The Power of Heaven

Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ---Matthew 18:18

Whenever Jesus makes the same statement twice, then we must rise up and see what it is that Jesus felt was so important to convey. The verse today comes from Matthew 18, but look at Mathew 16:19 where the identical words were spoken to Peter when Jesus gave him the authority to use keys to the Kingdom. Jesus said “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven.”

First of all, the keys are a symbol of authority that has been transferred to Peter as the representative of the new Church. We must look at heaven to use as an example of how we are to live on this earth. We can ask ourselves, what is heaven like? Well, it is peaceful there, no sorrow, tears or torment. There are no sick folks there and there is no stress or strife. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Jesus gave us those keys of the Kingdom to use to make a change in our circumstances.

Well, reason with me then. Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) so that we can live and that we can have life more abundantly. (John 10:10) The Bible also tells us that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Jesus knew this and that is why He wanted us to be armed with knowledge, armor and the backing of heaven. The Church as a whole hasn’t understood this; otherwise we would be well equipped, healthy, have a sound mind, live in love and unity and be an awesome ambassador of the Kingdom of God.

We can overcome the strategies of the enemy by first realizing that we have been given this power and authority because Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for us. It is through Him that we live and can be victorious in life. So when Jesus himself said that whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, He is saying we must exert our authority over our circumstances, our bodies, and over the devil. We can bind sickness, we can bind calamity, and we can bind Satan and his maneuvers.

Jesus also said that we can loose things on earth and it will be loosed in heaven. We can release the angelic hosts that have been given to the saints for our use. We can loose our mouths for praise, for commanding with the Word of God, and for calling those things which do not exist as though they do. (Romans 4:17) It is important to remember that everything we bind and loose on earth must line up with the will of God. He is more interested in the hearts and minds of man that in things and possessions. When we use the keys as one who knows the purpose of their function, our lives will dramatically change.

Confession: It is time that I understand how all of heaven wants to work with me. I also want to know how to work with the plan of God so the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced.