Matthew 16:13-20 – “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.”  NASB

I am convinced that one of the most powerful and important things that we can learn and develop in the Body of Christ is becoming fine-tuned to and sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  We need to develop an intimate, close, consistent and constant communion with the Father.  We need to do that to enable us to become adept at discerning the spirits we encounter.  We need to develop spiritual ears to hear the Holy Spirit and allow Him to reveal to us the mind, mood, direction, and desire of God.  I believe this would save a tremendous amount of heartache and frustration but would also keep us moving in the right direction as we follow the Plan and Purpose of God.

I read an interesting story about Corrie Ten Boom that intrigued me and inspired me.  She was flying over mid-America (Branson, MO.) in a jet, praying in the Spirit.  Suddenly she jumped out of her seat and yelled, “Stop the Plane!”  The pilot was startled and said, “Lady, I can’t!  We are flying at over 600 MPH I can’t just stop!”  She said, “Turn the plane around and land, land right here!”  He said, “I can’t land here!  I can’t land within 20 miles of here.”  She said, “Then land and get me a car!”  They landed got her a car and she gave them directions as to where to turn and when to stop.  Finally, she said, “Stop right here!”  She got out of the car and walked onto a strip of land and said, “This will be the site of a great revival center in the Last Days.”  Unknown to her a Christian Group had just purchased that land and were planning to build a Convention Cathedral that would seat 20,000.  That is amazing!

We must learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  He will work supernaturally through us if we are yielded and sensitive to Him.  He knows the mind of the Father and will convey the heart of Jesus and reveal to us what to do when to do it, and where to do it.  We must learn to listen for that “still small voice” rather than waiting for the megaphone declaration.  Sometimes God speaks in whispers, not shouts.

I have asked churches to do the following exercise with me.  I don’t do this kind of thing very often but when prompted by the Holy Spirit I have and will.  I asked that everyone stand, hold their Bible up and repeat the following declaration:

“In the name of Jesus, I bind the enemy today.  I bind all principalities, powers, and the rulers of darkness in this world and this place. I bind the spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places, and I ask God to loose the angels of heaven to minister.  I pray for the release of the Authority of God and the Power of Heaven to manifest itself in this place today.  I ask God to send forth His ministering spirits to lift burdens, bring deliverance, release authority, flood us with joy, power, and comfort.  In the name of Jesus, I pray this!”

I am never trite or flippant when I do something like this.  I believe that God has given us authority over all the power of the enemy.  I believe He has given us the authority to speak to the unseen world and speak release to the captives through the Holy Spirit and based on His Word and His Covenant.  I believe that Jesus won that for us at the Cross.

Anytime we attempt to bind or loose in the spirit realm there is an activity that must never be omitted or eliminated.  There are several including prayer, but the one that I am speaking of is Praise and Worship!  In Praise and Worship we make the progression from the outer-court (celebration – praise) into the Holy Place (adoration) and then the Holy of Holies (Worship).  It is then that we are in a position and condition to most effectively feast on the Word of God and enhance our ability to receive, assimilate, and digest His Word.  All that is directly connected to the effectiveness and sincerity of our Praise and Worship!

I am laying a foundation for the next devotionals in this series on ‘Binding and Loosing.’  I hope that in some small measure I am able to whet your appetite spiritually and cause you to desire to become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and become a people who can ‘pull-down strongholds’ and can ‘bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.’  It is my prayer that we will learn to Bind and Loose biblically and become formidable forces for the Kingdom of God in this corrupt world.

God bless you until next time.  Have a great day!