what patience and endurance must I learn?

The Bible cites an example: a judge, due to a woman’s persistent pleading, finally resolved her issue (Luke 18:1-8). We must discern, through waiting, what lesson God is teaching us in this matter. Sometimes, God places us in an environment to build the fruit of the Spirit, called “patience.” The fruit of the Spirit is a greater, more powerful weapon than our gifts.

Satan attacks us with three weapons: sin, the temptation of the world, the flesh, and our zeal.

People often ask questions like: Since God is sovereign, why must we fight? Why pray? Prayer’s first element is inviting God into our lives. Without invitation, God won’t forcibly enter our circumstances. Also, God allows us to experience things to teach us to trust in Him.

This is why Jesus taught us about spiritual warfare. Through Jesus, we learn more about the devil and Satan. Most importantly, we must understand the callings God assigns us in our lives.

All created things exist to fulfill God’s purpose for their creation. As Colossians 1:16 states, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

The key is that all things exist around Christ, according to the Father’s will. Thus, created beings exist to fulfill God’s will. The most critical key to entering the spiritual realm is understanding God’s will and agreeing with what He wants.

This is a common mistake among intercessors during intercession. Many of us don’t always agree with God’s will but pursue our own desires, even in prayer. With the wrong motivations, people even turn their prayers into sin.  How can prayer become sin? Because we pray not according to God’s will but our own zeal. This is why I see intercessors often feel wounded in prayer, as if someone shot arrows at them. Are they too sensitive? Not necessarily. Often, our own people attack each other because many intercessions miss God’s will.

God places different gifts in each person, distributing the gifts to help us fulfill our callings. Yet, we often see highly gifted people causing problems or bringing issues. The reason is that many gifted people focus on operating their gifts rather than building their relationship with God. Many brothers and sisters attend conferences to become more gifted. When a conference promises “David’s anointing,” crowds rush over; when it’s about the fivefold ministry anointing, many rush again.

God doesn’t want us to chase blindly. More gifts are good, but building intimacy with God is primary.

If we expend all our energy to perform and use our gifts, I assure you, after exhausting them, you’ll become weary. This is why many ministries and intercessors grow exhausted. Returning to God’s presence to rebuild a relationship is crucial.

The third aspect of gaining spiritual authority is repentance. Repentance is vital, and the church often emphasizes it. Repentance is closely tied to spiritual authority; it’s a key pathway to obtaining it. If you lack authority in a certain aspect of your life, you must repent in that area.

Intercessors know how to confess sin, but many people don’t understand repentance. When you grasp true repentance, you can gain spiritual authority in that area. I recall a brother at a prayer meeting saying, “People who claim to have spiritual authority, but can they heal the sick people around them? Can they break the dark powers hovering over their church’s airspace? Can they have the authority to change the weather? Can they set a mentally ill person free?” He was highlighting that true authority brings real change. Why do we lack authority? Because many of us haven’t truly repented.

This is something we must learn in life. Most people know how to confess sin. Confessing sin gains God’s forgiveness, as 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We know sin, confess it, and gain forgiveness, but confession doesn’t transform lives. This is why intercessors are frustrated, repeating the same sins.

What is repentance? We think confessing sin is repentance, but it’s not. Confession is deciding to apologize, admitting guilt for sins committed. I say “sorry” to people and God, express sorrow, feel frustrated, and plead for forgiveness, but that’s not repentance.

For example, in an unfaithful couple, one might say, “Darling, I confess I sinned against you; I promise never to deceive again.” But temptation comes, and they lie again because there is no repentance. Repentance’s power doesn’t come from us; it’s drawn from God. Repentance isn’t just expressing sorrow for sin but addressing its root, turning back to God, returning to His presence, and allowing Him to perform surgery—major or minor—to uproot the sin.

Repentance in Greek, “metanoia,” means “renewal and transformation of the mind.” We know what “changing and renewing thoughts and intentions” means: living a belief system and lifestyle aligned with God’s will. If you haven’t lived in this pattern, you haven’t repented. Without truly repenting and uprooting the cause of sins, people can’t gain spiritual authority.

Living God’s will is challenging. For instance, in a family controlled by witchcraft, a mother threatens, “If you keep doing this, I’ll die,” shaking the family with fear. This makes men in the family struggle to make decisions, often deferring to their wives. Changing the lifestyle—repentance—means standing in a God-aligned belief system during such events, living that pattern so others know, “I can’t control you anymore; you’ve lived out that pattern.” Many Christians come before God, confessing sin, but do not live this pattern.

I’ve shared the dandelion example. A dandelion has roots; in the same way, every sin has a root. Cutting its flowers or leaves doesn’t solve the root problem; you must dig it out. All ungodly behaviors in our lives have roots.

Often, we come before God, addressing the fruit, not the root. The core issue is that we are not truly obeying God. When we don’t align with Him, we rebel, disobey. We ask God to forgive our rebellion, our failure to honor Him as God.

If I work in a corporation,  the boss commands me to do some work. I obey immediately, or I lose my job, simple logic. Obedience is natural. But for believers, many of us feel that the Father’s will is too hard, and it is impossible to obey God. We have the intellectually knowledge that nothing is impossible with God, yet when His will is revealed to us, we say, “Impossible.”

Why is it hard for believers to obey?  I often hear others say, “I have freedom; I don’t care about God’s will.  Or I do what feels good, what’s safe. Some people also say: I am in an urgent situation, I can’t wait for God’s will, I must take action now.” Impatience is a common error for many people. Most of our problems come from a common root: not honoring Him as the true God.

When we truly honor God, His will can be fully revealed to us, as all creation revolves around His will, and we are created beings. The whole earth revolves around God’s will; we must too.

In a specific matter, what is the will of God? Let’s reflect together: in our careers, studies, or current tasks, what is God’s will? We lack spiritual authority in many areas because we haven’t surrendered to His will.

In spiritual warfare, we fail because the enemy attacks our souls where we haven’t followed God’s will. Dealing with sin requires addressing the root, not leaves, flowers, or fruit.

This is today’s topic: the third key to spiritual authority—repentance, addressing sin’s roots. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;” We may not be thieves, liars, murderers, or habitual evildoers, but from birth, Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” From birth, we carry a rebellious, sinful nature.

Unbelievers may feel offended, but we know we fall short of God’s glory, not because we’re thieves or murderers, but because we’re inherently rebellious. Sin’s root began with Adam and Eve. We must confess we’ve gone our own way, not relying on God.

Going our own way means managing ourselves, living as we please to satisfy our sinful nature. If we check our desires, pursuits, and priorities, we can more easily see who our true master is.

The Bible shows where we place priorities. We want to be our own authority, not God, deciding our career, business, home, or spouse without consulting God. These words are heavy but true.

Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” because we decide our path, career, home, or spouse ourselves, saying it’s our business, not God’s. We are “going our own way, living as we please.”

I’ll share examples to show mistakes Christians make. Intercessors usually have a better understanding and avoid mistakes. When starting a business, we pray, “God, do You want me to do this? What’s your will? If you say no, I won’t do this business.” But hidden things elude us. Here are examples.

Someone I know wanted to sell their house and asked for prayer. She said, “Teacher, I’m selling my house, please pray for me.” I asked, “Why pray?” She said, “To seek God’s will.”

I said, “Good, let’s pray.”

After praying, I said, “Sister, don’t sell. God says, ‘Don’t sell the house.’”

But she said, “Teacher, I can’t; I’m in debt.”

Due to some unrepentant sins and she opened doors for the enemies to attack, and she owed lots of money. She said, “I must sell to pay debts, or I can’t make it.” A month later, she excitedly said, “Teacher, thank God! I sold the house.”

I said, “Thank the Lord! You paid the debt?”

She said, “Yes.”

Two weeks later, she came sadly. I asked, “What happened?”

She said, “Teacher, I regret selling. I should’ve listened. Two weeks later, one of the relatives gave me a large sum, saying, ‘The Holy Spirit moved me to pay your debt,’ and I didn’t need to repay him. But he asked, ‘Did you sell the house?’ I said, ‘Yes,’ and he took the money back.” She could’ve kept her house and had her debt paid.

We seek God’s servants for prayer to know His will, but when it doesn’t match our desires, we make our own decisions.

Another example: a coworker asked me to pray for a commercial lease. He said, “Help me know how to sign the lease agreement.” The contract is for leasing a space for 10 years. he was cautious, saying, “I need to pray about the lease term.”

I knew he was a godly brother. I asked, “What’s your rent now?”

He said, “$1,800 monthly, and I hope prayer brings God’s mercy to lower it to $1,500.”

I said, “Yes, our God is merciful. Let’s ask; maybe He’ll lower it to $1,500 for a 10-year lease.”

We prayed, and I saw a contract with $2,500 monthly—far above expectations. I told him what I saw and asked, “Do you want to pray again?”

We prayed, and he asked, “What did you see?”

I said, “A contract with $2,500 monthly rent.”

He said, “Good! I’ll talk to the landlord.”

In a situation like that, many Christians would say: the prayer was inaccurate;  we were praying to lower the rent; why is the rent more expensive?

This brother is indeed godly, he met the landlord, saw the contract—$2,500 monthly—and signed without questioning. This is the lesson of obedience: he seeks the Lord’s will and he obeys.

This testimony continues. Initially, we didn’t understand why God let him pay more?” The landlord, an unbeliever, was told by my coworker that he had prayed for the lease, and he believed it was God’s will. My coworker trusts that God wants to use this place.”

He paid that price. We thought it was a loss, but not necessarily. His choice led to many blessings. The place became a ministry blessing—Small groups and meetings began there.

Another blessing: the Holy Spirit led him to buy a house, originally it should have cost over $400,000, but he got it for $350,000.

When he was purchasing the house, the Holy Spirit prompted him to tell the house seller, “I know your renovation costs; God gave me a precise figure, even to the decimal.” He negotiated the purchase price with this prayer result, shocking the seller. The seller was amazed and found it was impossible unless God was behind it.

My coworker bought the house, saved lots of money. Two years later, God told him, “Sell it; I’ll bless you!” He sold the house, gaining several hundred thousand more. All those blessings started with his obedience.

When the result of prayer doesn’t align with our desires or falls below our expectations, will you accept God’s will?  Some people may use intellectual reasons to comfort themselves, thinking, “This can’t be God’s will.”

Scripture shows similar cases. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son—a huge loss. How could God demand a child’s death?  Many people’s natural reaction might be impossible to accept. But Abraham obeyed, and he received great blessings, becoming the father of nations.

Many pray, saying, “I want…” or seek prophets for words. I exhort brothers and sisters: if you can’t follow God’s will, don’t seek it, because you may end up hearing the words of God and not act on them; that approach is blasphemy, and that attitude is blasphemous. Many people who come for prayers just want to get approval for what they already want to do. If God’s response fits their agenda, they agree, those actions are not truly seeking His will.

God’s will often differs from our thoughts; even the prophets are often shocked. A person asked me, “Please, pray for my house sale; how much should it be?” I dislike this request, knowing they won’t follow. Others ask, “Pray for what car or thing to buy?” Some, after getting God’s will, act on their own ideas. Why seek God’s will if you’ll offend Him?

These examples show: people know to consult God, but even when they know God’s will, they still go with their own plans—rebellion!

This is sin’s root: not honoring God. Turn your eyes from corrupt fruit, beyond confessing sin, and deal with the root. Corruption doesn’t come from nothing to something; there is a root behind it. When we know what God wants, desires, and thinks in a particular situation, we should carry out His will! No matter the cost, our attitude should be resolute action.

This reshapes our view of sin. In my ministry, I see most people lack wholehearted repentance, hindering higher authority. Wholehearted repentance eliminates problems, as it prevents rebellion against God. Our attitude is simple: “Lord, I’m here; whatever You ask, I’ll do.” This is hard. God’s requests often oppose our natural desires, stirring our old flesh. To gain spiritual authority, we need repentance.

If we reject God’s will, He lets us follow corrupt thoughts, producing unrighteous fruit, unless we turn back. Unaddressed, punishment follows, risking the loss of our role in Christ’s body. Matthew 25:31-46 and 13:24-30 speak of separating sheep from goats, wheat from tares.

Rejecting God’s will, we cannot stand in heaven, as all things in heaven follow His will unobstructed. If any obstruction exists, you simply cannot remain in heaven. This is why many families encounter trouble and challenging circumstances. The rebellion is like a blockage that keeps you from heaven and also causes the family’s trouble. Can’t God remove troubles? He can.  God allows troubles because He wants to deal with the root of the problems.

Ask God: What do You want in this particular thing? All revolves around one core: God’s will in a specific matter.

God’s kingdom starts in the heart. Without God-aligned repentance and a godly lifestyle, people will lack true authority.

If you want authority, you want to change the weather, environment, community, or nation, to influence others or receive God’s commission—you must uproot sin’s root in your heart and soul and live a godly lifestyle.