The Keys of Heaven
I will give you the keys
of the kingdom of heaven . . .
—Matthew 16:19
Jesus
gave us the keys of heaven to “bind up” the evil and “loose” the good. “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” (Matt. 16:19).
Remove the evil. Find a verse concerning what you want to remove. When someone is “bound” in sin, you must first bind that “strong man”
or sin, which has a hold of the person you are praying for. Search for the
verse that you can pray. Here is the principle: “But no one can enter the strong man’s house . . . unless he first
binds the strong man . . .”
(Mark 3:27). Bind and break the cords of sin that is controlling the person
being held captive. “His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be
held with the cords of his sin” (Prov. 5:22).
Replace the evil with good. This is very important! “When the
unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking
rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I
will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it
swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more
evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man
becomes worse than the first” (Luke
11:24–26).
If you fail to replace. If you fail to replace what you have
removed, it will become worse than before you prayed. You must always replace
something evil with something good. This is one reason so many who go on diets
actually get fatter. Experts say that they stop eating all the bad, or try not
to eat at all. However, they never replace what has been taken away with
something good, like prayer, going for a walk, exercising, or eating something
else that is good for them. Another example might be when someone has a very
oily face. She scrubs it with soap and maybe puts alcohol on it to dry up the
oil. Then after a few hours it’s greasier than ever! Dermatologists will tell
you that you must replace the oil you have removed with a small dab of lotion.
Replace the lies with the truth. The truth is only found in His
Word. Unless what you hear, read, or what someone tells you matches up with the
principles in God’s Word, it is a lie!
Replace the “arm of the flesh” with the “Lord.” Replace trusting in
“the arm of the flesh” (yourself, a friend, whomever) with trusting in the
Lord. “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (Eph.
6:10).
Replace running away with running to Him! “God is our refuge and
our strength, a very present help in time of trouble” (Ps. 46:1). Run to the
book of Psalms! Read Psalms (and
Proverbs) every day. Read the Psalm that corresponds to the day of the month
plus every 30th Psalm to the end of the book, then read the chapter of Proverbs
that corresponds with the date (e.g., on the 5th of the month you would read
Psalms 5, 35, 65, 95, 125 and Proverbs chapter 5.) An easy way to remember is
to write where to turn at the end of each Psalm (e.g., at the end of the 6th
Psalm you would write “36,” at the end of 36 you would write “66.” When you get
to Psalm 126 you would write “Prov. 6.”) Since Psalm 119 is so long it can be
reserved for the 31st of the month.
As a member of our Restoration
Fellowship, you can also go to our Daily Devotional on our website to be
reminded of the Psalms and Proverbs for the day. Go to RMIEW.com to join!
Replace crying out to another with crying out to Him! He promises
to hear you and to lift you up immediately! You must cry out! Don’t think to yourself, “Well, God hasn’t helped me
in the past!” If He didn’t help, it’s simply because you didn’t ask. “Ask
and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find” (Matt. 7:7).
Preparing for War
Put on your armor daily as
described in Ephesians 6:10–18.
The schemes of the devil. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able
to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:10–11). Remember who the real enemy is: Satan, not your
husband.
The full armor of God. “For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to
resist in the evil day” (Eph.
6:12–13). You must resist the fear
that causes you to run away or give up; stand firm, and having done everything,
continue to stand firm. Psalm 37 is good to pray if you are plagued with fear.
Stand firm. “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with
truth . . .” (Eph. 6:14). People
talk about “stepping out in faith.” It may be best to stop moving and just
stand firm! It may be the difference between trusting and tempting God.
Sometimes we feel like we are taking a “step of faith,” but we are actually
throwing ourselves off a cliff, as Satan told Jesus to do.
Many times we should not be
taking a “step” of faith but rather “stand” still in our faith. Our convictions
should enable us to “stand” and believe for what is right. If we move by taking
a “step” of faith, we could be falling off a cliff. If God brings adversity
into our lives, our stand will be
the testimony. Yet, as you will see later in this lesson, sometimes we are
asked to step out and walk on water, as Peter was asked to do. Discernment is
needed here. One rule that may help is the amount of urgency. Usually our
“flesh” brings about urgency; God usually says to wait.
His righteousness. “. . . and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness . . .” (Eph. 6:14). God is talking about His
righteousness, not yours. He tells us in His Word that our righteousness is
nothing but “filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).
Walk in peace. “And having shod your feet with the preparation of
the gospel of peace . . .” (Eph.
6:15). You can claim the promise in Matthew 5: “Blessed are the peacemakers!”
Be peaceful with everyone at all times!
The shield of faith. “In addition to all, taking up the shield of
faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles
of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). You must have faith—not in yourself, someone, or
something else like a judge or a shelter, but faith in God alone! Circumstance
has nothing to do with faith. Believe His Word alone for the truth about your
situation.
Helmet of salvation. “And take the helmet of salvation” (Eph.
6:17). You must be saved; you must be one of His children to really win a difficult
spiritual battle. It’s as easy as talking to God right now. Just tell Him in
your own words that you need Him now. Ask Him to make Himself real to you. Give
Him your life, a life that is messed up, and ask the Lord to make it new.
Tell Him that you will do
whatever He asks, since He is now your Lord. Ask Him to “save you” from your
sins and from the eternity that is waiting for all those who do not accept His
gift of eternal life. Thank Him for His death on the cross, the death that He
died for you. You can now believe that you will no longer live alone; God will
always be with you, and you will spend eternity in Heaven.
Sword of the Spirit. “Take . . . the sword of the Spirit which is
the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). This is exactly what we have been teaching: use
His Word for a battle that will be won. When the battle is the Lord’s, the
victory is ours! Write down on 3x5 cards the Scriptures you need to help in
your battle. Keep them with you at all times in your purse. When you feel an
attack coming on, like fear, read the verses that pertain to fear. (See Romans
8:15 and Psalm 23 for wonderful verses to attack fear.) Cry out to God. Stand
firm in faith. “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).
Pray at all times. “With all prayer and petition pray at all times
in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). Pray
from deep in your Spirit. Have designated times of prayer three times a day (as
Daniel did). That was one of the reasons he was thrown into the lions’ den.
Don’t worry, but remember that even if you are in essence thrown into the
lions’ den, God will shut all the lions’ mouths!
Be on the alert. “And with this in view, be on the alert with all
perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). Pray for another
person you know each time fear overwhelms you. “Most gladly therefore, I will
rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak,
then I am strong” (Phil. 12:9–10). After you have prayed for someone, call them
and tell them.
Pray for those who persecute you. God also asked that we pray for
someone else: our enemies, every one of them. Pray for them and ask God to show
you what He wants you to do to bless them. It wasn’t until after Job prayed for
his so-called friends that God restored what Job had lost. “And the Lord
restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord
increased all that Job had twofold” (Job 42:10). “But I say to you, love your
enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus goes on to tell you why:
“. . . in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt.
5:44–45).
Know God’s Word
His Word will not come back void. You must know and learn God’s
Word. You need to set out to find the blessed promises of God. These principles
are from His Word, and when we speak His Word to Him by prayer it will not come
back void.
That is His promise to you!
“So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void
(empty), without accomplishing what
I desire and without succeeding in
the matter for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). His desire is that you may
overcome the evils in this world. You must do what God Himself guarantees.
Accept no imitations or counterfeits.
Search for His principles throughout your Bible. Seek understanding. God
says if you seek you will find. God’s Word gives wisdom. Looking deeper into
the meaning gives you a better understanding. “And I say to you, ask, and it
shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened to you” (Luke 11:9). And once you know what to do, then you can apply it
to your life. “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;
and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches” (Prov. 24:3–4).
Read His Word with delight. Mark the verses in your Bible. “Delight
yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps.
37:4). Take the time to mark verses for quick reference in times of distress
(or when leading another to the truth). In Luke 4:4–10, how did Jesus answer
when Satan was trying to tempt Him? “And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written . .
. It is written . . . for it is written . . .’” Use a colored pencil of a specific color for different promises.
Memorize. Meditate day and night. Memorize the promises you find so
that the blessed assurance of them may sink into your soul. You must learn and
know God’s promises if you ever want to depend on Him alone. “But his delight
is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted
by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does
not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:2).
No matter how bad things seem, God is in control. Our comfort is in
knowing that God is in control—we are not and Satan certainly is not. “Simon,
Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen
your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).
Sifting. Jesus knew the outcome, yet Peter still had to go through
the “sifting” to be ready for God’s calling on his life. Will you be ready when
He calls you? “And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4).
Spiritual Warfare
Take your thoughts captive. Your
battle will be won or lost in your
mind. “We are destroying
speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we are taking every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience,
whenever your obedience is complete” (2 Cor. 10:5–6). Don’t play into the
enemies’ hands. Don’t entertain evil thoughts. Take them captive!
The Power of Three
Two or three gathered together. Find two other women who will pray with you. “So it came about when Moses held his
hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek [the
enemy] prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put
it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on
one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set”
(Exod. 17:11–12).
Find two other women to hold
you up so you won’t become too weary. Pray and ask God to help you find two
others who are like-minded. You can find an Encouragement Partner on our
website.
The power of three. “And if one
can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three
strands is not quickly torn apart” (Eccl. 4:12).
To lift the other up. “Two are better
than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if
either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe
to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up” (Eccl. 4:9–10).
He is there with you. “For where two or three have gathered
together in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matt. 18:20). “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and
stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, ‘Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst
of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He
answered and said, ‘Look! I see four men
loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the
appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!’” (Dan. 3:24). You are
never alone!
Agreement. “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth
about anything that they may ask, it
shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 18:19). When you are wrestling with peace about something,
call someone who believes with you and pray in agreement.
Standing in the gap. “And I searched for a man among them who
should build up the wall and stand in
the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no
one” (Ezek. 22:30).
Pray for one another. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another,
and pray for one another, so that you
may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much”
(James 5:16). Also, confession to a like-minded woman is the best way to obtain
a pure heart.
Make your confession. Ezra knew what to do when praying: “Now while
Ezra was praying and making confession,
weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God . . .” (Ezra 10:1). Keep confessing the
truth.
When do you give up praying? Never! We have a wonderful example of
the fact that God does not always mean “no” when we don’t have answered prayer.
Your faith is great. The Canaanite woman continued to beg Jesus for
her daughter’s healing. The result: “. . . Then Jesus answered and said to her,
‘O woman, your faith is great; be it
done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once” (Matt. 15:2).
When we pray for something that is clearly in God’s will and it seems to have
gone unheard, or we think He has said “no,” God may simply mean for us to keep
on asking, waiting, pleading, fasting, believing, weeping, and laying ourselves
prostate before Him!
The battle for his soul. Are
you unequally yoked? The real battle in your home is the battle for your
husband’s soul! Are you unequally yoked? Remember that you have the promise
that “. . . you will be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11:14).
Remember, a husband is sanctified
through his wife. “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife . . . For how do you know, O wife,
whether you will save your husband?” (1 Cor. 7:14–17).
To find a prayer partner as
a part of our member benefits, go to our website, RMIEW.com.
Prayer and Fasting
Prayer and fasting. Jesus
told His apostles, “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and
fasting” (Matt. 17:21). If you have been praying fervently and have checked
to see if your ways are pure, then fasting may be called for. There are
different lengths of fasts:
Three-day fast. Esther fasted “for favor” from her husband the
king. She fasted three days “for favor.” “Go, assemble all the Jews who are
found in Susa, and fast for me; do
not eat or drink for three days,
night or day. I and my maidens also will fast
in the same way” (Esther 4:16). This fast (or the seven-day fast) has another
benefit for those who are contentious or who can never stop talking: you will
become too weak to argue!!
Day fast. The day fast begins in the evening after your evening
meal. You drink only water until the 24-hour period is complete, then you eat
the next day’s evening meal. You fast and pray during this time for your
petition. This fast can be done a couple of times a week.
Seven-day fast. There is a fast that is seven days (seven days
seems to represent completion). “Now it came about when I heard these words, I
sat down and wept and mourned for days;
and I was fasting and praying before
the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4). Usually it will be during great sorrow that you
are “called” to fast for seven days.
My knees are weak from fasting. When you are hungry or weak, use
this time for prayer and reading His Word. “My
knees are weak from fasting; and my flesh has grown lean, without fatness”
(Ps. 109:24).
In order to be seen. Keep as quiet about your fast as possible.
During the fast, you are to be silent, never complaining or drawing attention
to yourself. “And whenever you fast,
do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites
do, for they neglect their appearance in
order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast,
anoint your head, and wash your face so that
you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will
repay you” (Matt. 6:16–18).
Many write me because they
say they can’t fast. If it is for medical reasons or pregnancy, then fast “any
good thing.” If, however, you think you can’t fast because you are working—you
are selling yourself and God short!
When the battle has been won, stand
and see. Once you know that you have prayed, as we have been reading
throughout Scripture, then do as it says: “You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord
on your behalf” (2 Chron. 20:17).
No one should boast. God says we are a stubborn people. When a
battle is won or when the war is over, let us only boast in Him. Let us remain
humble. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, that no one
should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).
“Do not say in your heart .
. . ‘Because of my righteousness the
Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but because of the wickedness . .
. that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your
righteousness or for the uprightness of
your heart that you are going to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these . . . for you are a stubborn people . . .
You have been rebellious against the Lord” (Deut. 9:4–7).
We all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Let us remember this when the battle is won. Our
righteousness is nothing but filthy rags. Glory in Him!
Intensity of your trials is a sign that you are close to victory. Your
trials may intensify when you are close to gaining the victory. “For this
reason, rejoice, O heavens and you
who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come
down to you, having great wrath, knowing
that he has only a short time” (Rev.
12:12).
You must battle in the proper way. Do what God says; it will work! Don’t try to defend yourself;
it creates war and hard hearts. “To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic,
brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving
a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might
inherit a blessing” (1 Pet. 3:8).
Make sure you go the extra mile and bless your husband. Ask God how He wants
you to bless him.
This is a spiritual battle. “Do you think that I cannot appeal to
My Father, and He will at once put at
My disposal more than twelve legions of angels” (Matt. 26:52). Our heavenly
Father will call on the angels to battle for your behalf in the “heavenlies”
where the “real battle” is waging. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
Your husband is not the enemy. “Do you not know when you present
yourselves to someone as slaves of obedience, you are slaves of the one whom
you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in
righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16). A person in sin is really just a slave of the
devil.
We may think the one who
sins is awful, but so are we, if we continue to react with vengeance.
(Remember, that belongs to Him alone!) “For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not war according to the flesh, for the weapons
of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction
of fortresses” (2 Cor. 10:4). Let’s get at the root cause rather than just
the symptom.
Be committed. Be committed regardless of the consequences and leave
the results to God. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O
king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not
going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up”
(Dan. 3:17).
These boys believed that God
would deliver them, but regardless of the consequences, they were resolved to
obey the Lord anyway. Even if they should die in the furnace, they would do
what they knew God wanted them to do and they left the results with God. The
boys didn’t die, but the cords that bound them were removed through their
walking in the fire. Do you have cords (of sin or worry) that are binding you?
God will deliver. It’s His battle! Call
on the God of hosts; He is the warrior.
Personal commitment: to use the “keys” God has given me. “Based on
what I have learned in Scripture, I commit to using the ‘keys’ that God has
given me to fight the spiritual battle that rages before me. I refuse to fight
in the flesh, but will instead use prayer and fasting that are ‘divinely
powerful’ for the destruction of fortresses that are against my marriage,
husband, family, and me.”
Date: __________
Signed:__________________________
To read more about prayer
and fasting to accomplish a “breakthrough” in your situation, go to “Pray for
Others” on our website, RMIEW.com.