Standing in the Authority of Jesus’ Name
About twenty years ago, while I was spending a quiet time in the Word and in prayer, seeking the Lord as I often do, the Holy Spirit gave me what I can only describe as an open vision. I saw it clearly, almost as though I were physically present in the scene unfolding before me.
In the vision, I was standing beside a man who was lying on his back on the floor at my feet. The man was dead.
On the other side of him stood Satan—or perhaps a demon. I cannot say with certainty which it was, but the distinction did not seem important to what the Lord was showing me.
Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Tell that man to rise up to life in Jesus’ name.”
I pointed toward the man and commanded him to stand up in Jesus’ name. Immediately, he rose to his feet.
But then Satan, standing on the other side of the man, pointed at him and commanded him to die. The command was direct and forceful, and the man immediately fell to the floor, lying on his back, dead again.
I looked at the man again, pointed toward him, and said, “I command you to stand up in Jesus’ name!”
Once again, the man stood to his feet.
But again, Satan pointed at him and said, “Die!” And once again, the man fell flat on his back, dead.
This happened repeatedly, probably four or five times. Each time when I commanded the man to stand in Jesus’ name, he rose to his feet. Each time Satan commanded him to die, he fell again.
Finally, I commanded the man to stand in Jesus’ name, and this time he remained standing. Satan disappeared. The man rejoiced, and I rejoiced with him!
The vision ended. The message was two-fold.
First: Perseverance in Spiritual Warfare Now
The first thing the Holy Spirit impressed upon me through this vision concerned the spiritual battles we face in our daily lives.
We are engaged in a real spiritual conflict. Scripture tells us that our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus described the enemy’s destructive purpose plainly: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10).
We see the effects of this conflict in our own lives, in our families, and in the lives of those around us. The enemy seeks to undermine faith, discourage obedience, weaken our resolve, and destroy what God desires to accomplish through His people.
Yet God has not left us without instruction, provision, or authority in this battle.
Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord tells us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may stand against the schemes of the devil. Paul concludes that instruction with a powerful exhortation:
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
Notice those final words: having done all, to stand.
There are times when we must continue standing in faith even when the opposition persists, when circumstances appear unchanged, and when the battle seems to be repeating itself. We must not assume that continued opposition means God has abandoned us or that His Word has failed.
In my vision, the man repeatedly fell whenever Satan commanded him to die. Yet each time I commanded him to stand in Jesus’ name, he rose again. The struggle did not end with the first command, the second command, or even the fourth or fifth. The man remained standing only at the end. God knows when the end is. We continue praying. We continue in the spiritual fight. He wins the battle!
We must not surrender simply because the battle continues.
Persistent Prayer
In Luke 18:1–8, Jesus told His disciples the parable of the persistent widow to teach them that they “ought always to pray, and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).
The widow continued bringing her appeal until the judge finally acted. Jesus used this example to encourage His people to persevere in prayer and to trust that God hears the cries of His own. God is not unjust, but just. He will answer our prayers all the more if we persist in asking.
Jesus concluded by asking whether the “Son of Man, when He comes, will find faith on the earth”. Do we have persistent faith or has the Enemy worn us down? Lord, increase our faith today!
He wants us to continue seeking Him without losing heart. Persistent prayer is an expression of enduring faith—a refusal to abandon our trust in God simply because the answer has not yet come.
This is why prayer is so important. James tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). We are invited to approach God, seek Him earnestly, and depend upon Him in every circumstance.
Scripture also gives us the example of those who laid hold of the horns of the altar, as Adonijah did when he feared for his life (I Kings 1:50–53). The image conveys the urgency of seeking refuge. Throughout Scripture, God’s people cry out to Him for mercy, grace, deliverance, and intervention.
This does not mean that we can manipulate God to fulfill our lusts or wantonness. We may not be able to compel Him to act according to our timetable either. But His way is perfect. He knows when to act. We are to simply draw near to Him in humility, ask and believe, nothing doubting, trust His promises, and persist in seeking to know and to do His will.
As Paul reminds us, we are to pray “always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,” remaining watchful and persevering in our prayers for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
And we are not called to fight these battles alone, but to stand together as the body of Christ, praying for one another, strengthening one another, and bearing one another’s burdens. The spiritual welfare of our families, our churches, and those God has placed within our sphere of influence should be a matter of earnest and continual prayer.
Second: A Greater Victory at the End of the Age
Through this open vision, the Lord was also directing my attention toward a time yet to come—a time when the body of Christ will experience a renewed awareness of the authority God has already given us through Jesus Christ and walk in it!
I am not suggesting that the Church has been without Christ’s authority or that God must give His people a different authority from the one they already possess in Him. But rather, there is coming a time when the Lord will awaken His people to a greater realization of the authority that is already ours in Christ!
This is what’s just ahead!
Throughout the Bible, we see that at the very end of this age (which I believe we are in right now), the Church will face a time of severe trial and difficulty, and that in the midst of those circumstances, God will quicken His people to a deeper understanding of the authority of Jesus’ name. What may have been a doctrine only will become a more deeply apprehended reality—something that shapes how believers pray, stand in faith, resist the enemy, minister to others, and show God’s glory to the world around us!
The Apostle Paul declares that God has highly exalted Jesus and given Him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9–11). Christ’s supremacy is not in question. The question is whether the Church fully recognizes and faithfully lives in light of who He is and what He has accomplished. We are a far cry from that today.
Jesus told His disciples that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and that He would be with them using that authority—and with whoever is on mission! He then commissioned them to make disciples of all nations.
We are going to realize mighty victory over the devil!
Could we see a measure of spiritual victory unlike anything we have witnessed in our own lifetimes? Could the Lord bring about an awakening in the Church that would remind us of the power and spiritual boldness associated with the day of Pentecost?
Absolutely, we could and will! It is one part in the full measure of the stature of Jesus Christ, a glorious church!
The book of Acts records the remarkable boldness of the early believers. When they were threatened, they did not ask God merely to remove every difficulty. They prayed for boldness to continue speaking His Word, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:29–31).
That is the kind of awakening I believe the Church needs: not merely a desire to escape opposition, but a renewed determination to obey Christ, proclaim His Word, stand firm in faith, and carry out His purposes regardless of the cost.
We should not be passive, fearful, or defeated in our outlook. We are experiencing a moment of calm before the storm—the biggest storm this country or this world has ever seen.
We should not presume to know every detail of what God will do or when He will do it, but we should remain vigilant, prayerful, obedient, persistent, and above all fully expecting of Him!
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).
