How to Write an Effective Prayer Declaration

The first thing one needs to understand about writing a decree is the importance of truly understanding the Father’s heart. God’s heart is full of longsuffering and lovingkindness, but it is balanced with judgment against the works of darkness and evil. Justice cannot exist unless judgment is executed against acts of injustice, treachery and oppression. Jesus came to set the captives free! His mercy and perfect loving nature insures that He is the final determining factor in how His word is fulfilled. It is our responsibility to declare His will in the earth. It’s not enough to declare His word without passion. We must speak in such a way that it reflects His heart and the qualities of His character towards others.

“Thus says the Lord, “Let not the one who is wise and skillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] abundance; but let the one who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me [and acknowledges Me and honors Me as God and recognizes without any doubt], that I am the Lord who practices lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23,24 AMP)

A word of caution before I go any further: Intent is everything when it comes to prayer. Every person must be able to assess the motive behind their own words. There are many intercessors that bring their own personal judgments into their prayers and they pray out of a soulish level. This is very dangerous. The spirit realm knows and understands when a person is operating out of a soulish level and their words are energized by negative emotions such as offense, anger, a desire for judgment, vengeance or an unloving spirit. It is very important for the individual to realize if their heart is in need of healing because it’s very possible to release a spirit of witchcraft. The very basis of witchcraft is that a person’s will and emotion are the driving force behind their words. They speak with the intent to will certain things to come to pass. They may or may not realize they are doing it, but they are trying to force their will to come to pass, rather than yielding to Holy Spirit and praying His will into a situation. Operating in a spirit of witchcraft opens the door for witchcraft attacks to boomerang back into the life of the one that sends out those words. It is also important to take precautions such as deep cleansing prayer prior to engaging in spiritual warfare. Many, many people go into spiritual warfare ill prepared. They have unbroken generational curses or other open doors that the enemy will use to exploit an area of weakness or a spiritual blind spot. It is wisdom to make sure that one doesn’t engage the enemy when they could have open doors that grant him access to their lives. These type of precautions limits the enemy’s ability to retaliate and protect those that are attempting to enforce kingdom laws.

Decrees are written to execute judgment against the works of evil, release people from bondage, overturn injustice, tear down ungodly authority structures, tear up faulty foundations and evict the enemy. Decrees also help plant new ministries, lay the correct foundation, re-align, restructure, revive and restore. They bring forth justice for the oppressed, route the enemy, establish boundaries, and open the heavens so that kingdom plans and purposes can move forward. They make room for the ground troops to advance. Decrees propel and establish kingdom authority.

The first thing I do when writing a new decree is to consider what sort of hindrances need to be dealt with. Identify and address particular obstacles, then I sit down and pray, asking Holy Spirit to help guide me as I write. Effectively enforcing the law of God means that we need to be confident in knowing His will for the situation. His will always reflects a balance of justice with mercy.

A decree or prayer declaration serves several purposes. The first is to state a problematic situation that recognizes the current condition requires necessary action to remedy it. The second is to serve as an indictment that brings lawful charges against the enemy, and the third is to declare what the law states.

Scripture is used to support and declare God’s word (the law) that we choose to enforce. I often use the internet to search a key phrase or a thought to bring up a variety of scriptures that will be useful. I also look for various translations that reflect the heart and intent of what I feel needs to be incorporated into the decree. When I first started writing decrees, it took a bit longer to figure out what I wanted them to say, but with practice anyone can write them like a pro. You can too!

What situation do you have in your life or in the life of a family member that needs to be reversed? What injustice needs to overturned? What enemy needs to be captured and hauled into court? Write a new decree. Don’t allow the enemy’s plots and schemes to stand unchallenged. Decrees engrave the words of God into the situation in the Spirit. Declare His will over your life, family, and your future. Write a new decree over your city, your state and your nation. Overturn injustice! Overthrow corruption! Route the enemy and force him to go where he can be captured and contained. Enforce justice and righteousness by declaring what God has said in His word! The Spirit of the living God resides within you to create, enforce, and establish God’s will on earth. We are not victims, we are victorious!

Declaring God’s law is to remind Him (and the court of heaven) that action is necessary in order to correct the situation. Therefore, we are calling upon the One who gave us His law and asking that He help us enforce it in the earthly realm. The enemy is a legalist, a thief, the fraudulent witness, the prosecuting attorney (the accuser of the brethren) and a murderer. He is well acquainted with the court of heaven, and he knows how to work the system. He looks for loopholes. It’s our job, through our prayers and declarations, to sew up every little area where the enemy might try to wiggle through. It pays to be thorough. We cannot afford to pray haphazardly, throwing out prayers like buckshot, hoping to hit something. We need strategic, well aimed prayers that hit the target every time. Decrees are like a sniper rifle that finds its mark. They are lethal!