Have you ever wondered how to pray part 2

Proclamation

The second role we have is when we directly address evil spirits. Not all soldiers have the same responsibilities. There are different assignments in the army of God. But every assignment is important. It is important that you discover your calling and assignment in prayer and do not emulate others. Emulation is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:20, KJV).

There may be times when the Lord will direct you to address the enemy directly. We use the same principles, but we will not engage in this type of warfare apart from the direct permission of our lead attorney, Jesus Christ. Regardless of the style, two things are clear. This is a real war. And the stakes are high. We are fighting for the souls of men, women, boys and girls. This battle is fought without guns or bullets. We fight it from our knees in intercessory prayer.

The following story describes this well:

When a famous general from another nation visited America in 1921, he said in one of his speeches, “We must fight on our knees as well as in the trenches. The men of the infantry might advance on their stomachs, the tank crews in the tanks, the air force in planes, the navy in boats, but the church must advance on her knees.”

As the church advances on her knees, humility coupled with strength in God will determine her success in the courtroom. Jonathan Edwards was quoted as saying, “The best protection one can have from the devil and his schemes is a humble heart.”

It’s true. Most of Satan’s fiery darts will miss their mark if we stay on our knees.

It is while on our knees that we can engage in direct proclamation against the forces of darkness. 

Our proclamation may be as follows:

Spirits of darkness, I have been authorized by Jesus Christ, my lead attorney, to come against you. The Word of God says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). As a prosecutor on behalf of the court of heaven, I command you to loose my nephew (or whomever you name). In Jesus’ name you are defeated, overcome by the blood of the Lamb. I break all contracts, covenants, alliances, iniquity of the forefa- thers, generational curses and unholy soul ties between you and my nephew. I remind you that Jesus said to me, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). By the evidence presented in court, I expose your deception, lies, fear and bondage. I send you out now in Jesus’ name.

For a complete listing of the prayers David prayed against his enemies and to help you build your spiritual warfare vocabulary, read Eddie Smith’s booklet, "Ammo! Building a Warfare Vocabulary."

Finally, we continue to plead our cases against darkness as long as Jesus, our lead attorney, directs us. And we look for signs of the Judge’s decision in each matter. There will always be physical manifestations of God’s answer. We suggest that you begin to keep a scrapbook with newspaper clippings and other evidences that God has heard and answered your court- room pleadings! Record your breakthroughs so you and others are encouraged and challenged.

The spectacle of a nation praying is more awe-inspiring than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man-controlled powers because prayer is man’s greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God. —J. EDGAR HOOVER 

Have you ever wondered how to pray?

It is really helpful when one thinks about prayer in terms of being in court. Especially when praying for others and our specific needs. There is an overwhelming amount of scriptural evidence to confirm that this concept is accurate and that we should understand prayer to function in this way. This kind of prayer however does not replace the need for us to simply fellowship with God through conversation, waiting and listening.

Satan is referred to as the accuser which is a legal term. We see in the book of Job how satan comes before God and a discussion ensues in the court of heaven.  We are at an advantage over Job because we live on this side of Christ's death and resurrection - we have a new covenant or contract, again, another legal term referring to a legal document. Job did not have access to this covenant. He also did not have an advocate on his behalf. Subsequent to the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given, we received an Advocate (the Holy Spirit) who stands for us, before the Father. 

In the book "The Advocate" by Eddie and Alice Smith, we can learn some valuable lessons on how to pray in the courts of heaven and how we can intercede for others in the court before the Father. In another book written by Alice Smith called "Beyond the Veil: Entering into Intimacy with God Through Prayer" she explains beautifully how God has invited us to partner with Him in prayer for people and situations on the earth. We actually play a vital role in accomplishing God's plans on earth. In fact, one can go so far as to say that there are certain things that will never be accomplished by anyone other than what God has called us as individuals to do. That means that there are people who could spend eternity in hell through our lack of concern and action. This is a truly frightening and sobering thought.

The act of God's Grace and His mercy towards us, saves us and empowers us to become effective soldiers in His army and we then carry a responsibility, playing a role in bringing others to the saving knowledge of Christ. Gods Grace is in place for when we fall, but we must get up and move on. Grace is not intended to make us complacent, allowing us to sit back and say "Christ has done it all, there is nothing left for us to do". Of course we cannot do what He did in terms of paying for our salvation, but He wants to work through us to reach others. This means action, it means stepping out, it means making plans to reach others, to change society, to pray and intercede. Without spending time in prayer we have no power. Before the throne of God, in the courts of heaven, we will obtain a judgement in our favour which will empower us.  We can demand that satan loose a person or situation because we have obtained the court order.

Some extracts from Chapter 10 of the "The Advocates"

Warfare Prayer: Prosecuting Satan in Court
A praying saint performs far more havoc among the unseen forces of darkness than we have the slightest notion of. —OSWALD CHAMBERS

For eons a cosmic battle has raged between God and His former angel Lucifer (Satan). It is a battle for worshipers. One doesn’t decide whether or not to do spiritual warfare. We were all born on a spiritual battlefield. The war rages around us incessantly. And, we were born POWs (prisoners of war)! 

Charles Finney was familiar with this war.

A friend of Charles Finney tells about a man who came to Mr. Finney and said, “I don’t believe in the existence of a devil.”
“Don’t you?” said Finney. “Well, you resist him for a while, and you will believe in him.”

It is by being born again that we are rescued, recruited and released to fight our former oppressor. Paul taught the Ephesian Christians: “As for you, you were dead in your trans- gressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph. 2:1–2).

The fighting we are to do is to be done in a court of law. (See Job 1:6–8; Revelation 12:10.) It is in this courtroom that we, as spiritual prosecuting attorneys under the leadership of our lead attorney, Jesus Christ, are to level our charges against the ancient outlaw Satan. This is spiritual warfare.

The American church has begun to realize that the devil and his demons are a real threat. But we must equip ourselves with the proper understanding, techniques and strategies to face him in court.

We have discussed our role as defense attorneys. In this chapter we will discuss our role as prosecuting attorneys. In jurisprudence, a prosecutor is an attorney who represents the government by presenting evidence to convict one who is charged with a crime. However, the prosecutor can only present evidence that the court allows. Without using the law, precedent of the court or proving otherwise, the judge will have no other choice but to rule against the prosecutor when he violates protocol. In a court of law, there are procedures and protocol that we must follow. There are strict methods of handling evidence so that it is not contaminated or misrepresented.

In our spiritual application, we represent the government of God. As prosecutors we identify where Satan has broken God’s laws and prosecute him and his strongmen based on our covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus. As in any legal case where the prosecutor is held to strict codes, we can do no less. We must not represent or mishandle the opportunities God has given us to prosecute an ancient depraved deity. His crimes are very real—and we must be prepared and ready to prosecute him in court.

THE GROUNDWORK LAID

Before we could be released from death’s grip and made alive before God, our sin had to be blotted out. Paul explained how Jesus’ death eradicated our sin record, which resulted in disarming the devil and his angels. “Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:14–15).

It is easy to understand how the devil had gained ground against us—we had fallen under Satan’s dominion. Satan was pleading the law against us in the court of heaven, and he and the law were winning. Satan, just like any prosecuting attorney, has been presenting his charges and evidence against us as the defendants. With his endless accusations of men, he justly appealed to the righteousness of God as revealed by the law. We found ourselves condemned and confined to death row, where we were awaiting our final execution!

However, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law’s demands by living a perfect life and dying in accordance with the Father’s plan. He has delivered us from Satan’s power. When Jesus was executed in our place, He once and for all settled our sin account.

John wrote, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). When Jesus pleads our case in heaven, He neither pleads our innocence nor our guilt; He pleads His blood. It is on the basis of His paying our penalty that the Governor (Jehovah) can justly issue our pardon and demand our release. The demands of justice have been satisfied, and Satan can no longer approach the Father demanding payment. That would constitute double jeopardy—the demand for a second payment for the same crime—which is illegal! The enemy’s weapons have been stripped from his hands. Jesus has disarmed the devil of the right to condemn us. Hallelujah!

Paul recognized that Jesus had removed the handwriting of ordinances against us and that Satan could no longer legally accuse us before God. No charge against us will be entertained in court. Scripture says, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Rom. 8:31, 33–34).

Notice the questions Paul submits: Who can be against us? Who is he that condemns? The definitive answer from heaven is no one! Although the devil’s aim is to condemn us, God has justified us. All of our accounts are “Paid in Full.” When it comes to heaven’s courtroom, Satan’s accusations of us now fall on deaf ears. Since God refuses to hear them, why are you listening?


Regis Philbin, the host of the popular show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, always asks the nervous player, “Is this your final answer?” 

Well, God has answered from heaven, “THIS IS MY FINAL ANSWER!”

The devil may contend with you, claiming that God will no longer help you. He is a liar when he suggests your sins prevent you from the right to prosecute him. Your authority against the principalities, powers and rulers of darkness is established as you stand on the biblical ground of what God has done for you and are following God’s direct orders.

So why doesn’t God just “zap” the devil and be done with it all? 

God will not do this for the same reason that He did not destroy Lucifer when he led angels and men into rebellion against God. When the Lord throws the devil into the lake of fire, sadly, because of His justice, He must also throw in people who are still aligned with Satan in sin. As a good and just God would, He has announced the promise of redemption through Jesus, His Son. He is still executing His plan of mercy for humanity as well as the final fiery judgment of Satan.


FILE CHARGES AGAINST SATAN

Not every petition includes warfare proclamations. Only when you feel the Holy Spirit’s prompting are you to directly address the enemy.

Clearly outline where your adversary (Satan) has violated the law. You are about to enter into spiritual warfare prayer. Satan has ceased in his role as prosecutor. You are now the prosecutor, and he has become the defendant. You are to prosecute him for his crimes against God and humanity. Write out the charges you wish to file against him.

In spiritual warfare prayer we . . .
• Sometimes declare Satan’s guilt and demand justice (restoration).
• Sometimes seek his restriction (binding).
• Sometimes proclaim our enemy’s punishment (loose something he has stolen).
• Sometimes petition God for protection from Satan (a legal restraining order).

A restraining order is an order of the court that prevents one party from contacting or approaching another. Jesus prayed for the Judge to issue a restraining order against Satan on behalf of His disciples and us when He prayed, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). In His model prayer, which we call the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to ask the Judge for a restraining order against Satan for ourselves. He said that we should pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13).

OUR ROLES AS PROSECUTORS

We have two roles when we stand as a prosecutor against the defendant Satan.

Prayer

In prayer we tell God the crimes the devil has committed and the laws he has broken, and we present our proof (the evidence). We prepare and present our case to the Judge so He can act upon it.

As prosecutors, using Scripture (the law) is essential to our prayer strategy. Without the Word as its foundation, every prayer hangs by a thread. Even prayer can be a worthless reli- gious exercise. The Word of God empowers our prayer. It is the warhead on the missiles of prayer. Scripture grants us access in heaven and is the language of the court. If we don’t know how to approach the Lord with His Word, prayer will continue to be a hit-and-run experience. To correctly position ourselves to present our case to the Judge, we should collect the relevant information. A good prayer warrior is a good Word warrior. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14).

Begin organizing and writing out your scriptures, prayer points and determining, with the Holy Spirit’s leadership, how you plan to appeal to the Judge. 

For example:

Father Judge, in the name of Jesus Christ our lead attorney, the enemy is accusing our pastor and his wife. Slanderous words are being spoken, and gossip is spreading like wildfire. But we have not been left defenseless. Heavenly Judge, according to Your Word, “It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken” (Ps. 119:126). The powers of darkness are confusing his family, his church members and neighbors. The evidence is that “the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he [the devil] devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord” (Ps. 10:2–3).

Judge, I appeal to You. “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with [us]; fight against those who fight against [us]” (Ps. 35:1). Because You are just, true and faithful, this is what I am asking You to do to the enemy. “For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob” (Ps. 59:12–13). As heaven’s prosecutor I am asking You to:
• Act now against the forces of darkness.
• Notice that the enemy has broken Your law.
• Hunt down the wicked who oppress the man of God.
• Give help to the pastor, who is weak and tired and needs Your help.
• Take note of the arrogance of the devil, and cause him to fall.
• Expose the darkness, lies and confusion.
• Come and fight the demonic powers behind this situation.
• Deal harshly with the evil rulers that are tormenting.
• Fulfill Your divine purpose through this situation, giving our friend a peace that You are working on his behalf.

Always keep in mind that we are not praying against people. We are to pray for people. We are wrestling in prayer against “spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12, KJV). 

Have you ever wondered why your prayers were not answered?

Robert Henderson’s series “Navigating the court system of heaven” is revolutionary. (http://www.roberthenderson.org) It meticulously lays out from the scripture, the details of the Kingdom of Heaven’s legal system. He presents a biblically based argument explaining how the conflict we are in, is not won on the battlefield, but rather it is won in heavens courtroom first. When we get verdicts from the courts of heaven rendered in our behalf, the battles are easily won on the battlefield. 

The protocol of the battlefield is completely different to the protocol of a courtroom. 

When we pray, we need to go into heaven’s courtroom first and ensure we get the verdict passed in our favor before we go to the battlefield. We have the right as believers to boldly enter into the throne room (courtroom) and ask for grace (a verdict in our favor) in the time of need.

We must only go to the battlefield after we have the verdict in our favor from the courtroom. 

If we go to the battlefield first, we may only get random success, Joshua learnt this. He thought that winning the battle of Jericho would automatically transpose into winning the battle of Ai. Joshua had the court papers for Jericho and thats is why he won that battle. He did not take the time to get the verdict from the court of heaven for Ai before he went into battle. There was sin in the camp of Israel and if they had gone to heaven’s court there would have been a judgement given instructing them to deal with the sin first before going to battle. We have the blood of Jesus that we can plead when the enemy accuses us. If we repent, claim the cleansing of the blood, we can get a judgement in our favor.

In the following free message Robert Henderson explains the courts of heaven:

http://sermon.net/jacobswell/sermonid/119749796

So how old is the earth actually?

Is it really possible for us to know what happened in the past regarding the earth, the universe, man, angels, demons, God?

There are many theories and so called scientific explanations about how things started, how long it has taken etc.

In broad strokes there are basically two positions, namely creation vs evolution. There are also some interesting mixes of these two approaches such as what some call "God guided evolution".

Generally speaking those who believe in God tend towards accepting creation (not all do) and those who do not believe in God tend to lean towards evolution. Believing in creation usually means that one would adopt the young earth position which means that the age of the earth is calculated by adding up the generations listed in the bible from Adam till now. By doing this, one will arrive at a number which is in the region of 6000 years.

Carbon dating and various other methods of measuring the age of the universe such as the speed of light refutes the young earth theory, if one can rely on these dating methods as being reliable. Astronomers, geologists and scientists tend to talk about billions of years based on their measurements and elaborate mathematical calculations. Much of which would be based on a hypothesis which may or may not be disproved. 

Although scientific methods generally seek to gather unbiased facts, unfortunately this is not always the case. There are all sorts of external influences such as funding and agendas that often cloud the truth. Selective use of data and suppression of certain facts that do not fit the hypothesis is often the situation.

It has been interesting to follow the "Intelligent Design" proponents. The initial group were some honest scientists and biologists who found that intellectually they could no longer go along with evolution. They make comments such as "if Darwin had had access to an electron microscope and could see what we see today he would never have proposed evolution". The driving force behind evolution is far more than the search for scientific truth. The irreducible complexity of biological systems is in itself sufficient evidence to refute evolution, besides all the other numerous arguments which have a far more scientific basis then those seeking to justify evolution. In fact the only thing that Darwin was really able to prove was that a single species could adapt to changes within its environment over time.

As a believer whose favourite subject at school was science, I have over the past 30 years read many books about the arguments for and against evolution. I have listened to many debates and many talks from both sides. Intellectually I have satisfied myself that evolution as proposed in programs like National Geographic which pretty much reflect the gist of what the evolutionist community believe, are false. Evolution is less about scientific fact and more about a belief system that tries to prove that there is no God. It is possibly the main pillar supporting the secular and atheistic world view and this is why people holding these views become very aggressive in protecting them. They have fought very hard to have creation thrown out of schools and have written text books that brainwash unsuspecting children into believing a lie. The bible is very clear about what will happen to people who do this. It would be better for them to tie a millstone around their necks and cast themselves into the sea, then to mislead any child.

Heavily linked with the evolution theory, is the old universe/old earth theory which states that the universe and the earth are billions of years old. These proponents say that the bible is untrustworthy because it describes a literal creation in 6 days about 6000 years ago.

An observation of geological features such as mountains and valleys can certainly get one wondering about how long it must have taken for the scale of erosion to have taken place that created the Grand Canyon for example. Carbon dating, though in many cases is inaccurate, does have some sort of credibility and it is entirely feasible that the geology of the earth and age of the universe is more than 6000 years. 

So, how do we reconcile these apparent contradictions? The interesting thing is that the bible is actually full of what one could call apparent contradictions. But, when one takes the effort to delve deeper into what is written in the scriptures and with spiritual insight, one discovers that these apparent contradictions are not contradictions at all. It is just often the case that the bible only records very little of the details. If everything was recorded in fine detail we would have thousands of volumes of information. However, some of this supporting information can be found in other documents that are not classified as scripture but are accepted as credible references. Some of these references can be found in a volume called "The Lost Books of the Bible" which include the books of Enoch and many other writings. Though not in the same class as scripture, these references can help fill in a lot of details that are not included in the bible. Furthermore, in these times in which we are living today, many, many people are being taken to heaven and shown things that have never been revealed before. It is true that one should always test new revelation. There is a danger because many cults such as Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Islam and the like have come about through so called new revelations that supersede the bible. The key in testing these revelations is the following: The bible is still our standard of measure and within the pages of the bible, in particular the epistles found in the NT, we have a very clearly spelled out theology of who Jesus is, what his purpose was in coming to the earth. Who the Holy Spirit is and what His purpose is. Who the Father is and what His purpose is. The bible is clear that salvation can only be obtained through accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Any doctrine or revelation that teaches that Jesus did not come in the flesh, that Jesus is not fully God, that Jesus is not the only way to the Father, is a false doctrine and a false revelation. Thus we can be like the Bereans and measure the revelations given against the plumbline of the word of God. Sadly, there are religious people who go overboard on this by superimposing their religious and theological position on top of the scriptures and then call anything that does not fit their view as being a false doctrine. For example, when the Toronto blessing broke out in 1994, there were many strange manifestations and many of the religious watchdogs were saying this was not of God. Even the Vineyard Church denomination rejected it and the Toronto Church got kicked out of the Vineyard movement by John Wimber the founder of the movement. Today we can look back on the Toronto outpouring and can point to some of the most amazing outcomes that have been seen on the planet in terms of the Christian church. One such outcome is Iris Ministries, founded by Heidi and Roland Baker.

Coming back to revelations and people being taken to heaven and shown how things actually occurred. This is now happening daily to thousands around the world and God is bringing correction to erroneous theological views that have developed over the centuries which were already developing in the time of Paul that is why he had to correct Galatians. A lot of bad theology was introduced at the time of Constantine. Even after the reformation Calvin and Luther introduced some erroneous understanding into the church. There is however a lot of what the mainline church teach that is good, but there is a lot which is not and God is giving people revelation of what is wrong and showing what the truth is. One of these areas is about how the universe was created, how the earth was created, how Adam and Eve were created and what the various circumstances were for which the bible does not give us all the details. There are clues and hints, but it is not spelled out clearly, the truth has been hidden for those who really want to know, those who seek will find.

Kat Kerr is one of these people who gets taken to heaven almost on a daily basis. She has been going to heaven for over 15 years, but only in the past two years has God allowed her to start speaking publicly about what He has shown her. If you take the time to listen to Kat Kerr, you will note that she is very emphatic about the fundamental truths taught in scripture. She clearly explains that Jesus is the only way to the Father. That we are saved through faith in Him, which is by grace, a gift of God, not of ourselves. His blood shed for our sins gives us access to heaven. She is not coming with any new doctrines, she is simply expanding on some details not given in the bible - missing bits of information that help us understand the scriptures even more clearly. For example, what happened at the time of creation. God has shown her exactly what happened and how the earth got to be the way it is today. One can search youtube for her videos and hear what God has told her. It is absolutely fascinating and answers so many questions that I have personally wrestled with for the past 31 years since I got saved at the age of 20.

In a nutshell, the so called "Gap Theory" of creation which postulated that there was a time gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 is actually very close to what happened. The earth is millions of years old, but Adam was only created 6000 years ago. There was a pre-adamic race. There was also an Ice Age that God brought about on the earth after satan fell which resulted in a lot of the geological features we see today. The continents were originally joined as the Pangea theory suggests. There were angelic beings that had flesh on them who had supernatural abilities and superior knowledge and were sent to the earth to teach mankind. These angels are the ones that fell from their position and had relations with woman and produced the Nephilim or giants that God had to destroy in the flood. To learn more details, the best would be to watch Kat Kerr's videos and read her two books called "Revealing Heaven 1" and Revealing Heaven 2".

Another person who regularly travels to heaven and also is translated across the earth in the spirit in a moment of time is Ian Clayton. He has had many similar revelations to Kat Kerr. One of the most interesting is about the courts of heaven and how these affect what happens on earth. 

Peter Tan is another person who has been to heaven and has written a detailed book about the spirit realm. Dr. Bruce Allen is yet another person to whom this happens and he has written books about it as well.

For those who really want to understand the spirit realm, our future and what is important to be focussing our attention on today, I highly recommend that you seek out the materials produced by these people mentioned above. It is important to understand that what we do whist on this earth effects our eternal position, not only accepting Christ as our saviour, but we are rewarded according to the original mandate that was given to us. There is a plan that has been prepared for each person before they were born. When we die that plan is measured against what we actually achieved in our lives and we are rewarded accordingly. Our adherence and obedience to the plan sets our position in heaven for eternity.  If we do not accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we will be lost for eternity - hell is for real, hell is eternal and those who die in their sins will suffer in hell for eternity. Furthermore, God clearly revealed to Kat Kerr that those who abuse grace believing that "once saved, always saved" and think they can live as they please, are going to be severely shocked when they die. It is possible to have your name blotted from the Lambs book of life as it clearly states in the book of Revelation. Kat has seen people in hell who were once saved and God asked Kat to warn people on the earth that this can happen - you can lose your salvation if you turn your back on God.