The apostles never said please! They learned to pray from the Master. When did Jesus ever say “please God” when praying against a demon or a disease? Just as He commanded spirits to go, He commanded healing to come. Search the scriptures for yourself: After Pentecost, the apostles went about doing things the same way.
I have a hunch why so many of us missed this. We look at the Biblical picture from the outside and think that if we just go to Jesus as the people did back then, He will do the same thing for us He did for them. Sometimes He does. But the reality is that Jesus is inside of us right now! He wants to work through us. Like Him, we have been conceived and empowered by the same Holy Spirit the same way for the same works. In other words, Jesus wasn’t just doing things for us even then, He was modeling for us, because one day it would be our turn to “walk in His sandals.”
We Have the Power?
Whether we realize it or not, we have power to command things of darkness to go and things of the Kingdom to come. Things of darkness include evil spirits, disease and pain, among other things. Things of the Kingdom include healing and miracles. Please note that we do not command God or other people (they have all been created in His image). Even so, that leaves a lot on the table for the “prayer of command” to address. This is not to say that there isn’t a place for prayers of petition—Jesus asked many things of God—but you need to make room in your repertoire for prayers of command.
Just in case this is getting too heady or imposing for you, let me give you some simple down to earth ways to try this out. Some years ago, I was driving back from a church camp feeling like I had blown it and (as usual) was having a very hard time forgiving myself and letting it go. I was crying out to the Lord for relief (with prayers of petition), when He said to me, “That’s a spirit of self-hatred. It will never forgive you or accept you. Command it to go.” So, I looked it “in the eye” and said, “I see you now and I’m falling out of agreement with you. I don’t have to think what you think or feel what you feel. Get out, in Jesus Name.” Immediate freedom! You can get free of most demons simply by repenting of the sin they represent. As you draw near to God, they slink away. But it is great good fun to send them packing!
You Have the Power!
How about physical pains and illnesses? Start with the small ones. An Episcopal priest friend, Mike Flynn, taught me that the best way to handle new pain is to vigorously command it to go whenever it shows up. Don’t be half-hearted or lazy about doing this. If you let it lay on you for too long, it is as if you have welcomed it into your body and (faith-wise) it is much harder to command it away. That’s when you need to recruit someone else (with fresh faith) to do it for you. So, jump on any new pain right away and lay into it with everything you’ve got: “I command you (‘knee pain’ for example) to go in Jesus Name. The Blood of Jesus is against you! Go now and do not return. Etc.”
Once I dropped a heavy door on my bare big toe. Knowing that this was emergency room worthy, I instinctively reached down for my toe and immediately began commanding the pain to go and healing to come. Mixed in with this was a LOT of praise to the Lord and calling on Him for more power to command. I was being so loud about it that my two cats came around to investigate. Five minutes later that toe was perfectly healed! Try it, you’ll like it!
For more on prayers of command see “Commanding Prayer” at our website for healing, HealingStreams.
About the Author: Steve Evans
For over a decade Steve Evans and Healing Streams have been helping people recover inner peace and freedom. Through Forerunners4Him he has been showing how we can be saved for heaven and teaching the way to live a Spirit filled life on earth. Go now to receive a completely free primer, Getting to Heaven and/or an introduction to Living in the Spirit at forerunners4him.org. 
