This Practice Could Unlock Your Biggest Breakthrough

DECLARATIVE PRAYER

Brian and his wife, Valerie, whom he met at Regent University, have been implementing declarative prayer since the early days of their marriage and pastoring.  “We used the book The Promises of God and prayed a lot based on that – and saw results.”  He defines declarative prayer this way: “It is not simply asking God to act, but declaring His promises and His will with confidence into situations that need transformation.”  Brian says that declarative prayer goes beyond making a petition of God.  “Instead of continually asking God to do what He has already promised, we can stand in faith and declare His Word as truth over our circumstances.”  What Brian and Valerie learned in those early days, he applies to pastors and leaders around the globe now in an effort to equip and encourage them.  He desires to do the same with readers of this book, saying that declarative prayer has applications in all areas of the Christian walk, e.g. spiritual warfare, identity, and revival.  

BELIEVER’S AUTHORITY

“If declarative prayer is the practice, the authority we have in Christ in the power source,” Brian explains.    “Without authority, declarations would be nothing more than wishful thinking.  But with authority, they carry the full weight of heaven.  Understanding the authority we have in Christ is non-negotiable if we are to truly walk in the power that our Father has for us.  Sadly, many believers live as though they are powerless, seemingly unaware of the authority given to them through Christ’s finished work.”   Brian offers specific ways that believers can walk in their God-given authority:

• Know your identity: “You are a beloved son or a daughter.  Sons and daughters inherit authority.” 

• Use the name of Jesus: John 14:13. “His name carries legal authority in the spirit realm.” 

• Resist the enemy:  James 4:7. “Resistance is an exercise of authority.”

• Stand on the Word: “Declarations based on God’s Word carry weight because they align with heaven’s legal foundation and God’s established will.”  

• Stay submitted to God: “Our authority only flows under this covering.  Just as the centurion in Matthew 8 recognized, those under authority carry authority.”

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

“Declarative prayer in spiritual warfare is not begging God to act … it is proclaiming His finished work and applying it against the enemy’s attacks,” Brian explains.  “When we declare in warfare, we are not fighting to win a victory … but rather, we are fighting from a place of victory in Him.  He has done it!  It is finished!  Spiritual warfare is not about shouting louder than the enemy … it is about standing firmly in Christ’s victory and declaring it with unwavering faith.  Through declarative prayer, believers enforce the victory of the cross and push back darkness in their lives, families, and communities,” he says.  

To engage in spiritual warfare, Brian suggests several practical actions:

• Discern the enemy’s scheme: “Ask the Spirit to reveal the root of the attack or activity.”  

• Find the counter-scripture: “Every lie is broken by truth,” he says.  “God’s Word is the truth.”

• Declare with authority: “Speak as one seated with Christ, not as a victim.”

• Persevere until breakthrough: “Some battles require sustained declaration and warfare prayer.  Enlist
 other intercessors or friends to pray.”

• Involve worship: “Praise and worship are powerful weapons of declaration that disarm darkness.  The

Bible says that ‘He lives in our praises.’  When we praise and worship Him, we are magnifying Him in our
 circumstances.”  

IDENTITY

Brian believes that we all struggle, to one degree or another, with identity.  “One of the greatest battles believers face today is not external but internal … the battle to truly believe who God says they are,” he says.  “The enemy thrives on identity theft.  If he can confuse us about who we are, then he can possibly derail us from living out our God-given destiny.  Declarative prayer is a powerful weapon in this battle.  When we declare God’s truth from His word about our identity and destiny, we silence the lies of the enemy and step boldly into the purposes for which we were created.”  Brian says believers need to tell themselves the truth about who they become once they are in Christ.  He lists these truths as examples:

• A child of God (1 John 3:1) 

• A new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

• Seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)

• A royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) 

He also says we must break false notions of identity be replacing them with the Word of God.  For example, when the enemy seeks to label us with lies such as, “You are unworthy,” “You are a failure,” “You are defined by your past,” we must renounce them and replace them with truth, such as: “I am not my past.  I am a new creation in Christ.”  

REVIVAL

“Revival is not simply an event … it is the manifest presence of God transforming lives, families, and nations.  Awakening happens when a sleeping church rises to her true identity and destiny.  Throughout history, revivals have often been sparked by prayer.  But there is a distinct power in declarative prayer … not only asking God to move, but declaring His promises of outpouring over dry ground until the desert blooms with life,” Brian explains.

“Revival is often hindered by unbelief, apathy, or sin.  Declarative prayer breaks these barriers,” he says, offering several examples of how to counteract them:

• Over unbelief: “I declare faith is rising; nothing is impossible with God.”

• Over apathy: “I declare the church is burning with a fiery passion for Jesus.”

• Over sin: “I declare repentance and holiness are sweeping through God’s people.”

To purchase Brian's newest book Pray with Power: The Believer's Guide to Declarative Prayer click the LINK!

To learn more about his Ministry, Harvest Family Network, click the LINK! 

CREDITS

Author, Pray with Power (self-published, 2025) / Founder and Director, Harvest Family Network, with many members and member-ministries around the world / pastor, ten years / guest speaker, nearly 20 years / Masters, Practical Theology, Regent University / married to Valerie, one daughter, Anna