SHOULD WE REALLY DECREE THIS? by Stephen Hanson

Decree:
noun: decree; plural noun: decrees
1.
an official order issued by a legal authority.
synonyms: order, edict, command, commandment, mandate, proclamation, dictum, fiat; law, bylaw, statute, act;
formalordinance
"a presidential decree"


11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11


Sometimes I hear the phrase, "I decree this to happen in the name of the Lord, and that many will be healed. Or perhaps one may say, "I decree that prosperity will come to this group and that ALL will have an overabundance, and rose petals will be strewn along the pathway in front of them."


I have studied and I am well aware of the teachings on this subject, but I am not persuaded that this is entirely something that is scriptural. Let me explain:

When we make a statement like this we are assuming that an entire group of people are in agreement with it, and that this body of individuals has chosen to believe with this person that stated the decree. How can this be if the people are anonymous and not in clear sight? How can this occur if we as a people have the choice to believe in the statement that was uttered or not? God has given us a free will, and we are not puppets that can be controlled by the strings of another, much less the Father who created us.

This can be very much like the "name it and claim it" doctrine that had infiltrated the church many years ago. One can utter something like, "Lord, I decree that this job is mine." When actually, it's really up to God whether or not we will receive that job or not, isn't it? It's really not a question of faith either, it's a matter of who is "in control."

The decree and declare movement actually overestimates our authority. Some would believe that no matter what we speak "in Jesus name," that it will come to pass. Truly, there are some things that we are told to "bind and loose." But I don't readily see the apostles binding and loosing the demons of financial poverty, or to retain a Mercedes in "Jesus name." God wants us to be prosperous, but many have the cart before the horse.
When Paul was given a thorn – a messenger of Satan to buffet him, did he speak to that thorn to go away or rebuke the demon of thorns? No, he pleaded with God. (2 Corinthians 12:7).

We are told in Hebrews about what faith is. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) And it is true that in order to believe in him, we must have faith in what we do not see, and this also can and does pertain to our spiritual walk. But even though we believe and trust in him for what we do not see, we leave the circumstances up to him, because he actually knows what is best for us.
Let us be careful and let us be wise in how something like this is said. I actually believe that many have not been taught correctly about this doctrine and that they haven't fully understood the ramifications and perimeters of making a statement that utters this type of command.

A true prophetic word will accomplish what it was sent out to do, and it will not return back and fall to the ground. It will not return void. Its purpose will be seen as it is spoken into the spiritual atmosphere in time. But as something is decreed, let us be wise and understanding of the words and the statements that we utter. Let us not so quickly put on the garb of pretentiousness and spiritual pride.

Selah`

Stephen Hanson

www.stephenhansonprophet.com

tseyigai@yahoo.com

3655 El Morro Rd. #120

Colo. Spgs. CO. 80910