Many believers know Jesus won the victory at Calvary, but still wonder why prayer, spiritual authority, and standing against darkness matter so much today. The Word of God shows that Satan is defeated, yet the Church must still enforce Christ’s victory through faith, intercession, the shield of faith, and continual prayer for kings and those in authority. Darkness comes and goes, but believers are called to stay alert, keep the rod lifted, hold their ground, and pray for the wisdom of God to influence nations so the Gospel can move freely. Why You Must Enforce the Great Overcoming Victory of Jesus, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

This Week: Jesus won the victory—enforce that victory through prayer, faith, and unwavering spiritual authority.

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Why You Must Enforce the Great Overcoming Victory of Jesus Share on X

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Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

Keep the Rod Lifted

This week, make a fresh commitment to pray daily for kings, leaders, and those in authority. Refuse to pray from fear and learn to pray from the victory Jesus has already secured.

Set aside time each day to ask God for wisdom from above to influence leaders, open doors for the Gospel, and push back the wisdom that comes from below. Keep your shield of faith up, stand your ground, and remember that your prayers matter in the purposes of God.

Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).

This week’s question is:

Question: What part of this teaching most challenged your thinking about prayer, spiritual authority, or praying for leaders?

Share: Have you ever seen God answer prayer on behalf of a nation, community, church, workplace, or leader? Share your experience.

Remember: The Church is not fighting for victory—it is enforcing the victory Jesus Christ has already won.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 49 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 45 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Podcast Notes:

• Well again, welcome.
• Let’s pray.

Father God, we marvel at the great and overcoming victory of Jesus’ life. We praise you and give you glory and honor for sending Him to us and for lowing Him to be an example to us. We pray today that you would open the eyes of our understanding so that we might see and know you more. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Why Do We Need to Pray?

1 John 2:12–14 (NASB 2020) — 12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you on account of His name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 4:4 (NASB 2020) — 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

• Today’s podcast focuses on the Body of Christ and its role in enforcing the overcoming victory of Jesus.
• With that thought, here is the Question of the Day.
• Here’s the question.

If Jesus already won the victory, why does the Church still need to pray?

• Answer? — Because victories must be enforced.
• Jesus won the victory at Calvary, but the Church has been left in the earth to enforce that victory until He returns.

Defeated Foes: A Victory That Must Be Enforced

• And with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.

Jesus won the victory at Calvary, but the Church has been left in the earth to enforce that victory until He returns.

• Think about World War II.
• On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany officially surrendered.
• The war in Europe was over.
• The outcome had been decided.
• Germany had been defeated.
• But the Allied armies did not immediately pack up and go home.
• Why not?
• Because a victory won still had to be enforced.
• Occupation forces remained.
• Enemy strongholds had to be secured.
• Resistance movements had to be dealt with.
• Prisoners had to be liberated.
• Order had to be established.
• The defeated regime could no longer rule, but the effects of that regime still had to be removed and its surrender continually enforced.
• The Allies were not trying to win a war that had not been won.
• They were enforcing a victory that had already been secured.
• In much the same way, Jesus Christ did not merely wound Satan—He defeated him.
• Through His death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation, He stripped the powers of darkness of their legal authority and won a complete victory.
• The outcome has already been decided.
• Yet the Church has not been called home.
• We remain here as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.
• We preach the Gospel.
• We resist the devil.
• We pray for kings and those in authority.
• We push back against darkness.
• We enforce through prayer, faith, and spiritual authority the victory that Jesus already won.
• We are not trying to achieve Calvary.
• We are enforcing Calvary.
• We are not fighting for victory.
• We are fighting from victory.
• Now in your natural world there are all kinds of battles that must be contested.
• They must be overcome.
• The same is true in the natural realm—there are contests, whose outcomes have already been decided, but that must be enforced.
• Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.

Prayer for Kings Must Be Constant

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (NASB 2020) — 1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

• Notice that the four kinds of prayer mentioned in verse are all in the plural meaning any of these prayers can and must be prayed multiple times.
• That’s important.
• The prayer of faith is prayed differently than these prayers.
• But when it comes to kings, rulers, and all men, Paul is describing a continual ministry of prayer.
• These prayers are not occasional.
• They are not seasonal.
• They are not one-and-done.
• S-Prayers are to be continually offered before the Throne of God.
• But why?
• I am glad you asked.

Why Darkness Keeps Coming Back

Matthew 12:43–45 (NASB 2020) — 43 “Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

• Jesus explains here why prayer can never become a one-time event.
• I want you to notice the two phrases in verses 44 and 45: it comes—it goes.
• Demon spirits come and they go.
• They come and they go.
• Just like the tide comes in and goes out.
• Comes in and goes out.
• Such is the ebb and flow of demonic activity.
• Notice, once they go or rather are driven out, they go out but then at a later time they come back and check.
• In the verses we just read, they are checking to see if the house they were expelled from is still empty.
• You see, they don’t know.
• Demons are not omniscient like God nor do they have His foreknowledge.
• So they have to find out on their own.
• They come back and they check.
• What are they checking for where Jesus’ followers are concerned?
• Is the shield of faith up?

Ephesians 6:16 (ESV) — 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

• If the shield is up—if it’s in force—they depart.
• If the shield is down, fiery darts are able to penetrate and you lose the ground you have gained.
• You resist the forces of darkness and they come back to see if you are still standing on God’s Word or have you relaxed.
• Relaxing is the worst move you can make.

1 Peter 5:8 (NASB 2020) — 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NASB 2020) — 13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

• Not being in an alert state is dangerous because of this pattern of coming and and going.
• There is a constant pressing and pushing back against the forces of darkness.
• And you must know it and be in a constant state of readiness.
• Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.

Why Your Shield Must Stay Up

• In a previous podcast, we referenced the preparation that Roman soldiers engaged in to get their shields ready for the contest—ready for the battle.
• We talked about the materials that were in a Roman shield and how they soaked it with water ahead of the battle so that the fiery darts of the enemy could be quenched.
• For your shield of faith, you need the water of the Word.
• You fortify your shield with the working knowledge of the authority of the believer.
• If you are going to pray for kings, you’re going to need to understand and flow in authority.
• And with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.

A missionary to Italy started their work in that country with a prayer meeting. They gathered to pray once a week. So the missionary asked the group to begin praying for the leaders of their nation. So they headed out in prayer and the missionary wasn’t listening to the prayers of the people because she was praying also. All of the sudden, the Lord spoke to the missionary and said, “Stop them, they are offending me.” So the missionary gracefully changed the prayer direction of the group and went to check with the Lord why He uttered those Words. This is what the Lord said, “They are praying like mere men. They are praying like the redemption of Jesus has not occurred. Do not let them pray until you teach them about authority.”

• You fortify your shield with an understanding of authority and you pray for kings from that platform.
• If you try to pray for kings begging, pleading, worried, wimpy, or fearful, you will grieve the Spirit of God.
• You will grieve Him because you are doing a disservice to what Jesus died to accomplish.
• You’re acting like Calvary never occurred.
• Stand up and fight like men that have been redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus.

Praying for Kings Means Constantly Praying for Wisdom

• Because of the ebb and flow of darkness and because demons want to enforce Satan’s agenda on Planet Earth, there is a constant battle for the mouths of Kings.
• Whose wisdom will they operate by?
• That’s up the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Because God told us to pray for kings.
• But what are we to pray?
• We’ve already talked about how God can puts words in a leaders mouth.
• Remember Caiaphas.

John 11:49–52 (NASB 2020) — 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor are you taking into account that it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.” 51 Now he did not say this on his own, but as he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation; 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

• This weapon in God’s arsenal has no defense.
• But you must ask for it because authority is in the earth.
• A second thing that the Church must pray when it comes to kings is wisdom.

James 3:15–17 (NASB 2020) — 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.

• Note the words ‘wisdom from above’ and ‘wisdom from below.’
• There is the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the satanic world.
• Two kinds of wisdom.
• Which wisdom does your king, president, prime minister and those underneath them draw from?
• It depends on if the Church is praying that God’s wisdom would be available.

Proverbs 8:15–16 (NASB 2020) — 15 “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. 16 “By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.

• You must ask for it.
• If you ask, God will make His wisdom available to the ruler of your country.
• Now, they of course, have a choice whether or not they will accept.
• If they do, that opens the gospel to that nation so that all men can be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
• If they harden themselves against that wisdom and reject, the judgment of God goes into effect.
• Remember Pharaoh.
• So, there is a lot at stake when you pray for kings.
• That’s you must pray S-prayers—that is multiple prayers—a constant flow of prayer up to the Throne of God.
• If demons are diligent to check back, shouldn’t you be diligent to meet that expectation?

Why You Should Always Lift the Rod of God

1 Timothy 1:18–19 (AMP) — 18 This charge and admonition I commit in trust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with prophetic intimations which I formerly received concerning you, so that inspired and aided by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 Holding fast to faith (that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) and having a good (clear) conscience. By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith.

• Wage a good warfare—did you hear that?
• It’s a war that we are in for the souls of men.
• You must know that and you must never let down.
• Keep offering prayers up to God.
• Keep pushing back against the wisdom that comes from below.
• Do you remember this account of the ‘Rod of God’ in the hand of Moses?

Exodus 17:9–12 (NASB 2020) — 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 Joshua did just as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set.

• And with that thought, here is the Quote of the Day.
• This is a rather lengthy quote but it fits the bill perfect.

The rod [of God] symbolizes the authority of God delegated to man. This story is a wonderful picture of our joint seating with Christ. Jesus did the work required for us to be ‘on the hill’. We could have never gotten to that place of dominion by ourselves. He raised us up and seated us in Christ Jesus, at the right hand of his throne. Nonetheless. our joint seating with Christ does not secure victory against the forces of darkness. It is exercising and maintaining the use of that authority which drives back the enemy. With only sporadic use of our authority, there is little wonder why the enemy has invaded our schools, our government, and our society. How does this happen, it happens little by little as believers get tired of keeping their authority (as Moses arms grew tired against Amalek). Jesus raised us up and placed the rod of dominion in our hands. We raise it up through what we pray, what we declare and even what we do. The use of our authority should not be limited to a prayer session we have once a week, or even once a day. It should become a normal part of our every waking life. The measure we raise our rod of dominion is the measure of God’ purpose that will prevail on Planet Earth. ¹

• Notice when Moses hands got weary — the Hebrew there carries multiple senses including oppressing, weighty, difficult, dull, and thick.²
• In Exodus 17:12, the word ‘weary’ captures not merely physical fatigue but the burden of sustained effort during the battle against the Amalekites.
• If you let down your rod, if the Church let’s down, our nation will be overrun with doctrines of devils.
• You cannot afford to get weary.
• Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.

Why You Must Hold Your Ground

2 Samuel 23:8–10 (NASB 2020) — 8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had… 9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn. 10 He rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and it clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder the dead.

• Did you notice that God wins battles through the hands of weary men—men who refuse to quit, lay down and rollover.
• I heard the Spirit of God say one day, ‘The plan of God doesn’t stop because a man is a few hours short of sleep. I can get things done through tired men.’
• Swing the sword of the Spirit so the Lord can bring the victory.
• Great victories can be wrought by God when men extend themselves.

2 Samuel 23:11–12 (NASB 2020) — 11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee, a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into an army where there was a plot of land full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it, and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory.

• Did you notice, everyone else fled but Shammah stood his ground.
• And because he did, The Lord brought about a great victory.
• Victory is often enforced by refusing to surrender territory God has given.
• So, swing the sword of the Spirit.
• Swing now, take vacations later.
• You’ve got a job to do and war to engage.
• The examples of Moses, Eleazar, and Shammah all point to the same reality: the people of God are engaged in a real struggle against a real enemy.

Our Struggle Against Darkness

Ephesians 6:10–13 (NASB 2020) — 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

• The Greek word struggle means to wrestle and it denotes engaging in an intense struggle against strong opposition, involving either physical or nonphysical force.³
• The root of this word refers to hand-to-hand combat.⁴
• Now, we must always remember that we are not fighting in our own strength.
• We must also remember that the enemy we are fighting is a defeated foe.
• But defeated doesn’t mean destroyed or non-existent.
• Earth will one day enjoy the freedom of being from the devil and his cohorts.
• They will all be vacuumed up and tossed into hell.
• By that’s one day—a future day—and it is not today.

A Defeated Foe and Jesus’ Victory

• This brings us back to the question we started with:
• If Jesus already won the victory, why does the Church still need to pray?
• Today, this defeated foe is still launching fiery arrows at the righteous while ruling over men who have chosen not to follow Jesus.
• Jesus won the victory.
• The outcome has already been decided.
• Satan is defeated, but until the Lord returns, the Church has been entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing that victory.
• Keep your shield up.
• Keep your rod lifted.
• Keep praying for kings.
• Keep asking for wisdom from above.
• Keep resisting darkness.
• We are not fighting for victory.
• Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.

Putting Victory Into Practice

• So, how do we apply this?
• First, settle this in your heart: Jesus has already won the victory.
• You are not praying from panic.
• You are not praying from fear.
• You are not praying as though Calvary never happened.
• You are praying from the finished work of Jesus Christ.
• That means your prayers matter.
• Your authority matters.
• Your faith matters.
• Your consistency matters.
• When you pray for kings and all those in authority, you are helping enforce the victory Jesus already won.
• When you ask God for wisdom from above to influence leaders, you are helping push back the wisdom that comes from below.
• When you keep your shield up, you refuse to give darkness an open door.
• When you keep your rod lifted, you refuse to let the enemy overrun territory God has assigned to His people.
• So this week, do not pray weak.
• Do not pray fearful.
• Do not pray as though the enemy has the upper hand.
• Pray from victory.
• Pray with authority.
• Pray for kings.
• Pray for wisdom.
• Pray for the Gospel to move freely.
• Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.

Continue Your Growth Journey

• If this teaching helped strengthen your prayer life and your understanding of spiritual authority, continue growing with us each week through the Light on Life Podcast.
• Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to keep praying, and visit emeryhorvath.com for more Bible teaching designed to help you stand strong in the victory Jesus has already won.

Prayer of Dedication

• Are you ready to pray and commit to praying daily for the leaders of your government?
• If you are pray this prayer after me.

Father God, in the name of Jesus, right now, by the help of your Holy Spirit, I choose to make requests, pray prayers, yield to the spirit of intercession, and give thanks on behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority. Thank you for leading me daily in this arena. I will continually pray for my nation and I commit to do so in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

• Jesus won the victory—we enforce the victory.
• That’s why the Body of Christ must continue to press forward and overcome.
• You guys have a great God week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

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