Scripture: Matthew 16 v 19: "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven."
Revelation 1 v 18: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Many people believe that St. Peter controls who enters Heaven because Jesus gave to him the keys to the Kingdom. However, Jesus is the one who holds the keys to Hell and Death. Peter received spiritual keys concerning the Christianity foundation statement that the Father had revealed to Peter - 'Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God'.
Upon the rock foundation of those words Jesus said He would build His church or His Body. The keys of binding and loosing, which is the way to Heaven, were given to Peter. Peter as a person was not the rock on which the church is built, neither was he the first Pope!
There are no such offices or ministries as Pope, Cardinal, Monseignor, Archbishop, monks, nuns in the Bible. Any such church with these appointed rulers or workers is a cult built on man-made doctrines with some Christian and Biblical elements mingled in. The Word says Come out of it and be separated unto God. It does not say stay in it after you are saved and transform it from within. You stay in you are in bondage to deception, fear and the murder of millions who disagreed with them.
Keys are needed to lock or unlock doors, drawers or chests on the Earthly plane. So what do spiritual keys do? When we are born again our spirit is saved immediately and taken to Heaven. (We are seated with Christ in heavenly places - Ephesians 2). Our soul is saved from sin (We were born in sin - Ps 51 v 5). Our sins are forgiven but the consequences of sin must be worked out.
All sin has consequences and in Romans we learn that the wages of sin is death. Harming your body and mind with drugs, cigarettes, sex or alcohol has awful consequences that eventually lead to death. Fatal lung diseases, liver diseases, or brain malfunction like dementia, HIV/AIDS are prevalent today. These can be a few of the consequences we have to overcome when we have abused our bodies.
Jesus was sent by the Father to spare His children the torments of Hell. So binding and loosing are very important in the scheme of things. Whatsoever you bind on Earth is bound in Heaven.
I was alone one morning when four woman who were HIV+ came to my home for prayer. When I had bound the demons of the ancestors they worshipped, I commanded those spirits to leave, and said that they may not wait outside the gate to afflict them again. The ladies left very joyfully. The demons not so happy.
A short while later my prayer partner arrived who had no knowledge of these visitors, and asked, why are AIDS demons wandering around in the garden here? I was astonished and exclaimed, You can see them? Yes he said, they look like the zombie characters on the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean. Anyway I sent them back to Hell. People with AIDS get extremely thin, skin and bone, and their eyes bulge. Just like those zombies. We can beat this demonic scourge but it takes every Christian to do their bit.
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 - most of us know how a wonderful person turns into a raging lunatic when the demon of alcohol, or drugs is loosed inside.
Alcohol is even called "spirits" and being under the influence means under the influence of evil spirits. Same with drug addiction, sex addiction or nicotine addiction.
That demon needs to be bound. It is not the drug or alcohol that causes the problems it is the loss of self-control those substances bring into play. The demons are no longer inhibited because drinking, drugging and fornication puts us under their influence. And their evil agenda is to destroy our personality, plague us with diseases and kill us and take us to Hell.
Matthew 15 v 16 - 20: "And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
The demons take over and cause the bad or rowdy behaviour; reckless driving which causes accidents; promiscuity or violence. Some people would call this type of misbehaviour as "being in the moment"! Or going with the flow. Just being caught up in activities that may suddenly escalate into violence, rape or murder. When there is loss of control there is a danger of losing everything......marriage, family, children, self respect, even our lives. We are at the mercy of Satan and he is merciless.
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 human host. The demons in Hell tremble when saints using the authority of Jesus under the anointing of the Holy Spirit start setting captives free. I have been doing this type of work for forty years and a demon has never physically hurt me. The worst they have done is try to make people see me as wrong or evil or crazy. They tried that on Jesus too.
We need to realise that demons are not a figment of our imagination, or a random scary event. They have an agenda for every human being, they are wily, cunning, clever, evil personalities. They attach themselves to those who open occult or witchcraft doors through TV, especially programmes for young children that are magical. Cute programs like Gummy Bears, My Little Pony with power items like juice and rainbows. The Harry Potter books and films accelerated the opening of doors into witchcraft and the occult.
If a demon from any of the above attaches itself to your child it bides its time to turn that alluring juice into alcohol or some other substance. When you feel weak or powerless the magic potion of alcohol or drugs will boost your confidence and there is always more when it wears off. It's subconscious and stored where nobody can figure out why you are so addicted.
You watched the Gummy Bears be captured and too weak to get free until they had their gummy berry juice and then triumphed over adversity. The demons behind these programs pounce on the psyche of the very young and unless they are very fortunate, become vulnerable to serious addictions. True freedom come from Jesus who uses Christians to set the captives free. With the spiritual keys that bind demons and loose people.
They attach to people with a family history of bitterness and rejection, creating misfits in society that increases those things. They stir up memories of hurts as if they happened yesterday. They plague our minds with temptations, sinful pleasures, destructive thoughts of suicide and depression. They keep psychiatrists busy.
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 Bible teaching are done to cleanse the soul of those experiences and memories, then to restore them to the path of righteousness.
The disciples in Jesus' days on Earth were very excited that the demons were subject to them. Jesus warned them not to glory in it but to be thankful. 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 when the person you want to help is not co-operating fully it is futile. 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 then money is wasted trying to fix the problem in expensive rehab facilities.
We need to learn that we cannot heal a demon nor can we cast out a disease. There are manifestations of demons that are called diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. We have seen instant and permanent healing when those demons are bound and cast out. It is a joy to behold. There are deaf, dumb and blind spirits that Jesus cast out and saw those afflicted able to hear, speak and see normally.
One woman brought her very drunk husband for prayer. He had not had a sober day for four years. I asked him to say out loud the name of Jesus. He kept repeating "I am drunk". After twenty minutes he finally called on the name of Jesus. He was thrown by an unknown hand into a heap on the floor and lay as if dead. His wife was crying. After twenty minutes he stood up stone cold sober, went home and poured every hidden bottle of alcohol down the sink and never touched another drop. Jesus is our Deliverer. Note that I did absolutely nothing, not a prayer, nor cast a demon out. Jesus took over and set that man totally free.
When you understand how powerful a tool it is in the recovery of those bound by substances or witchcraft or occult involvement 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. In 40 years I have never met anyone who was completely free. I was my own guinea pig and learnt much about deliverance at the feet of Jesus. Not a day goes by when we are not engaged in spiritual warfare.
When we bind demons in Jesus' name over a person city or nation, they are paralyzed and gagged. We have authority over those spirits. Trying to deal with drug addicts, war mongers, sex slavery, alcoholism, through rehab, government negotiations, border control police, or any humanitarian means is a long, costly, and mostly futile enterprise. Prayer is free and effective.
In 1979 the Lord dropped me in the deepest end. He sent Gail into my home, an addict with two very young daughters. She had run away from her Satanist husband who was threatening to rape his daughters if she did not convert to Satanism. I was facing a Gale force onslaught and was a brand new member of a Pentecostal Church. I had only joined it 3 weeks before she arrived.
She was willing to be delivered of demons. Her grandfather was a Satanist and so was her Father who named her Gail and left forever ten days after she was born. I knew nothing about deliverance, demons, bondage. I was in shock.
I called in some impressive Christians as our pastor was out of the country, and this could not wait. There were five of us against a pack of demons in her soul. They spoke through her mouth. It took all five of us to hold her down as the demons wrestled with us as they did not want to leave. While I had hold of her left arm as she writhed and struggled, I could hear a shrill, high, squeaky, frightened voice saying over and over, I am Gail. When the evil spirit called Charlie, her father's name, came out screaming, I quietly told the team leader that there was one called Gail, her name.
He was really surprised. He said he needs confirmation. From the other side of the room Gail suddenly said, I hate my name! She fell on the bed screaming. The demon spoke out of her mouth. Her father sold her soul to Satan for big powers, I am her Keeper. Game on. More wrestling. Demon arguing that it can't leave because Charlie would lose his power. Great incentive to get rid of this one. Jesus helped by speeding things up and suddenly Carol her middle name, was set free. What a transformation!
Because of this deliverance the Lord led me to focus on people's names as a guide to deliverance. Only in the above case, and one other was there a need to change the name. But my eyes were opened to see that Satan hides his demons in plain sight in our names!
Isabella was the first one that astonished me. She was a follower of Jesus but she was a broken soul. Many had prayer for her but nothing helped. So I presented her name to the Lord. He said put a D for demon in front of her name. Disabella! Speak it aloud He said. Disable her I said. I bound that spirit sent to disable her and Jesus set her free. Jesus is a master strategist. We are His servants.
I was not a pastor or qualified in any theological degree but the Holy Spirit was my teacher. None of those who prayed for Gail were ordained. Our God expects everyone to serve Him in whatever way we can.
1 John 2 v 27: "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
This means we have no excuse and cannot leave all ministry to the pastor, evangelist, or teacher. We don't need Bible College degrees to pray for the sick or set people free. They are bound by demons. It is fixed by binding the demons and loosing the captives. It's hard work but so rewarding to see the victory.
Don't forget to pray for those loosed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. If they are left empty this scripture shows the result: Matthew 12 v 43 - 45: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."
These are the words of Jesus. A demon refers to person as "my house" and if he leaves that empty spiritual space must be filled with the Holy Spirit who will block re-entry. This completes the binding and loosing of the tormented soul.
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 Kingdoms 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.