Do you know the difference between authority and power in spiritual warfare? This knowledge could make the difference in defending souls. Read this excerpt from Spiritual Warfare Q&A by Dr. Dan Schneider and Jesse Romero.
What is the difference between imprecatory and deprecatory prayer?
The imprecatory form of prayer is the direct commanding of a demon. The imprecatory form (“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command x”) is dictated not simply by the ability to command, but also implied is the right to do so. This means that to command a demon, you have to have authority over the realm where the nefarious activity is found. Whenever someone prays, “In the name of Jesus, I bind x” (note the “I bind”), he is using the imprecatory form. Because man has been given by God the right of self-determination, anyone can bind any demons afflicting himself. To bind (Latin, ligare) means to place under oath, and therefore what is referred to as a “binding prayer” means to place a demon under oath and command him to do this or that (the cessation of nefarious activity). To bind another (whether another person or a demon) means you first have the right of disposition over the person, place, or object. The purpose of adjuration is to place another under obligation. Authority, then, is the right over another to command and place him or her under an obligation.
The deprecatory form is petitioning God for this or that intention or desired effect. While not directly commanding the demon, deprecatory prayer is asking the Lord, the Blessed Mother, Saint Michael, our guardian angel, etc. to bind the demon. One is a command; the other is a petitioning. Both are effective, but we often fall into the trap that we need to bring out the “big guns” and pound the demon, which is not always the case. The use of the Divine Name is rightly exercised as imprecatory (command) or deprecatory (beseeching) according to one’s relation to the other person, place, or object. Deprecatory prayer should not be seen as the backup plan in case the imprecatory cannot be used. Petitioning the Lord in the deprecatory form is an act of faith in the providence of God, something which requires trust and, at times, even suffering. Thus, when someone prays “May the Lord bind x” (note the language of “may the Lord do this or that”), he is petitioning, which is perfectly safe and legitimate.
Saint Thomas Aquinas explains how the use of the Divine Name can be exercised as either imprecatory (command) or deprecatory (beseeching) according to one’s relation by natural law vis-à-vis a person, place, or object that desires the demonic activity to cease. A priest shares in the jurisdictional authority of his bishop and can use the imprecatory command as needed within his sacred office. A husband can also command the demon by merit of the office of head of household. Husbands and wives can command the demon in relation to each other’s body by merit of the marital debt and one-flesh union. Every Christian has the right to command the demon over himself and his temporal goods.
Why can’t I just take authority in the name of Jesus and drive out demons?
A common mistake today among practitioners in the field of deliverance is to equate (or collapse, actually) power and authority. These are two different things. Power is the ability to effect change, and authority is the right to adjure or command another. The right to command, moreover, follows the right to bless, which is based on office. For example, we read in the Book of Blessings: “The ministry of blessing involves a particular exercise of the priesthood of Christ and [is exercised] in keeping with the place and office within the people of God belonging to each person.” The Book of Blessings further explains that “laypersons exercise this ministry [of blessing] in virtue of their office,” citing as an example “parents on behalf of their children” (emphasis mine). Elsewhere, the document lists those individuals in the Old Testament who administered an office from which they blessed (or prayed over) others: “patriarchs, kings, priests, Levites, and parents—by allowing them to offer blessings in praise of His name and to invoke His name.” Thus, those who had the right to bless held an office, either patriarchal or priestly.
The right to command follows the right to bless. Baptism does not give you the right to drive out every demon. Baptism removes original sin and places supernatural grace in the soul, by which God recreates you as His child and member of the Church. The right to bless (and also command) flows from that orientation towards the Church, as well as natural law. As Father Chad Ripperger states with regard to lay people, “spouses . . . by virtue of the marital contract . . . have right over each other’s bodies by virtue of the conceding of those rights to each other on the day of their marriage. For this reason, wives may command the demons to leave their husbands’ bodies and the husbands, their wive’s bodies. For the husband, it is a twofold authority, the one as the head of household and the other by virtue of the rights over his wife’s body.” Since by natural law, everyone has the right of self-determination, you can command the demon to leave you or your temporal goods, and husbands over wives, wives over their husbands’ bodies, parents over children, etc. But to “take” authority and command demons outside of what the Church has delimited can be dangerous.
Rather than “taking” authority (which is common, Protestant language), you assert what is yours by right given through natural or divine law (i.e., your office within the Church) by God the Father. The two ends of an authority-based-on-office are to provide and to protect. When we work within that structure, we are generally protected. When we step outside of that, we expose ourselves and our families to retaliation.
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This article is taken from a chapter in Spiritual Warfare Q&A by Dan Schneider, PhD, and Jesse Romero which is available from TAN Books.
