Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose

by Dutch Sheets

You absolutely can reign in life and be the overcomer God intends you to be, taking charge of your personal world and changing the world around you. You don't have to allow sin, Satan, or the circumstances of life to weigh you down. Beginning with your private world--your thoughts, body, actions, and ultimately your God-ordained destiny--you can take charge. Authority is yours for the taking. Then, because God established and so honors the principle of authority, He will back you as you walk in the government He has delegated to you concerning your extended world--your home, family, business, and possessions. Finally, God's plan is for you to partner with Him on the earth in broader realms of influence and authority--your universal world. Jesus, the sovereign King over the earth, wants to rule institutions, cultures, societies, and governments through you and your prayers. Authority in Prayer will show you how to take hold of God’s promises and pray with the authority He wants you to have. God needs you. Are you ready to use your God-given authority to further His kingdom?

Genres: Prayer, Christian, Christian Living, Christian Non Fiction, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Church

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Dutch Sheets is an internationally recognized author, gifted teacher, and conference speaker. He travels extensively, challenging believers for passionate prayer and societal reformation. Seeing America experience a sweeping revival and return to its Godly heritage is Dutch’s greatest passion. He is a messenger of hope for America, encouraging believers to contend for awakening. Dutch has written over 23 books, many of which have been translated into over 30 languages. His international bestseller, Intercessory Prayer, has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Dutch has pastored, taught in several colleges and seminaries, and served on the board of directors of numerous organizations. He is fondly known to many as Papa Dutch. Treasuring time spent with their family and grandchildren. Dutch and Ceci, his wife of 40 plus years, enjoy quiet walks in the woods, reading, and playing a little golf. They make their home in beautiful South Carolina.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle pretty well sums it up: Praying with Power and Purpose. He explains how God has delegated authority to us as adamites (adam meaning man) and then challenges us to recognize the authority we have and walk in it. Governmental intercession is not just praying for the political government but government represents our individual sphere of influence so it is praying for the situations over which we have authority and influence. All of his writings are excellent and take the time to develop the terminology used to build his theme. I read this at a time when God had already been speaking to me about how I can pray so while there were no great light-bulb moments in reading this, there was definitely a sense of everything coming together and fitting the bigger picture.

[Mitzi Knipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! A must read for every Christian to understand where we stand as born again believers. It changed my thinking from being a victim to knowing who I am in Christ and what my role is on .earth

[Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dutch Sheets is known for his teaching on prayer. I hope he is also a man of prayer though I don’t know much about him other than from his books. Sheets is a charismatic teacher and travels the world teaching on prayer. He has written other books on prayer besides the one that I am going to review.

The Positives

1. The Short Chapters.

The book has only 14 chapters. This is a relatively short book for me. It is only 197 pages. The chapters are short and mostly to the point.

2. No Guilt Trips on Prayer.

Some books on prayer simply seem to make you feel guilty. “You are not praying enough.” “You must spend 2 hours with the Lord or you are not even saved!” “You will never see revival with your pathetic prayer life.” This is what I mean by guilt prayer books. They beat you up with no mercy or grace. This book doesn’t do that. While prayer is the focus, the author does not spend a lot of time focusing on making you feel guilty. He just wants you to pray.

3. Some Biblical Focus.

What I will have more to say about this later, there was some emphasis placed on what the Bible says about prayer and the promises of God. Nearly every chapter had passages of Scripture in them. The Bible wasn’t ignored in this book. While I have some troubling aspects of the author’s usage of some passages, I appreciated that the author seems to believe the Bible is the Word of God.

4. Victory in Christ.

Daniel 7:13-14 has been in my heart now for days and the author focuses on how Christ has won the victory. Christ will reign forever over His enemies and His disciples will rejoice! In the meantime, we have been given biblical authority to preach the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20) and to pray (John 14:12-14). Because Jesus sits at the right hand of God (Hebrews 7:25), He is able to help us (Hebrews 4:14-16) and this is true in prayer. We pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The author does a good job of teaching that Christ has won the victory, that Satan is defeated, and that we can seek God through Christ.

5. Prayer is Powerful!

Prayer is powerful only because God is all-powerful! The author shows that God answers prayer (Mark 11:22-24). He tells many stories to teach the reader that God does hear our prayers and He does answer our prayers. In the author’s case, the Lord answers prayer in many astonishing ways. I too have seen the Lord answer prayer. God has been faithful to hear my cries and to answer my prayers. While I have never seen miracles (though I have seen His hand of providence), I don’t doubt that God can and does miracles from time to time but always for His glory and honor and not for ours (Acts 14:3). We should pray big prayers and seek God for big things. I have no trouble with this and in fact I was convicted that I pray too often for “easy” things instead of praying for amazing things like the saving of souls by the thousands.

The Negatives

Let me point out a few negatives I took away from the book.

1. Too Experiential For My Taste.

I prefer books that focus on the biblical text. There are books that are more devotional in nature such as the prayer books of Andrew Murray and there are books on prayer from a more theological point and those are my favorites. Sound doctrine goes hand in hand with sound living (1 Timothy 4:16). This book has many experiences from the author. The author writes much about his experiences with hearing God speak. I have never heard the voice of God and I am convinced that we hear God speak in the Bible. The Bible is His final, inerrant, and infallible revelation given to us (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and this is why we should teach prayer from the Bible and not from personal experiences.

2. Lack of Biblical Content.

I mentioned above that the author does use Scripture. Sheets used a Bible verse in every chapter. Yet Sheets never really teaches the text. In fact, his chapters used Bible verses but much like a topical preacher. He sort of used Bible verses only to back up his points. Sheets didn’t deal with the text nor exegete them at all. I would rather read a book say on the disciple’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 which deals with each verse slowly and deeply than to hear personal stories over and over again.

3. Lack of the Gospel.

A book on prayer should be gospel-centered and Christ-exalting. Sheets did not tear down the Lord Jesus in any way so I want to make that clear. Sheets, in my estimation from this book, is not seeking to turn people away from Christ as a false teacher would. Christ is spoken of all over this book. Yet what was missing was the gospel. The gospel is the very reason that I get to pray! The gospel is what opens the doors of heaven so that I can pray to my Father. The work of Christ is vital and our understanding of the gospel is necessary to help us to pray. When we understand the death of Christ for our sins (Galatians 1:4) and His resurrection for our justification before God (Romans 4:24-25), this opens our prayer lives because we see that we are not praying out of religious duty to earn God’s perfection (Isaiah 64:6) nor His blessing for what have all that in Christ Jesus (Romans 4:5). Christ is the reason that I get to pray (John 15:16). While Sheets does mention the Lord Jesus often, he doesn’t spend any time speaking of the glory of the cross nor of Christ sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for the saints. This point is vital to prayer.

4. Territory Spirits.

One final point. Sheets talks often about God placing him in places to pray. He tells a story in the book about the Lord placing him in Washington DC to pray for the United States. He believes his prayers have shaped many political situations and has kept the hand of God back from judging the nation. Sheets seems to have a view that spirits control areas such as DC or other cities. This comes from some who teach this based on Daniel 10:13. I appreciate those who would pray for cities and nations. Paul prayed for people groups in Romans 10:1. The Messiah prays to the Father in Psalm 2:8 for the nations. Did He fail to get those? No! Jesus reigns over the nations and that is why He could tell His disciples to go and get them (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). We are Christ’s ambassadors telling the world to repent and submit to the Lordship of Jesus in all things (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). So I disagree with Sheets over this issue. Satan is defeated and Christ is victorious. Our job is to proclaim Christ and His victory over the enemy (1 John 3:8).

Conclusion

Overall this book was not a bad read. I don’t want you to think from my negative points that the book was all bad. It wasn’t. There was some good that I took from this book. While I have read better books on prayer, this was not the worst. I would recommend it for someone wanting to devour books on prayer.

This review was based on a free copy of the book provided by Bethany House Publishers. I was free to give my review in whatever way I saw best. Thank you to Bethany House for the book.

[Bill Stegemueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got through reading Dutch Sheets, “Authority in Prayer.” It was one of those books that is difficult to put down once you start. The subtitle is, “Praying with Power and Purpose,” which is really captures the whole idea behind the book.

Dutch opened my eyes to the incredible authority we have in prayer. Everything he teaches is backed up with Scripture and illustrated through his own personal experience. I liked the book so much that I went to his website to order the mp3 teaching which was just four dollars. The link for the mp3 is: http://dutchsheets.mybigcommerce.com/.... The mp3 teaching is not nearly as thorough as the book and it touches more on interceding for our government.

The book helped me to realize the authority that Jesus wants me to bring into every situation. My purpose is to use every opportunity to bring Jesus’ authority into every situation.. We are His representatives (ambassadors) and prayer is one of the main tools God has given us to bring about His will in a fallen world.

I love the fact that Dutch Sheets is so REAL when he writes about prayer. He doesn’t pretend to be the expert and to have all the answers. What he does have is unique ability to inspire God’s people to take prayer seriously. He has a way of helping people to see how prayer can be a vital part of a person’s spiritual life.

I am a lot more confident in my prayer life as a result of reading this book. While I am familiar about praying God’s will using the Scriptures, there was something about the way that Dutch presented it that really “clicked” in my spirit.

I loved reading about some real life examples to how God used prayer in Dutch’s ministry and was overjoyed to hear how God answers prayers. The chapters were short and could be easily read as a devotional book every day.
I received a free copy of this book by Bethany House (even through I already owned a digital copy when the book was offered for free at Amazon) in exchange for a honest non-biased review.

[Jannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dutch Sheets, the author of Authority in Prayer is one of the most powerful and awesome books I have read.

I don't know about you, but I have always wondered why some Christians are successful in their prayer life and others seem to always go with unanswered prayers and confusion. I admit I used to be the ones without much success. I would always carry doubt and unbelief in my prayers.

This book has increased my faith to a higher level of understanding and confidence. Dutch, shows and reminds us while using the scriptures that we are all a royal priesthood that has the same right to go into the throne room with boldness when we are making our petitions to God. I always knew this, but it helped to actually see the scriptures that state this.

As I was reading,I would take time out to pray with the knowledge and confidence that Dutch talks about. I have already seen and felt a difference in my prayers already!.


If you are a person who believes in the living God, but still has a hard time accepting and believing that you have the same right to operate with authority and power in your prayer life, then please don't delay. This book is a must have if you are serious in being a part of the real church! The church that God has called us to be: One who has power and authority to carry out His plans for you, me, and the world.

[Julie D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a really good book on prayer. I've read a lot of books on prayer and this one has some really great points. I enjoyed the stories throughout the book on the intervention that God did in peoples lives. I always find that so inspiring to hear how God has worked in peoples lives. These stories really help to make the book easy to read and keeps you going as it holds your interest.

One area that really inspired me, and where I lack in my prayer life, is praying for those in government. He really makes valid point after point of how important this is. Of course, we always think of the Federal government, but he encourages us to remember the state and local government, too. Everything he talks about, though, he backs up with Scripture, which I feel is very important. If a book like this isn't Biblical, there's no point in reading it at all.

The author is charismatic, and I'm not, so this made the book perhaps more difficult for me to read than someone who is charismatic. However, it didn't deter from the excellent material of the book or lessen the Biblical truths of the book.

I think you'll enjoy this book on prayer and it will definitely help you in your prayer life. It certainly has me, and prayer is so important as Christians. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishers

[Shannan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it was pretty interesting. He has a style of writing which kept me interested throughout the whole book. He shares personal stories and it made it a more interesting read. This is a powerful book about taking authority over your prayer life. I am not the best at praying I will admit, so reading these prayers and testimonies just amazed me.

I couldn’t believe the way these people got together and prayed and things were happening because of the prayers. It was an amazing book and I’m really glad I got the chance to read and that I actually took the time to read it.
I give this book 5***** and recommend it to anyone who wants to make more of their prayer life.

I was given this book by Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

[Machelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first began reading “AUTHORITY IN PRAYER” I struggled to become engaged and focused. Rather than give up or post a negative review, I stopped reading it for a couple of weeks. Once I was in a better frame of mind, I began again and was much more easily engaged and interested in the material. I have to admit, I am not an avid prayer. My prayers are simple, short, and specific. I do not get verbose, I just get to the point. This book was helpful in learning the authority I have in prayer, authority that God has given me. God doesn't need our prayers to act, he desires to work with us to get things to happen. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about prayer and our relationship with God through prayer. Thank you to Bethany House publishers for providing me with this book free for my honest review.

[Lynn Jones II · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall book was rather eye opening and make one truly think about our authority in Christ when we are saved. The only thing which has me a little skeptical is the governmental authority the author speaks about. While I understand we need to pray for our leadership and for the country my perception is that we should not pray for a specific delegate or president for that matter to get into office. Rather we should focus on praying for the Lord to put who he wants into office.

Overall good books we need to understand our authority and Jesus Christ. We also need to pray for discernment so that as followers of Christ we are praying for the right things out of a pure heart an not for selfish gain. The author makes it somewhat clear in the book. However, we need to also understand that if our heart is not in the right place it can truly hinder our prayer life.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authority in Prayer: Praying With Power and Purpose by Dutch Sheets is an awesome book filled with faith, humor, testimonies and so much more. The author shows Biblical reasons for taking authority in our prayers. A real faith-builder as you read of answered prayers and know that God does answer our prayers. Prayer is powerful! This book helped me to see that it is important to use the power we are given, by God, in our prayers.

I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC (advanced readers copy) from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you.

[Gay Idle]

If you are looking for a book to inspire you to step up in your prayer life, then this is your book! With examples of prayer breakthrough in others as well as that in his own life, Dutch Sheets, leads us to a greater understanding of the authority we are to have in this world as God's children and joint heirs with Christ as we learn to pray with the the authority God wants us to have. This is one I will return to when I feel the need to be recharged in my prayer life.

[A.C. Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one got relegated to the Did Not Finish pile at page 124. The further I read, the more the writing seemed to go off the rails into the weird. I can personally hear God speak, so I'm not sure why the later stories in the book seemed like they went down the Cloak-and-dagger-hope-you-can-find-your-secret-society-decoder-ring-so-you-can-decipher-the-coded-number-messages-God-is-sending-you-through-other-people-so-you'll-actually-know-how-to-pray train of thought. I was not impressed.

[Imjstgr8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It gave me awesone insight on how to pray with power and authority. The only thing I didn't care for were the political undertones in the book. I understand praying for our President however I do think George W. Bush was mentioned a little too much.. Besides that it was good and I would recommend it to anyone looking to go deeper into prayer.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheets gives scriptural backing and life examples to show the readers what it really means to have authority in our prayer life. He carries a playful style throughout the book with his wit and sense of humor, but he doesn't lose his punch when he hits on important topics such the power of our words, purity and the true purpose of the church.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful book on authority and prayer. I liked it so much that I had to read it twice. What I liked a lot at this book was that the whole book contains stories from the author's life and others' lives that help you understand things better. Another nice thing is the way the author gets the message to you - in a cool and non-boring way!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kindly given this book to review by Bethany house. This reads like a few other prayer books I've read. I don't see any real stand out writing or thoughts here. It's probably just a good overview of the power of prayer. I did think some of his thoughts were very charismatic sounding or played out in very dramatized prophetic ways.

[Sherri Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always learn something and I am always challenged to pray more fervently when I read one of Dutch Sheets books.
We are all in a Spiritual Battle. I pray that the eyes of my heart are opened. I pray that God opens my eyes to see what He wants me see and do what He has equipped me to do!

[Teresa C Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always overwhelmed by the spiritual content which Dutch Sheets communicates the will and purposes of our God.

When a book serves as an inspiration to rise up fulfill your assignment, you recognize that God is speaking through this man.

[Sarah Moody]

This was a great book and testimonial on why prayer is important. I think this should be a book to read when you are learning how to establish a prayer life. Its also a great approach on how to hear Gods voice.

[Debbie Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, if Dutch Sheets wrote it, it is good.

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I read and refer to on an ongoing basis. I highly recommend this book.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad -- it's just more of an introductory text than I had expected.

[Darrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An encouraging book that reminds us all that our prayers really can change the shape of a world, country, family or life.

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! Great Book!

[David]

Great tool to understand the authority we walk in when we are in relationship with Father God.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The imagery used locked concepts and principles into my brain, that were easy to retrieve and put into practice.

[Glenda Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must have book in your collection of books... Knowing the power and authority you have as a believer is priceless...

[Candy Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dutch Sheets is an incredible educator!

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent!

[Lisa Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!