Ordinances (Divine & Demonic)
Ordinances are spiritual laws that govern outcomes. They are not suggestions, emotions, or traditions; they are authoritative instructions backed by power. In Scripture, ordinances determine how blessings flow, how judgment is executed, how protection is enforced, and how consequences are activated. Whether divine or demonic, ordinances operate on the principle of legality. Nothing of lasting spiritual effect happens without an ordinance backing it.
The Bible makes it clear that the spirit realm is not chaotic; it is ordered. God Himself operates by ordinances. Job 38:33 records God asking, “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?” This question reveals that ordinances are laws that establish dominion. What rules in heaven eventually manifests on earth through ordinances.
Divine Ordinances — Laws That Release Life
Divine ordinances originate from God’s will, character, and covenant. They are established to preserve order, release blessing, and sustain purpose. Psalm 119:89 says God’s word is settled forever in heaven. When God speaks, His word does not expire; it becomes law. Ordinances are simply spoken will turned into spiritual statute.
From creation, God ruled by ordinance. Genesis 1 shows God speaking boundaries—light separated from darkness, land from sea. These separations were ordinances. Jeremiah 33:25 confirms this when God says that if His covenant with day and night could be broken, then His covenant with David could fail. This shows that divine ordinances are reliable and enforceable.
Divine ordinances govern blessing. Deuteronomy 28 reveals blessings that follow obedience—not because God is transactional, but because obedience aligns a person with divine order. Blessing flows where order exists. Psalm 133 shows that where unity dwells, God commands the blessing. Unity is not emotional agreement; it is spiritual alignment with God’s ordinance.
The Sabbath is another example. Exodus 31:16–17 calls it a perpetual covenant. The ordinance of rest was not designed to burden humanity, but to preserve life. Jesus later clarified that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Divine ordinances are always life-preserving, even when misunderstood.
In the New Testament, the highest divine ordinance is the ordinance of the cross. Colossians 2:14 says Jesus wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us and nailed it to the cross. This means Christ did not ignore divine law—He fulfilled it. Romans 8:2 calls this the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which sets believers free from the law of sin and death. A higher ordinance overrules a lower one.
Demonic Ordinances — Laws That Enforce Bondage
Demonic ordinances are counterfeit laws established through rebellion, sin, covenants with darkness, or sustained disobedience. They do not create power; they exploit legal gaps. The enemy cannot create life; he manipulates order. His ordinances thrive where God’s ordinances are violated, ignored, or misunderstood.
Daniel 7:25 reveals that demonic systems seek to change times and laws. This is critical. Satan’s strategy is not always attack—it is alteration of order. When divine order is replaced with human or demonic systems, bondage becomes normalized.
We see demonic ordinances operating in Egypt. Pharaoh’s decrees were not merely political; they were spiritual systems designed to oppress destiny. Exodus 1:16 records an ordinance to kill Hebrew male children. This was not random cruelty—it was a spiritual strategy to stop deliverance. Demonic ordinances always target future freedom.
In the New Testament, Jesus confronted demonic ordinances when He healed on the Sabbath. The religious leaders accused Him of violating God’s law, but in reality, they were enforcing man-made ordinances that had lost God’s heart (Mark 7:8). Not all ordinances that appear spiritual are divine. Discernment is required.
Demonic ordinances also operate through generational patterns. Exodus 20:5 speaks of iniquity visiting generations—not because God desires punishment, but because unbroken systems repeat themselves. When sin is institutionalized, it becomes ordinance. This is why Jesus emphasized being born again (John 3:3). New birth breaks old ordinances.
The Battle of Ordinances
Spiritual warfare is often not about power encounters, but ordinance confrontation. When Jesus cast out demons, He did so with authority, not struggle. Authority flows from alignment with divine ordinance. Luke 10:19 shows Jesus giving authority over all the power of the enemy. Power submits to authority when authority is legally grounded.
Colossians 2:15 reveals that Jesus disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them. How? By fulfilling divine ordinance and canceling demonic claims. The cross did not shout—it legislated.
This is why repentance is so powerful. Repentance is not emotional regret; it is legal withdrawal from wrong ordinances. Acts 3:19 says repentance brings times of refreshing. Refreshing comes when illegal spiritual contracts are terminated.
Living Under the Right Ordinance
Every life operates under an ordinance—either divine or demonic. Romans 8:1 declares there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Condemnation is an ordinance of the enemy; justification is a divine ordinance. Whichever one you agree with governs your experience.
Believers must become ordinance-conscious. Prayer is not begging; it is enforcement. When believers pray according to God’s word, they are invoking divine ordinances. Isaiah 45:11 says God invites us to command Him concerning the work of His hands—not in arrogance, but in covenant confidence.
The blood of Jesus is the ultimate ordinance-enforcer. Hebrews 12:24 says the blood speaks. What it speaks overrides every contrary ordinance. Where the blood is applied with understanding, demonic ordinances lose jurisdiction.
Final Revelation
Divine ordinances release life, order, and destiny.
Demonic ordinances enforce bondage, repetition, and delay.
The enemy’s strength is not power—it is misaligned order.
God’s victory is not noise—it is righteous ordinance fulfilled.
When the right ordinance is established,
power follows naturally.
And when Christ is Lord,
every other ordinance must bow.
