15. Binding and Loosing What?

Chapter 15 Binding and Loosing What?

Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind (forbid) on earth shall be bound (forbidden) in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose (permit) on earth shall be loosed (permitted) in heaven (Matthew 18:18).

Faith permits the sovereignty of God to be manifest through the body of Christ and forbids the devil. Jesus’ condition for receiving His benefits are plain: “As thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee” and “According to your faith be it done unto you” and “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” As we believe, God’s benefits will be given. Unbelief forbids God’s benefits because He has made a condition and He cannot lie. Unbelief permits the devil to continue administering the curse. (Mark 6:5-6) And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. (6) And he marveled because of their unbelief. Even Jesus was forbidden to do mighty works for those who would not believe. Whether we know it or not, we are constantly forbidding or permitting by our thoughts, words, and actions. Since all authority in heaven and earth was given to Jesus and He in turn delegated it to His disciples, where does the devil get his authority? He gets it from our unbelief, words, and disobedience.

(Revelation 22:18-19) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. Adding to or taking from God’s Word permits the curse by the devil and forbids God’s blessings for us or through us. This is by God’s design to motivate us to come back into agreement with Him. Adam fell out of agreement with God and fell under the curse, and God ordained that we would come back into agreement with Him to come out from under the curse. In no way does our disagreement hinder God’s sovereignty. It only stops us from cooperating with Him in it and being a vessel for it. (Luke 19:40) …If these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out. Jesus made it clear that God would find a vessel to use. The only question is will that be you?

We must agree with God’s Word in our speech, without adding to or subtracting from, to receive or to administer His benefits. In Hebrews 3:1, Jesus is called the “High Priest of our confession.” Confession here is the Greek word homologeo meaning “to speak the same.” In other words, Jesus offers before the Father our vocal agreement with His Word. We make an offering of our confession through Jesus to the Father. (Hebrews 13:15) Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession (speak the same) to his name. Both the Greek and Hebrew words for “name” in Scripture mean “character and authority.” If we want the benefits of God consistently, we must continually speak in agreement with the character and authority of Jesus Who is the Word. If we disagree with the character and authority of God’s Word, Jesus will deny us the benefits of those promises. Jesus said, (Matthew 10:32-33) Every one therefore who shall confess me (speak the same as me) before men, him will I also confess (speak the same) before my Father who is in heaven. (33) But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

True believers speak in agreement with the Word and receive Christ’s mediation for them to receive its benefits. Many wonder why they do not receive what the Bible promises, while in their mind and actions they disagree with it. (Romans 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Notice that salvation comes when we believe and speak in agreement with it. Many do not know what the fullness of salvation is. “Salvation” here is the Greek word soteria which means “everything that the soter or ‘savior’ provided.” We once asked a Greek man what soteria meant. He said, “It means all my needs provided for like a little baby.” The verb of soteria is sozo. This Greek word is translated “saved” when speaking of salvation of the soul (Luke 7:50). It is translated “made whole” when speaking of healing (Luke 8:48; James 5:15) and deliverance from demon possession (Luke 8:36). It is translated “save” when speaking of salvation from adverse circumstances (Matthew 8:25; Jude 1:5). Salvation covers all of the benefits that Christ paid for. We see here that it is not enough to believe only with the heart to have God’s benefits. If a person has faith, it will come out of their mouth. (2 Corinthians 4:13) But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak. As you can see, faith without works is dead. It is clear that Jesus mediates between the Father and us if our faith is proven in our words.

(Luke 12:8-9) And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: (9) but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God. It is imperative that we say before men what God says in order for these same words to be given to the angels to bring to pass. If we confess the promises of the Word, Jesus gives authority to the angels to administer to us the benefits of God’s salvation. (Hebrews 1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? The angels only have authority to administer our salvation when we become the “voice of His Word.”(Psalms 103:20) Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that are mighty in strength, that fulfill his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. When the angels hear the Word through us, they have authority from Jesus to fulfill it. When we speak unbelief, fear, and anxiety, we are speaking negative faith, or faith in the curse. This gives authority to the demons to administer the curse. (Numbers 14:28) As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you.

One day, I felt I was going to teach on the importance of right confession the next day. That night I had a very vivid dream. I saw myself fighting in a war to take the land from giants. (Our life spiritually is the land that must be conquered for God. (1 Corinthians 3:9) For we are God’s fellow-workers: ye are God’s husbandry (Greek: tilled land), God’s building. In Malachi 3:11-12 the Spirit tells us that if we bear fruit we “shall be a delightsome land.” The Israelites, who represented the spiritual man, sought to take their Promised Land from the Canaanites, who represented the carnal man. This is our battle, too. (Galatians 5:17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other…. We are in a battle to see who rules in the Promised Land of our life.) In this battle I had captured one of the enemies and was holding him in a neck lock while walking down a trail. The neck lock was obviously to prevent him from speaking. (The Lord helped me to see that this enemy that I should keep from speaking was my carnal man.) As we walked around a bend, we saw a giant standing by a campfire. Although I knew he was a giant, he actually was no bigger than I. (A giant can be any enemy or obstacle that we perceive to be greater than us or greater than our ability to take control of our life for God.) As we faced this giant, I momentarily released the neck lock and my enemy spoke to him. He said, “Bigger, bigger, bigger.” I knew that my enemy had the ability by speaking to make this giant much bigger. I then turned and karate chopped him in the Adam’s apple to keep him from speaking and said, “No. Smaller, smaller, smaller!” (From this you can see that the carnal man has authority, if permitted, to speak about any adverse situation to make it worse. The flesh walks by sight, not by faith. On the other hand, the spiritual man has authority to speak giants such as sins, sicknesses, curses, and needs to make them smaller until they do not exist.) Have you eyes to see and ears to hear, as Jesus put it? When Joshua (Hebrew: “Jesus”) led the Israelites to take the Promised Land they had to conquer the five kings who ruled that land first (Joshua 10:3, Joshua 10:16). The five kings that rule our lives first are the five carnal senses. The carnal man walks after and is ruled by the carnal senses. Born again senses are formed by the Spirit and the Word. These spiritual senses enable us to walk in the “experience of the Word.” (Hebrews 5:13-14) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. (14) But solid food is for full grown men, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. Babies on milk have unregenerate senses and cannot follow their father. Those who have senses conformed to the Word of righteousness are on solid food, able to walk as Jesus did. (John 4:34) Jesus saith unto them, My meat (Greek: “solid food”) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. Jesus did not react to what He felt, heard, and saw with His natural senses. He only did what He heard and saw from the Father (John 5:19, John 5:30). This made Him a reliable representative of the Father because He could not be manipulated by external circumstances, conditions, or lies. (Genesis 21:8) “Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned” from the milk because now he was not restricted to his mother but could go with his father. Samuel’s mother could not give him to the service of the Lord until he was weaned (1 Samuel 1:11, 1 Samuel 1:22). The Spirit taught through Paul that those who are divided from their brethren through sectarianism (denominationalism) are still on the milk (1 Corinthians 1:10-14; 1 Corinthians 3:1-5). They are still bound to their spiritual mother.

(Joshua 10:16-17) And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. (17) And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah. (18) And Joshua said, Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them. In Hebrews 6:4-8, the Spirit teaches that we are “the land which hath drunk the rain” of the Spirit and Word in order to bear fruit. The mouth of the cave in our land clearly symbolizes our mouth. Joshua, typifying Jesus, gave command to block the mouth with great stones to stop the five kings from escaping. Jesus is called a stone by Paul (Ephesians 2:20) and Peter (1 Peter 2:7-8). John called Him the Word (John 1:1, John 1:14; Revelation 19:13). Hence, the stones symbolize the Word of God in our mouth restraining the five senses from speaking. As in my dream, if the carnal man speaks, the giants get bigger. If the spiritual man speaks the Word, the giants get smaller. Jesus taught that if we speak faith the mountains (giants) in our way will be removed (Mark 11:23). Ten of the dozen spies sent to spy out the Promised Land came back saying only what they saw, felt, and heard by their carnal senses – how big the giants were (Numbers 13:27-33). This “evil report” caused the people to believe that the land could not be taken. Because they believed the evil report, they all died in the wilderness. In like manner, the land of our life cannot be taken over by the spiritual man unless we speak the promises of the Word instead of the negative things our carnal senses show us. We must have senses to taste the Word so that we may see, hear, feel, and smell (discernment) that we were saved, healed, delivered, and provided for in all things at the cross. (Psalms 34:8) Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. (2 Peter 1:3-4) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness… (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust. (Romans 10:17) So belief [cometh] of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. We cannot be led of the Spirit while making decisions and speaking according to carnal senses. A brother once called me about a dream. In his dream, I appeared to him. He spoke to me in the dream and said, “You remind me of someone I read about in Isaiah.” Then in the dream, I said to him, “I know those verses.” Then I quoted some verses, one of which was Isaiah 11:3. (Isaiah 11:3)And his delight (Hebrew: “scent or smell”) shall be in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears.

After Joshua’s (Jesus’) army imprisoned the five kings, they pursued and conquered their armies of carnal men (Joshua 10:19-20). As the Lord’s army, He will lead us to conquer the carnal senses that we may conquer the carnal man. (2 Corinthians 4:16) …Our outward (carnal) man is decaying, yet our inward (spiritual) man is renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:18) while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. While we have spiritual eyes to see the promises which are not yet seen (manifested), the carnal man will be dying and the spiritual man taking his place. (Romans 6:6) Knowing this, that our old (carnal) man was crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin. If a person had eyes and ears to believe this, what would be in their mouth? They would say with Paul, “It is no longer I (the carnal man) that live, but Christ (the spiritual man) liveth in me.” There are promises to cover every need that a person could have, but God’s people continue to speak the bad report of what they see with carnal eyes. When Joshua returned, he commanded his spiritual men to take the kings from the cave and to “Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them” (Joshua 10:24). This again kept the carnal senses from speaking until they were crucified. (Joshua 10:26-27) And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. (27) And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, unto this very day. Just look at the similarities between this crucifixion and that of Jesus. (Acts 5:30;Acts 10:39) Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Jesus’ five senses were crucified. Jesus also had to be taken down before sundown which began a high Sabbath (John 19:21). Jesus was placed in a cave called a tomb, which was then covered by a great stone (John 20:1). The good news is since our carnal man was crucified with Christ, our old senses have already been put to death for us. If we walk in the faith of this, God will manifest it for us.

Joshua also said, “For thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight” (Joshua 10:25). The key to victory over all our enemies is conquering the carnal senses with the Word. The Church needs to “have their senses exercised (by the Word) to discern good and evil.” This is what made little David victorious over the giant Goliath. On his way to the battle he “chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:40). The brook here represented “the washing of waterwith theword” (Ephesians 5:26). The five stones representing David’s senses were polished smooth by the water of the Word. (From this you can see that the great stones that blocked the mouth of the cave restraining the five kings represented not just the Word, but the Word manifested in the spiritual senses.) With these born again senses, David knew that he represented the Lord, that he had authority against God’s enemies, that with God’s power, he was more than a match for the giant and his weapons, and that he could speak the Word of Faith, and it would be done. (1 Samuel 17:45-46) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (46) This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Notice also that Godly leadership through the born again senses of one man brought understanding and faith to Israel to conquer the army of the Philistines.

(1 Samuel 17:49) And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. Which of the senses is represented by this one stone that killed Goliath? A good case can be made for hearing because David only spoke what he had ears to hear, but I believe his tongue killed Goliath. The tongue not only tastes things to discern if the body will accept them but also speaks those things that the body has accepted. David’s senses boldly spoke faith out of his mouth therefore it had to happen. After David smote Goliath, he took off his head with Goliath’s own sword (1 Samuel 17:51), fulfilling those words of faith. Our confession forbids or permits, and determines who will win the battle in the heavens. Victory in the battle in heaven has nothing to do with the power of the angels or demons, but our authority. One angel will easily bind Satan and cast him into the abyss (Revelation 20:1-2). (Revelation 12:7-8) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; (8) and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven…. Even though the angels and demons carry out the warfare, the saints give authority by the words of their mouth to the winning side. (Revelation 12:11) And they (saints) overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. The saints forbid or permit angels and demons according to the “word of their testimony.” This is according to Jesus. “Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind (forbid) on earth shall be bound (forbidden) in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose (permit) on earth shall be loosed (permitted) in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Because of this, we are motivated to agree with the Word even when it is contrary to the sight realm or human sentiment. The Word of God in us gives authority to the angels to conquer Satan. Many say, “I bind the demons,” or “I loose the angels,” while they continue to disagree with the Word. This is only hot air. It accomplishes nothing. Neither Jesus nor His disciples made these statements. We do not have to either, just agree with the Word in our everyday thinking, speech, and actions. Demons will be forbidden while angels permitted. I include actions here because we cannot confess Christ while living in willful sin and expect the demons to be forbidden.

It is imperative that we repent, change our mind, in order to cast down Satan’s ability to rule us. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds, (5) casting down imaginations (Greek: “reasonings”), and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. If we want to win the battle in the heavens, we must first win it in our mind and with our tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue.