The Essence and Purpose of a Prophetic Decree

There is a lot of talk about speaking forth decrees, and decreeing in general, when it comes to the prophetic circles. We hear people say: 

“I sent forth a decree into the earth.” Or “I decree it now in Jesus Name.” 

And the most famous one you may have heard: 

“I declare and decree that this will happen in my life.” 

But is speaking forth decrees something that every believer can do? Are there different levels of decrees? And how do you make sure that if you speak forth a decree it won’t return void? There are so many questions one can have and in this article I would like to tackle some of these. 

What Is a Decree?

Now in order to understand who can send forth prophetic decrees, and how they work, its’ important to establish the right foundation first. 

So let’s start with the obvious question first: what exactly is a decree? 

The Scripture that lays the right frame work for us, can be found in Isaiah 55: 11. There is says:

“So will my rhema word be that proceeds out of my mouth: it will not return to me without having an effect, but it will bring about what I desire, and it will accomplish what I sent it to do.” (gbmv)

A decree is a word from God that is being sent out and spoken forth to bring into existence the very thing He desires to do. How is it going to be sent out into the earth? By being spoken forth through the use of human lips. 

Sent Forth by His Spokesmen

Who is God’s spokesperson in the earth? It’s His prophets, to whom He reveals His secrets and whom He has established to be the foundation of His Church, along with His chosen Apostles. 

This alone gives you a hint at the level of Prophet that we are looking at here that is being used in decreeing prophetically. It’s not just someone that functions on a prophetic ministry level, but a man or a woman that stands in full Prophetic Office. A person that speaks forth and uses their authority that God has invested into them.

The very nature of a decree is that it won’t return void or empty to the sender. That means what it is sent for will take on immediate form in the spiritual realm and give the angels something to work with. In order for this to be effective it’s not about what words are being used when you decree. Rather it is what authority you speak with and under who’s delegation do you carry out such a decree.

Cannot Be Revoked

A very good example of what a decree looks like and how it manifests can be found in the book of Esther. There was a decree written that was dictated by Haman to kill all the Jews. It was sent forth as written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the King’s signet ring. The use of the signet ring put the decree in effect, meaning whatever was written in it could not be revoked. 

You can read later on (in Chapter 8) that a new decree had to be written to counteract the first one. This shows that a decree that is being sent forth cannot be suddenly changed and comes with great responsibility. 

For God to send forth His Word through human lips He needs to know that He can trust the person that speaks such decrees on His behalf and in His name.

Thus, the prophets are being put through an arduous time of preparation throughout their lives. This includes an intense time of training before being placed into a permanent position of authority, when reaching Prophetic Office. 

Much like in the days of Queen Esther where the King used a signet ring to seal any decree, the Prophet uses the Prophetic Key to lock and unlock and release what God wants to accomplish in this earth. 

All Believers Have Been Given a Degree of Authority 

Every believer in the Body of Christ has been given a certain amount of authority. In the book of Luke Jesus made it clear that we have been given authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. It also says that nothing shall hurt us, and further in Philippians it makes mention that at His Name every knee must bow; in heaven, on earth and beneath the earth. It’s the believers right to use that authority and to stand in it. 

Our words carry power; the power to bind and to loose. If you wish, it’s using the authority of a prophet on a smaller scope. The main difference is that you are using it for personal use, rather than on the wider scope of speaking and decreeing on behalf of the Body of Christ and the Church Universal  – which is the Prophet’s domain.

The difference between a prophetic decree and proclamation of faith lies in the kind of word that is being spoken. A prophetic decree is a Rhema word given by God to be sent forth to create the very thing He desires to do. 

A proclamation of faith is taking a logos word and speaking it over and over, until it becomes a Rhema word of God. Once you have a Rhema word of God, you know that you know that what you are saying will be yours. 

With a prophetic decree, the gift of faith manifests instantly and is part of the word that is being sent forth. When God moves on the Prophet and drops His Word in the person’s spirit, he or she doesn’t have to work up faith first before the decree can be sent forth. Supernatural faith that the word will go forth and create what it should arises simultaneously with the revelation of what God wants to do. 

Prophetic Decrees Never For Selfish Reasons

We can see this in the life of the Prophet Elijah very clearly. The word that he spoke when he stood before King Ahab, and where he shut down the heavens and commanded it to not rain any longer, was based on previous Scriptures and what the Lord already had said He would do. 

However, after a time of preparation and increase in trust and anointing at Brook Cherith, we see Elijah stepping out and sending forth a prophetic decree when he came to he widow at Zarephath. The oil and flour didn’t run dry and weren’t used up, but continued to flow. 

Again, it comes down to why the prophet has to go through such an intense time of preparation and training. He does not speak for himself or sends forth decrees that are selfish in orientation. 

A prophet speaks with great authority, anointing and uses His keys wisely. But he or she never uses it for their own purposes. The key and authority to unlock and lock and speak forth decrees has always been given on behalf of others. 

This means, often you release decrees into the earth on behalf of even individual believers as you intercede as a Prophet. That individual perhaps has been faithfully proclaiming the scriptures and the Word of God over a situation in their life. It moves God’s hand to speak to one of his anointed prophets, to send forth the very thing that the person has been reaching out for and to speak the decree on their behalf for God to work in the situation.

Ending Notes

So where do you stand at? Are you perhaps one of those that are going through prophetic preparation and training and you wonder why it has to be so hard? Why the training has to be so intense and difficult? 

Understand that the authority that God wants to invest into you by His Spirit is worth paying the price and going through the fire! You will be used to open and close doors for others and decree His very will into the earth for the Church, to move ahead and for His Kingdom to be built. 

God needs to trust you and therefore He is pruning you and dealing with any wrong motivation that might be out of line. Your body and your soul have to come to a place where they continually submit to your spirit within and to the Holy Spirit. A place where you are sensitive to His voice at any given time of day, in any given situation that is happening around you. 

Don’t give up, but keep pressing on through your training. God is preparing you for the Glory that lies ahead and the anointing and authority that He wants to bestow on you. 

Perhaps you are a simple believer that desires to take God’s word at its promises and desires to see a greater manifestation of His power in your life.

If so, I believe this article instructed you as much to keep seeing yourself in the image of God and to keep proclaiming God’s truths over your life. Keep at it and don’t let loose. 

For as you do so, faith will grow and your promises will move from logos words into Rhema words; and you will know that you know that everything you say will be yours in Jesus Name. Amen