Notice in the bible, the word authority is always mentioned.

• In Genesis, God gave mankind authority over every living thing upon the earth.
• In Matthew, Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth.
• In Matthew again, Jesus gave Peter the authority: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven.”
• Also, in the Gospel, “Jesus preached with authority,” simply because he was the Son of God. 

Authority is simply submitting one’s self. To whom do we submit ourselves?

1. Person: Christian parents have authority over their family; Employers have authority over their employees; A king has authority over his kingdom; A parish priest has authority over his parish. Hence, if a ruler of a city is not a Christian, they are by default, giving the forces of evil authority to act in their city. 
   
2. Angel or Devil. Whoever you invite into your life will have spiritual authority. Remember the words of St. Paul that the greatest battle is ongoing in the spiritual realm. The typical question is, why can a Catholic experience obsession? Oppression? Possession? It is because the devil has found an entry point. It will only leave once renounced and find no other entry points.
   
3. Church. Why is the prayer of the Church very powerful over personal prayers? Because Jesus said that when two or three are gathered in His name. In this case, when the Church prays, it is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. That is why during an exorcism, the people joining the priest cannot pray their own prayer but they have to join the priest in prayer because the priest represents the Church. 

Hence, in a world with the seen and the unseen, we always hold on to prayer. We pray with hope because God will never abandon us; We pray with faith because God hears all our prayers, and we pray with authority because God can be trusted.