Binding and Loosing

Scripture: Matthew 16 v 17 - 19:  "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
 18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
 19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."


Many people believe that St. Peter controls who enters Heaven because Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom.  Only Jesus Christ, the righteous judge, decides who enters Heaven as it says in Revelation 1 that Jesus holds the keys of death and hell.  Meaning that He has authority over every soul and its final destination.

The keys given to Peter are spiritual keys concerning the foundation statement about Jesus that the Father had revealed to Peter - Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God. Upon the rock foundation of these words Jesus said He would build His church or His Body.

Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and follows Him faithfully, will live forever with Him. Jesus was playing on words because Peter, Hebrew Petra, means a stone or a pebble, while the revelation of who Jesus really is, is the rock upon which we stand by faith.

The keys of binding and loosing, which is the way to prepare ourselves for Heaven, were given to Peter originally, but are available to all who want to minister deliverance to the bound and captive souls.   Keys are needed to lock or unlock doors or drawers or chests on the Earthly plane. So what do spiritual keys do?

When we are born again our spirit is saved and taken to Heaven. (We are seated with Christ in heavenly places - Ephesians 2). Our soul - the part of us that Satan held hostage and did evil damage to - still has to overcome the torment it was subjected to before being placed in a human body on Earth. Our sins are forgiven but the consequences of sin must be worked out. 

Harming our body and mind with drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, free sex, witchcraft, abortion, gluttony etc has consequences that eventually lead to death. The ultimate death is eternity in Hell, of which Jesus was sent by the Father to spare His children the torments.

So binding and loosing are very important. Whatsoever you bind on Earth is bound in Heaven. We need to discover through the gifts of the Holy Spirit what has got loose in our lives that is going to kill us eternally. It is always a demon.

If its alcohol or drugs, most of us know how a wonderful person turns into a raging lunatic when the demon of alcohol or drugs is loosed inside. That demon needs to be bound. It is not the drug or alcohol that causes the problems it is the lack of boundaries those substances bring into play.  The demons are no longer inhibited because self-control is gone; they take over and cause the rowdy behaviour; reckless driving which causes accidents; promiscuity or violence.

Demons have but one agenda - the destruction of the personality of their victim.  They will use any worldly or religious means to do so.  They will stir gossip, bullying, gang violence, riots, rage, looting sprees, outrageous behaviour, swearing and cursing, every kind of ugliness.

They are the tipping point for car crashes, plane crashes, ferries capsizing, and all the grief and mayhem that ensues.  Demons have plans for our hurt and pain, but our God gets blamed for things that go horribly wrong.  People wail, Why Did God let this happen?  They never see the god of this world, the prince of darkness, Satan, masterminding these calamities.

We are instructed by the Bible to pray without ceasing.  How many pray even once a day?  But we need to have constant communication with our Father to receive warning of anything that may affect our lives and families.  

A few years ago I was busy cleaning house when a snatch of a hymn kept repeating in my mind.  It was just one line from Abide With Me, .....those in peril on the sea!  I knew I had to pray for someone or many facing danger at sea.  I prayed fervently and two days later there was a newspaper headline Miracle Rescue at Sea!  A man out fishing alone at Brenton on Sea about a hundred miles away was hit by a freak wave and lost his boat and possessions.  He was 11 miles out and had to swim to shore in waters with sharks lurking.  His wife had alerted sea rescue when her husband did not return and they found him a mile off shore, exhausted, sunburnt but unharmed.

I contacted the man in charge to ask him to convey a message to the rescued man that God had laid it on my heart to pray.  His response was, Lady I have had hundreds of similar calls today, God really had His hand on this man.  He knows it.  

God broadcasts His urgent messages to get the saints praying, so we need to be listening all the time to be part of His rescue team.  We never know when its one of our own that needs loosening from the clutches of the enemy.  We need to bind the plans of Satan and his demons around our family, home, schools, business, cars, planes, boats, predators, bullies, etc.  Safeguard our loved ones through prayer.

Born again Christians have the same keys that Peter was given to take authority over a demon and bind it. When a demon is bound on Earth it is bound in Heaven too. It is paralyzed and gagged and unable to do its evil work on its host human. But the human needs to be loosed too.

The keys to loosing a human from demonic bondage is to minister to them to find out what the problem was that kick started their binge. What is the underlying horror they are trying to escape? When that is determined, prayer and teaching are done to cleanse the soul of those experiences and memories, to restore them to the path of righteousness. In Romans 12 v 1 - 2 we need to renew our minds according to the will of God. It is His will that we be free of demons and sinful behaviour. 

When you first realise, as I did in the early 1980's, that your problems stem from something you can actually control and deal with it is very exciting. However you soon realize that it is hard work, and the person you want to help may not be co-operating fully. The person in need should be desperate for help before you begin.

Derek Prince used to say if you are not desperate for deliverance then come back when you are. This is very true and helps not to waste time and energy on someone who is still waffling and undecided about wanting to be free.

Parents may be desperate for their teenager to get off drugs or alcohol but if that teenager is still loving his drugs, time, energy and money is wasted trying to fix the problem. You need to educate the person about the harm of drugs and alcohol, and expose them to how people become physically, mentally or emotionally diminished after years of substance abuse.

When you understand how powerful a tool it is in the recovery of those bound by substances, witchcraft, occult involvement, bitterness or rejection or fear, you will give praise and glory to Jesus for the sacrifice He made to bring Satan down so that we would be able to overcome these demons. 

When we see the victory of a bound soul being loosed of demonic influence and able to freely worship and serve the Lord, know that heaven is rejoicing with us and the freed captive is mightily blessed. I know. I was one of them. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father I was so ignorant about the life of the Spirit. I bless and thank You for opening my eyes and setting me free. I pledged then and renew it now that I will delight to make the kingdoms of this world the Kingdom of our God. Every place that we spiritually walk upon or overcome You have given to us to present to You when You return. Father stir up every buried talent and bring Your army of prayer warriors to use every gift of the Holy Spirit to overcome the enemy. In Jesus' name. Amen.