Authority to Tread: A Practical Guide for Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare

"The Lord is leading us into a season to go deeper—deeper in understanding, deeper in confrontation. Authority to Tread is a practical guide to warfare that reveals the full scope of understanding the enemy in the atmosphere around you, in the land you walk on and in the societal structures that affect the way we live. Rebecca fully reveals how to get your feet planted firmly over the enemy’s plan in your region."

Dr. Chuck D. Pierce, president, Glory of Zion International, Inc.;

vice president, Global Harvest Ministries

I have served alongside Becca in the trenches on a prayer journey to Nepal just short of the foot of Mount Everest in 1997. She is a serious student and practitioner of all three levels of spiritual warfare, and I am delighted that she has now become an excellent teacher of this highly specialized subject, drawing on her solid, extensive experience. What a delight for me personally to see the baton of strategic-level spiritual warfare passed into such capable hands of the next generation!

Doris Wagner, executive vice president, Global Harvest Ministries

"Authority to Tread will strengthen your faith to achieve great things for God. Having mentored Becca, I can say she is humble, gentle, teachable, but a fierce warrior for the issues that are on God’s heart. Her book reflects with honesty the joy of victory as well as the lessons of failure. Becca is a seasoned intercessor and unfolds the strategies of warfare with clarity and skill. I highly recommend this easy-reading and faith-building book."

Alice Smith, executive director, U.S. Prayer Center

"Authority to Tread is not another complex theological treatise on spiritual warfare and spiritual mapping. Not at all! It is a wonderfully clear, concise and, best of all, practical guide for every praying Christian written by an internationally experienced practitioner. Thanks, Becca!"

Eddie Smith, president, U.S. Prayer Center

"I love Becca Greenwood’s approach to spiritual warfare: marriages on the brink of divorce are restored; a rock concert overtly propagating Satanism is thwarted; ‘gentlemen’s clubs’ are shut down and their clientele inexplicably flee the premises; thousands of Christians across the globe are led in informed, targeted spiritual warfare with a view to establishing God’s Kingdom rule.

"I assure you, this is not the stuff of Sunday-school classes. Becca treats us to provocative insight into the believer’s authority to reorder situations and circumstances through dynamic intercession and powerful spiritual warfare.

"Most of all, I like this book because Becca reminds us so eloquently of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:12: ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and strong men and women who propagate the dynamic of God’s reign are forcefully advancing it’ (italicized portion paraphrased from the original Greek translation)."

Joseph Thompson, president, Light the Nations Ministries; coeditor,

Out of Africa; author, I’m a Christian, So How Can I Have Demons?

"Authority to Tread encourages the reader to enlarge a personal prayer perspective to a global vision and to press forward into new vistas in partnership with the Lord. Rebecca Greenwood relates dynamic, real-life experiences in intercession, releasing faith and excitement in the power of prayer. This book will enrich your life!"

Lora Allison, president, Celebration International Ministries; author,

Skinned Alive? The Importance of Covering

AUTHORITY TO

TREAD

A PRACTICAL GUIDE

FOR STRATEGIC - LEVEL

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

REBECCA

GREENWOOD

© 2005 by Rebecca Greenwood

Published by Chosen Books

A division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.chosenbooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Greenwood, Rebecca, 1967–

       Authority to tread : a practical guide for strategic-level spiritual warfare /    Rebecca Greenwood.

              p.    cm.

       Includes bibliographical references.

       ISBN 0-8007-9387-0 (pbk.)

       1. Spiritual warfare. I. Title.

  BV4509.5.G68 2005

  235’.4—dc22                                                                                   2004016907

Unless otherwise marked, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

To my wonderful husband, best friend and partner in

ministry, Greg.

Thank you for believing in me and encouraging me

in the call of the Lord on my life. I love you.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Explanation of Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is defined as an invisible battle in the spiritual realm involving a power confrontation between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. The three levels of warfare are reviewed.

2. The Earth Is the Lord’s

God created the earth with exact purposes in mind. The Bible tells us this is true, but throughout the earth it appears that Satan has dominion. If God is so concerned with the earth, then why are so many people and lands gripped in darkness?

3. Revelation of Assignment

Am I called to strategic-level spiritual warfare?

How do I know the territory that I have been assigned to?

4. Team Dynamics

Just as one person would not enter into a physical war single-handedly, strategic-level warfare also requires an army. Those who are called into spiritual battle have to be trained, submitted and prepared.

5. Exposing Hidden Truths

Knowing the facts equips intercessors to hit the bull’s eye while engaging in warfare prayer.

6. Spiritual Mapping

Successful spiritual warfare is dependent on the indispensable tool of spiritual mapping—putting all the information together and laying out the battle plans.

7. Preparing for Battle

Your mission is clear. Now is the time for all the practical considerations of praying on location as well as a personal spiritual inventory.

8. Advancing into Battle

The time has come to advance! Now the battle begins. Effective on-site prayer brings breakthrough.

9. Counterattack

When a prayer team begins to advance in its God-given authority and wage war against the schemes of the enemy, it will face counterattack. Learn how to stand successfully against these assaults.

10. Breakthrough!

When successful strategic-level warfare has occurred, reports of breakthrough in the region will begin to emerge.

Appendix A: Pastoral/Church Covenant for Prayer

Journey Participants

Appendix B: Team Covenant for Prayer Journey

Participants

Appendix C: Personal Information Form for Prayer

Journey Participants

Appendix D: Russia/Ukraine Prayer Journey

Report

Notes

Bibliography

Foreword

THE DAY JOHN baptized Jesus in the Jordan River was the day of an invasion so great that, by comparison, it could make D-Day of World War II seem like a mere video game. From that day on, Jesus and His disciples began preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

A kingdom, by definition, has a government headed up by a king. Jesus was the invading King. The kingdom He was invading also had a government, and its king was Satan. For thousands of years after the time of Adam and Eve, the human population of the whole world, with a few exceptions such as the people of God in Israel, was under the evil control of the prince of the power of the air. Practically speaking Satan could do anything he wanted to the peoples of the earth. And what he did was not good.

Things changed radically when God sent His Son. From the time of Jesus until now, the war has been hot and it is getting hotter. The Kingdom of God has been advancing as it always has advanced—namely, by force (see Matthew 11:12). Satan’s fury continues to swell because he knows his time is shorter than it ever has been.

Jesus started the war, and He will conclude it when He returns. But meanwhile He is not with us personally; He is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for those of us who make up His Church. He has delegated His Church to continue the war by spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the peoples of earth. By itself the Church would not have the power to confront the forces of Satan. So when Jesus went to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit who, from that point on, has provided divine power to all who will receive it. Jesus’ presence with us—He said, Lo, I am with you always—now comes through the third Person of the Trinity.

Jesus did not leave the earth, however, without delegating His authority to those of us who follow Him as Lord. He told His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. He gave them a command to make disciples of all nations. He authorized them to use His name and to move against the enemy in His kingly authority.

What does this mean? It means that the war to continue pushing Satan and his wicked forces back by the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is now in the hands of the Church, the people of God. In other words, we as the Church are at war!

What, then, do we do? How do we go about fighting this war? What are the marching orders? If we have authority, how much do we have? How can we discern the battle plan of the enemy? What are the risks? Do all go to war or do some stay by the stuff? Who are the generals in the army of God? How do we know if we are winning or losing? Does God provide us with new weapons of warfare? How is the Church trained for battle?

In this book Rebecca Greenwood—her friends know her as Becca—addresses these questions and many more head on. Becca is superbly qualified to do so because she brings to the table the unusual qualities of an intercessor who is both right-brained and left-brained. She hears from God, she flows in the Spirit, she is known to explode with fury at the enemy, but at the same time she is quietly analyzing what is going on at any given moment and planning strategy for the next move. Many intercessors do their work in the prayer closet and, with the door closed, have a powerful ministry. Becca spends much time in the closet as well, but she also battles on the front lines. As an experienced eagle of God, she has found herself on spiritual battlefields in such diverse locations as Mount Everest in Nepal; St. Petersburg, Russia; Santiago de Compostela, Spain; and many other places.

I mention this to affirm that the author of Authority to Tread is no novice, and she has the battle scars to prove it. She is convinced that the war is not over. The 1990s saw an explosion of literature designed to equip the Body of Christ for sustained warfare, and this book picks up the torch for the 2000s. We know more now than we knew then, and Becca keeps us up-to-date. God continues to give new revelation. The enemy has his back to the wall. This is no time to yield to the Christian antiwar movement. Becca pushes us forward powerfully from strength to strength, building on the advantage we have gained over the past ten or fifteen years.

Authority to Tread is crammed with analysis, insight and information. Added to that come the heart-stirring inspiration and understanding of Rebecca Greenwood’s personal experiences in wrestling with principalities and powers and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.

You may have read and digested some of the earlier books on strategic-level spiritual warfare. If so, you can now look forward to another sumptuous feast and to being energized with the vital spiritual nourishment you need in order to move ahead into God’s next season for your life.

C. Peter Wagner

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Acknowledgments

THIS BOOK WOULD not have been possible without the help, love, confirmation and mentoring of many people who have tremendously blessed my life. First I want to say thank you to my wonderful husband, Greg, who has tirelessly encouraged, loved and provided for me through the writing of this book. Thank you for the weekends of taking care of the girls, doing the laundry, cleaning the house and most of all pressing and encouraging me to complete this book. Thank you for believing in me and releasing me to the nations to pray. You complete me. You are the best! I love you.

Next I want to thank my three beautiful daughters, Kendall, Rebecca and Katie, for putting up with a mother who has spent long hours writing and typing at the computer over the past year and a half. You are precious!

To my parents, Ronnie and Mary Long, you are awesome! Thank you for loving, supporting and believing in me. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made throughout my life to help me achieve my dreams. You have always given 100 percent as parents and taught me how to achieve in all areas of life. I have always felt loved and cherished by both of you. You have blessed me and my children with a righteous inheritance. No words can express my love for both of you.

To my wonderful in-laws, Jack and Pam Greenwood, I want to say thank you. You have accepted me and loved me as your own. Thank you for the love, encouragement and spiritual counsel you have always given me. I love you both.

I could not write this book without expressing my sincere love and gratitude to Eddie and Alice Smith. The two of you took Greg and me under your wing and poured yourselves into our lives. Thank you for the mentoring, love, wisdom, support and friendship. I will always cherish our relationship. Thank you for passing down to the next generation the precious anointing the Lord has placed on each of you. I love you.

To Lora Allison, what do I say? Thank you for being my friend. You gave me the strength and hope to move forward when I felt I could not. Your love and support have enabled me to press forward and to flow in the gifts that the Lord has given me. You are a precious, loving, prophetic voice to the Body of Christ. Thank you for loving and believing in me.

Peg Howerton, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the many hours of helping me polish numerous portions of this book. You are a precious servant of God and I pray tremendous blessing over you and John. I could not have done this without you. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

To Peter and Doris Wagner, thank you for your encouragement and the tremendous opportunity to work for Global Harvest Ministries. Thank you for the example that you walk before the Body of Christ and your lifetime of total commitment to the Lord and the call He has on your life. Thank you for releasing me to the nations to pray. You are truly the apostolic voice of this age.

I want to express my gratitude to Jane Campbell for her belief in this manuscript and her gracious encouragement and wisdom throughout this project. To Ann Weinheimer,