Prayer XIV

In the first article, I wrote on definitions on prayer, when prayer starts and some of the components of prayer. While in the second article I finished my brief exegesis on components of prayer. The third article is centered on those who should pray. The fourth is on some of the reasons why talk (pray) to our heavenly father. The fifth article is on places of prayer while the sixth and seventh centered on occasions that move men to pray unto God. The eight article is on period (time) that men can pray. The ninth article focuses on how we should be praying. In the tenth article I write on a type of prayer, which is the prayer of thanksgiving.

While in the eleventh article I talked about three types of prayers which are, prayer of praise, prayer of worship and prayer of dedication (consecration). In the twelfth article I have talked about the following types of prayer: prayer of supplication, prayer of agreement, corporate prayer, prayer of commitment and prayer of imprecation. And in the thirteenth article I talked about prayer of vengeance, prayer of restoration, prayer of forgiveness, prayer of repentance and silent prayer.

As I continue with different types of prayer that we have in Christianity here, I shall be focusing on the prayer of binding and loosing.

All believers know that the people of the world not excluding us have been in bounds, we are bound by the devil, and it is because of this that Jesus comes to the world to loose us from the bondage of the devil.

Having freed us, he commanded us to go into the world and do what he has done, for we are in the world, Jesus legs, eyes, mouth and all what not. Believers are Jesus representatives on the planet earth. As we are his representatives, we cannot shy away from the responsibility that God has given us, binding demons and loosing the people of God and or those the enemies are tormenting in the world.

To understand this the more, let us see few of the things associated with this type of prayer.

What someone does not have knowledge of the probabilities are high that the person will misuse the thing and or ignore the use of the thing out-rightly.

It is for this that Prophet Hosea says that God said his people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge because they ignore what they should have embraced.

Take as instance what happened after the children of Israel passed to the other side of the sea and their enemies have been consumed. They were thirsty and started complaining, in the meanwhile, God has provided beside the river of Marah what would turn the bitterness of the river into sweetness. But because Prophet Moses and others did not know the importance of the tree beside the river, they couldn’t employ its use, and those who could not see God at work started complaining, murmuring which pushed them against God.

“So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

“And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

“And the people murmured against Moses, saying, what shall we drink?

“And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,” (Exo 15:22-25)

The people erred here because they were ignorant of God’s provisions. If we do not know what God has deposited in our lives we shall err, we shall speak untoward God against God.

Now, the tree which the Lord shewed Prophet Moses has been there all along, but because they do not know the importance of the tree, they could not employ its use.

Like the Prophet and the Israelis in the wilderness we need to know that we have authority in the world because of the covenant we have with Christ. This authority God expects us to put into use instead of doubting him and or listening to what the people are saying around us. (Mt. 18:18; Lk. 10:19; Mt 26:28; Jn 20:23)

When we do not know the source of a problem, we may sometimes not be able to solve the problem. The medical personnel would do several tests, histories and other things to arrive at the origin of the infection or disease that a patient is battling with. When they could isolate the source then they would be able to treat the disease effectively within the am-bits of science and medicine.

We see recently in this part of the world that the government started asking many people about the source of their wealth, so that they would know if they have been complicit in the problem facing the nation or nay.

When we know the origin of something we shall have confidence to talk about the thing without fear, we shall be able to defend the thing anywhere globally, but what we do not know its source we shall have reservations to talk about it, neither shall we have confidence to defend the thing except saying “hear says”.

Having wet our appetite about the importance of knowing source of something, I want to tell us that the source of this prayer we should know that it is God. Such incident also happens in heaven as we see from the record of Daniel in the land of Babylon.

“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” (Dan. 10:13)

Prince of Persia who withstood the angel of God going with God’s response to his servant was bind so that the angel would be able to go ahead with the message, or maybe I should say he was rebuked and after he was rebuked that was when he could pave way for the angel to go ahead and deliver the message to God’s servant, Daniel.

Since this prayer originates from God, we can only direct it to God. If we do otherwise, we shall not do good, in fact we shall be doing ourselves a lot of harm. (II Chro. 7:14; I King 18:34; Ex. 3:7)

We need to know that this kind of prayer should not be used for lusts of the flesh like Balaam did when he was called by king Balak. It is worrying this day that many of us focused on using this kind of prayer for flesh other than for the promotion of the gospel. This is not good. We should not be another Balaam in the world, but we should follow the precepts and principles of God. (Num 22-24)

The prayer is called binding and loosing. When we bind something with our prayers, we should loose another thing. Many of us do not know this and we only bind without releasing other things to fill the vacuum.

Take as instance, when we bind the spirit of poverty in a person’s life, we should release into the person’s life the spirit of blessing. When we bind the spirit of barrenness, we should release the spirit of fruitfulness to enter the life of the person.

Jesus expressly said, after the bonded spirit walks helter-skelter and find no place to rest it would say to himself that he would return to his former hou8se and if he returns and finds the place well garnished with nothing there, would go and call seven more spirit to possess the person’s life. (Mt. 12:43; Mk. 16:17)

“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

“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.

“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.” (Mat 12:43-45)

What we usually loose are the angels because we know they are spiritual beings, and because the bound things are also spirits, evil spirits called demons, it would not augur well for us to release what is not of the same to defend the person.

“And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

“And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

“And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” (Luk 13:11-13)

We shall see here that Jesus binds and the spirit of infirmity disturbing this woman and casts it off her.

After doing something like this that Jesus has done, we cannot leave the woman alone, what we must immediately do is releasing the angels to be watching over the person.

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb 1:14 see also Mar 1:13; Luk 22:43)

Angels are ministering spirits as we could see from the above verse, they have been created to be ministering to us, they have been created to be protecting us, to be defending our territories that is why when we bind those demons we shall release the angels of God to be watching over the person, so that he would not hit his foot against the bricks.

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Psa 34:7 see also Psa. 91)

After binding and casting off demons out of a life, we have created a vacuum like that. And as it is commonly said that there is no vacuum in the world, it is because the devil wants to create vacuum at the beginning of creation that God starts the work of creation all over. (Gen. 1:1-2)

Since life and earth does not allow for vacuum, it is also true of the soul of man. The soul of man cannot be left without something being in there. Having cast off the demons occupying the place, then we must invite the spirit of God to fill the person’s life.

We should recall that it is for this reason that Jesus says he is leaving the world, so that the spirit of Him who raises Jesus from the grave would be able to work in the world and in our lives. (Joh 16: 7-14)

To operate and pray this prayer well we need understanding mind and deeper thought. For what some people are seeing with “ordinary eyes”, viewing from human perspective may have some spiritual undertone it is when we have understanding mind that we shall be able to see beyond the ordinary within our spirits, see beyond what others are not seeing.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (Jam. 1:5)

Believers need to always be at alert, because the devil like a lion roars around and it is not resting, thence we shouldn’t rest spiritually.

“But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” (Mt. 13:25)

We should not be like the woman who slept off such that she does not know when another person takes a baby off her bosom. Devil also wishes to do something like this for us if we could allow complacency, if we could become asleep spiritually.

“And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.” (1 Kings 3:21)

As believers, there are things that happen naturally they do not have spiritual undertones, but there are things which are not ordinary, those occurrences have spiritual undertones. To decipher and discern this we need to be spiritually alert always.

To effectively operate in this prayer life, we need spiritual discernment for sometimes if not always the spirit of darkness would turn to spirit of light unto us, but when we have the spirit of discernment we shall know where the devil is hiding. (I Cor. 12:10; Acts 16:16-19)

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

“Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Cor 11:14-15)

Believers who would undertake this kind of prayer need to become acquainted with the word of God. Word of God should be the person’s regular companion. It is by the word of God that the person shall always be instructed on what to do and when he is seeing foul plays, he would be able to know at a spot that this is not from God but it is rather the deception of the devil.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hos. 4:6)

So as not to get destroyed we need the word of God to become our companion, we need to hide the word of God in our hearts always while praying prayers like this.

To be praying this kind of prayer we need to be growing daily in the word of God, we should make the word of God our breath, our life, our everything.

I shall be talking on another type of prayer in the next article.