I rebuke, stop and declare with confidence that every attack or order from the enemy…say what???
Some time ago, I had a conversation with someone who said they were struggling with evil spirits. Before we started talking, she wanted to pray first (great idea!), and their prayer went something like this:
I rebuke, stop, and boldly declare that every assignment or attack from the enemy is disrupted by the power of the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony. Every curse, negative word, trap, snare, spell, lie, accusation, witchcraft, or sorcery ever spoken over my life and my family is destroyed in the mighty name of Jesus.
And so I stopped the first part of the conversation, because something wasn’t right about that “prayer.” What wasn’t right? Let me try to explain it the same way I tried to explain it to her:
The rebuking, declaring, decreeing, and speaking into existence puts the focus on what we as humans say or do. Just look at how that “prayer” starts: I.
Further on you also see “my testimony.” But who is “I” (as a human), and what kind of power do “I” and “my testimony” really have when we put that up against curses, negative words, traps, snares, spells, lies, accusations, witchcraft, or sorcery? As humans, we are not so powerful that we should think we can just tell the devil to stop his behavior. Let alone that your words could simply “destroy” that with a prayer—or even worse, that you would tell God to go do that for you. Now.
This completely ignores what the Bible teaches us about God’s power and our dependence on Him. The idea that we can make things happen simply by speaking or commanding them may sound attractive, Christian, sweet, or good—but it doesn’t fit with what the Bible says about how we should walk with God and respond to His will.
Sound confusing? Let’s take a look at why this approach isn’t biblically sound, and what the Bible has to say about it.
1: Only God has the power to call things into existence.
Some people claim that believers can “speak things into existence,” which resembles the language of creation, where God called the universe into being by His word. However, the Bible makes it clear that this creative power belongs to God alone.
As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations’) in the presence of Him whom he believed—that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist. (Romans 4:17) (This verse speaks of God’s power, not that of humans.)
Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) (Only God speaks creation into existence)
In other words, “I declare that X or Y will happen” is biblically incorrect and gives false hope.
2: If we are to declare anything, it must be in alignment with God’s will, not our own.
Declaring or decreeing something as if we have the power to make it happen without submitting to God’s will honestly strikes me as quite arrogant and presumptuous toward God. The Bible teaches us that we must always align our requests with God’s will, not our own desires.
Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit,’ yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that. (James 4:13-15)
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) (The emphasis is on God’s will, not on our declarations)
It’s not about me, me, me; it’s about God and His will, whatever that may be. Perhaps God wants something completely different than what you can imagine right now? Many people come to God through persecution. Imagine you tell God to stop that persecution… but His plan is to bring people to Himself through that very persecution. Can you see where that goes wrong?
3: Even angels do not rebuke in their own authority.
In some cases, people attempt to “rebuke” spiritual forces as if they have direct authority over them. However, even the archangel Michael, when confronting the devil, referred to God’s authority by saying, “The Lord rebuke you.”
But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you! (Jude 1:9)
The Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? (Zechariah 3:2)
We are just simple humans, absolutely not angels, and we don’t have that power. Only God has that power, and the angels know that very well. They don’t engage in the battle themselves but let God do it. The angels know who holds the power and who does not: not us, not even the angels… only God has that power. Something to think about…
4: Such “declarations” and “pronouncements” can quickly lead to false prophecies, with very serious consequences…
Declaring or pronouncing things about the future without explicit instruction from God is a form of false prophecy. The Bible warns us not to speak on behalf of God unless He has clearly told us to do so.
But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
5: Faith means trusting in God’s plan, not commanding it.
Faith, according to the Bible, is about trusting in God’s plan and submitting to His will, rather than trying to control the outcomes through declarations or pronouncements. Even the Apostle Paul accepted God’s will, even though it meant his condition was not healed.
And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) (Faith means trusting in God, even when the outcome is unknown.)
The “rebuking,” “declaring,” “ordering,” and “calling into existence” (and there are more variations that mean the same) places too much emphasis on human words and authority, while the Bible is clear and explains that this power belongs only to God. Not to us. While we are encouraged to pray boldly and believe, the Bible consistently emphasizes submission to God’s will and acknowledges His ultimate authority. Trusting in God’s sovereignty is very different from commanding or ordering outcomes, as if we have the power to call things into existence through our words.
Such “prayers” and behavior place our human desires and words above God’s will, leading to practices that are not in line with what the Bible teaches. And that is scary… very, very scary… because in this false way, we quickly cross the line into thinking we can tell God what He must do… oops.
Are we there then? No.
6: What do we mean by ‘In Jesus’ name’ at the end of such a prayer and what should it mean based on what the Bible says?
The use of the expression “in Jesus’ name” at the end of a prayer is not wrong in itself; it is even biblical. Jesus encouraged His followers to pray in His name:
John 14:13-14: Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
However, there is something problematic when “in Jesus’ name” is used as a sort of magical formula or a guarantee that every prayer will be fulfilled, without considering God’s will or sovereignty. Here are a few reasons why this can be wrong:
A: It is about the character and will of Jesus.
Praying “in Jesus’ name” means that we pray in accordance with His character and His will, not just uttering the words. It is an acknowledgment that we recognize His authority, and that our prayer is always subject to His plan (and not ours…).
1 John 5:14: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
B: It is not a magic spell.
When people use “in Jesus’ name” as if it is some sort of magic spell to get things done, they miss its meaning. It’s not about forcing outcomes, but about trusting in God’s guidance.
James 4:3: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Sometimes we do not receive what we ask for because our motives are not right.
C: It requires humility and dependence on God.
Praying “in Jesus’ name” also means that we acknowledge we are completely (!) dependent on Him. When it is used to fulfill our own desires without seeking God’s will, it misses the purpose of that prayer: seeking a relationship with God and aligning our desires with His will.
Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
In other words, our prayers should always be focused on accomplishing God’s will.
But, doesn’t the Bible say in (for example) Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Him?? This is based on that, and what the Bible says is true…
Well… no. What the Bible says is true, but you have to read and learn it in context, not take it out of context…
The use of the statement “I can do all things through Christ” (derived from Philippians 4:13) can be very much misused or misinterpreted in the wrong contexts, especially when it is used to offer false hope or unfounded promises, such as in prayers with “I rebuke, stop, and declare”… How does that work?
Context, people, context: Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This passage is about having the strength of Christ in all circumstances, whether in abundance or in need. Using this statement to imply that someone can fulfill every physical, material, or emotional desire ignores the complete context of that Bible verse and the Bible as a whole, as well as the message of dependence on God in all situations.
The “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” falls into a narrow category of misuse. If you understand the context (click), there’s nothing wrong with it, but if you take it out of context… it goes terribly wrong (click).
When we do this, we also create false expectations: When people use this statement to say that they can overcome any desire or challenge without considering God’s will or timing, it can lead to disappointment and confusion. It can create the impression that faith in Christ guarantees a life without problems, which is not in line with the reality of life in this world and with what the Bible clearly says.
Again, we encounter the focus on self: If the emphasis is on what someone can achieve / what someone wants, instead of what God can do or what God wants, we have a huge problem. This can lead to pride or selfishness, which is contrary to the message of humility and dependence on God that is also clearly stated in the Bible.
Neglecting/ignoring/trying to avoid suffering: The Bible teaches that suffering and challenges are part of life, even for believers (2 Timothy 3:12). The idea that one can do all things through Christ can be abused to suggest that suffering or difficulties aren’t real, leading to a lack of empathy for those actually going through difficult times. We also then ignore Genesis 3:16-19, which clearly states that there are consequences for eating the “apple”… And we cannot escape those consequences, nor should we want to. God has justly imposed that punishment upon us, who are we to determine that it is unjust and that God should change it?
Deception by false prophets: False prophets can use statements like “I declare” to manipulate people or to create unrealistic expectations. False teachers can use these words to reassure people, while in reality, they are not proclaiming the truth of the gospel. (We’ll come back to this in the final part).
The message of “I can do all things through Christ” MUST be understood and read in its proper context. We must admit that true strength and hope come through Him, not as a guarantee of success or ease, but as a promise of His presence and help in all circumstances.
And this brings us to a very exciting conclusion… because notice… in many “churches,” you hear that “I rebuke,” “I declare,” “I declare,” “I rebuke” language… even from the pulpit… So, if you hear that… be cautious… because it may sound very Christian, but be very unbiblical and even false:
2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and they will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
Matthew 24:4-5: “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many.'”
And we get it… the above can certainly come as a “thunderbolt out of a clear sky,” and your human thought may very well be: “What nonsense, I can’t believe that.” And for that reason… we want to challenge you to study it again (or perhaps for the first time) to prevent you from following a false god… with all the consequences that follow…
