PRAISE FOR

Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven

Jesus Christ healed them all, every time, everywhere He went (Matt.
12:15; 8:16; 14:36; 15:30, etc.). No one left His presence sick who called
out to Him for healing. Father God always intended healing to be normal
and sickness an aberration. Jesus called healing the children’s bread because
God always intended healing to be a natural, normal experience in
everyone’s life.
Just as the church has rediscovered the Spirit-filled life, the value of
dreams and visions, and the five-fold ministries, so too has the body of
Christ rediscovered the need for and the power in the ministry of healing. In
these last days God has chosen to release His healing power in many ways.
I have seen people healed in the hundreds of thousands and I know He can
and does heal the sick through prayer cloths, anointing oil, dreams and
visions, the laying on of hands, words of knowledge and faith, deliverance
from demons, and the breaking of generational curses, just to name a few. I
have also seen thousands healed during worship with no ministry at all. But
now in these last days, God is once more pulling back the veil between
Heaven and earth and releasing revelation on healing and its relationship to
the Courts of Heaven.
Apostolic leader Robert Henderson has written a powerful book on
healing from the perspective of the legal processes taking place in the
courtrooms of Heaven. Satan, the Accuser of the brethren, uses every legal
methodology in the Courts of Heaven he can to bring judgment on believers
by appealing to God’s own just nature. If satan can, he will use God’s law to
afflict God’s people. Thankfully, God has raised up a group of spiritual
pioneers of the heavenly way, and revealed to the church as a whole the
inner workings of God’s throne room and the Courts of Heaven, and Robert
Henderson is one of these men.
 In his book Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven, he shares
many valuable insights to removing demonic attacks on the health of
believers. I recommend you read this book carefully, digest it thoughtfully,
and discover how to turn the legal processes of Heaven against the Accuser
and gain your healing!
JOAN HUNTER
Healing Evangelist
Bestselling author of Healing the Whole Man and Healing Starts Now

The Holy Spirit raises up key voices at strategic times to release a word
that helps to alter the course of church history. Robert Henderson is such a
man, with such a voice and such a message. It is my joy to commend to you
the life, ministry, and message of this sage man of God.
JAMES W. GOLL
Founder of God Encounters Ministries
International Best Selling Author
The Seer, The Discerner, The Lifestyle of a Watchman and others

Robert Henderson’s book Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven

is powerful and impacting. He skillfully and practically unpacks profound
revelation from the Scripture regarding the believer’s invitation into the
Courts of Heaven to receive healing and freedom. You will love this faith-
building book—I did!
DR. PATRICIA KING
Patricia King Ministries
www.patriciaking.com

Robert Henderson’s teaching on the Courts of Heaven has been a

revelation and key teaching for the Body of Christ. God has always had
more to His covenant for us than we have taken hold of and functioned in
our lives. In his new book, Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven,
he gives scripture and life experiences to help us understand and apply this
teaching. I encourage you to take back what Jesus, our Advocate, has
provided and return sickness back to our accuser, satan, by receiving a
judgment from God in the Heavenly Courtroom…in your behalf! We
overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony!
 DR. JOHN BENEFIEL
Author of Binding the Strongman Over America
Presiding Apostle, Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network
Founder and Senior Pastor, Church on the Rock Oklahoma City

The healing ministry of Jesus was such an essential aspect of His

proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and is to be a significant aspect of it
today as well. The Gospel makes provision for the whole person, spirit,
soul, and body. The struggle for many who suffer is the age-old question as
to whether it is the will of God to heal. Robert Henderson shares the same
conviction that I do, that we are to believe God for healing for everyone
who is infirmed. What Robert invites us to do in this new book is to learn
how to ask and petition the Lord for healing, on the legal grounds of the
promises of God that He made in the New Covenant. For those who have
felt like they were going to cave in and fall short of seeing the hand of the
Lord move on their behalf, Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven
just might be the missing piece that will encourage your heart to petition,
contend, and present your case before the Throne, and see God move on
your behalf.
DR. MARK J. CHIRONNA
Mark Chironna Ministries
Church On The Living Edge
Longwood, Florida
DESTINY IMAGE BOOKS BY ROBERT HENDERSON

Unlocking Destinies from the Courts of Heaven Curriculum

Unlocking Destinies from the Courts of Heaven
Operating in the Courts of Heaven
© Copyright 2018–Robert Henderson
All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America.
This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations
or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will
be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the New
King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved. All emphasis within Scripture quotations is the author’s own. Please note that Destiny
Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, and may differ from some publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and related
names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating
grammatical rules.
DESTINY IMAGE® PUBLISHERS, INC.
P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310
“Promoting Inspired Lives.”
This book and all other Destiny Image and Destiny Image Fiction books are available at Christian
bookstores and distributors worldwide.
Cover design by: Eileen Rockwell
Interior design by Terry Clifton
For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040.
Reach us on the Internet: www.destinyimage.com.
ISBN 13 TP: 978-0-7684-1754-8
ISBN 13 eBook: 978-0-7684-1755-5
ISBN HC: 978-0-7684-1756-2
ISBN LP: 978-0-7684-1757-9
For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 22 21 20 19 18
 CONTENTS
Foreword

Introduction
CHAPTER 1 The Courts of Heaven and Healing
CHAPTER 2 The Verdict of Jesus’ Cross
CHAPTER 3 Rebellion and the Bloodline
CHAPTER 4 Undoing Trades
CHAPTER 5 Annulling Covenants
CHAPTER 6 Dedications Revoked
CHAPTER 7 The Necessity of Forgiveness
CHAPTER 8 Undoing Word Curses
CHAPTER 9 Breaking All Connection to Sickness
CHAPTER 10 Understanding the Devil’s Legal and Illegal
Place in the Spirit
CHAPTER 11 Presenting Our Case for Healing in the Courts
CHAPTER 12 Presenting More Evidence for Healing
CHAPTER 13 Laying Our Lives Down
 FOREWORD

I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING ROBERT Henderson for over 10

years. In this period of time I have gotten to know him very well. We
have traveled together and labored side by side in many different facets
of Kingdom ministry. It has been fascinating, as well as a great joy, to
watch God expand his ministry, gifting and influence.
One of my first observations regarding Robert, and undoubtedly one of
the reasons for his success, was his insatiable hunger for the Word of God.
Not only would he read and study the Scriptures faithfully, but Robert loved
to discuss different passages and texts with others. I soon realized he knew
the Scriptures extremely well. His knowledge of God’s word, in fact, is far
beyond that of most leaders I have worked with. This hunger for truth has
certainly not gone unrewarded; the Holy Spirit has and continues to honor it
with great revelation. I don’t believe I have ever heard Robert speak
without learning something I did not yet know.
Another blessing for me has been to observe Robert’s integrity. Sadly,
the strength of some leaders’ gifts is negated by the weakness of their
character. I’m pleased to tell you this is not the case with Robert Henderson.
I’m not acquainted with anyone who practices what they teach and preach
more than this man. He is more than a friend of mine; he is an inspiration,
modeling for me what it means to be a man after God’s heart.
When Robert, in his first book, began receiving understanding of and
sharing new language regarding the throne room of heaven—referring to it
as the court(s) of heaven—I was fascinated. I knew satan often attacked us
based on legal ground given to him, but the revelation with which Robert
taught this opened much new understanding for me and many others. This
teaching, of course, has now impacted hundreds of thousands of people
around the world.
It has come as no surprise for those who know him that Robert is now
linking this teaching to the subject of divine healing. For many years, he has
been used greatly in this area of ministry, praying for many people who
have been healed. It has, in fact, been one of his passions. While observing
him pray for people, however, what stood out to me was the intensity of his
desire. I have seen many, many people pray for sick and suffering
individuals. I don’t believe, however, that I have ever seen anyone do so
with more passion and determination to see the suffering individual healed.
It seemed at times that he was “attacking” the sickness with his prayers. His
anger toward the infirmity and desire to see the person healed was both
stunning and refreshing. He truly embodied the phrase “moved with
compassion.”
That same passion comes through the pages of this book. It is obvious
when reading it that the words are coming from one who is desperate in his
desire to see people healed. You’ll sense that passion...and reap the rewards.
Also, the revelation I have heard emanating from Robert on so many
occasions flows from this book. You will read statements you have not
heard before, and will be motivated to think deeply about them. Ask the
Holy Spirit to open your understanding and teach you His ways. You’ll
learn much as you read these insights. As you apply them, healing will
manifest.
I wholeheartedly join my faith and prayers with Robert’s—that many
people will find their healing through the application of the truths in these
pages. Our sincere desire is that you find your breakthrough of healing
through the suffering, sacrifice, and provision of our divine healer, Jesus
Christ, to whom belongs all the glory.
 Sincerely,
DUTCH SHEETS
Dutch Sheets Ministries
Bestselling author of Intercessory Prayer,
Authority in Prayer and An Appeal to Heaven
 INTRODUCTION

I AM ONE WHO HAS FUNCTIONED IN THE MINISTRY OF healing for many years. I
have partnered with and seen the exhilaration of people as they are
delivered from disease. There is nothing more joyful for me than this.
However, I am very aware of the pain, disappointment, and trauma of
people believing for healing without it ever coming. I have watched
people’s suffering continue for years while they diligently believed for their
miracle. I have witnessed those who “died in faith,” believing to their very
last breath that they had been healed and their lives lengthened. I have
watched what appeared to be a measure of healing come, only to see it
vanish and sickness and disease return.
In the midst of all this, I have seen well-meaning people and ministers
try to bring comfort and understanding in these situations. Some, in my
estimation, are outright cruel. They imply or even clearly state that it is a
lack of faith on the sick person’s part that is denying their healing. So now
the person not only is suffering with sickness and pain, but they feel
condemned as well. Even though I believe that faith is essential to healing, I
believe it is fruitless to chide someone with this reasoning. In fact, those
ministering to the sick can use their own faith to see people healed. The
ones healed will have to develop a faith to “hold” their healing, but the
initial experience of healing can be secured through those praying. We will
investigate this later in this book.
Others make up unbiblical theology to explain why someone is not
being healed. They explain that God is using sickness to perfect them. At
the core of this argument is a misunderstanding of the source of sickness.
Acts chapter 10 and verse 38 gives a clear picture of what spiritual force is
doing what:

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

In this Scripture, we see that Jesus is the One who does good and heals.
The devil is the one who oppresses with sickness. God does not use
sickness to perfect His people. Sickness and disease are of the devil. Jesus
is the Healer. He uses healing to manifest His goodness to a people afflicted
with sickness through the cruelties of the devil. Healing is a main attribute
of God toward man.
When Jesus walked the earth, He did many signs and wonders. A large
part of those recorded were healing miracles. These were used to
demonstrate the kindness and goodness of the Lord. In John chapter 14 and
verse 9, Jesus said that He came to manifest the heart of God toward us.

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Jesus’ words to Philip were filled with amazement. He was astonished

that Philip did not yet recognize that Jesus was a living demonstration of
God to the human race. Jesus was showing mankind a different view of God
than they had known before: God is our Father, who loves us dearly. His
posture toward us is one of kindness, goodness, and love. He uses healing
as one of the chief ways to manifest this to us.
If this is God’s heart and passion toward us, then why do we see people
who aren’t healed even though they are seeking healing diligently? They do
everything they have been told to do. They attempt to operate in faith. They
have the “right” people pray for them. They pursue wholeness and wellness,
it would appear, with all their heart. Yet they remain sick and diseased—or
even worse, they die prematurely. Is this all just a cruel game, or even a lie?
Is this healing business really real? Or are we missing a very important part
that could unlock healing for those who haven’t yet found it?
As my wife, Mary, and I moved full force into healing several years
ago, she had a dream. We had been functioning in healing, holding healing
services and equipping others to operate in this realm as well. We were
honestly seeing good results and were greatly encouraged. There were those
who weren’t healed as we prayed for them, but a lot of people were being
healed. In the midst of this, Mary had her dream. In the dream, she was
told, “If you do not pray for them correctly, they will die.” She told me
about the dream, and my response to her at that time was, “What does that
mean?” I was doing the best I could, praying the way I understood, and yet
here the Lord was telling me there’s something I’m doing wrong, or at least
imperfectly. The dream brought me great frustration. The truth was, some
did die. Despite our best efforts, people died prematurely. Disease was able
to take them out before their time. I still didn’t know what it meant to “pray
for them correctly.”
Several years after this, God began to bring to me the revelation of “the
Courts of Heaven.” As I began to understand this third dimension of prayer
about which Jesus taught, I saw what it meant to “pray for them correctly.”
I began to see that the reason people were not healed and died prematurely
was because the devil had a legal right to hold them in sickness. If they
were to be healed, this legal right had to be revoked in the Courts of
Heaven. To fully grasp this, we must understand Jesus’ teaching on prayer
in the Book of Luke. When Jesus was asked to teach His disciples to pray,
He placed prayer in three dimensions or realms. He taught them that prayer
was approaching God as Father, Friend, and Judge. We approach God as
Father for our own needs (see Luke 11:2). We approach God as Friend for
the needs of others (see Luke 11:5-8). We approach God as Judge when we
are dealing with an adversary (see Luke 18:1-8). The purpose of the
adversary is to deny you what is rightfully yours! Healing is ours by
covenant with God. The word adversary is the Greek word antidikos, and it
means “one who brings a lawsuit.” In other words, it is a legal position
from which a case is presented in a court setting. The woman’s request in
the story Jesus told was for the judge to dismiss the case that was against
her. The unjust judge in the parable agreed to do so because of the woman’s
persistent presentation of her case. The moral of the story is “if this woman
can get a verdict in her favor from the unjust judge, how much more will
God render a righteous verdict in our favor as the ultimate Judge!”
Many times, the reason people are not healed is because there is a case
against them in the legal realm of the spirit. The devil has found some issue
he is using to allow sickness to stay attached to them. If we are to see
healing manifest, we must deal with the legal case against them in the spirit
realm. To do this, we must not just approach the Father and/or Friend. We
must approach God as Judge and see verdicts rendered that undo any and
every case against us. This is the purpose of this book. We will learn and be
empowered to go into the Courts of Heaven and see healing revealed.
My word of encouragement to any who are sick and not yet healed is,
there is hope. Through this book, I believe the Holy Spirit will uncover
anything resisting all that Jesus died for you to have. Every legal issue in
your life, your bloodline, and any other arena will be answered and
removed. The healing Jesus died for you to have can and will manifest. The
Judge awaits your action to render verdicts that will set into place healing
for you!
 THE COURTS OF HEAVEN AND
HEALING

A MINISTER FRIEND OF MINE NAME RAY AUSTIN, WHO IS a Methodist pastor,

was beset by tumors and bleeding in his pituitary gland. It came out of
the blue with intense pain and trauma. The pain in his head was so
intense that he could only sleep for ten minutes at a time. The pain would
then wake him up. This went on for an extended period of time. The doctors
told him at first that this was the pain of a stage 4 cancer victim even
though the tumor was benign. They later adjusted their statement and told
him this was the worst pain known to man. There was much prayer that was
activated for him, yet the situation only worsened and there was no healing.
Nothing the doctors did brought any relief. They had no ability even to
manage the pain.
In the midst of this situation, I felt led to call Ray and pray with him
over the phone. As I did, I experienced a tremendous burden of
intercession. I began to lead Ray into the Courts of Heaven. We dealt with
any sin, transgression, and iniquity that the devil could be using to bring
this suffering on him. By the way, if none of these are present and giving
the devil legal rights, then we can just appeal to God as Father or even
Friend. God’s merciful and gracious heart will move on our behalf. But if
there is legal ground from which the devil is working, we must get it
revoked and removed. In Ray’s case, we especially zeroed in on anything in
his ancestry where a covenant was made with any demonic power. Ray is of
African descent. As a result of this, we dealt with any covenant or
agreement made with demonic gods by those in his history. We asked for
the blood of the Lamb to annul these covenants. We requested that any
place Ray’s name or his family’s name was on an altar, that it be removed.
As a good friend from Nigeria told me, “Every African understands altars.”
In African history, cities are dedicated to demonic entities. There is at least
an altar in the spirit realm, if not the natural, that exists. On these altars are
the names of the people in these cities that were dedicated to demonic gods.
The result is that the gods claim these people and their bloodlines for
themselves. They assert that this gives them the right to bring curses,
sickness, tragedies, and troubles to them. This is why bad things can happen
to good people. In the realm of healing, this is why people many times don’t
get permanently healed and well when prayed for. We sought to remove and
have revoked any and every legal right of the devil to torment Ray with this
sickness and disease. Ray experienced a measure of relief as we dealt with
these legal issues before God’s court.
Later that night, the pain woke Ray up again. It probably had been
around twelve hours since we prayed. As Ray got up in intense pain, he
simply began to pray again and ask God to heal him. This time Ray laid
down on the couch in his living room. The next thing he knew he heard his
neighbors leaving for work. Ray realized that he had been asleep for several
hours, which he had not done in several weeks. Then he realized he had no
pain. He checked things out for just a little while and then went into the
bedroom where Jodie, his wife, was sleeping. He woke her up and
announced, “God has healed me!” He then explained what had happened.
As the reality of what had been done began to impact them, they started
crying, laughing, and rejoicing at the goodness of God, which had
manifested itself to them in an amazing way.
 Here’s the question: Why did Ray’s prayer in those early morning hours
bring a result that all the other times had not? Did God suddenly decide He
loved Ray? Did Ray and everyone else finally pray enough so that God was
convinced and healed him? Or did something legal that the devil was using
against Ray get revoked and removed so the heart of God toward him could
be manifested? This is what I believe, and so does Ray. After we dealt with
any possible covenantal right of the devil against Ray, God was free to heal
him. Up until this time, the devil, before the Courts of Heaven, was
demanding his rights to afflict Ray with this condition. Once the blood of
Jesus removed these things, God’s passion toward Ray could manifest. It
wasn’t enough to appeal to the Fatherhood of God or even the Friendship of
Jesus. We needed to go before God as Judge and deal with the legal issue
stopping the healing. Getting things legally in place in the spirit allowed
God to answer Ray’s prayer.
As I mentioned earlier, the devil can use sin, transgression, and iniquity
as legal rights against our health and us. David spoke of these three words
in Psalms chapter 32, verses 1 through 3:

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is

covered. blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute
iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept
silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day
long.

Notice that David attributed his “bones growing old,” a reference to

sickness and disease, to his refusal to deal with sin, transgression, and
iniquity. But once David repented and experienced forgiveness, his body
was restored. God was not afflicting David with sickness because of his sin.
The devil was using this as a legal right to bring sickness against him.
James chapter 1, verses 13 and 17, tell us the nature and heart of God. Verse
13 says:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for

God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt
anyone.
 God does not use evil. It is against His very nature and person to do
such a thing. Sickness is not of God. Again, sickness is the tool and
oppression of the devil. James continues in verse 17 by declaring:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes
down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation
or shadow of turning.

God’s nature is consistent and without variation. Only good and perfect
gifts come from God. God is incapable of bringing evil, and this includes
sickness. There is no darkness in Him. There isn’t even a shadow.
When David spoke of his “bones growing old” because of his sin,
transgression, or iniquity, he was not saying that God was doing this. It was
the devil taking advantage of David’s present status in the spirit to bring this
weakened physical condition. David’s repentance took away the legal rights
of the devil and allowed healing and restoration to come.
I have dealt with these issues of sin, transgression, and iniquity in my
earlier books on the Courts of Heaven. Let’s look at these problems now,
though, from the healing perspective of healing. These are the three primary
things the devil uses to build cases against us that allow sickness to attack
us. Remember, the devil operates from a legal perspective. First Peter
chapter 5 and verse 8 speaks of this position:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks

about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Here again the word adversary is the Greek word antidikos. This word
means “an opponent in a lawsuit.” It is made up of two words, anti and
dikos. Anti means “instead of” or “in the place of.” We also know anti
means “to be against.” The word dikos means “rights as self-evident.” So,
the words together mean “to stand against rights” or “what is rightfully
ours.” The adversary is one who brings a lawsuit to take away and deny
what is rightfully ours. This is very clearly the tactic of the devil. Healing is
what belongs to us legally. We will see this in the next chapter. Suffice it to
say for now that healing is the children’s bread.
 Jesus spoke of this in Mark chapter 7, verses 26 through 27. A Gentile
woman came to Jesus desiring healing and deliverance for her daughter.
Jesus denied her at first because she wasn’t a Jew. The New Covenant had
not yet been put into place by Jesus’ work on the cross. The Old Covenant,
which was for the Jewish people alone, was still in operation. As a result of
this, Jesus makes a profound statement about healing and deliverance:

The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she

kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But
Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not
good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little
dogs.”

Jesus calls healing “the children’s bread” (Mark 7:27). In other words,
it is the covenant right of those who belong to God to be healed. If this was
true under the Old Covenant, how much more under the New Covenant that
is full of better promises (see Heb. 8:6)?
Even though healing is ours as New Testament believers, we still see
those who are not being healed. The reason for this is that the devil has built
a case against us as the adversary or antidikos who is denying us what is
rightfully ours. We must know how to deal with him from the legal
dimension of the spirit. This means we must approach God as Judge in His
judicial system of Heaven and undo every case against us. Before we can
do this, however, we must know what he uses to build those cases and deny
our healing!
There is one more portion of Scripture we need to investigate to
understand the devil’s legal maneuvering in the spirit realm. Revelation
chapter 12, verses 10 and 11, shows this to us:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation,

and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.
 John the Apostle calls the devil “the accuser of [the] brethren” (Rev.
12:10). The Greek word for accuser is kategoros. It means “a complainant
at law.” So when the Bible speaks of “the accuser of the brethren,” it is not
speaking of someone slandering you in the natural. It is speaking of the
devil’s activities in the Courts of Heaven. People can definitely manifest
what is going on in the spirit, but this idea is something happening in the
unseen realm. The accuser is building cases and presenting them before
Heaven’s court. This is to secure the right to devour and consume, if
possible. It is to deny us what Jesus paid for that is rightfully ours.
Notice that this accuser is destined to be cast down. We are told that this
will come by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and not
loving our lives unto death (see Rev. 12:11). If we are to see the accuser’s
case against us dismissed, we must employ these three dimensions. We will
see how to do this in a later chapter so that we can secure the healing that
already belongs to us.
Let’s look at the three main things the devil uses to build cases against
us to stop our healings. They are sin, transgression, and iniquity. We have
seen how these three things contributed to David’s body being weakened
and afflicted.
Sin is the Hebrew word chataah, and it means “an offense.” It comes
from the word chet, which means “a crime and its penalty.” It carries a legal
connotation. Sin is a legal issue. It grants the devil legal ground to work
against us. Again, this is why we are admonished by Peter to guard against
granting the devil legal rights to use against us. First Peter chapter 5 and
verse 8 tells us this can allow us to be devoured:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks

about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

From his legal place in the spirit, the devil is building cases against us to
devour us. This word devour is the Greek word katapino, and it means “to
gulp down entirely.” It also means “to drown.” He cannot devour at will. He
has to discover a legal right to do so. One of the main things the devil uses
to devour, gulp down, and consume is sickness. Sin or anything that is an
offense to God grants our legal opponent this right. Peter said we must be
sober and vigilant not to give him this right!
 There are those who would tell us that the devil has lost all his legal
rights because of the New Covenant established by Jesus. They would even
go so far as to say that I do not realize what grace has done. They would
accuse me of putting people back under bondage and even the law by
talking about sin, transgression, and iniquity. Yet I would point out that
none other than Peter seemed to understand what was happening in the
spirit realm. Please realize that Peter is a New Testament apostle. He clearly
understood that satan is still operating legally against us. This is why he is
telling us to be sober and vigilant. We must not give the devil legal rights or
he will use them against us in the Courts of Heaven. If we have given him
rights, we must have them revoked so that everything Jesus died for us to
have can be ours.
Sin can be connected to the motive or intention of the heart. Jesus
understood this when He spoke in Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 and 22,
about murder and anger:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not
murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the
judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
And whoever says to his brother, “Raca!” shall be in danger of
the council. But whoever says, “You fool!” shall be in danger
of hell fire.

Jesus said that the state of the heart can be more important than the
activity. We must guard our heart. Notice that Jesus said that the words
spoken from a bitter, angry, and hateful heart can cause legal troubles in the
spirit. Anger without a cause can put us in danger of judgment. This is the
Greek word krisis, and it means “a decision from a tribunal for or against
something.” Perhaps we have thought of judgment just being in the
hereafter. What if this occurs in the spirit realm now? What if our words of
anger cause judgments to be rendered against us that grant the devil the
right to devour? We must repent so that these rights are revoked. Could it be
that we are not being healed because we will not deal with our hearts and
our bitterness? There could be a judgment against us in the spirit realm that
will not allow everything Jesus died for to manifest in our life. Please, Lord,
help us!
 As Jesus continued speaking, He said if we say, “Raca” or “you are
worthless,” we could be in danger of the “council.” This word in the Greek
is sunedrion, and it was used to refer to the Jewish Sanhedrin. It meant “a
joint council or a subordinate tribunal.” It was a place where legal decisions
were made. Again, could it be that Jesus was not just cautioning about the
eternal judgment but also about what is currently happening in the legal
dimension of the spirit? Could it be that Jesus was saying there is a
“council” in Heaven where verdicts are being rendered based on the state of
our heart and the words that flow from it? Have our words of ridicule and
judgment against others allowed legal things against us to hold us in
sickness? We must repent. The last thing Jesus addressed were those who
label someone as a “fool.” Jesus says these people can be in danger of the
eternal punishment of hell. It would appear that the first two were about
what can happen to us because of legal rights of the devil to prosecute us.
Then Jesus says that hell can be the final legal rendering against us. The
motive of our hearts and the words that flow from it are very important.
We see this in the life of Job. As I shared in my other books on the
Courts of Heaven, Job went into terrible situations because the devil
brought an accusation against him. The accusation is found in Job chapter
1, verses 8 through 12:

Then the Lord said to satan, “Have you considered My servant

Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and
upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So satan
answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household,
and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the
work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the
land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has,
and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said
to satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not
lay a hand on his person.” So satan went out from the presence
of the Lord.

The accusation of satan against Job was about the motive and intention
of his heart. He accused Job of serving God because of what he could get
out of it. The result was the devastating things through which Job had to
walk. The case satan brought against Job allowed him to do massive harm
to Job. Part of this was sickness and disease. Job chapter 2, verses 6 through
8, tells us that severe boils appeared on Job’s body:

And the Lord said to satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but

spare his life.” So satan went out from the presence of the Lord,
and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the
crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd with
which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

Based on the case satan brought against Job, the Lord rendered a
judgment. Satan could afflict him with disease and sickness but could not
take his life. Job’s sickness was a result of a legal case satan had against
him. The rest of the Book of Job is about this case being answered. Not
only does Job get healed, but restoration comes to him twofold (see Job
42:10).
It is quite interesting that in James chapter 5, verses 9 through 11, James
speaks from a New Testament perspective about what happened to Job. He
connects Job to God as Judge and the Courts of Heaven:

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be

condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My
brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord,
as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them
blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job
and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very
compassionate and merciful.

James cautions against grumbling and speaking evil of others. His

reasoning is that the Judge is at the door. I take this to mean that God is
listening and discerning and judging. Job’s ultimate verdict in the Courts of
Heaven was that he received compassion and mercy from the Lord. Healing
was secured as well as restoration of wealth and prosperity. We must learn
to deal with any motive, wound, hurt, or intention that can be used against
us in the Courts of Heaven. Our healing could hang in the balance.
The second thing satan uses to build a case against us is transgression.
Transgression is the Hebrew word pasha. It means “a revolt or rebellion.”
Transgression comes from a word meaning “to break away from authority.”
We transgress when we throw off restraints and say, “We don’t care what
God thinks; we will do this anyway.” It’s not just about the activity but the
attitude attached to it. When the devil finds these kinds of things in our
lives, he is able to put together a case against us in the Courts of Heaven.
In regard to sickness, we can see this in the story of the man at the Pool
of Bethesda in John chapter 5. In this story, we find a man who is waiting
for the stirring of the waters in the pool. It is said that when the waters stir,
whoever gets into them first will be made whole. The Scripture says there
was a “great multitude of sick people” around this pool (John 5:3). This
speaks of the desperation of people to be made well. Yet only the first one
in the water on a yearly basis was healed. They attributed the stirring of the
water to “an angel” (see John 5:4). This seems like a very cruel scenario.
Only one in the midst of a multitude would get healed. Some claim that this
“angel” that was said to stir the waters could have been a water god. In
other words, it was a demonic entity designed to get attention and worship
(because this is what they desire—see Matthew 4:8) and to distract from
who God really is.
In the midst of this, Jesus comes to a man who has been sick for thirty-
eight years and asks him if he wants to be healed. The obvious answer
would be yes, wouldn’t it? Why would Jesus ask this? If you have had a
medical condition for thirty-eight years, there is a strong possibility that
your identity is now wrapped up in your sickness. In other words, you
wouldn’t know who you were without it. It might seem crazy, but people
can begin to have emotional connections to their illness. It’s what they talk
about, think about, and even live for. These people cannot be healed. In
fact, this attitude can give the devil the legal right to hold them in their
sickness.
Once Jesus affirms that this man desires healing, He speaks the word
and the man responds and is healed. Later Jesus finds the man in John
chapter 5 and verse 14 and reveals why he was sick in the first place:

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See,
you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come
upon you.”
 Jesus clearly says the man’s disease was a result of sin in his life. He
admonishes the man to “sin no more” or something even worse would
come on him (John 5:14). The man’s initial condition was a result of the
devil having the legal right to afflict him. If he went back to his sin, it
would give the devil the legal right to bring something even worse.
Matthew chapter 12, verses 43 through 45, shows us the nature of the
demonic:

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry

places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, “I will
return to my house from which I came.” And when he comes,
he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and
takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is
worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked
generation.

When the devil’s power is broken, he will come back and see if a legal
right is being granted to re-enter. If it is, he and seven more wicked spirits
will come back to torment and afflict. This is what Jesus is warning this
man about. It is possible to get healed but then “lose” your healing because
legal rights are granted the devil. We want to maintain everything the Lord
has graciously given us.
I don’t know what is worse than thirty-eight years of suffering, but
something is. Remember, this man couldn’t even get himself into the water.
So whatever his condition was, it incapacitated him on some level. Jesus
lets us know that this particular malady was joined to sin and transgression,
giving the devil the legal right to accuse him.
We must repent of anything that is in rebellion against God. When I
choose to do what I want to do regardless of what God desires, I am giving
satan evidence to build legal cases against me. The purpose of the devil’s
temptation is to gain evidence against us in the Courts of Heaven. In
Matthew chapter 4 and verse 3, we see satan tempting Jesus:

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the
Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
 The purpose of his temptation was to be able to accuse Jesus in the
Courts of Heaven and deny Him the right to be our Savior. This is the way
the devil works. He tempts us, gets us to fall, and then uses it against us in
God’s court. This is why Peter encouraged us to be on guard. Remember
again First Peter chapter 5 and verse 8:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks

about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We are to protect ourselves from our adversary the devil—our legal

opponent who continually seeks out legal rights to devour. We must not sin,
but if we do, we must repent quickly of every rebellion that allowed it.
Otherwise the devil can use this to bring sickness and disease against us.
The other thing in the spirit realm used to build legal cases against us to
afflict us with disease is iniquity. It is the Hebrew word avon. It means
“perversity.” It comes from a word meaning “to be crooked.” This word is
associated with the sins in our heritage. Jeremiah chapter 14 and verse 20
shows a repentance of personal sins and the iniquities of the fathers:

We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness and the iniquity of

our fathers, for we have sinned against You.

It is the iniquity of the fathers that causes a perversion of our desires

and longings. Iniquities can twist our very nature. We feel pulls of
temptation based on what our fathers have allowed. It gives the devil the
legal right to work against us.
This must have been a common thought in the times of Jesus. The
disciples bring it up as a reason why a man was born in a certain condition.
John chapter 9, verses 1 through 7, chronicles the healing of a blind man:

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from
birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but
that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work
the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is
 coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I
am the light of the world.”

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and

made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the
blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the
pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and
washed, and came back seeing.

The disciples felt it was some kind of sin in this man’s history that
allowed him to be born unable to see. Jesus said that wasn’t the case in this
situation. Many people interpret this passage to mean that the sins of
previous generations cannot cause sickness in a person. I’ve never thought
this was what Jesus was saying. I believe Jesus was referring to this
individual circumstance. He was saying, “In this case, it wasn’t generational
issues that caused the blindness.” Yet the possibility does exist that the
iniquity in a person’s ancestry can give the devil the legal right to bring
such things into being. We must be discerning when dealing with sickness
and disease. This is especially true when people are seeking sincerely yet
are not being healed. Searching out the legal issue that the devil is using to
hold someone in a place of affliction can be essential to that person being
healed. This is what I now understand the Lord meant when He said to my
wife, “You must pray for them correctly or they will die.”
In the chapters to come, we will examine some issues in our bloodline
that satan can use to hold us legally in a place of sickness. If we can discern
his case against us, we can then revoke it by the blood of Jesus in the Courts
of Heaven. Once this occurs, the devil no longer has a legal right to keep us
in this place. We are free to receive fully everything Jesus died for us to
have.
In the next chapter, we will see the legal work of Jesus on the cross and
the verdict that resulted. This is absolutely necessary to recognizing what
we are now doing in the Courts of Heaven. Get ready—healing is close,
even at hand! Here is a prayer to begin to be positioned in His courts:

Lord, thank You for the third dimension of prayer, whereby we

can come before You as Judge. Lord, I ask for Your help to
stand before You in the court system of Heaven and present my
case. I thank You that You help me take everything You have
done and present it before Your courts. As I do, let every
accusation against me be removed, and allow healing to flow
into our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
 THE VERDICT OF JESUS’ CROSS

S EVERAL YEARS AGO, A YOUNG LADY AND HER HUSBAND came to me. She
had been diagnosed with lupus. At the time they came, we were doing
an extended fast. As a church, we were praying three times a day. We
were meeting in prayer in the early morning, at noon, and then also in the
evening. This lady called the offices and asked if she could make an
appointment for me to pray for healing for the lupus with which she had
been diagnosed. I suggested that she and her husband come to the noon
prayer meeting.
They showed up right as the prayer meeting was ending. It ended up
just being the two of them with my son Adam and me in the sanctuary,
where we had been praying. I was very tired from the fast we were on and
having just led the prayer meeting. I didn’t feel inspired or anointed. As the
lady approached me, I laid my hand on her head and began to pray as best I
could in my weakened state. I had prayed for just a short time when I heard
this faint whisper in my spirit: “Rebuke the devil.” So I quietly said, “Satan,
I rebuke you and command you to go.” The very moment I said this, the
lady’s feet went straight up in the air. She landed on her back and shoulders
with great force. Her eyes rolled back into her sockets, showing only murky
white. A guttural voice came from the very petite woman. Speaking to me,
it said, “I judge you.” I was instantly transformed from a weak, tired pastor
to an energized warrior of God. I quickly repositioned myself on the floor
beside the woman. Her husband was backing away in shock at what was
happening to his wife. My son was standing, watching in dismay. As I hit
the floor beside her, I said to the demon force clearly coming from her,
“You judge me? I judge you by the blood of Jesus.” The thing in her
suddenly went silent. I began the process of getting the demon out and her
free. We did in fact do this, and she reported her condition as healed and
restored.
I have never forgotten that encounter. I didn’t understand the Courts of
Heaven then. As I developed an awareness of them, this incident came back
to me. I realized this demon power was trying to use something legal to
keep me from casting it out and getting this woman healed. Its problem was
that I had a revelation of Jesus, His blood, and what He did on the cross!
The cross of Jesus is at its core a legal transaction. In fact, it is the greatest
legal transaction in history. When we function in the Courts of Heaven, we
are operating from the finished work of Jesus on His cross. Jesus’ atoning
work on the cross is the answer to any and every case the devil would try to
use against us. If we are going to be successful in unlocking healing from
the Courts of Heaven, we must understand the cross.
Isaiah chapter 53, verses 1 through 6, provides a glimpse of what Jesus
accomplished on the cross:

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form
or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that
we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a
Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it
were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not
esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
 bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was
upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep
have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Prophetically looking through the centuries, Isaiah sees what Jesus

would accomplish on the cross and declares a transaction and trade that
would change the course of history. He observes the torment of the cross
and speaks of Jesus being rejected by men. He sees mankind not
understanding the price Jesus was paying on the cross for our sins. He says
that we even thought God was smiting Him under His judgment. Yet Jesus’
work on the cross would allow the greatest legal transaction of history. It
would grant God the legal right He needed to forgive and cleanse our sin
forever. It would also release healing to us in every dimension of our lives.
Furthermore, it would be the basis for all restoration. Not only would we as
people be able to be legally reclaimed, but even creation would be restored.
We can never underestimate the power of the cross!
There are at least four things that Isaiah prophetically saw that the cross
would accomplish. The first thing mentioned is that Jesus and His cross
would bear our grief and carry our sorrows. When we read this, we think
Jesus came to deliver us from some sadness, but that is not what this
Scripture is saying. The word grief in Hebrew is choliy, and it means
“disease, malady, calamity, and sickness.” The word sorrow is the Hebrew
word makob, and it means “to have pain, to make sore, to feel pain.” So,
Jesus died on the cross to carry away our sicknesses, diseases, maladies,
and pain. One of His main purposes for dying on the cross was to declare
sickness illegal. As far as God is concerned, because of what Jesus did,
disease, pain, and sickness are illegal and have no right to operate!
When this Scripture is quoted in the New Testament, the translators
make it clearer. Matthew chapter 8, verses 16 and 17, emphasizes this word
from Isaiah with more clarity:

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were
demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and
healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was
 spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our
infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”

Jesus healed “all who were sick” to show He was the One Isaiah was
speaking of. Even though this was before the physical cross, Jesus had
already died before the foundations of the earth. In the spirit realm, it was
legal for Him to release healing to them all because the cross had made it
illegal for sickness to operate! If this was true before the literal cross, how
much more afterward?
Peter perceived this truth and proclaimed it in his writings. First Peter
chapter 2 and verse 24 declares that we are now healed:

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we,
having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose
stripes you were healed.

Peter was aware that when Jesus died on the cross, everything legal that
was necessary for healing was now accomplished. This is why Jesus
declared while on the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). This was a legal
statement. There was nothing left that satan could use to prevent the healing
of God from coming to those who belong to Him. Legal things were now in
place for a full manifestation of healing and wholeness.
It is important to remember here that the cross was a verdict rendered.
The cross granted God the legal right to proclaim sickness illegal. The
additional truth we must factor in is that a verdict not executed has no
power. Even though it has been legally rendered, unless it is acted upon it
has no real authority. We will see in a later chapter how to take the legal
decision of the cross and see it become reality. When this is done, healing is
functionally manifested. Let me illustrate using an example from the
natural. When someone dies, their will, in effect, is a verdict that must be
set into place. There must be an execution of that will before people can get
their inheritance. There is an executor that must do their job or else what is
in the will won’t get into the hands of those for whom it was intended. We
must learn how to operate in this dimension to receive what Jesus legally
supplied for us on the cross. When we do, the legal provision of the cross
will have functional reality.
 Many times, the devil will not let go until we force him to in the Courts
of Heaven. He will try to maintain his case against us to torment and even
kill us with sickness. We will see later some of the things he uses to deny us
what is legally ours. When we understand what Jesus did on the cross, we
can take the activity of the cross and overcome every accusation against us.
This is why Revelation chapter 12, verses 10 and 11, says we overcome the
accuser with the blood of the Lamb:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation,

and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.…”

We take the work of Jesus on the cross and use the testimony of the
blood to secure the healing Jesus legally provided us. We silence the case of
the accuser, or kategoros, against us. Remember that the kategoros is one
who brings a complaint in a judicial system. When his complaint is silenced
by the blood, healing can manifest.
Healing is the first thing Isaiah mentions that the cross of Jesus legally
secured. Isaiah continues by declaring that Jesus “was wounded for our
transgressions, [and] bruised for our iniquities…” (Isa. 53:5). The cross of
Jesus legally dealt with every aspect of our sin. What Jesus did on the cross
gave God the legal right to forgive! The Lord always wanted to forgive, but
He needed the legal right. This is why in the Old Testament God could only
cover the sins or roll them back for a year. The blood of the sacrifice
allowed for only a partial and temporary redemption. When Jesus died on
the cross and shed His blood, it enabled the Lord not only to legally cover,
but to cleanse. Now our sins are forgiven and washed away. We are
redeemed, justified, and made righteous by His blood. The heart of the Lord
toward us has always been love, mercy, redemption, and forgiveness. He
now has a legal right for us to receive fully from His gracious hand. When
we obey First John chapter 1 and verse 9, we execute the verdict of the
cross for our forgiveness.
 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Our confession of sin releases His faithfulness, which speaks of His

covenant-keeping nature, and His justice, which speaks of His legal nature,
into place. Through our confession we have secured the verdict rendered
into place. We are forgiven and cleansed because the verdict of the cross is
now executed.
The next thing Isaiah says the cross will do is bring us peace in our
emotions and minds. He declares, “…The chastisement for our peace was
upon Him…” (Isa. 53:5). In other words, Jesus was chastised and tormented
so that we could have peace. This is the answer for emotional and mental
struggles. The cross of Jesus is a verdict that can bring healing in every
area. He took our emotional pain and mental distress and gave us His peace.
John chapter 14 and verse 27 shows Jesus telling His disciples that He is
giving them His peace:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the

world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.

Jesus can give us His peace because of the verdict rendered on the cross
against demonic assault on our minds and emotions.
Years ago in my twenties, I went through a hellish experience. I awoke
one morning in the early hours while it was still dark. The very presence of
evil was in the room. It seemed as if I was staring the devil in the face. I felt
like I was losing my mind. It is difficult for me to explain, but I felt like I
was hanging on a precipice and if I let go I would fall into a bottomless pit.
There was nothing wrong in the natural, just normal life pressures. There
was no explanation for what I was experiencing. I tried to talk to some
people about it, but they didn’t seem to understand. I felt completely alone.
All I could do was cry out to the Lord. When I tried to read the Word, it
tormented me. I would only see and feel judgment. This went on for
months. I managed to function normally in my daily life while all along I
was severely tormented in my mind.
 One day my pastor came to me and told me he had a dream. In his
dream, several demonic powers had me pinned to the ground and were
sitting on my chest. They had hatchets in their hand and were striking at my
head, trying to split it open and destroy me. He said that as they would
strike, I would move my head to dodge their blow. They were barely
missing me. When he told me the dream, it resonated with me. This was
exactly what was happening. Yet there was no relief.
I asked my mother if there was any mental illness in our family history.
She informed me that one of my uncles on my father’s side exhibited and
was thought to have these issues. I somehow knew what I was experiencing
was being empowered by a legal right in my bloodline even though I had no
awareness of the Courts of Heaven at this time. I continued to cry out to
God. I thought about going to the doctor. I knew that if I did, they would
put me on some antidepressant medication. I was certain they would
diagnose me as depressed, or something even worse. I would walk outside
in absolute terror, trying to hold it all together, and look up at the stars. I
was trying to find any kind of significance that I could. I was tormented. I
knew the Word of God promised me peace. I knew Jesus was tormented
mentally, physically, and emotionally for me to have peace. I began to
confess Psalm chapter 56 and verse 3:

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

I confessed it constantly. I would say it out loud, under my breath, in a

whisper. I declared, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You” (see Ps. 56:3).
Slowly and surely, the fear began to diminish. The torment began to leave.
The constant sense of dread started to lift. As I continued to confess the
Word, peace came to me. I was accessing the finished works of the cross. I
was getting the benefit of what Jesus died for me to have through my
confession of faith. My peaceful mind returned, and everything came to
rest.
I have thought about that period in my life many times. I’m sure I could
have gotten medical help and been placed on medication to correct a
chemical imbalance. However, I knew that in my case it was a demonic
assault to take away my destiny. I was able to get the power of the cross
activated in my life. I want to be very clear though: if someone needs
medical help for depression or anything else, please get it. Thank God that
He has given doctors wisdom to treat people. I also know that Jesus
suffered unimaginable torment so we can have His peace. He took our
distresses and gave us His peace that is beyond understanding.
The last thing Isaiah mentions that Jesus accomplished was “…by His
stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). It’s interesting to me that Isaiah begins
with Jesus taking away our sickness and disease in healing and finishes
with healing as well. Healing is the book-ends to everything in between.
God at His very core is a healer. It’s His nature. When Jesus suffered on the
cross, He legally set in place everything necessary for us to access His
healing nature. He did in fact “finish” the work. We must now learn how to
take what Jesus did and use it legally until every sickness dries up. His
sacrifice is all we need.
There is one more thing about the cross that I would like us to see.
Remember Paul showed us in First Corinthians chapter 2, verses 1 through
5, the power of the cross:

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with

excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the
testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything
among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with
you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my
speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of
human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the
power of God.

Paul determined not to know anything among them except Jesus and
Him crucified. He then begins to speak of the necessity of the power of
God. It is the message of the cross that releases the power. When the cross
is preached, the power will manifest.
There is an Old Testament emblem that represents the cross. It is
Passover. Every time you read about the Passover in the Old Testament, you
are reading about the cross of Jesus. The Passover was the time when the
Passover lamb was killed and offered for Israel’s sin. This was a prophetic
look at who Jesus would be and what He would do on the cross. In Exodus
chapter 12, we see the Lord instituting this Passover. He tells Moses to have
the children of Israel kill a lamb per household. They are to apply the blood
of that lamb to the doorpost of their dwellings. The reason for this is that
God is about to judge Egypt and set His people free after more than four
hundred years of bondage. He is going to break the back of this satanic
system that is holding His people captive. Exodus chapter 12, verses 7
through 13, unveils the command of the Lord for this Passover:

And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with
unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not
eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its
head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it
remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you
shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on
your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your
hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will
strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and
beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute
judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you
on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will
pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy
you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Israelites had two basic commands attached to this Passover. They
were to apply the blood of the lamb to the door-post. This would be a
marking or sign that would allow them to escape judgment. As the Lord
would judge Egypt from His courts (remember that judgment is an activity
of a court), Israel would not be judged. The blood of the Lamb of God is
our defense against judgment. The blood gives us what we need to escape
judgment and be found innocent. We overcome every accusation against us
by the blood of the Lamb (see Rev. 12:10-11).
The second command was to eat the carcass of the roasted lamb whose
blood had been applied to their doorpost. The roasted lamb speaks of the
torment and torture Jesus went through for us. Jesus, as the Lamb of God,
was put through intense suffering for us. All the beating, chastising, and
ultimately death was Jesus fulfilling the prophetic picture of that lamb that
was roasted.
By eating the lamb they were declaring that they were partaking of all
Jesus would accomplish on the cross. They were to eat it with bitter herbs.
Perhaps, among other meanings, this speaks of the bitter places we might
walk through as we partake of the Lamb and His provisions. Our Christian
experience is not always absent of hardship. There are times when we
encounter pain and difficulty. These are the bitter herbs with which they
were to eat the lamb.
They also were to eat all of it. This means that we are to partake of
everything that Jesus is. Many people like the blessing side of Jesus. How
about the side of Jesus where He says we must forsake all to completely
follow Him (see Luke 14:33)? In other words, we cannot pick and choose
the aspects of Jesus we want and leave others out. We must be willing to
fully follow and obey as the Holy Spirit empowers us. I believe this must be
our heart and attitude to get the full benefits of Jesus’ legal activity on the
cross.
Furthermore, they were to eat this lamb with their clothes and shoes on
and with their staff in their hand. In other words, they had to act like they
were going somewhere. These were Jews who had been in captivity in
Egypt for 430 years. Yet right then, God was promising them that they were
going to leave Egypt by morning. Something that had not happened in 430
years was about to happen overnight. They had to believe this and act like
they thought it was about to happen—and it did. They were being told to
put confidence in the power of this Passover. God was about to judge all
their enemies, and they were going to be free.
Faith is very important to getting the benefits of Jesus and His cross.
This is why there were times Jesus said, “Be it unto you according to your
faith” (see Matt. 9:29). Everything we get, we get through the faith realm.
Faith is when we decide to take God at His word. It is when we choose to
let what God says trump all other voices. We believe by revelation the word
of the Lord to us. This is why they were to eat this Passover lamb ready to
leave. They were symbolically declaring that as they partook of this
sacrifice of the lamb, a miracle of deliverance was coming. So often people
do not get what the cross has legally provided because they can’t get past
the foolishness of faith. They allow their past experiences or logic to
overwhelm them. The Apostle Paul even spoke of the foolishness of the
cross to some. First Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 18 tells us this:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are

perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Notice that those who believe in the cross and Jesus’ activities on it are
granted power unto salvation. Those who mock or disbelieve perish. It is
essential for us to believe what Jesus, as the Lamb of God, did for us on His
cross. When we do, we can experience His power that saves us from
anything that is against us.
The final thought I want to bring about this Passover is that as they
partook of the roasted lamb, healing flowed through the ranks of Israel.
Psalm chapter 105, verses 36 and 37, gives us three things the Passover, or
the cross in a shadow or prophetic emblem, did for the Jews:

He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, the first of all
their strength. He also brought them out with silver and gold,
and there was none feeble among His tribes.

God destroyed their firstborn and gave Israel deliverance from captivity.
He also brought them out with prosperity. They had been poor slaves, but
overnight they became rich Jews. Prosperity is something that should be
believed for. The cross legally destroys the poverty spirit. This passage also
says that “…there was none feeble among [them]” (Ps. 105:37). They were
completely healed. There were none who were weak, much less sick or
diseased. How could this be with millions of Jews who had served under
cruel slavery for centuries? As they ate the roasted lamb on that night, they
partook of the life that was to flow from the cross centuries later. In a sense,
they ate healing to themselves; that is to say, they appropriated what Jesus
would do for them years later.
The blood of the Lamb is for our forgiveness. Through Jesus’ blood we
are forgiven, redeemed, brought into covenant, protected, and remembered
by God. Through His body that was on the cross (the roasted lamb) we are
healed. Remember He bore away our sicknesses and carried away our pains
in His body as the Lamb. This was all done legally by Jesus’ activities on
the cross.
When all these Jews, in obedience to God’s command, ate the roasted
lamb on Passover night, healing flowed through them all. In every
household, diseases were instantly healed. Sicknesses and maladies dried up
as they put the meat of the lamb into their mouths. As they partook of the
provisions of this lamb, wholeness came to an entire nation. What a
powerful thing. This was the result of the cross of Jesus in a prophetic
symbol. If this can happen from just something that was a sign of what was
to come, what can happen from the reality of it? The cross of Jesus is the
activity we needed for healing to become ours. It has been purchased, paid
for, and legally set in place. We must know how to take advantage of what
Jesus has done so we can gain the benefits of it. The cross, sacrifice, and
blood of Jesus is all we need to be healed. We must know how to go into the
Courts of Heaven and claim what is legally ours. Many of us will have to
answer the accusations the devil is trying to use against us to keep us sick.
The cross and Jesus’ blood is everything we need to get the fullness of what
Jesus legally secured. Because of all that Jesus has done as our Passover
Lamb, there is no case against us that we cannot win. We can step into the
Courts of Heaven and win every time! Here is a prayer to apprehend what
Jesus did for us on the cross:

Lord as we stand before You, I thank You for all that was
accomplished on the cross. Thank You so much for the suffering
you endured that legally provided us with healing. We believe
that when You died on the cross, You bore away every sickness
and carried away all our pains. I also believe that because of
the stripes You endured, I am healed. I receive from Your cross
the healing flow, and by faith I apprehend it. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
REBELLION AND THE BLOODLINE

R REMEMBER THAT THE DEVIL’S POWER TO DEVOUR IS connected to his

ability to build legal cases against us (see 1 Peter 5:8). He is the
antidikos, or “one who brings a lawsuit against us.” He uses sin,
transgression, and iniquity to secure these rights. The blood of the Lamb in
the Courts of Heaven answers all of the devil’s accusations. Revelation
chapter 12, verses 10 and 11, gives us further insight into this:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation,

and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.”

Satan is called “the accuser of [the] brethren” (Rev. 12:10). You will
remember that as the accuser, or katagoros, he is a complainant at law. He
is accusing us day and night. This means he is perpetually presenting cases
against us, seeking to gain the legal right to devour us.
To present a case in a court you must have evidence. One of the main
sources that satan uses to get evidence against us is our bloodline. Sin,
transgression, and the rebellions in which our forefathers have walked
provide this for the satanic realm. We must recognize this and ask the Holy
Spirit to provide any understanding we need. When dealing with sickness
that does not seem to respond to the healing that is rightfully ours, we
should examine this area. Hidden within our bloodline could be the legal
issue satan is using.
Many people point out that bloodline issues are not something with
which New Testament believers should be concerned. We will get into the
spiritual transactions concerning this later. Suffice it to say here that the
New Testament does place an emphasis on natural bloodlines. For instance,
Jesus warned the religious leaders that the sin of their forefathers made
them guilty. Matthew chapter 23, verses 29 through 33, shows Jesus
speaking strongly to these leaders:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you

build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of
the righteous, and say, “If we had lived in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the
blood of the prophets.” Therefore you are witnesses against
yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the
prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the
condemnation of hell? (Matthew 23:29-33)

Jesus taunted them with the fact that their fathers had killed the
prophets. As a result of their fathers’ actions, they were guilty as well. Jesus
realized that unless they dealt with the issues in their bloodline, they would
suffer the consequences of their fathers’ sins. He actually said for them to “
fill up,” or complete their fathers’ sins (Matt. 23:32). This means that they
were to fulfill anything left out so that legally complete judgment could
come. It was their fathers’ sins mixed with their present sin that would
allow judgment to fall legally. This happened to them as a nation in a.d. 70
when Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple annihilated. This occurred
not just because they rejected and killed Jesus, but also because of what
their fathers had done to the prophets.
Jesus continues in Matthew chapter 23, verses 34 and 35, by showing
them the results of both their own and their fathers’ sin:

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:

some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you
will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth,
from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son
of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the
altar.

Notice that Jesus says to the present generation that they are guilty of
murdering all the prophets from Abel to Zechariah. The people to whom
Jesus is speaking weren’t even alive when these prophets died, and yet they
are being declared guilty of these horrible sins. This is because their fathers
had actually committed the crimes. As far as Jesus was concerned, this
made them guilty as well. Jesus understood the nature of the spirit realm.
He knew that the sins of the fathers would be used against the children
legally. They needed to repent of not just their sin, but also the iniquity of
the fathers.
In Romans chapter 11, verses 28 and 29, we see a New Testament
bloodline emphasis:

Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but
concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the
fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Paul says the Jews are beloved for the fathers’ sake. In other words,
God is paying attention to the Jews as a people because of the covenant He
made with their fathers. They will have opportunity for salvation because of
their bloodline and who their fathers were. Bloodlines can determine the
favor, privileges, and blessings afforded us. God honors bloodlines. Satan
seeks to use them legally against us.
 Another Scripture that reveals this is Romans chapter 3, verses 1 and 2:

What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of

circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them
were committed the oracles of God.

Paul says the Jews have an advantage and a profit because of their
bloodline. The fact that God trusted them with His word and principles
causes God to honor them as a people. This is a bloodline issue. The spirit
dimension pays attention to bloodlines. God legally honors and blesses on
the bases of bloodlines. The devil seeks the legal right to devour, hinder,
and destroy as a result of bloodlines. What our fathers have done does have
a legal effect in the spirit realm over us.
I have discovered there are at least five distinct realms connected to our
bloodlines. These can provide the devil with testimony or evidence against
us. These five are rebellion, trades, covenants, dedications, and words.
Some of these will overlap with each other. It is important, though, that we
can see each one. They can then be legally removed through the blood of
the Lamb. Through faith we can take what Jesus did for us and dissolve the
legal issue that satan would use to torment us with sickness. Once the legal
issue is revoked and removed, healing can manifest.
I will first mention rebellion in our bloodline that is used legally by
satan. This is the outright sin committed by our ancestors when they, in
rebellion against God, walked contrary to Him and His ways. We are told in
First Samuel chapter 15 and verse 23 that rebellion and stubbornness
connect us to demonic things:

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as

iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the
Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.

If people in our bloodlines walked in rebellion against the Lord, this can
give the devil the legal right to afflict with sickness. Witchcraft is the
agreement with demon powers. Idolatry is the worship of something that is
empowered by demons. Any time either of these things is done, there is an
agreement with demon powers that legally invites their influence. We must
repent of any time our ancestors walked in rebellion and sinned against
God.
We see this in the life of Asa, king of Judah. Asa served God and had
good success. Yet the success seemed to cause arrogance and pride to come
into his life. Later on, a prophet confronts Asa concerning his reliance on
the flesh rather than God. Asa had counted on other nations, rather than the
Lord, to defend Israel. The prophet came to call Asa to repentance
concerning his misappropriated confidence. In Second Chronicles chapter
16 and verse 10, we see Asa’s response to him:

Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he
was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of
the people at that time.

Instead of repenting, Asa punishes this seer who came with the
prophetic word of the Lord to correct him. He also attacks some of the
people in his kingdom—probably those who disagreed with his decisions.
In the next verses, the Bible reveals that a sickness beset Asa. The
writer seemingly is connecting Asa’s sin and rebellion to the sickness that
befell him. Second Chronicles chapter 16, verses 12 and 13, reveals how
Asa develops a malady in his feet that ultimately kills him:

And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased

in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did
not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his
fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.

Notice that Asa’s sin of not trusting the Lord potentially allowed the
sickness to continue because he did not seek the Lord in his condition. We
know that God does not afflict with sickness. We have established this. The
Lord is good. However, the devil does take advantage of our sin and
rebellion to legally be able to harass us with disease. Our rebellion can give
him the legal right to bring sickness against us. Repentance is necessary to
revoke that right. Yet in Asa’s case, instead of repenting, he continued in his
rebellion until he died. We must learn to walk in the fear of the Lord and be
tender before the Lord. This will allow us to repent rather than harden our
hearts. We must also deal with any rebellion in our bloodline that is
allowing the devil the legal right to torment us with maladies. The rebellion
in our bloodline can make us susceptible to rebellion ourselves. We can find
a propensity in ourselves toward rebellion because of the rebellion of our
ancestors.
Please be aware that I am not implying we sin or are in rebellion against
God if we go to doctors. This is not what the Scripture is saying or
implying. I believe we should always make the Lord the One we trust for
healing. It is not wrong, however, to believe that God can use a doctor to
bring healing. The Lord may use natural means or supernatural means to
bring healing. All healing comes from the Lord, who is Jehovah Rapha, the
Lord Who Heals. Asa’s problem was in his rebellion. He did not seek the
Lord. He put his confidence in the flesh apart from God. This was rebellion
against the Lord in a severe way. It was the continuation of a lifestyle and
attitude in which he had walked for many years.
Exodus chapter 15 and verse 26 promises that God, through His nature
as healer, will heal His people as they walk obediently before Him:

…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do
what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and
keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you
which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who
heals you.

Notice how in these lines God says that if His people heed His voice, do
what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments, and keep all His
statutes, He will see to it that the sickness of Egypt will not touch them. He
will reveal Himself as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Who Heals. So if we, or
those in our bloodline, walk in rebellion against the Lord, it gives the devil
a legal right to build cases against us and resist our healing. We must know
how to repent and ask for the blood of Jesus to speak for us before His
courts.
Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 24 tells us that the blood of Jesus is
speaking or releasing testimony on our behalf in the Courts of Heaven:

to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of

sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
 Everything mentioned in Hebrews chapter 12, verses 22 through 24, is
legal in nature. It speaks of “God the Judge of all” (Heb. 12:23). It talks of
“the Mediator of the new covenant” (Heb. 12:24). It mentions “the spirits
of just men made perfect,” which is a reference to the “great…cloud of
witnesses” in Hebrews 12:1 (Heb. 12:23,1). The word witnesses here is the
Greek word martus, and it means “a judicial witness.” Those who have
already died and are in Heaven have a judicial place in the Courts of
Heaven. They are releasing testimony that allows God to move legally from
the Courts of Heaven. They are still engaged in activities to ensure that
what they lived and gave their lives for becomes reality. It is up to us to
agree with Heaven as much as we can. When we do, we see Heaven
manifested on the earth.
The blood of Jesus is one of the voices speaking. When we repent for
any and all sin and unrighteousness, we activate and agree with the voice of
the blood. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all uncleanness and
unrighteousness. First John chapter 1 and verse 7 tells us that as we walk
with the Lord, the blood actually “keeps on cleansing” us:

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have

fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin.

In the Greek, this verse literally speaks and implies that the blood has an
ongoing cleansing effect in our lives. This makes sense because in Hebrews
12:24, the blood is speaking. It is not just something that spoke, but it
continues to speak and bear witness to us. This consistent and persistent
speaking allows there to be a cleansing that continues to free us from
uncleanness and fashion us into His image! This is the power of the blood
of Jesus.
I believe that not only does the voice of the blood cleanse, protect,
guard, and grant entrance into His presence, but it also causes God to
remember us! The voice of the blood testifies that we are in covenant with
the Lord, and therefore God remembers us. Jesus’ blood is the blood of the
covenant! I pray quite often, “Thank You, Lord, for remembering me
because of the blood.” I am agreeing with the testimony of the blood. When
I do, I cease to be just a human going to Heaven. I am now one saying,
“Lord, let me have an impact with my life. Remember me and use me for
Your glory. Fulfill Your promises to me.”
The Bible says that God remembered Noah. In Genesis chapter 8 and
verse 1, we see the Lord calling to mind Noah:

Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all
the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a
wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

God “remembering” is not about Him logically being aware of us. How
could God forget Noah? He and his family are the only ones left alive on
the earth. So, God remembering was not simply about awareness; it was
about the remembering of His purpose and intent in their lives. It was about
the specialness of God paying attention to them. It was about God posturing
Himself to respond to them! This is what the blood does in our behalf. As
the blood speaks of us to the Lord, it causes us to be remembered before
Him. This is why I say before the Lord, “I agree with the voice of the blood
of Jesus!”
Understanding the power of the blood is essential to dealing with my
personal rebellion and the rebellion associated with my bloodline. When I
repent and agree with the testimony of Jesus’ blood, I am forgiven.
Additionally, my bloodline is cleansed. Any case the devil has against me is
revoked. The legal right that satan would have been using against me is
now removed. I am free to receive the healing Jesus died for me to have.
There are four areas the Lord told the children of Israel that they needed
to be careful not to rebel against. Again, we see these in Exodus chapter 15
and verse 26:

…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do
what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and
keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you
which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who
heals you.

First, we must heed the “voice” of the Lord. This means that we must
pay attention to the living word spoken to us from the Lord. If we have
heard the Lord and disregarded what He said, we have rebelled. There are
times when God gives us a specific word that we must obey. Perhaps it was
a command for us to do something we didn’t want to do. This act of
disobedience to God’s spoken word can grant the devil the legal right to
afflict us.
Also, many times in Scripture people seeking healing were given a
word from the voice of the Lord that they had to obey in order to secure
their health. We see this in both the Old and New Testament. Naaman, who
was a leper, was told to go and dip in the river Jordan seven times. His
prejudice against the Jewish people and his assumption of how the healing
would come almost caused him to rebel. We see this in Second Kings
chapter 5, verses 10 through 14:

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in

the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you,
and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and
went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely
come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his
God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’
Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus,
better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them
and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. And his
servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if
the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not
have done it? How much more then, when he says to you,
‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped seven
times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God;
and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he
was clean.

When Elisha didn’t do it the way Naaman imagined, rebellion rose in

his heart. His indignation at the prophet’s lack of honor for him, his
presumption of how he should be treated, and his bias against Israel almost
caused him to rebel and miss the healing. If it hadn’t been for the counsel
and wisdom of one of his servants, Naaman would have died a leper. The
Lord was doing more than just healing Naaman through this command. He
was unveiling and dealing with issues of the heart. So often it is issues of
the heart that prohibit us from being healed. If we can allow the rebellion in
our heart to be surrendered, healing can manifest!
Another story, this one in the New Testament, shows obedience to the
“voice” of God as necessary in receiving healing. In John chapter 9, verses
6 and 7, we see Jesus healing a man who was born blind. In this situation,
Jesus makes clay from the dirt and His saliva. He applies it to the man’s
eyes and commands him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and

made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the
blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the
pool of Siloam.”

Many believe that not only was this man born blind, but he actually had
no eyes in the sockets. They believe that Jesus performed a creative miracle
by taking the dirt and dust of the earth and completing a prophetic act. The
creative power of God manifested and formed eyes in the empty sockets of
this man. Remember that God formed Adam from the dust of the earth.
Jesus, as the creative power of God, was doing the same thing with the dust
of the earth and His saliva. What a glorious God we serve who loves us
magnificently!
Jesus then gives the command, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (John
9:7). Even though Jesus had performed a prophetic act, the need for the man
to obey the voice of the Lord was necessary. The man, though blind, found
his way to the pool and obeyed. The Bible then makes the following
statement: he “came back seeing” (John 9:7). Wow! The man’s obedience
to the voice of God caused the miracle to occur. We must do away with
every rebellious idea that would deter us from complete obedience. Maybe
the Lord will just heal us with no real effort on our part. Maybe He might
require something of us as obedience to His voice. We mustn’t rebel. We
must obey completely and see the glory of God.
The next thing we are cautioned not to rebel against is “[doing] what is
right in His sight” (Exod. 15:26). This gives us the idea that the Lord is
watching and evaluating us. When we recognize this, we begin to walk in
the fear of the Lord. Proverbs chapter 5 and verse 21 shows that God is
watching the way we live:
 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He
ponders all his paths.

We are to endeavor to walk before the Lord, pleasing Him. The word
ponder is the Hebrew word palac, and it means “to roll flat, to revolve, and
to weigh.” I take this to mean that the Lord is evaluating my walk before
Him. He is examining my life by rolling everything out and looking at
things from every angle. The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 4, verses 12
and 13, that everything is being searched out by Him:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature
hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the
eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Through the Word, the Lord searches our soul and spirit, joints and
marrow, and discerns intents and thoughts. Everything is naked and open
before His eyes. He is looking at everything. The admonition is to walk
before His sight and not rebel. We must be aware of His gaze upon our lives
and seek to please Him always out of a love relationship.
This kind of awareness gives birth to the fear of the Lord, which was
absolutely necessary to creating the atmosphere where miracles could
occur. Acts chapter 2 and verse 43 connects the fear of the Lord and signs
and wonders occurring:

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs
were done through the apostles.

When we have an awareness of walking in “His sight,” we walk in the

fear of the Lord. The atmosphere for signs and wonders is in place. May the
Lord help us to walk righteously, reverently, and respectfully before the
Lord and His presence. May all rebellion be removed from us and complete
surrender be the order.
The next thing mentioned against which we mustn’t rebel is the
commandments of the Lord. This word commandments in the Hebrew is
mitzvah. It means “a commandment, whether human or divine.” It comes
from the Hebrew word tsavah, which means, among other ideas, “to send a
messenger.” So, we could say the commandments of the Lord through His
messengers are to be obeyed. Often we don’t have a problem obeying God’s
voice when we personally hear it. Yet if God uses someone else to speak to
us, we can struggle with hearing it as from the Lord.
We see this even in the days after Jesus’ resurrection. In Mark chapter
16 and verse 14, Jesus challenges the unbelief of His disciples when He
appears to them in a resurrected form:

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and

He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they
did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Notice Jesus rebuked the unbelief and hardness of heart because they
didn’t believe those who had seen Him. How often do we miss visitations
from the Lord because we can’t receive from those who have “seen” Him?
How often does our arrogance, rebellion, and pride prevent someone else
who has had a revelation of the Lord from affecting us? We must repent for
this. This can legally be used against us by the devil in the Courts of
Heaven. This rebellion could stop us from receiving fully what Jesus died
for us to have. May we learn to wholly humble ourselves before the Lord
and His messengers.
The last thing mentioned is the keeping of statutes (see Exod. 15:26).
Statute is the Hebrew word choq. It means “an appointment” or “a set
time.” It comes from the idea of enacting laws. Part of the statutes or
appointments of the Lord were the Jewish feasts that Israel was commanded
to observe every year. They were to appear before the Lord three times a
year.

Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall
keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

They had to appear before the Lord at the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Then Israel came before the Lord at the Feast of Harvest. Then they
finished the required feasts with the Feast of Ingathering. In all these
gatherings, they had to present themselves before the Lord.
 I realize that these feasts have deep prophetic significance. I know they
are, at the very least, prophetic emblems. I also realize that many find deep
fulfillment in worshiping the Lord with these occasions, even now in our
time. I have no problem with this. My heart in this book is to share how the
devil uses things in the spirit to disallow the healing God has for us. I
believe that we should have “appointed” times of presenting ourselves
before the Lord. We should “keep” these times with Him. There is no
substitute for being with the Lord and allowing Him the privilege of
searching us out. This actually can keep the devil from having legal grounds
from which to accuse us. If we are keeping “short accounts” with the Lord,
there is nothing for satan to build his case with.
This is why we are exhorted to repent quickly. Revelation chapter 2 and
verse 5 commands us to move quickly in repentance:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do

the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove
your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Jesus said He would come quickly and deal with us if we didn’t repent.
If He is coming quickly, then this means we should move quickly to
repentance. In other words, we shouldn’t be lackadaisical about repenting
and getting back into line. We must move in the fear of the Lord and seek to
be in order before Him. This was one of the purposes of the feast. They
were to present themselves before the Lord so that they could be examined
before Him. I want to allow the Holy Spirit the right to come and search me
out to see if I am lining up with Him. We must give and grant the Lord this
right.
To obey in these four areas we must guard against the rebellion that the
devil could use to resist our healing. He knows the Lord said that He would
be our healer if we did these four things. Again, the first requirement is
ready obedience to the voice of the Lord, or His revealed word. The second
is doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. We must live our life in view
of the Lord. The third is to honor and receive from messengers sent into our
lives with the commandments of the Lord. The fourth is to present
ourselves for the scrutiny of the Lord so as to allow Him to purge us from
anything displeasing. If we will do these four things, we can remove every
legal right the devil might have gained through either our rebellion or our
ancestors’. We are then free to receive fully the healing Jesus died for us to
have. Here’s a prayer to help you step into this realm:

Lord, I come before You, the Judge of all the earth. I ask for
Your courts to open before me. As I enter Your courts, I repent
of everything You said would hinder me from being healed. I
repent for any and all rebellion in my life. I also repent for any
rebellion in my bloodline that would be allowing the devil’s
case against me. I repent for every place I have not heard and
obeyed Your voice. Wherever I have rebelled against Your
revealed word, I repent. (If you have an awareness of a specific
place, you should repent for that here.) I also repent and ask
for the blood of Jesus to forgive and cleanse me for every time I
have not walked correctly in Your sight. Wherever I might have
disregarded Your desires and will, I repent. Please forgive me
for this. I also repent for this concerning my blood-line. I
repent now for any place I have rebelled against messengers
You sent with Your word and commandment. Please, Lord,
forgive me and my bloodline. I repent now for being lazy and
distracted from presenting myself before You. Every time I
disregarded the drawing of Your Holy Spirit to present myself
before You, I repent. I ask please, Lord, for Your forgiveness to
wash over me. I claim Colossians chapter 2 and verse 14. I
declare that the blood of Jesus removes every accusation
against me. I declare that anything and everything contrary to
me is revoked. Your blood, Lord, removes everything that is
against me. I ask that any and all rebellion in me and
associated with my bloodline be revoked and removed this
instant. I ask that the devil, my adversary, can no longer use it
to build cases against me and resist my healing. I ask, Lord, for
a full manifestation of my healing to come to me now. Thank
You, Lord, for all You did for me through Your death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension. I receive it fully now into my life
and body through the power of the Holy Spirit.
 UNDOING TRADES

Y OU MAY NOT HAVE RECOGNIZED THIS, BUT “TRADING” is an activity in the

spirit realm. It is possible to trade in God’s economy, but also in the
devil’s realm. Everything is a trade in the spirit world. In fact, the
cross of Jesus was the greatest trade of all. Second Corinthians chapter 5
and verse 21 tells us that Jesus traded His righteousness for our sin:

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus became sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God.

Wow! Jesus was willing to take His life of righteousness and trade it for us.
As a result of this trade, we have salvation.
To understand trading in the spirit world, we need to go back to before
creation. Ezekiel chapter 28, verses 14 through 16, speaks of an angelic
being that became satan. These verses are commonly thought to be referring
to the devil while he was yet in the heavenly courts:
 You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you;
you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and
forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways
from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.
By the abundance of your trading you became filled with
violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a
profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you,
O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.

Satan, while he was yet one of the angelic beings, traded in the spirit
realm in which he lived and functioned. This means that there is trading in
Heaven. This Scripture is not saying that trading is wrong. It was the
iniquity found in him that defiled his trading.
The state of the heart is what determines whether trading is good or bad.
Trading is in fact a correct function of the spirit or heavenly realm. The
condition of the heart from which the trading is done determines whether it
is polluted or not. When satan, as an angelic being, traded with a defiled
heart and from iniquity, he “ became filled with violence” (Ezek. 28:16).
This probably speaks of the rebellion he fostered in Heaven. It is thought
that a third of the angels followed him (see Rev. 12:3-4). He convinced
them to “trade away” their status in Heaven for the promise of something
better. The result of this trade was that war and violence broke out in
Heaven. Revelation chapter 12, verses 7 through 9, tells us about this war
and violence:

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but
they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven
any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of
old, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world;
he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Because of this trade made in Heaven, satan and his angels lost the
position and place that they previously had. This is still the tactic that satan
uses against us as the tempter. He seeks to convince us that if we will trade
with him, we will increase and gain something. Before we go any deeper
into how satan uses trading to hold us in sickness, let me establish trading
as a proper activity of the spirit realm.
Just like there are trading floors in the natural realm, there are trading
floors in the spirit realm. In the natural, all over the world, people step onto
trading floors every day. Wall Street, in New York City, is of course the
most famous one. From Wall Street the economies of the world are affected.
This is a result of the trading that is going on there. When economies are
affected, nations are altered. There is great power in trading from trading
floors. There are also trading floors in the spirit as well. Jesus alluded to
this in the Parable of the Minas. Luke chapter 19, verses 11 through 25, tells
the story of a certain nobleman who commits certain portions of his wealth
to his servants. He tells them to “do business” with this currency until he
comes back. When he returns, he summons the servants to see how much
they have gained with his wealth. The Bible uses a very interesting term in
Luke chapter 19 and verse 15. The nobleman wants to see how much they
gained through trading.

And so it was that when he returned, having received the

kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had
given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how
much every man had gained by trading.

They were to have taken the currency entrusted to them and traded with
it to produce something greater.
This is a great principle concerning the accumulation of wealth.
However, currency, or something of value, can be much more than natural
money. We have been entrusted with time, gifts, energy, favor, anointing,
and many other valuable things. How we trade with these currencies
determines what is produced and gained. We trade every day. Our whole
life is a trade. We take the very life that has been granted to us and trade it.
This is why Paul, in Second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 15, speaks of
“spending” himself.

And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls;
though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.
 Paul said he would trade himself away for their betterment. In the
natural, we take literal currency and trade it for other things. Paul said he
was taking spiritual currency and trading for others’ benefit. He saw
himself as one who was to take what he had and trade with it for someone
else’s blessing. He further declared, “Even if you don’t see the sacrifice I
am making, I’m still willing to make this trade.” This was the very spirit of
Christ operating in Paul. Just like Jesus traded His life for us, so Paul was
willing to trade for the lives of others.
Many times we are stepping onto trading floors in the spirit realm and
don’t even know it. Our actions, attitudes, sacrifices, and gifts are being
acknowledged in the spirit realm. This is what is being implied when the
Bible declares in Ezekiel chapter 28 and verse 14 that satan walked on fiery
stones before his fall:

You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you;

you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and
forth in the midst of fiery stones.

The judgment against satan as he was cast out was that he lost his place
on the fiery stones or trading floors of Heaven. Ezekiel chapter 28 and
verse 16 tells us this:

By the abundance of your trading you became filled with

violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a
profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you,
O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.

God removed satan’s rights to function and trade in Heaven. Presently,

because the devil knows how Heaven works through trading, he has copied
God’s system.
In both verses 14 and 16, the “fiery stones” refer to the trading floors of
Heaven. Satan’s “walking back and forth on them” speaks to the fact that he
was given rights to function there (see Ezek. 28:14). It’s significant that the
stones are fiery. When trades are made, if they are accepted they are
consumed with fire in Heaven. This is why whatever we do on the earth as
we trade must be accepted on the fiery stones of Heaven’s courts.
 This principle is demonstrated in the life of Noah. When he and his
family came out of the ark after the flood, they offered burnt offerings.
Genesis chapter 8, verses 20 through 22, shows Noah making a trade:

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean
animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on
the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the
Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for
man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil
from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I
have done. While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest,
cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not
cease.”

Noah had an understanding of the need for his trade to be consumed

with fire. He took some of the animals that were on the ark and offered
them to God on the fiery stones. He was manifesting on earth what he
believed was happening in Heaven as he traded or sacrificed. Trading
always involves sacrifice on some level. Real trading in the spirit realm will
cost us something. As Noah offered and traded something precious—the
few animals left on the earth—the aroma moved God’s heart. From the
fragrance of this sacrifice upon the fiery stones God rendered a verdict that
there would be no more curse! What a powerful example of trading on the
fiery stones. We too can step onto the fiery stones of Heaven by faith with
our sacrifice. When we do, we are moving onto Heaven’s trading floors.
Satan has been cast off these floors, but we have been granted access. From
this place in the spirit, we can trade and see the heart of God moved in
powerful ways.
Satan has no power to create, only to copy. When he was cast out of
Heaven, he patterned his system after the one in which he once functioned.
His system also has trading floors. He tries to get us to step onto these
trading floors through temptation. The best example of this is his dealing
with Jesus in the wilderness. In Luke chapter 4, verses 5 through 8, we see
satan offering Jesus a trade:

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him

all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the
 devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their
glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to
whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all
will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get
behind Me, satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord
your God, and Him only you shall serve’.”

Satan offered Jesus dominion of the world if He would worship him. Of

course Jesus rejected this trade that satan was offering Him. Satan
understood that if he could get Jesus to enter into this trade, satan would
have permanent dominion over God’s creation. This is one of the main
ways satan gains access and even dominion over us. He convinces us to
trade with him on his trading floors. If we or our ancestors have made
trades with the demonic realm, they can legally claim us. This is where
sickness and disease that do not seem to have an answer can come from.
Mary and I have personally experienced this. In my most recent book,
Unlocking Destinies from the Courts of Heaven, I share a dream about my
wife. In my dream, satan’s intent was to cause my wife to die prematurely.
We took this into the Courts of Heaven and dealt with it there. The result
was a sense that we had been able to revoke any legal right of the devil.
Even though we felt there had been something strategic done regarding this,
I still wondered if everything had been accomplished that was necessary.
A prophet friend of ours had another dream about Mary. In this dream,
Mary was sick and diseased and was going to die. This seemed to confirm
my suspicions that something still needed to be dealt with. We must
understand that the devil’s case against us can be multifaceted. We must
deal step by step with the issues being used. Going into the Courts of
Heaven is not a formula. It is being aware that we desperately need the
revelation, empowerment, and help of the Holy Spirit in this process. If we
set our heart toward the Lord in genuineness, He will speak to us and reveal
to us what we need.
Some people become paranoid concerning this. They start looking for
what it is that satan is using against them legally. This is not advisable. We
must deal with what we know. If we think there might be something else,
we ask God to unveil it. If He doesn’t, we need to rest in the fact that at
least for the moment, everything being used against us is settled. I lean on
Philippians chapter 3 and verse 15:

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if
in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to
you.

Paul said if we are immature or have other things we need to deal with,
God will reveal them to us. In other words, don’t worry about it if God isn’t
showing it. Trust that if there is something working to our detriment, God,
as the loving Father, faithful Friend, and righteous Judge, will show it to us.
The fact that God was again bringing up the intent of the devil to cause
Mary to die prematurely told us that there was still something in the case
against her. We again set up a time to pray with a prophetic gift. As we
prayed, it began to be revealed that someone in Mary’s bloodline had made
a trade with the spirit of death. The seer/prophetic gift with whom we were
working and who had the dream saw a young woman stand up out of a
grave. She knew by the Spirit that this young woman had died prematurely.
This happened because she had asked to be taken instead of someone else
dying. When this young woman did this, she had agreed and made a trade
with the spirit of death. She traded her own life to this spirit for the life of
someone else who would otherwise have died. The interesting thing about
this was that the seer saw this as having occurred in Louisiana or even the
New Orleans area. Of course there is much voodoo and witchcraft in that
region. What she didn’t know is that Mary’s ancestors come from those
regions and are of French descent. This fit perfectly with what was being
seen. This spirit of death that wanted to cause Mary to die prematurely was
claiming a right based on the trade this young woman in the vision had
made. We had to go into the Courts of Heaven and undo this trade and deny
its right to stand against Mary and the women in her bloodline. This is
exactly what we did. We immediately felt a shift occur in the atmosphere.
The trade had been annulled and disallowed. Therefore, the spirit of death
had no legal right to operate. The devil no longer had a right to cause
Mary’s demise because of a trade with demonic powers made generations
ago. Mary is now free to live out the fullness of her destiny written in her
books in Heaven.
 The legal right of the devil’s intent to take Mary out prematurely was
based on a trade made in the spirit world. Many times people are sick and
dying prematurely because someone made a trade. We must know how to
undo these trades. Otherwise all the efforts naturally and spiritually will not
bring healing. The devil has a legal right based on the trade to hold and
even kill people with sickness. Here are some practical steps to undoing
trades on demonic trading floors that have granted the devil legal rights:
Begin by submitting yourself wholly unto the Lord. You can
pray something like this: “Lord, according to Romans chapter
12 and verse 1, I wholly surrender and present myself to You.
I yield my body as a living sacrifice unto You, which is my
reasonable and acceptable form of worship.”
As you sense that you are surrendered and submitted, you can
pray, “Lord, any time I have purposely or by accident made a
trade with demonic powers, I repent. I ask that any time this
has happened that this trade would be annulled by the blood of
Jesus that was shed for me.” Should the Lord reveal
something specific at this time, repent for it specifically.
After you have dealt with this on a personal level, you can
move on to the bloodline area. You can pray, “Lord, I now
repent for any time anyone in my heritage has made a trade
with demonic powers. I want nothing to do with this. I ask for
any trade made to gain privilege, power, riches, blessings,
results, or any other advantage to be undone. I only want that
which comes from Jesus Christ.”
Once you have made this statement in the Courts of Heaven
you can now declare, “Lord, I give up and I give back
anything I have gained from any trade with demonic powers. I
don’t want any success, prosperity, or blessings that have
come from them. I only want what You have given me as my
Lord and Savior.” You must be willing to give back anything
gained through the trade. Otherwise the trade will still stand.
Now you can pray, “Lord, I ask now that all results against me
because of trades with the demonic be reversed. I ask that any
 sickness and disease operating in my body because of these
trades be healed. Lord, I accept what You did for me on the
cross. You took away my sickness and bore away my pain.
You took my disease and gave me health. I receive now from
Your trade made for me on the cross. I accept my healing and
receive of the anointing that makes me whole.”
We have the right through repentance to ask for the blood of Jesus to
annul these trades. When we do, the legal right these trades have granted
the devil is revoked. All that Jesus died for us to have we can now access,
including the healing life of God. It’s time to walk in complete wholeness
and health with our God.
 ANNULLING COVENANTS

T RADES CREATE COVENANTS. IN ANY AND EVERY covenant made, there is a

trade. Even in the marriage covenant, people trade rings and vows and
promises. This is what makes the covenants. Once we have dealt with
any trades used, we must also undo any covenants that have resulted from
the trades. Abraham made covenants with Abimelech that involved trades.
Genesis chapter 21 and verse 27 shows Abraham trading with Abimelech
and making a covenant:

So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech,

and the two of them made a covenant.

The trade signified their entering into a covenant or agreement. There is

no covenant without a trade.
If you have ever read natural legal documents, they seek to cover
everything. They don’t just leave things to be assumed or implied. They
spell out in specifics what is being said. The same can be true in the spirit
realm. The devil is a legalist. He will try to exploit us with things we didn’t
cover. So even though we know the trade is what resulted in a covenant, it
is better to undo the covenant as well. We might say, “Well, once the trade
that produced the covenant is undone, doesn’t that take care of the covenant
too?” Perhaps it does, but if the devil wants to make it an issue, it is better
just to make sure the covenant is undone as well.
Isaiah chapter 28 and verse 15 speaks of the men of Jerusalem having
made a covenant with death. They feel that because this covenant is in
place, they will be protected from coming disasters.

Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing
scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have
made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden
ourselves.”

People in our ancestry made covenants with demonic powers to protect,

provide for, prosper, and empower them. This is true in every culture and in
every race of people. In the ancestry of every ethnicity there can be found
covenants with demon powers. These covenants were made through
sacrifice or trades. Quite often it was the sacrifice or trading of blood that
made these covenants. Even the blood of humans was traded to enter into
covenant with these demonic entities. Once these trades/sacrifices were
made, the demonic powers then claimed the people as their own. According
to what was dedicated to them when the trade was made, individuals,
families, bloodlines, cities, nations, and whole cultures were given over.
These covenants created by trading in the spirit realm are active until
someone annuls them. Whatever the devil owns will eventually be
destroyed through sickness, disease, poverty, and tragedy. This is why many
people are sick today. Somewhere in their bloodline demonic powers have
been given the right to own them. These rights have to be revoked. When
they are, the demon forces lose the right to hold people in sickness.
We see this in the example of the woman who was bent over in infirmity
for eighteen years. In Luke chapter 13, verses 10 through 17, we are shown
Jesus dealing with something legal, then releasing healing:
 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity
eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise
herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and
said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And
He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made
straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on
which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on
them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered
him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the
Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away
to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of
Abraham, whom satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen
years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He
said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and
all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were
done by Him.

When the Bible says it was a “spirit of infirmity,” that means there was
a demonic power involved (Luke 13:11). Even Jesus said that satan had
bound her with this sickness. The word bound is the Greek word deo.
Among other definitions, it means “to be put under obligation of law and
duty.” When Jesus loosed her, He undid the legal right of satan to hold her
and make her sick. This woman had been in this condition for eighteen
years because a devilish power was holding her in it. I’m sure she had been
prayed for many times, yet still she stayed the same or had even gotten
worse. When Jesus sees her, He calls her to Him. He then does two things.
He “looses” her from the spirit of infirmity, and then He touches her with
His hand. As a result, she was healed. When Jesus said, “Woman, you are
loosed from your infirmity,” Jesus was dealing with something legal in the
spirit realm (Luke 13:12). The word loosed is the Greek word apoluo, and it
means several things. Among other ideas, it means “to acquit one accused
of a crime; to set at liberty.” By an accusation against this woman, satan had
a right to hold her in sickness for eighteen years. The idea here is that Jesus
pardoned, divorced, and dissolved a contract with satan that gave him the
legal right to keep her ill. The word apoluo also means “to release a debtor”
and “not to press one’s claim against another.” Jesus, with His word,
released this woman legally from the claim the devil had against her. He
renounced every covenant and legal right the devil had to hold this woman
in sickness. Once the covenant rights of satan were revoked, Jesus then laid
His hands on her and released the anointing. The anointing was now free to
have its effect because the legal covenant had been annulled. The result was
that an eighteen-year infirmity was gone in seconds and/or minutes. This
woman was healed.
The order of Jesus’ steps is important. First, He removed the legal right
that had been working against this woman. He then imparted the anointing
through His touch. Jesus continued by explaining how this woman was
healed. When the religious leader criticized Jesus for healing on the
Sabbath, Jesus began to unveil the cruelty of the religious spirit. He pointed
out that each Jew would untie their donkey or ox and lead it away to get a
drink of water on the Sabbath. His first point was that these religious
people, controlled by a religious spirit, cared more for their animals than
they did this woman. The religious spirit is a very cruel thing. It
masquerades as something from God yet has no heart for people. Then
Jesus shows how this woman was healed. Just as someone would untie their
animal and lead it away to get a drink, so Jesus did. With His word of
“Woman, you are loosed…,” Jesus had untied her in the spirit from the
legal right of the devil to hold her (Luke 13:12). With the touch of His
hand, He had given her a drink of the anointing on His life. The anointing
now had the right to bring healing because the legal rights of the devil had
been revoked! When we understand this, it begins to make sense why some
are not healed even though they appear to be dramatically touched by the
anointing. The devil, it seems, actually has a right to deny the anointing its
effect when there is still a legal right that has not been dealt with.
In my first book on the Courts of Heaven, Operating in the Courts of
Heaven, I tell the story of a dear family friend who was diagnosed with
breast cancer. I personally had prayed for this lady several times. Each time
we would pray, she would have many sensations of the anointing touching
the diseased part of her body. Intense fire and heat would come into these
places. Pain would leave, and several other positive signs indicated that
healing was taking place. Yet the disease continued to progress. It finally
ended up in her lungs and another part of her body. In the midst of the
battle, this woman would stand on the Word of God and believe for her
healing. Nevertheless, her condition progressively worsened. It finally got
to the point that she was taken home and placed in hospice care to simply
await her death. I received a call from her husband to come to their home
and pray once more. When I arrived, I was ushered into their bedroom.
There were a couple of other ladies there praying. I entered the room and
placed my hand on the head of this now emaciated person. She was
unrecognizable from her state before this devilish disease attacked her. My
heart broke for her and her condition. This lady was the mother of four
children, the youngest being a daughter who was only thirteen. The
heartbreaking thing beyond this woman’s own personal struggle was that
she too at thirteen had lost her mother to the identical cancer with which she
was now being consumed. From the time I had known this woman, she had
stood against the curse of cancer, saying that it wouldn’t happen to her. Yet
here it was about to take her out and cause her to leave her daughter of
thirteen, just like her mother had left her. This fact had caused this woman
to hang on longer than she would have otherwise. She didn’t want to leave
her children at forty-three years of age just like her mother had left her
when she was forty-three. Clearly there was a family/generational curse
operating that needed to be broken.
As I placed my hand on this woman’s head one more time to pray, I felt
an unmistakable passion of the Lord to heal. There was no way that it was
the will of the Lord for this woman, wife, and mother to leave this world at
this time. God’s passion and desire was to heal her. As I felt this with such
clarity, I prayed with as much unction as I could. I asked for God to heal
her. I imparted one more time the healing anointing of the Lord into her
diseased body. I mustered faith to believe for the impossible and see this
woman restored and her life given back. I left the room hoping for the
miraculous to occur. Yet no more than twelve hours later, this lady was dead
and in the presence of the Lord. It hadn’t worked. All that we stood for in
believing that God healed had seemed to fail us. What had happened?
Later, I was to discover why, in my estimation, this woman was not
healed. I found out first of all that she and her husband had directly gone
against a prophetic warning. They had been told by two different prophetic
voices not to associate with a certain minister because of dishonor. The
prophetic warning had been that should they choose to do this, a demonic
attack would come against their home. They had chosen to disregard this
word and connect to this person while dishonoring another to whom they
had sworn allegiance. They had become guilty of covenant breaking. This is
a very serious thing in the spirit realm. Covenant breaking opens the door to
demonic activity and grants it rights against us.
We see the severity of covenant breaking illustrated when Saul, the first
king of Israel, broke a covenant made by Joshua with the Gibeonites. When
Israel came across the Jordan in conquest of the land, the Gibeonites had
deceived them. They made the Israelites think they were from a far country,
when in fact they were inhabits of the land. They did this to prevent Joshua
and the army he commanded from annihilating them. They asked to make a
covenant with Joshua. Joshua did not inquire of the Lord and made a
covenant with them. Joshua then discovered they had been tricked. Even
though the covenant was made under falsehoods, Joshua and Israel were
now committed to protect and defend these tricksters. They could not
destroy them as had been commanded by God. Saul comes along several
generations later and disregards this covenant. He kills some of the
Gibeonites. In Second Samuel chapter 21 and verse 1 we see David dealing
with a famine in the land. He asks God why this is happening, and God tells
him it is because of a broken covenant.

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years,
year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord
answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house,
because he killed the Gibeonites.”

When David speaks with the Gibeonites, he discovers that in order to

fix the broken covenant, they require seven descendants of Saul to be killed
and hung. This seems atrocious, yet the devil was taking a legal right
through the broken covenant to afflict a whole nation.
David had a quandary. How could he meet the requirement and not
break covenant and walk in dishonor himself? David himself had sworn to
Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, with whom David had a covenant, that
he would provide and protect him always. David could not allow
Mephibosheth to be one of the seven. If he did, then in his efforts to fix one
covenant, he would break another. David saw to it that Mephibosheth was
spared. Also, David could not dishonor Saul in this process. Even though
Saul’s activities had created this dilemma, he had still been the king of
Israel and was anointed by God. David had refused to do him harm ever in
any way. Even after Saul’s death many years later, David walked in
integrity by honoring him. He had to acknowledge that Saul had broken the
covenant with the Gibeonites. This was necessary to fix it. Yet David could
not and would not dishonor Saul in any way. To do this, David commanded
that the bones of both Saul and his son Jonathan be retrieved. David then
had them buried in their proper place in honor of both Saul, the first king,
and Jonathan, David’s friend through covenant. Second Samuel chapter 21,
verses 12 through 14, tells us the effect of all this activity by David:

Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of
Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had
stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines
had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in
Gilboa. So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of
Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of
those who had been hanged. They buried the bones of Saul and
Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the
tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king
commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.

David’s methodical healing of a broken covenant without destroying

other covenants resulted in God heeding prayers for the land. The famine
ended and healing came to the land. Satan uses broken covenants as legal
rights to afflict things that need healing, whether it is lands, nations, or
individuals. Once the legal issues connected to sicknesses and diseases are
dealt with, healing can come.
I said there were two basic things that this woman and her husband had
done that at least contributed to her not being healed. The first was breaking
covenant. The other was dishonoring and seeking to steal away what
belonged to another. After her death it was discovered that her husband and
perhaps she very deceitfully and aggressively stole what another had
entrusted to them. They had been trusted explicitly with goods, finances,
and power. With this power, they secured loans from a bank and put up
another’s house as collateral. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say they got
money by giving someone else’s property away over which they had been
granted stewardship. It was a very sinister and wicked thing that was done.
None of this was known while we were praying for her healing. Micah
chapter 2, verses 1 through 3, reveals what happened when authority is
granted and then misused.

Woe to those who devise iniquity, and work out evil on their
beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the
power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by
violence, also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man
and his house, a man and his inheritance. Therefore thus says
the Lord: “Behold, against this family I am devising disaster,
rom which you cannot remove your necks; nor shall you walk
haughtily, for this is an evil time.”

The result in this situation was exactly what the prophet Micah spoke
of. Because of their dishonor and thievery, a family lost very much. If you
were to know the whole story, not only were finances and property lost that
were never returned, but reputation was destroyed as well. It was a very
dastardly and wicked thing done. Yet in the midst of this, there never was
any acknowledgement or repentance. Notice what the Scripture says will
happen to those who walk in this wickedness: a disaster will come from
which necks cannot be removed (see Micah 2:3). In other words, there can
be no deliverance unless there is repentance. In this case, there never was.
The woman died prematurely because of the legal right of the devil to hold
this sickness against her until she died. Her neck could not be removed
from this disaster, and neither was her family’s.
I want to be very clear. God did not kill this woman with cancer. The
devil took opportunity by the Word of God to build a case against her. The
devil was the one who killed her. He had a legal right granted through
covenant breaking, dishonor, and abuse of power. There was a case against
her in the spirit realm that would not allow the anointing to have its
designed effect. She and her husband made an agreement with devilish
powers when they traded with them. This gave the devil the legal right to
activate the family curse she had been standing against for decades. We
must know how to undo every rebellion, trade, and covenant made with
demonic powers. The healing Jesus bought and paid for is now free to
impact and restore our lives.
If any of this is relevant to you—if there is any guilt associated with
something you have done against another or if someone in your bloodline
has been guilty—there is a way to answer this case against you.
You should say, “Lord Jesus, I come repenting for any trade I have
made with the devil and any covenant that has resulted. I humbly repent and
asked for the blood of Jesus to annul this covenant. For any place my
ancestors or I have gotten into agreement with demonic powers, I repent.
Whether this came through sacrifice to demonic powers or activities of
rebellion and sin, I repent. If I have not only made covenants with devils
but have also broken covenants with man, I repent. I repent of any time I
have been a covenant breaker, dishonoring or abusing authority. Lord, I ask
that Your blood would now speak for me according to Hebrews chapter 12
and verse 24. I ask that Your blood would testify before the Courts of
Heaven to annul every covenant with the powers of darkness. Lord, I ask
for Your court now to set in place all that You did for me on the cross.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for securing my healing by Your atoning work.”
“I now receive the effects of the anointing of the Holy Spirit into my
body. Holy Spirit, come now to heal and restore any diseased part of my
being. I ask, Lord Jesus, that any sickness operating against me now be
judged as illegal from Your cross. I ask the Holy Spirit to touch me and
make me whole. I receive everything You died for me to have. Thank You
so much, Lord Jesus!”
By faith now receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who
brings life and healing. We will see later how to move in agreement with
the power of the Spirit fully. First we need to deal with any dedications in
the spirit realm that are giving the devil legal access. Every case will be
undone. Healing will flow like a river to you. Jesus has already secured it.
 DEDICATIONS REVOKED

J UST LIKE WE MUST DEAL WITH REBELLIONS, TRADES, AND covenants, we

must also revoke any and all dedications. Dedications are similar to
covenants but can be different. Again, as in natural legal processes, it is
good to cover as many bases as possible. We should seek to take away any
and every loophole satan the legalist would seek to use. Dedications are
simply places where something has been committed to satanic purposes.
Dedications are actually the next progressive things from covenants. Once a
trade has been made that secures a covenant, the result of the covenant can
be a dedication. In other words, something is dedicated to satan as a result
of the covenant made. This happens in bloodlines. Someone in our
bloodline might have dedicated the forthcoming generations to devilish
powers. The result of this is that the powers of darkness claim us. Ephesians
chapter 2, verses 1 through 3, shows this:

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
in which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
 who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also
we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Notice that we once walked according to the course of this world and
according to the prince of the power of the air. This was because they
claimed us and legally said they owned us. The result of this was the
fulfilling of lustful ways and desires. In other words, the age and the powers
of the air shaped us, influenced us, and controlled us. In the spirit realm, we
were owned by something else. This can be the result of our bloodlines
being dedicated to satanic powers in our history. This gives the demonic the
legal right in the spirit realm to claim us.
My African friends tell me that every city in Africa has altars at the city
gates. These altars are visible relics testifying that these cities have been
dedicated to demonic powers. It is further understood that the inhabitants of
these cities have their names on these altars. This causes the family lines of
the people in these cities to be dedicated to these demonic powers. The
powers of darkness therefore claim these bloodlines for themselves. Those
who understand these things must get their “names” off these altars. In
other words, in the spirit they must undo the dedication of themselves and
their family line to satanic powers. Otherwise these powers of darkness will
seek to “own” them and their bloodlines. When this happens, the devil is
granted the legal right to operate against these family lines. Many times this
results in sickness.
Lest we think this can happen only in Africa, we must know that every
race, culture, and ethnicity has this operating against it. For instance, if you
go far enough back in European culture, you will find cannibalism in
operation—often in rituals whereby people would dedicate themselves to
demons. Through the eating of human flesh they were devouring blood and
making covenants and dedications to demons. These powers are still
operating today. They look for any place a dedication was made in our
bloodline as a legal right to afflict. As I said, all cultures have been
dedicated to these devilish powers. Asian cultures have served and still
serve “dead relatives.” Polynesian cultures offered human blood sacrifices
on altars to empower themselves. The Indian cultures of Central and South
America apparently offered human sacrifices in the hundreds and even
thousands.
I was in Machu Picchu in the jungles of Peru several years ago. These
are the amazing ruins of the Indigenous people that still inhabit this region.
While perusing this site, we came upon a place of sacrifice. It was clearly
the place where not only animals were killed and offered, but also humans.
There was a stone trough that was used to catch the blood of the sacrifice
and gather it. When you realize what these sacrifices were for, it is quite a
sobering thing. They were dedicating families, regions, and cultures to
demonic powers. Demonic powers still try to claim these groups because of
the dedications. They must be undone through the blood of Jesus in the
Courts of Heaven.
We should point out that the Bible says that this was something of the
past. According to Ephesians 2:1, Jesus has made us alive who were dead in
this previous place. We by faith can sever any and every connection that
would allow our dedication to satanic powers to operate. This includes
sickness and disease and their operation against us. We should realize that
just because someone prayed a prayer of salvation doesn’t mean the conflict
is over. In fact, when we yield our hearts to Jesus and ask Him to be our
Lord and Savior, it is common for the devil to challenge this. He will stand
up and seek to withstand this statement and build a case against us. This is
especially true if we accept Jesus only as Savior and not as Lord! Making
Jesus Savior is one thing in the spirit realm. Establishing Jesus as Lord is
another. When we accept Him as Savior, we want the benefits of who He is
and want He does. When we make Him our Lord, we are declaring His
ownership over us. This can be a fundamental reason the devil is still
claiming ownership over us as a result of some dedication in our history.
We must experience not only His redemption, but also His Lordship.
Otherwise, dedications in our ancestry still operate against us. Satan will
claim a right of ownership and the right, therefore, to afflict with sickness.
It is a good thing to make sure we do desire His Lordship as well as His
salvation.
In our Western Christianity, this is a problem. Many have accepted
Jesus to be their Savior, but there are so few who know little or anything
about Him being Lord. I’m not really sure it is even valid to accept Jesus as
Savior without also accepting Him as Lord. When the apostles spoke of
salvation, they declared the need to confess Jesus as Lord. Romans chapter
10, verses 9 and 10, says clearly that there must be a declaration of
Lordship for salvation to occur:

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe
in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

We must confess with our mouth the “Lord Jesus” and believe in our
hearts His resurrection and we shall be saved! The word saved is the Greek
word sozo. It means “to be protected, delivered, healed, and made whole.”
The word salvation in these verses is the Greek word soteria. It means “to
rescue, to deliver, to produce health, and to save.” When we confess Jesus
as Lord and come under His ownership, the rights of the devil from any
dedication are broken.
The word confess is the Greek word homologeo. It means “to say the
same thing.” In this passage, it means “to agree with what God has said
about Jesus as Lord and the position He has given Him.” It is a term that
was used in a court of law. In that context, it meant “to agree with someone
else’s testimony in a court of law or to the terms of a contract in business,”
perhaps even “to consent to the terms of surrender in a war.” This is what
we are doing when we confess the “Lord Jesus.” We are agreeing with
God’s testimony concerning Jesus. We are consenting that He is Lord. We
are admitting and declaring that God has exalted Him above all others. This
is what Philippians chapter 2, verses 9 through 11, indicates:

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the
name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on
earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.

We are before the Courts of Heaven, agreeing with the position God has
granted Jesus because of His absolute obedience. He is the only One who
has won the right to own us.
 Notice that the word confess also means “to agree to the terms of a
contract.” In other words, we agree to all that is required of us. We also
agree with what is required of God in this contract. In a contract, it is
spelled out what is legally expected and demanded of each party. If a party
does not fulfill what the contract declares, they are in danger of being sued.
The contract is a legal document to be adhered to. When we confess the
Lord Jesus Christ, we are not only agreeing to come under His authority, we
are agreeing to what He has promised. When we make Jesus our Lord, we
also get the benefits of His Lordship. These include His goodness, kindness,
care, protection, and provisions.
David spoke of the benefits of God’s Lordship in Psalm chapter 23 and
verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). David
proclaims that the Lord is his Shepherd. David understood what he was
saying because he had worked as a shepherd caring for sheep. Being the
shepherd of sheep is similar to being Lord. Not only does the shepherd care
for the sheep, but he also has authority over the sheep by necessity. He
cannot care for them if he has no authority over them. This is what makes
Jesus such a wonderful Lord. He doesn’t treat us as subjects to be used and
abused. He treats us as prized people for whom He cares deeply.
Notice that David declared that as the Lord’s sheep, he would not want.
In other words, when David surrendered to the shepherding hand and
authority of the Lord, his every need and desire was met. The condition of
the sheep speaks of the care, heart, and ability of the shepherd. If the sheep
are in poor condition, it is a reflection of the integrity and ability of the
shepherd. If the sheep are healthy, nourished, and cared for, it reflects well
upon the shepherd. The condition of the sheep is a shepherd’s greatest
testimony of how well he does his job. So it is with the Lord. Those who
belong to Jesus and have come under His shepherding hand as Lord should
reflect His goodness. The conditions of our lives testify of the character,
intent, and kindness of Jesus as Shepherd.
In First Peter chapter 2, verses 24 and 25, we see a connection between
healing and yielding to the shepherding and Lordship of Jesus:

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that
we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose
stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray,
 but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your
souls.

Notice that Peter tells us the stripes of Jesus healed us. The beating He
endured was what was required legally for us to be healed. Then he declares
the reason this can work in our lives is because we have now returned and
come under His authority. We have returned or come back to the Shepherd
and Overseer of our souls. This activity allows what Jesus did on the cross
to bring healing into our lives. When we are functionally under His
authority, we get the benefits of all that He has done.
The problem is that so often we, in our rebellion, haven’t come under
His hand. We have accepted Him as Savior but not allowed His Lordship to
operate in us. The devil therefore claims that we are still his because of
previous dedications in our bloodlines. We must surrender to the Lordship
of Jesus and yield to His authority.
The other legal meaning of this word homologeo is that we agree to the
terms of surrender. When we make Jesus the Lord of our life and confess
the “Lord Jesus,” we surrender. We agree to His terms of surrender. This is
where and when Jesus functionally becomes the Lord of our life. We are
then placing into position His Lordship and removing the rights of the
demonic to claim us because of prior dedications. Jesus spoke of this
surrender in Luke chapter 14, verses 31 through 33. He talked of kings in
battle and terms of surrender being discussed:

Or what king, going to make war against another king, does

not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten
thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty
thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he
sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise,
whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My
disciple.

In this passage, Jesus is declaring that the decision to surrender must be

something that is considered carefully. There should be a counting of the
cost. It shouldn’t just be an emotional moment but a serious calculation.
Notice the decision is made based on the perception of whether or not we
can win the battle. Jesus says the king would ask for the conditions of
peace. This word peace is the Greek word eirene, and it means “to be at one
again.” It also means “prosperity, quietness, and rest.” The decision to
surrender is weighed against what will be lost if we continue to resist and
fight. It is also made considering what will be gained in surrender. We get
the quietness, rest, prosperity, and oneness with the Lord and His forces.
Jesus then tells us the terms of surrender and the conditions for this peace.
We must forsake all and follow Him. When we are willing to do this, we
can have everything from Him. The rights of any demonic power are
revoked because we have surrendered ourselves to Jesus’ Lordship and are
His servants. In regard to sickness, the rights of the demonic to oppress us
with disease are broken. The devil’s right of ownership is revoked!
We see this picture in the case of David pursuing the Amalekites after
they have attacked Ziklag. They have taken David and his men’s families
captive. They also have stolen their goods and possessions. As David
pursues them in First Samuel chapter 30, verses 11 through 19, we see them
coming upon an Egyptian servant of the Amalekites:

Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to

David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him
drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and
two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength
came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water
for three days and three nights. Then David said to him, “To
whom do you belong, and where are you from?”

And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an

Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days
ago I fell sick. We made an invasion of the southern area of the
Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the
southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”

So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me

nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you
down to this troop.”
 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread
out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because
of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the
Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked
them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man
of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on
camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites
had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And
nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or
daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them;
David recovered all.

David gathered necessary intel from this servant of the Amalekites.

Notice that his owner and master had no more use for him once he fell sick.
He left him to die. David and his men ministered to him and gave him food
and drink. They restored his life and health. This happened because he
agreed to “betray” his former master. He would not do it until David agreed
not to turn him back over to his master and his cruelties, but he was willing
forsake his previous master.
We too must be willing to forsake what we have previously served. We
must realize that serving the previous master only brought us to sickness,
disease, and desertion. We must come under the Lordship of a kind and
good Master who loves us. This allows any dedications in our bloodline to
devilish powers to be annulled and revoked. We can then come under the
authority of another Master. Healing is free to flow into us because we now
belong to the Lord. We are free from the torment of the previous master to
whom we once belonged.
The Holy Spirit ministers Jesus and His Lordship functionally into
place. Second Corinthians chapter 3, verses 17 and 18, declares the Lord to
be that Spirit:

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a
mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the
Lord.
 Clearly the Lordship of Jesus is functionally known through the power
and person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes and takes over our life
piece by piece and brings us under Jesus’ Lordship. As we give room to the
Spirit, this glorious process is known. This happens so that what we
experience lines up with what we say. As time goes by, we are changed into
the image and likeness of the One who created us. We are brought into
liberty. This word liberty is the Greek word eleutheros, and it means
“unrestrained as a citizen, as opposed to a slave.” As we come under the
Lordship of Jesus through the Spirit, we come to unrestrained liberty as
citizens of the Kingdom of God. Every restraint can come off of us,
including sickness and disease. As citizens of the Kingdom, all the covenant
rights and privileges are ours, including healing. The Bible makes a
glorious statement in James chapter 4 and verse 5:

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who
dwells in us yearns jealously?”

The Holy Spirit that lives in us yearns jealously for God’s purposes to
be fulfilled.
The Lord gave me a word several years ago. I heard Him say, “The
Holy Spirit has come to possess all that the blood has bought.” This means
the Spirit is yearning jealously for God to have control over everything the
blood of His Son paid for. In other words, Jesus’ Lordship is to be
recognized and seen functioning in our lives. All the devilish powers’
claims of ownership are broken, and we belong absolutely to the Lord. He
is worthy of this because of the price He paid. This is why the Scripture
declares in First Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 20 that we were bought
with an extremely high price:

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your

body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

When we recognize the price Jesus paid for us, the desire to serve and
glorify Him overtakes us. We realize He owns us. Every dedication of our
bloodline to the devil is broken and revoked. He no longer owns us. We are
the Lord’s.
To bring this spiritual reality into place, here is a prayer we can pray:
Lord Jesus, we declare that we and our bloodlines belong to
You. Any and every dedication made to the devil of our family
line we now ask to be annulled by the blood of Jesus. We repent
of any and every place we were dedicated to satanic powers
through sacrifice. We ask these sacrifices to be annulled and
the dedication rendered ineffective.

Lord Jesus, we also acknowledge Your Lordship. We say we

agree with the testimony of God as Judge, the Holy Spirit as
our legal aid, and all of Heaven that You are Lord. We now
come under Your Lordship and declare that we belong to You.
We are no longer our own; we are bought by the price of Your
blood and sacrifice.

We also, Lord Jesus, invite the power of the Holy Spirit to

exercise now Your Lordship in our lives. We agree that
everything Your blood purchased the Holy Spirit will now
possess. Every area of our lives we surrender to You.

We now declare that any and every right given to the powers of
darkness through dedications to “own” us is now revoked. We
belong only to the Lord Jesus Christ. Any and all sicknesses,
diseases, and pains afflicting us because of this previous
“ownership” is now revoked and removed! We receive the
healing that is ours because of the offering of the blood and
body of Jesus. We now exclusively belong to Jesus. No others
have a claim on us. We are the Lord Jesus Christ’s.
THE NECESSITY OF FORGIVENESS

S EVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS LEADING A LOCAL work, we had a

tremendous move of God’s healing power. As a result of this, many
people were showing up that did not attend our church but needed
healing. They would come from close and far away because they had heard
about people being healed. One Wednesday evening, we were having our
mid-week service. As I was teaching during this time, I saw someone bring
an older lady in a wheelchair into the building. My first thought as I was
finishing up the teaching was that she was there to be healed. I have to say,
this did not excite me. I was tired. I wanted to go home with my family as
quickly as I could after the service. I knew if this woman needed healing,
this was going to slow down my exit. This may sound cold, but it was the
truth at the moment. I heard a man say years ago, “It is one thing to be tired
in the work; it’s another thing to be tired of the work.” When you are tired
“in” the work, all you need is a little rest. If you are tired “of” the work, you
are on the edge of burnout, and this is more serious. At this moment I was
just tired in the work. I needed a little time to be refreshed.
 As I finished up the service, I began to talk with a few people as most
exited the service. This lady, as I had suspected, was brought to me in her
wheelchair. We greeted each other, and she began to tell me about her
condition. She had a severe back injury that caused her to have to use this
wheelchair. She was not paralyzed but severely incapacitated because of the
pain from her lower back injury. She had to have the chair to function and
move around. She was here to be prayed for and believe for her healing. As
she sat in this chair, I laid my hand on the top of her head. The moment I
did, I heard the Lord say, “I will do for this woman what I did for the man
who was paralyzed and let down through the roof.” I instantly understood
what the Lord was saying. This story is found in Luke chapter 5, verses 18
through 26:

Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed,

whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when
they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the
crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his
bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are
forgiven you.”

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying,

“Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins
but God alone?”

But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said

to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is
easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up
and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has
power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was
paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to
your house.”

Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been

lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And
they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled
 with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” (Luke
5:18-26)

This story does not say that Jesus forgave the sin of unforgiveness. It
just says He forgave the man’s sin. It was his sin that was legally holding
him in his sickness and paralysis. Before Jesus could heal this man, He had
to first legally deal with the sin issue in his life. Of course, the religious
leaders began to criticize Jesus in their hearts. They correctly understood
that only God and those who God allowed to represent Him could forgive
sins. For Jesus to forgive sins, He would have to be God. This was what
Jesus was challenging them to understand. To prove that Jesus was in fact
God, He declared the man forgiven, then healed him in the midst of them
all. He dealt with the legal issue and then released the anointing. The result
was that the man received his healing. This is why they all departed
glorifying God and speaking of the strange things they had seen.
The word strange in verse 26 is the Greek word paradoxos, and it
means “something contrary to expectation.” This is quite interesting. This
word comes from two words: para, meaning “to come near,” and doxa,
meaning “glory.” So, a paradox can be glory coming near. It challenges our
thinking. It’s not what we expected. Many times when we encounter the
glory of God, it can seem paradoxical. It’s not what we were looking for. It
may even seem strange. Yet it is the glory of God being manifested to us.
This is why we mustn’t be too quick to judge or dismiss something as not
being God. He can purposely show up in ways that we don’t expect and
challenge our preset conceptions of Him. We are called to judge and
righteously evaluate things of the Spirit. Yet we must be careful that we do
not allow our religious backgrounds and personal likes and dislikes to
influence us too heavily. We could miss something with which God
graciously wants to touch our lives.
Even though in this story it doesn’t say this man’s sin was
unforgiveness, I “knew” the lady in the wheelchair had this issue in her life.
This was stopping the healing of the Lord from operating in her life. Out of
past experience, I knew that when you begin to delve into these kinds of
things, it could be a long and drawn-out procedure. When you start
searching out emotional issues of hurts and wounds, it can take a long time.
Remember, I was tired and wanted to go home. So I chose to disregard what
I was hearing. I knew that it likely would have been a lengthy thing to get
into all of this. Instead, I just began to pray and release healing to her by
faith. I declared the healing power of the Lord released into her back. As I
had my hand on her head, I proclaimed all that Jesus had done for her on
the cross now released to her. I then took this lady’s hand and told her to
stand up out of the wheelchair. I pulled her toward myself as she stood up.
She had gotten no more than a few inches out of the chair when I saw the
grimace of pain on her face. She then began to cry out in pain. Clearly
nothing had happened, and she was still very incapacitated.
At this point, I knew I really had no other option than to “delve” into
this this realm concerning unforgiveness. To not be obedient to what I had
heard the Lord say meant to allow this woman to go away in the same
condition that she came in. I took a deep breath and dove in, fully expecting
the process to take a significant amount of time. I asked her, “Ma’am, is
there anything in your life that you think might be displeasing to the Lord?”
This was a very generic question. Yet immediately she responded. She said,
“My husband left me over twenty-five years ago with all our kids to care
for and feed all by myself. I’m still mad about it.” Wow! Talk about
something being close to the surface. There was no digging necessary, no
probing required. Bam! It was just there. I looked at her and said, “Ma’am,
I understand your anger and pain. What he did was wrong. I don’t know the
circumstances surrounding his abandoning you, but there is no excuse for it.
But it is your unforgiveness toward him that has you in this wheelchair. If
you will forgive him, God will heal your back!”
At this point, there were tears streaming down her cheeks. The Spirit of
the Lord was visibly dealing with her. I then addressed her a second time. I
asked her, “Would you like to forgive him?” She responds that she would. I
then led her in a prayer that went something like this: “Lord, I come before
Your courts and before Your throne. I acknowledge You as the righteous
Judge over all things. I first want to repent for my own unforgiveness. I
repent for acting as judge over the sins of my former husband. That is not
my place; that place belongs to You. He doesn’t belong to me; he belongs to
You. I give him to You. I ask You to forgive me for all the years I have had
anger, bitterness, and even hatred in my heart toward him. I repent for every
evil thought I have had against him and any time I have wished him harm. I
say I want only good for him. Lord, please forgive me for the condition of
my heart and my unforgiveness. I also now forgive my husband for
anything and everything he did to me and my children. I release him from
every judgment. I ask that the blessing of the Lord would come on him. I
declare that he is not mine; he is Yours. Right now I forgive him in Jesus’
name.”
As she concluded repeating this prayer, I made a decree over her. This
decree was similar to what Jesus did for the man He healed in the Scriptures
to which we have referred. I said, “Based on your forgiveness and the
cleansing of the blood of Jesus, I now proclaim you forgiven and freed from
the sin of unforgiveness. The devil’s right to hold you in this sickness and
condition is now legally removed and revoked. I declare you forgiven.”
Some will ask why I would consider myself as having the authority to
declare such a thing. The answer is found in John chapter 20, verses 22 and
23:

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to

them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,
they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained.”

Jesus is prophetically proclaiming the coming of the Holy Spirit and the
empowerment that will result. From this empowerment, the
disciples/apostles will be able to walk as a representation of Jesus Himself.
Based on the repentance of a person, they will be able to set in place the
forgiveness of sins. The guilt, condemnation, regret, and effects of sin can
be revoked and removed through this declaration. God will honor this from
Heaven as we represent Him on the earth!
After this, I laid my hands on her head again. I prayed for all that Jesus
had done on the cross to now touch her. I could sense the anointing of the
Lord ministering to her. After praying a short prayer of declaration over her
back condition, I took her hands again and began to help her stand up out of
the wheelchair. To everyone’s amazement, she stood up immediately. Her
back condition of many years was instantly healed. She began to move with
complete freedom—without any pain whatsoever. The last time I saw her,
she was pushing the wheelchair in which she had come out the door of the
sanctuary. God had healed this woman just like He healed the man let down
through the roof. This occurred because this woman was willing to deal
with the legal issue of unforgiveness. When she willingly repented for her
years of unforgiveness, bitterness, and perhaps even hatred, the legal right
of the devil was revoked. His right to hold her in this place of immobility
was lost and removed! The case against her in the spirit realm was annulled
and silenced! Again, we see that revoking the legal rights of the devil, our
adversary, is at times critical to getting healed.
Unforgiveness is a huge sin that the devil uses legally against us in the
Courts of Heaven. Jesus was very clear about this. He spoke of it several
different times. Matthew chapter 6, verses 14 and 15, records Jesus teaching
this principle. On the heels of teaching on prayer, He inserts this statement
about forgiveness:

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father

will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Our forgiveness is connected to our forgiving others. When we forgive

others, we free the Father to forgive us. If we refuse to forgive others for
their offenses, we lose the right to be forgiven. This is a very powerful
statement. This should cause the fear of the Lord to come upon us. My
question is, if it takes forgiveness to be saved, then if we refuse to forgive
do we not have the promise of eternal life and Heaven? I don’t claim to
have the answer to this. I do know it isn’t worth the risk. I definitely do not
want to risk not being saved and granted eternal life because I wouldn’t
forgive another person. May the Lord help us to deal with our hearts and to
forgive. Our lack of forgiveness of someone else becomes a legal right of
the devil to deny us everything Jesus paid for us to have.
Matthew chapter 18, verses 21 through 35, records Jesus telling a
parable about the need to forgive. It is quite revealing.

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but

up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is
like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his
 servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was
brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he
was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold,
with his wife and children and all that he had, and that
payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him,
saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion,
released him, and forgave him the debt.

“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him
and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So
his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying,
‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would
not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the
debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they
were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had
been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to
him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because
you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on
your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master
was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should
pay all that was due to him.

“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from

his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

In response to Peter’s question of how many times should someone be

forgiven, Jesus tells this story. Maybe Peter’s question was coming from a
sincere heart. Maybe it was from a heart of looking for justification in a
matter. Perhaps he had a problem with someone who kept committing the
same transgression over and over again. He was tired of being used and
abused in a situation. His question could have been from this perspective. In
answer to this, Jesus tells this revealing parable. There are several key
factors in this story about forgiveness. First, Jesus says we should forgive
seventy times seven times. This would be 490 times. Jesus’ point was not to
keep a running tally of how many times we had forgiven. He was simply
saying we must always practice forgiveness no matter what. We can never
find a reason not to forgive. We cannot give ourselves license to carry
anger, bitterness, and malice toward another person. This doesn’t mean we
have to be used by people. It is one thing to forgive; it is another thing to
keep setting ourselves up for abuse. It is possible to forgive someone but
not put ourselves in a place where they can harm us again. Walking in
forgiveness and walking in wisdom are two different things.
Another lesson I see in this parable is that we must forgive from our
heart. In other words, we can’t just say we forgive while continuing to
rehearse the offense in our minds and spirits. We must practice forgiveness
until our hearts are changed. We must practice forgiveness until we only
want good for those who have harmed us—until we do not secretly desire
hurt or injury for them but instead truly desire that they and what belongs to
them be blessed by the Father. Only the Lord can change our hearts, but we
can position them for this supernatural occurrence.
Jesus also said that if we don’t forgive, we will suffer the effects of the
torturers (see Matt. 18:34). This is probably a reference to demonic powers
that eventually begin to dominate our lives. Unforgiving people are the
most miserable, bitter, and even unhealthy people you can meet. The refusal
to forgive another person gives the devil the legal right to move against
them. When someone is “given over” to the torturers, it means they now
have a legal right to them. Again, to be unforgiving grants the devil the
legal right to work against our lives. It stops us from being able to partake
of everything Jesus died for us to have.
The last thing about this parable I will mention is that the forgiveness
that had been granted was revoked. I don’t completely understand this, but
once the king heard of the brutality of the one whom he had forgiven, he
revoked what had been granted to the servant. The once forgiven person
was now judged and thrown into prison and given over to the torturers. This
is a frightening thing. Perhaps among other lessons, this says that once we
have received grace and forgiveness we are expected also to share it. This
man’s unwillingness to give to a fellow servant what the king had given him
caused it to be lost! This may not fit some people’s theology, but I don’t
believe Jesus spoke words that weren’t important. If we choose not to
forgive from the immense forgiveness we have received, our forgiveness
can be lost.
 I believe that this is what the Apostle Paul meant in Ephesians chapter 4
and verse 32 when he says the power to forgive is found in being forgiven:

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one

another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

In other words, if I deny someone forgiveness, I am not giving the very

thing I received from God. This is an insult to the grace of God. This is at
least partially what Paul meant when he spoke of not receiving the grace of
God in vain. In Second Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 1, we see the
Apostle Paul urging the people of God to make full use of God’s grace.

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not
to receive the grace of God in vain.

Part of receiving God’s grace is being willing to use it to forgive others.

When we have been forgiven, we are empowered to forgive others. If we
choose not to do this, we can be receiving the grace of God in vain. I pray
that we will learn to forgive from the nature of Christ that lives in us. We
must get a deeper revelation of His love and forgiveness that will not allow
us to withhold forgiveness from others. When we do, we deny the devil the
legal right to use our unforgiveness against us.
The same grace that brings us healing also brings us forgiveness. James
chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, shows us the connection between healing and
forgiveness:

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the
church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick,
and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins,
he will be forgiven.

When the healing anointing is released, not only do people get healed,
but the forgiveness of sin is also activated. This is because the same grace
that brings healing also produces forgiveness. So, if I choose not to forgive,
not only do I cut myself off from the forgiveness of the Lord, but I also
detach myself from His healing grace. When I don’t forgive, I cannot be
healed. The devil has a legal right to use this against me to hold me in
sickness.
Several years ago, I was ministering in the Memphis, Tennessee, area. I
was there for three nights of healing meetings. We saw some amazing
things happen in those meetings, including a young man healed of multiple
sclerosis. He was so restored from his former condition that his boss
actually contacted the pastor of the church. He reported what a wonderful
testimony this once disease-ridden young man was to all around him.
People were seeing the wonderful mercy of God through this young man
and his healing. Many saw a perspective of God and His goodness that they
had not seen before.
On the first night of these meetings, a lady came to me for prayer who
was completely deaf in her right ear. She had not heard out of it for years. I
began to pray and release the anointing into her ear. Even though I prayed
very diligently, nothing happened. She remained completely deaf in that ear.
She eventually went back to her seat, still deaf in her right ear. With a lack
of anything else to tell her, I encouraged her to just continue believing
through the course of the meetings. The meetings went very well the other
nights, especially with the miracle of the young man with MS. When we
came to the third and final night of the services, this same woman came
forward again. She informed me that the Lord had spoken to her. He had
reminded and instructed her that she needed to forgive her parents for times
she felt they had injured her and done her wrong. She told me she had done
this and asked if I would please pray for her again. I of course agreed to do
this. I put my index finger in her ear and simply began to declare the
anointing and healing power of Jesus into this deaf ear. Immediately, this
woman began excitedly to declare, “It feels like warm oil streaming into my
ear!” As this sensation continued in the lady’s ear, her hearing began to
return. Before the experience was over, the deafness in her ear had been
removed. Her hearing had returned and was at full capacity. God had
opened her deaf ear and restored her hearing. This happened because she
forgave her parents and revoked the legal right of the devil to hold her in
deafness. Her lack of forgiveness for her parents was the legal right the
devil was using to deny what Jesus had provided for her at His cross. Once
this right was revoked, the anointing was free to have the effect it is
designed to have. She was healed. May we each forgive, remove the devil’s
case against us, and receive the healing that Jesus graciously provided for
us from His cross. Great miracles await us!
This is a prayer that can be prayed to remove the legal rights of
unforgiveness:

Lord, we lay our life down before You. Our life is not our own;
we have been bought with a price. Lord, we acknowledge that
we have held unforgiveness in our heart toward others. We
repent of bitterness, anger, and even hatred. We ask, Lord, that
You would create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit in
us. We need You to change our hearts. Right now, Lord, even as
You have forgiven us, we forgive these. They belong to You.
They are not ours. We put them into Your hands. We ask for
blessing, life, success, health, and prosperity over them. Bless
the works of their hands, and make them a success. We wish
and desire only good for them. Thank You, Lord, for causing
our heart to be acceptable to You. Lord, even as You have
forgiven us, so now we forgive these. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
 UNDOING WORD CURSES

M Y WIFE, MARY, HAD A CHRONIC RESPIRATORY condition that she could

not get rid of. She had even been to the doctor and had been
prescribed medicine to help knock it out. Nothing was helping,
though. We had a prophetic ministry that operates strongly in a seer
capacity staying at our home. Because nothing else seemed to be helping,
we decided by faith to step into the Courts of Heaven and see if anything
legal was allowing this to function. As we began to pray, the seer began to
“look” in the spirit and saw a well-known prophet standing at the Throne of
God speaking evil of Mary. The seer said she could not tell what exactly the
prophet was saying, but she knew it was critical and attacking. I knew this
person that was being seen. I was somewhat confused by the fact that this
person was speaking against Mary. I had no problem believing they would
speak against me. In fact, in times past I had heard that they had done just
that. I had gone into the Courts of Heaven and dealt with their words. The
result had been curses and judgments removed and new realms of blessings
released. Now this same person seemed to be attacking my wife in the
spirit.
 I contemplated for a few moments what the seer’s revelation could
mean. I suddenly remembered an encounter with this person. I was in a
particular situation where I walked into a room full of ministers. Mary was
with me on the trip but was coming behind me into the room. She had been
held up for some reason. As I walked into the room, I was by myself. This
person walked up to me and said, “Where’s your wife?” They said it with a
mocking and ridiculing sound and voice. I was somewhat taken aback by
the tone of this question. The unsaid meaning of this question that I
immediately discerned was, “She never stands with you. You’re always by
yourself. What’s wrong with your relationship? Why doesn’t she support
you?” I answered the question that was asked and said, “She will be here in
a moment. She had something she had to do.” This person then said, “Oh”
and walked away. This previous encounter with this person came to me
when the seer said she saw a prophet standing at the Throne of God making
accusations against Mary. I told Mary that it seemed this one was speaking
critically against her and that their words and testimony from their
criticalness could be causing this sickness.
Let me explain how this can happen. When someone with authority
over our life or someone with authority in the spirit realm speaks evil of us,
it can set things in motion. The place of authority they occupy makes their
words even more significant. The demonic forces can take their words and
build a case against us in the spirit realm. These words can give the devil
the legal right to work against us and even afflict us with sickness. We were
in no way “under” this person’s authority who was criticizing Mary. They
did, however, have a place of authority in the spirit realm. This place in the
spirit allowed the devil to use their words more powerfully. I believe the
devil and his forces take the words of people in authority and say before
God’s throne, “This one who is in authority or to whom You gave authority
says this about this one.” It is very similar to expert witnesses giving
testimony in a natural court. Jurors and judges pay more attention to
experts’ and professionals’ testimonies. They are considered “authorities”
in the fields about which they are testifying. They are expected to know
what they are talking about. Their testimony is given to support the facts of
a case and to verify its truthfulness. Their testimony is designed to give
credibility to the case being presented. People in authority are seen this way
also before the Courts of Heaven. Their testimony can have more weight
and power because of who they are. The devil loves it when people who
have been granted authority speak evil against others. People who are in
authority can be parents, employers, bosses, leaders, pastors, elders,
husbands, and anyone who has a position that gives them authority. Their
words can be used in the spirit realm to bless and/or curse. People who have
authority are those who have been granted influence in the spirit realm.
They may or may not have a position of authority. However, because of
gift, office, visitation, call, and history with God, they carry authority in the
spirit world. I believe these people must be extremely careful with their
words. They can inadvertently bring trouble and hurt into people’s lives.
This is what this prophet was being used by the satanic to do against Mary.
I’m sure they didn’t even know it, but the devil was using their words to
hold Mary legally in sickness.
The Apostle Paul understood this principle. He knew he was considered
an “expert witness” in the Courts of Heaven. Therefore, in Second
Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 8, he speaks of using his authority
correctly:

For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority,

which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your
destruction, I shall not be ashamed.

Paul was aware that because of the place he occupied in the spirit realm,
he had to be careful. His words had the power to build up and tear down.
The greater the level of authority with which we have been trusted, the
more measured we must become with our words. The devil is looking for
the opportunity to seize upon our words and use them legally against us.
Those who are in authority and/or carry authority in the spirit realm can
unlock hindrances, harassments, sicknesses, and even tragedies against
people. We must learn to bless and not curse (see Rom. 12:14). This is why
those who walk in this dimension of authority must have the nature of
Christ formed in them. This will allow them to properly use their authority.
As our prophet/seer friend shared what was legally allowing the devil to
hold Mary in this sickness, we began to repent. Mary repented for any time
she hadn’t supported me. She repented for any time she hadn’t involved
herself in the ministry with me. I then declared before the Courts of Heaven
as her husband that I was well pleased. I declared and gave testimony that I
was happy with who she was and her level of involvement with me. With
my testimony from my place of authority as her husband, I countered the
other testimony. My testimony as her husband should have more weight
than even the prophetic person’s testimony. We also asked for the blood of
Jesus that testifies to speak and undo these words and testimony of this
prophet. We asked for their word to be annulled and for the Court of
Heaven to no longer accept them. Once this was done and we had dealt with
the legal rights, we then prayed for healing again for Mary. As a result, the
chronic condition was healed. Wholeness was restored, and strength and
power came again. The reason that prayer and medicine previously had no
effect was that the prophet’s testimony was being used against Mary. It had
formed and allowed a word curse that had to be dissolved before healing
could come.
I have had several situations like this. I also know of others. For
instance, a minister friend of mine found himself in a very severe place of
sickness. It was a very real threat of death that loomed over him. He
testifies that were it not for his wife standing and not letting go, he literally
would have died in the hospital. God revealed that the source of the
sickness was a word curse against him. Let me explain. Ken had been
healed of a severe heart condition in a meeting in which I was ministering.
While declaring words of knowledge or perhaps apostolic decrees, Ken felt
the power of God go into his chest. He shared that it was a force that
knocked him backward. The result was that he was able to get off all
medicines that had very strong adverse effects. He was healed, and his
strength returned. Several years later, he was in the hospital with a different
heart issue. As he progressively got worse, the Lord spoke to him and his
wife. He began to know it was the people of God speaking against him that
was causing this sickness. Their negative words toward him were working
against him. This is what we call sometimes “charismatic witchcraft.”
God’s people began to speak negative and critical words that the devil takes
and builds a case with. This can allow the devil the right to devour.
Words have power because of who and what they empower! Proverbs
chapter 18 and verse 21 tells us about the power of words:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who
love it will eat its fruit.
 One of the reasons why words are so powerful is the spiritual forces that
take advantage of them. They can use the words to build cases. Negative
words can be used by the devil to build cases that bring death. Positive and
right words can be used in the Courts of Heaven to bless and bring life.
Remember that the accuser in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 11 is
overcome by “the word of our testimony”:

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the
death.

Not only is the blood of Jesus critical to overcoming the accuser, who
builds cases against us, but the words we speak are also important. When
we have the right testimony before the courts, we silence the accuser’s case.
If our words are wrong, they can empower his case. He takes our words as
evidence and presents them to bolster his case against us. If people are
speaking against us, those words can be used against us in the courts. This
is what was happening to Ken. Enough people were speaking critical things
against him and toward him. This was empowering devilish things seeking
to take him out prematurely. As Ken and his wife had a revelation of the
source of this deadly attack, they began to undo these words before God. As
they did, Ken’s condition began to improve. He was healed and continues to
live a strong life today. If he hadn’t recognized why this was occurring, he
most likely would have died. It is sad, but many times it is the words of
believers that are causing the problem. I believe we should regularly do
“maintenance” in the spirit realm concerning any words being used against
us. I try to keep the spirit realm purged of negative things lest the devil be
empowered in his legal action against me.
There is one more incident where I saw word curses holding someone in
sickness that I will mention. I was ministering in a church in the San
Antonio, Texas, area. As I was praying for many that were sick, this one
lady was incapacitated and unable to move freely. As best I remember, she
wasn’t paralyzed but was unable to breathe and move much. As I was
releasing the anointing and praying for her, she began to get better. Yet I
couldn’t seem to get her completely freed and healed. A prophet leads the
church in which I was ministering. As I continued to pray for her, he had a
prophetic awareness that there was a word curse operating against her. He
asked her, “Have you ever said the words, ‘I wish I was dead’?” She
acknowledged that she had. This prophet told her that her words had put a
curse over her life. Her own words were being used to hold this sickness in
place. I then led her in a prayer to annul these words and revoke their legal
right to be used against her. I led her in a prayer of repentance for saying
words that had empowered a spirit’s right to hold her in this sickness. The
prayer would have been something like this:

Lord, I surrender my life and lay it down before You. I repent

for believing any and all lies of the devil. Forgive me, Lord, for
every word I have spoken that the devil has taken and used as
testimony against me. I repent for desiring to die when You
gave me life. I humble my heart before You and ask for every
word that has agreed with this spirit of death to be annulled. I
ask for the blood of Jesus to speak for me and annul these
words. I do not want to die. I want to live. Let the case against
me now be removed and revoked. I receive my healing now!

As soon as she had finished this prayer, I prayed and released the
anointing again. Immediately, the healing power began to flow through her
body. Her breathing became deep and unrestricted. She began to walk and
then run around the room, completely freed. This happened because the
word curse she had placed on herself was legally removed. Healing was
free to flow into her!
As can be seen through these three illustrations, words give the devil the
legal right to use sickness. There are times that in order to get healed, we
must undo these words that have been spoken against us or perhaps even
have spoken against ourselves. In addition to the prayer I previously
described that I led this lady in, let me give you some biblical
understanding of undoing word curses. In Isaiah chapter 54 and verse 17,
we see the ability to “condemn tongues” that are speaking judgments
against us. This verse declares that we can and should condemn every
tongue speaking against us. It seems that the weapons formed against us are
a result of the tongues speaking contrary to us. So, if we are to remove the
weapons, we must silence the tongues. It is the tongues that are the driving
problem. Once the tongues are revoked and removed, the weapons will
vanish.
 Of course, one of the weapons that can work against us is sickness. This
is a picture of activity in a legal system. The word judgment in the Hebrew
is mishpat, and it means “a verdict.” So, words spoken against us can
become sentences we are destined to live out unless we can stop them.
There are two things that declare we have the right to do this. First, this is
our heritage as the servants of the Lord. The word heritage in the Hebrew is
nachalah, and it means “something inherited.” It also means “occupancy.”
So, we have an inherited place in God by virtue of the new birth and the
blood of Jesus. From this place in the spirit world, we have the right to
condemn these tongues and words. The word condemn in the Hebrew is
rasha, and it means “to declare as wrong.” This position we have in God
allows us to declare words that are against us as wrong. Furthermore, our
righteousness, or right to stand in the judicial system of Heaven, is from the
Lord. I believe the prophet Isaiah was seeing into the New Testament era
and proclaiming the righteousness we now have by virtue of Jesus and His
activities on our behalf. From this exalted place we can undo any and every
word being used by the devil to level his weapon of sickness against us.
There are four steps I usually teach to undo words working against us.
First of all, we must repent for every time we have spoken critically of
others. Everyone is guilty of this on some level. We must acknowledge this
and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. The devil will resist us with our own sin.
He will argue before the court that we cannot be forgiven of something we
are also guilty of. We should also ask that any damage the devil has found a
right to do to another because of our words be undone. We then should
repent for any instance where what others have said about us could be true.
Sometimes their words against us are based in reality. We must
acknowledge this and repent. We should ask for the blood of Jesus to speak
for us on our behalf. Thirdly, we can now ask for these words to be annulled
so the devil has no legal right to use them. We can ask for the blood of Jesus
to revoke and remove these words from record within the Court of Heaven.
Once these words are annulled, the devil can no longer use them to build a
case against us. Finally, we can declare that only what is written in the
books of Heaven about us can happen (see Ps. 139:16). This includes the
health we are to have. We can declare that any and every sickness
connected to this word curse must now go. We should then ask for and
receive the healing of the Lord into our bodies! When the devil is using
words spoken about us to hold us in sickness, once they are revoked,
healing will come. Let me give you a prayer to help undo words working
against us.

Lord Jesus, I come laying my life down before You. As best I

can, I lay my life down and present myself as a living sacrifice
to You. I declare that I was made by You, through You, and for
You. I declare I belong to You. I bring every word in the spirit
realm that has been spoken about me before You. Any and
every word that the devil is using that has been spoken by
people, those in authority over my life, those who carry
authority, or even me, I bring it before You. I first repent for
every place I have spoken evil of others. I ask, Lord, to be
forgiven because of Your blood that now speaks for me. I am
sorry for all my negativity and words of destruction against
others. I ask that these words would be annulled and that the
devil be unable to use them to secure legal rights to harm
others. I’m sorry for all of this. I also repent for anything that
has been spoken of against me and anywhere there is truth in
these things. Lord, please show me anywhere I am guilty of that
which has been declared about me. I take responsibility for
anywhere I am at fault or in sin. I ask that Your blood cleanse
and forgive me and wash away any rights the devil might use. I
now ask, Lord, that all words against me be annulled by the
blood of Jesus. I ask for the speaking blood to speak on my
behalf and revoke and remove all words that the devil could be
using to build a case against me. Let these words be removed
from the record of Heaven. Let every voice against me now be
silenced. Let them not be used anymore to build any case
against me. I further ask, Lord, that only what is written in my
book of Heaven be allowed to speak before Your courts. Let
only what is in my book in Heaven declare Your purposes
concerning me. There is no sickness recorded in this book.
Therefore, I ask that all sickness be removed from me. I ask for
Your healing power to flow into me. I receive the healing touch
of the Lord and walk in the divine health that is mine and
recorded in my book. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
 BREAKING ALL CONNECTION TO
SICKNESS

O NCE YOU BECOME AWARE THAT THE DEVIL USES LEGAL rights to afflict
with sickness, it can open a whole new way of thinking. When we
know that it is God’s irrevocable will for us to be healthy, so sickness
is always of the devil, it changes our perspective. One of the things it
should do is birth in us a lack of tolerance for any and all sickness. I am
convinced that because we are not founded in this revelation, we live with
disease we shouldn’t. I have felt God’s anger and disgust at sickness. I have
tried to impart this to God’s people. If they can ever feel what God feels
about sickness, they will get healed. This will birth in them anger and a lack
of tolerance toward sickness and disease. Otherwise, we tolerate things we
should be aggressively using our faith to remove. When we recognize
through revelation what Jesus did for us on the cross concerning healing
and wholeness, sickness will be not allowed. We will take our place before
Him and use what He did for us to remove it. If there is a legal right from
which it is operating, we will take His sacrifice and revoke that right. We
can then, with passion and a violent faith, receive the healing that is ours
from Jesus. Many people do not get healed because they lack that violence
of faith. This is not something we create. It is from the Spirit of the Lord.
Yet we must posture ourselves before Him and receive the revelation that
allows this violence of faith to be produced!
Even though my family and I have walked in divine health, we have had
times when the enemy attacked. There is one more of these times I want to
tell you about. This one is important because the devil found a legal right I
knew nothing about. He exploited it, and Mary, my wife, found herself in
the hospital desperately ill. I was preaching in Indianapolis, Indiana, on a
Sunday morning. I was going home to Colorado Springs, where we lived, as
soon as I was through. We were going to pack the moving trucks the next
day and move back to Texas. We were going to base the ministry from the
Dallas area. I was also to teach at Christ For The Nations as an adjunct
professor in the third-year classes. We were all excited about this move. We
sensed we were stepping into the next season of life and ministry. There had
been several different prophetic people and ministries prophesy that the
move to Texas was significant and strategic for what God had in store for
us.
As I finished the ministry that morning in Indianapolis, I stepped off the
platform. Immediately, my phone began to buzz. I looked at it, and it was
from my home. This grabbed my attention because Mary was at home, but
she never called. Plus I knew she knew I was ministering. I got to a place
where I could answer the phone as the pastor finished the services. The
moment I answered, my fears were confirmed. Mary was in intense pain.
She was groaning and even crying out in pain. There is no more out-of-
control feeling than to be several hours of flying time away when someone
you love is in this kind of condition. I began to pray for her. Others that
were there in the ministry prayed as well. I could not get her any relief. The
pain kept increasing. Our daughter Hope lived close. I told Hope to get her
mom to the hospital. She was in increasing measures of pain and trauma. I
began my journey home, periodically checking on Mary. They admitted her
to the hospital, administered drugs to her, and began to get her some relief.
It was after midnight before I arrived because of delays. By the time I got
there, she was sedated and not aware of much around her. This would begin
a thirteen-day stay in the hospital. She was diagnosed with gall bladder
issues and pancreatitis. They eventually took her gall bladder out and used
different treatments to deal with the pancreas that wasn’t working correctly.
During this time, I was staying at the hospital. Moving trucks were at
our house loading them for the move back to Texas. Our house was sold,
and we had to get out of it before the closing in a couple of days. I was
trying to see after Mary, oversee the move at the house, and make all sorts
of other arrangements. It was not a pleasant time. I would run over to where
the moving was happening to take care of things and then go back to the
hospital where one of our grown children was staying with Mary in her
sedated state. We were able to get the trucks loaded and on the road to
Texas. We were also able to get the closing on the house done. The real
estate agents brought the paperwork to the hospital. Mary and I signed it,
convincing them Mary was coherent enough to do so. By law you must be
in a right state of mind to sign these documents. Mary later said that she has
no remembrance of this. Oh well! In the middle of all this, the doctors were
trying to get Mary stable enough for surgery to take the gall bladder out.
They sought to reduce the infection that had developed so the surgery could
be done.
In the midst of this, I had a dream. I was wondering, why is this
happening? Why at this time? What would be allowing this in the spirit
realm? Is this an attack on us right now because we are moving into the
season that has been prophesied? What is going on? The dream began to
bring some understanding so I knew what to deal with in the Courts of
Heaven. This was definitely a case for the courts.
In the dream, there was a woman who came up behind me and wrapped
her arms around me. She then began to squeeze me with what I understood
to be supernatural strength. I knew her intentions were to squeeze the life
out of me. I knew I was in a life-and-death struggle with her. By the way,
later when I told Mary about this, she said this is what she felt like was
happening to her. She said it was as if the life was being squeezed out of
her. I was able to take my right arm and maneuver it in between her arms
and my body. When I did this, I was able, with supernatural strength, to
press her arms out and break her hold (breaking her hold is significant). I
then walked over and sat down on a couch that was in the room. This
woman walked over and sat down beside me. She then handed me a check
for one thousand dollars. The thought that ran through my mind in the
dream was, “Maybe she’s not as bad as she seems.” The dream then ended.
As I contemplated the dream, I knew this woman represented the Jezebel
spirit. In Colorado Springs, one of the ruling spirits in that region, in my
opinion, is Jezebel. The spirit of Jezebel hates the prophetic and apostolic.
Remember she was one who persecuted and intended to kill Elijah. She was
the wife of King Ahab, king of Israel. From this position she brought all
sorts of idolatrous and demonic worship into Israel. Even though the
original woman Jezebel is dead, the spirit she represents is very much alive.
There is hatred against the apostles and prophets of the Lord. They are a
tremendous threat against her and her agenda. She will therefore do
everything in her power to remove them. If you live in Colorado Springs,
Colorado, as beautiful as this city is in the natural, this spirit is one that
desires to influence.
Mary and I had a small apostolic work in this city. We had started it as a
base to minister in and from. We were not the pastors of it but the apostolic
leaders. There were others I had on staff that pastored and took care of the
people. There was this one family who came to me early on in the process
of building this house. They began to declare how excited they were about
what God would do apostolically in their city through this work. They then
gave five hundred dollars to us to “honor” our apostolic place. They later
gave another five hundred dollars. This was the one thousand dollars I saw
in the dream. From the time I met this family, I had a sense that something
wasn’t right. I suspected they were under the influence of Jezebel. Even
though their words were glowing and exciting, I felt they wanted control
and undue influence. I received the one thousand dollars and indeed did
think, “Maybe I’m wrong about them.” I wasn’t. It began to become
apparent that their motives were not pure. They had a real problem with my
operating in apostolic authority. They caused great damage in the work as
we moved forward.
Here was the problem. When I received the one thousand dollars from
them, this created a “connection” with this Jezebel spirit—not just the one
operating through these people, but that which influenced and even ruled
the city. The people I received the money from were “influenced” by and
therefore represented this Jezebel spirit in Colorado Springs. They didn’t
know this and probably would vehemently deny it. The money they gave
me, however, made a connection in the spirit world to Jezebel. In actuality,
a trade was made that made a connection and even formed some level of
covenant. Remember we talked about trades in chapter 4. When I received
the money from that spirit, it was able to say, “Because you have taken
something from me, I can now take something from you.” This is a trade. It
took my wife’s health away in the most damaging time it could. If I was
going to get Mary well, I was going to have to break this connection created
by the money and undo this trade! I had to get the rights of this Jezebel
spirit revoked so that God’s healing presence could make Mary well.
Mary was basically sedated and incoherent at this time. In this state,
however, I had her pray with me and agree. As we prayed, I began to deal
with things in the spirit realm that had occurred when I received this money.
Let me say here that we can receive money, but we need to learn how to
cleanse it in the spirit realm. I will show how to do this later. Money can
and does carry what it has been dedicated to. In offerings in church
services, it is a very good practice to cleanse the offering and ask God to
burn up anything impure in it. Spirits seek to get their clutches in ministry
through offerings brought with impure motives. Even paychecks from
companies should be cleansed. Sometimes companies are dedicated to
demonic powers. It’s not that believers can’t work for them. Paul actually
said that if we are going to be that stringent, we are going to have to just go
on to Heaven. First Corinthians chapter 5, verses 9 and 10, tells us that we
can’t get away from all this while living in the world. The fact is, we
shouldn’t even want to.

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually

immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually
immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out
of the world.

Paul said if we are going to shun everything that is immoral, demonic,

and godless, we have to leave the world. This is why I ignore so many calls
to boycott something. One of the biggest is Starbucks Coffee. I realize they
are committed to demonic powers. When I drink a Starbucks, I simply
sanctify it to the Lord.
 Paul further addressed this in Romans chapter 14, verses 4 through 6:

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he

stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is
able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above
another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully
convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes
it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord
he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he
gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does
not eat, and gives God thanks.

Paul said, “Let [everyone] be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom.
4:6). He is also declaring that we should stop judging each other. There are
those who don’t eat because of conviction, and there are those who do eat
and give thanks to God. When we are able to thank God for the pleasure we
are deriving from something, it is acceptable to Him.
I have ministered quite a bit in Japan. In Japan, there are believers who
work for companies dedicated completely to demonic powers. These people
do not quit their jobs. They will not take oaths to these powers, and they
cleanse their paychecks when they receive them so that they are not in
connection or covenant with these demons. They would have to go out of
the world if they adopted the viewpoint of some believers. When we know
how to deal with these things, “greater is He that is in us than he that is in
the world” (see 1 John 4:4). We have authority to deal with these issues in
the unseen realm so that demons cannot take advantage of and seek to claim
us. Paul would even later say that for those of us who have knowledge,
everything is permissible. Paul addresses this in First Corinthians chapter 8,
verses 4 through 8:

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we

know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no
other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods,
whether in heaven or on earth.

Paul declared that when we have knowledge of who the one true real
God is, we are free. We can eat, drink, enjoy, and give honor to the Lord
who made everything. Paul said it is the knowledge we “eat” it with that is
important. If we eat in faith toward the Lord, then we can enjoy it and give
honor to Him. If we, from revelation, esteem all things having been created
and coming from God, we can then enjoy them as from the Lord. However,
if we have a weak conscience—in other words, we don’t have revelation of
these things—we can be defiled. Paul says all of this is a personal issue. We
are not to condemn where someone is in their walk with the Lord. We are
not to chastise people for their revelation level. Let me be clear that this is
not justifying immoral, unethical, illegal, or unscriptural behavior. This is
dealing with added requirements to the standard of God.
Paul had an understanding that we are free when we are living under the
constraints of the Spirit of the Lord. Galatians chapter 5, verses 16 through
18, shows us Paul’s efforts to bring us into liberty:

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of
the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that
you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law.

When we walk in the Spirit, we are empowered to refrain from fulfilling

the lust of the flesh. Also, when we are led by the Spirit, we are free from
the mandates of the law. As believers, we must know that we are not to be
rule-keepers but to live under the control of the Holy Spirit. This is where
our fulfilled righteous comes from (see Rom. 8:5). This is the liberty Paul
fought to see the Church come into under the New Covenant.
Having said all of this, I believe it is healthy to “cleanse” all money that
might have been dedicated to devilish purposes. This is what I had to do to
break the spirit of Jezebel that was attacking my wife. When I did this and
broke that power by removing its legal right, Mary began to get well. The
healing of God came, and Jesus’ touch brought restoration. However, the
connection with Jezebel that allowed the attack had to first be revoked. To
“cleanse” money, this is a good prayer to pray:

Lord Jesus, I come laying my life down before You. I declare

You are my God, my King, and my Lord. I honor You with my
life. I declare to You that You are my source and my provider. I
 repent of any trust I have in anything or anyone but You. I
clearly say, “I am Yours, and You are my source and complete
sufficiency.” Lord, I bring all the money that has come into my
life, whether earned, given, donated, found, or secured through
any other means. Any wrong motive, dedication, spirit, or
connection to this money I ask to be removed. I ask that the fire
of Heaven would burn up and consume anything attached to it
that would seek to make a connection to control, hurt, or
enslave my family or me. I ask by the blood of Jesus that
anything devilish attached to this money be annulled and
revoked. I cleanse this money now to Your purposes and desire.
This money is now sanctified for Your use in meeting our needs
and advancing Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If there is sickness involved in your life or the life of someone else that
you suspect is connected to this money, the following is a good prayer to
pray:

Lord Jesus, I come before You now and ask that any sickness
taking advantage of a devilish connection because of money be
removed. Lord I ask that as the money is now sanctified and
this connection is broken, healing now come to the body. Let
sickness and disease be removed, its power destroyed, and the
healing flow of Jesus now touch this life. I rebuke the power of
the enemy and say that it must go this instant! In Jesus’ name,
your authority is removed and your rights to operate are
revoked. In Jesus’ name, you must now leave! Healing now
flows into this body, and restoration now comes completely! In
Jesus’ name. Amen.

We must move in complete authority and power. Once the legal rights
have been revoked, healing is now free to come. We shall live and not die
and declare the glory of the Lord (see Ps. 118:17). In the next chapter, we
shall learn how to discern the devil’s operation and release the anointing.
 UNDERSTANDING THE DEVIL’S
LEGAL AND ILLEGAL PLACE IN
THE SPIRIT

L ONG BEFORE I KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE COURTS OF Heaven and the
legal dimension of the Spirit, we saw people healed. By taking our
authority in the spirit and releasing the anointing, we saw many people
delivered and healed of sicknesses. As I have said though, there were others
who weren’t healed. The Lord would visibly touch many of these by His
Spirit, yet they still remained sick. The truth is, some even died
prematurely. As mentioned earlier, this was the word that the Lord spoke to
Mary, my wife: “If you do not pray for them correctly, they will die.” I now
know this was a reference to understanding the Courts of Heaven and
removing the legal rights of the devil. I do not, however, want to leave the
idea that everything is about the Courts of Heaven when it comes to
healing. My own experience and the teaching of others clearly show this
isn’t true. There are times when all that is necessary for people to get healed
is the anointing mixed with faith. In fact, this is true for probably the
majority of the miracles Jesus performed. People simply came to Jesus in
faith, and the anointing and power in His life healed them. However, there
are times when this doesn’t seem to be enough. This is where I believe the
Courts of Heaven come in. From the Courts of Heaven, we remove and
revoke any legal right of the devil so that people can experience the healing
Jesus died for them to have.
Based on this explanation, it appears that the devil operates from both a
legal and an illegal position. We know from previous study that the devil is
the adversary—antidikos in the Greek. This is found in First Peter chapter 5
and verse 8:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks

about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Remember the word antidikos means “one who brings a lawsuit.”

Therefore, this speaks of a position in a legal system. The devil searches for
a legal right to devour us. Someone who brings a lawsuit must first have
built a case. We have discussed several things in the Scriptures that can
enable these cases to be built that would then allow or cause sickness. If
satan is operating from a legal place, we must them remove that legal place
through the blood of Jesus.
Another reference that shows the legal nature of the devil is Revelation
chapter 12, verses 10 and 11:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation,

and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.

The word accuser here is the Greek word kategoros, and it means “one
against you in an assembly; a complainant at law.” The accuser of the
brethren is not someone in the natural speaking evil of you. The accuser of
the brethren is the devil, who is before God day and night bringing legal
accusations against us. He is speaking in the spiritual realm, or the Courts
of Heaven, against us. He is bringing railing accusations to deny us all Jesus
died for us to have. Clearly from Scripture, healing is a covenant right in
both the Old and New Testament. Even Jesus said concerning the woman
bent over for eighteen years that she should be healed. She had a covenant
right as being in the Abrahamic covenant to healing. He says in Luke
chapter 13 and verse 16 that this woman had a right to healing because of
the Abrahamic covenant:

“…So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham,

whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be
loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?.”

When Jesus spoke the word and dealt with the legal issue holding her
from healing, she was immediately healed. Jesus loosed her from the
contract in the spirit that the devil was using to hold her in sickness.
Amazingly, she was healed.
We have spent the majority of this book dealing with undoing the legal
rights of the devil to hold people in sickness. Having said this though, the
devil also works from an illegal position. I know we have already discussed
this, but I want us to get this into our spirit. If the devil is using something
legal, it will have to be undone for healing. If he is just operating as a bully
or, as the Bible declares, as “a thief and a robber,” this is illegal (John
10:1). In John chapter 10, Jesus shows us the nature of the devil:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the

sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same
is a thief and a robber.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly.

The devil is the thief and a robber who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
This means he doesn’t only do things legally; he also operates from an
illegal position. If satan is doing something legally, we must discern what
he is using and remove it. If, however, he is doing something illegally, we
must simply take the anointing, authority, and power of the Lord and break
its effect. A property attorney explained it to me this way: There is a
difference between an eviction and a trespass. You have to take someone to
court to get an eviction. They have a right based on a contract that is in
force. You cannot simply kick them out. They have a legal document that
says they can live in and on the premises. To remove them, the legal rights
they are using have to be revoked. Then they can be removed. A trespasser,
however, has no legal rights. You can call the police and have the person
thrown out of the property. They don’t have a contract. This is a powerful
illustration of what I’m seeking to communicate. If the devil has something
legal he is using to torment with sickness, to get people healed we must
revoke the legal rights he has. He can then be evicted! Healing will come.
If, however, he is simply trespassing, no court activity is required. We
simply take the anointing and authority of the Spirit of God and kick him
out and see healing come.
As I mentioned earlier, if there is a legal right, it can even stop the
anointing from having an effect. I have watched people be touched
powerfully by the anointing and even the glory, and they still were sick.
This is because the legal rights of satan have not been removed. However,
once the legal rights are revoked, or if satan is just operating as a thief, we
must know how to function in the anointing. The anointing is what breaks
and destroys the yokes. In the remainder of this chapter, I want to bring
understanding concerning the anointing. If we don’t know how to function
in the anointing, we can remove and revoke all legal rights and not see
people healed. It is the anointing that brings the healing life of God.
My wife likes to shop online and on home shopping networks on
television. She really likes QVC. This is the premier home shopping
channel on television. I know she does this because there are packages
being delivered to our home regularly. When I come home from my travels
and ministry, I find packages in the mailbox, at the front door, inside the
house, and on the counter in the kitchen. Most of these have been ordered
online or off television. I use this to illustrate the anointing and the Holy
Spirit’s ministry.
Let me explain. When my wife sees something she wants on television,
she calls the number onscreen. The people answer, and she tells them what
she wants. She places her order. They then run our credit card to pay for
these items. The moment the credit card transaction occurs, we “own” these
items. We own them, but we haven’t possessed them. The people at the
home shopping network then communicate with the warehouse, secure the
items purchased, package them up, put them on a truck, ship them to the
airport, fly them to our area, take them from the plane, eventually place
them on another truck, and deliver them to our house. The items we
purchased and have owned for several days we now possess! For us to
receive and possess them, there was a delivery system to get them into our
hands. This is very much what happens in the spirit realm. When Jesus died
on the cross, He purchased and paid the price for our healing! If we are to
receive what has already been purchased, we must understand the delivery
system. The Holy Spirit is the delivery system of God. He takes everything
Jesus paid for on the cross and delivers it into our lives. We must know how
to cooperate with the Spirit or we cannot get what has already been paid for.
We cannot be ignorant of spiritual things. We must understand the ways of
the Holy Spirit or we will not get the benefits of who He is. The Apostle
Paul wrote in First Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 1 that we should not be
ignorant of spiritual things and how the Spirit operates:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to

be ignorant.

Paul was instructing this church in how to move with and flow in the
things of the Spirit. He then begins to outline nine spiritual manifestations
of the Holy Spirit. This was his effort to help them understand “some” of
the realms that the Spirit could reveal Jesus in and through. The more we
can understand and cooperate with the Spirit, the more power and anointing
that will produce healings and breakthroughs.
Let me give five secrets to cooperating with the Holy Spirit as God’s
delivery system of everything Jesus died for us to have. First of all, we
should reverence and respect the Holy Spirit. When I say the Holy Spirit is
the delivery system, in no way am I minimizing who He is. I am simply
seeking to communicate His function in God’s heart for us. If we are to be
able to receive from Him, we should always treat Him with great reverence,
respect, awe, and admiration. He is God. One of the sins against the Spirit is
to “insult” Him. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 29 speaks of insulting the
Spirit of grace:

Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be

thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a
common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

This is a pretty scary Scripture. I point it out to show simply that the
Spirit of God can be insulted. We are always to treat Him with great respect.
Several years ago, I was very close to a very strong ministry. Great
miracles were the norm in this ministry. During one set of meetings, the
minister prayed for all the pastors that were there. I had been prayed for and
imparted to many times by this man. This time, as he prayed for me before
the thousands that were there, the Spirit of God touched me so powerfully
that I literally went flying through the air. Those who were behind me,
supposedly for the purpose of catching me, were taken out. I was like a
bowling ball being hurled through the air. Everyone—either by the
anointing or the force of my body—went flying themselves. It was a very
powerful and life-altering experience. After the service was over, I was
going to ride the bus back to our city that a number of our church people
had come on. By the time I got to the bus, our group was already onboard.
As I boarded the bus, the people began to laugh and carry on about what
had happened to me. Most were just laughing in good fun. One of the chief
people with the ministry we had just attended had followed me to the bus
just to say hello to everyone. He heard everyone laughing at what had
happened to me. He stepped onto the bus and began to upbraid and chasten
everyone for their attitude toward what had happened. This was the
standard of this ministry. They treated the Holy Spirit and what He did with
great respect. This man was offended by the lack of reverence being shown
toward the power of the Spirit of God. Everyone went extremely quiet as a
conviction settled over us concerning our flippancy toward the things of
God. I have learned that we must treat the Holy Spirit with the reverence
due to Him. The more we will reverence and respect Him, the more He will
manifest in our lives. I worry there isn’t enough fear of God in the Church
today. Lord, forgive us for not honoring and esteeming You the way we
should.
 Another thing we must do is worship Jesus. The Holy Spirit is here to
manifest and reveal Jesus. Jesus actually said that the Spirit would not
speak of Himself but would glorify Jesus. John chapter 16, verses 13 and
14, declares the Holy Spirit is here to magnify Jesus:

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide
you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority,
but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you
things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is
Mine and declare it to you.

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to lift up Jesus. Anywhere there is a

people magnifying Jesus the Spirit of God will come. His passion is to
glorify Jesus. If we want the power, presence, and person of the Spirit
among us, then begin to give glory to Jesus.
In John chapter 7, verses 37 through 39, we see Jesus crying out. He is
calling for the thirsty:

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of
his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would
receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus
was not yet glorified.

Jesus was speaking about the Spirit. It says the Spirit “was not yet
given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). I realize this is
referring to Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Yet there is a
principle also at work here. The Holy Spirit comes only when Jesus is being
glorified. If you want the power and glory of the Holy Spirit, then begin to
glorify Jesus. In particular, our worship and adoration of who He is will
release the power and presence of the Lord among us. It will result in rivers
of living water beginning to flow. Notice it isn’t just a river, but rivers, that
start to flow. This is a result of the Spirit responding to the glorifying of
Jesus!
 Another thing to move and cooperate with the Holy Spirit is the realm
of faith. Faith is what attaches us to the power of the Holy Spirit. I liken it
to an electrical outlet in a house into which lamps, appliances, and other
items can be plugged. The electrical current behind the outlet allows these
to operate and provide service and convenience to us. Electricity is an
unseen source and yet very powerful. It brings life to otherwise motionless
things. This is very much like the Holy Spirit. He is unseen and yet
powerful as well. When we connect with Him, life begins to flow.
Resurrected power is released when we are joined to Him. The key is to
connect. The power connected to a wall outlet does no one any good unless
something is plugged into it. There has to be a purposeful act of connecting
to the power that is unseen yet available. We connect and plug into the
power of the Holy Spirit through faith. With all the teaching on faith, it
seems that we still struggle to get it. Yet without faith we can have the most
powerful anointing present and completely miss what is available to us.
This is what happened to the people in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up.
Their familiarity with Him caused them to miss what He was carrying.
Their unbelief would not let them plug into the power of the Holy Spirit in
which He moved. Mark chapter 6, verses 5 and 6, tells us that Jesus
marveled at their unbelief:

Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His

hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled
because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a
circuit, teaching.

Their unbelief would not allow them to connect with the anointing and
power that was present among them. Many times people do not get healed,
not because something legal is resisting them, but because of the unbelief
attached to our humanity.
I believe this is one of the reasons the Holy Spirit has come. He wars
with our unbelief and seeks to bring us into legitimate faith. John chapter
16, verses 8 and 9, tells us the Holy Spirit will convince us of unbelief. I
believe this means that He will contend with our unbelief to bring us into
places of powerful faith.
 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not
believe in Me.

Notice that unbelief is considered a sin. We tend to excuse our unbelief

and make room for it in our life. If we find in our lives unbelief that will not
allow us to connect and plug into the power of the Spirit, we must deal with
it ruthlessly. We must acknowledge it and repent for its connection to us.
Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 12 calls unbelief an evil thing:

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of

unbelief in departing from the living God.

Departing from the living God doesn’t mean we leave Him or even
backslide from Him. It can mean we simply choose not to believe certain
aspects about who He is. The bottom line is that unbelief is said to come
from an evil heart. We must repent of this and ask the Lord for mercy that
we would not doubt Him or stand against who the Word reveals Him to be.
I have noticed through the years that many believe faith is a quiet
believing. A religious spirit usually causes this. It pacifies us and makes us
think we are doing something spiritual. So often, however, we have just
slipped into a melancholy place of unbelief. I try and tell people that faith
isn’t a quiet believing; it is a violent pursuit. Real faith has a desperateness
connected to it. Real faith has an aggressiveness joined to it. Real faith is
bold and demanding. It will not let go until it apprehends what it
understands belongs to it. Whether it was blind Bartimaeus crying out for
his healing, or the woman with the issue of blood, or the lepers calling for
Jesus to show them mercy, those who were healed had demonstrative faith.
I’m not saying we must do something that is fleshly. I am saying, however,
that these people did things in the flesh that manifested the cry and passion
that was in their heart. They had a faith that was violent in nature and
therefore apprehended their healing. They realized that Jesus, the anointed
of God, was in their midst. They could not let this chance pass them by.
They took their faith and plugged into the power of the Spirit’s presence.
Jesus said something very powerful concerning this in Mark chapter 16,
verses 17 and 18. He spoke of the power that would be exhibited through
people of faith:
 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they
will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they
will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will
by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and
they will recover.

Jesus said we would “ lay hands on the sick, and they [would] recover”
(Mark 16:18). The laying on of hands is the imparting of the anointing and
power of the Holy Spirit. Notice that those who are anointed impart the
anointing through their hands. Those who are sick are responsible to
recover. The words “they shall recover” in the Greek mean “to get a hold on
wellness.” So, when the healing anointing is imparted through someone, we
must “get a hold on wellness and possess it.” This requires faith. We grab
hold of that which is being imparted and refuse to let go. This is our
plugging into the anointing with our faith and receiving everything it brings
to us.
The fourth truth about the Holy Spirit and the anointing is there appears
to be two anointings in which Jesus walked. Acts chapter 10 and verse 38
says Jesus walked in the anointing of the Holy Spirit and of power:

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Sometimes we just read across this verse and think it is speaking of only
the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The truth is, the Holy Spirit is what brings
power. Acts chapter 1 and verse 8 clearly states that we receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon us:

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Even though we do receive power from the Holy Spirit, I also believe
there is another dimension we need to see great miracles occur and healing
manifested.
 In Luke chapter 4 and verse 1, we see Jesus going into the wilderness
“filled with the Spirit”:

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the
Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

This was a result of His encounter at His baptism in the river Jordan.
The heavens opened, the affirming voice of the Father was heard, and the
Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. He was now sealed and settled
in the Father’s acceptance and love. In this place, the Spirit of God leads
Him into the wilderness. In Luke chapter 4 and verse 14, we see Jesus
coming out of the wilderness after forty days. These days have involved
temptation by the devil, fasting, and solitude. It appears, however, that
something else has transpired while Jesus walked in the wilderness. The
Bible says that when Jesus came out of the wilderness, He came out in the
“power of the Spirit”:

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and

news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

Jesus went into the wilderness “filled with the Spirit” but comes out in
the “power of the Spirit.” Connecting this to Acts 10:38, which says He was
anointed “with the Holy Spirit and with power,” we have to wonder what
happened in the wilderness (Acts 10:38). I would submit that Jesus
experienced a second anointing. At the river Jordan, the anointing, filling,
and baptism of the Holy Spirit came on Him. In the wilderness, He received
the anointing of power. It was after this anointing that the signs, wonders,
miracles, and healings began to happen. His fame began to spread
throughout the region.
I believe there is another dimension of power available to us from the
Holy Spirit. It is imperative that we recognize this, or we can live below the
level we can access. Paul also spoke of this. First Corinthians chapter 2,
verses 4 and 5, tells us that Paul walked in this same dimension:

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive

words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
 of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men
but in the power of God.

Paul declared that he functioned in a demonstration of Spirit and of

power. I think it is interesting that we are told this is the dimension where
men’s faith began to be established. Paul recognized the need for our faith
not just to be in sound doctrine, but also in the experience of His power.
We also see this in what John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus. He
said Jesus would baptize us in the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke chapter 3 and
verse 16 declares one of the prophetic purposes of Jesus’ coming:

John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water;

but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not
worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.…”

John promised that Jesus had a baptism of the Holy Spirit and of fire.
The word fire in the Greek is pur, and it means “lightning.” Lightning is
synonymous with power. John G. Lake spoke of the “lightning of God”
shooting through his soul. When this occurred, he saw amazing miracles
happen. This was a reference to the power of God. All of this tells us there
is another dimension and even a second anointing for which we should
contend. We should thank God for the anointing of the Holy Spirit that seals
us, settles us, affirms us, and grants us revelation of the Fatherhood of God.
However, we must also press for the second anointing in which Jesus and
others clearly walked. It is the anointing of power. Perhaps it is just another
release and level of the Spirit’s ministry through us. However we phrase it,
we should desperately desire it. This, it seems, is necessary for the amazing
miracles that all desire and many need.
So what allows this “second” anointing? I would suggest that the
anointing of the Holy Spirit is a gift. God, from His gracious character,
pours this anointing out onto any and all believers who desire Him. I would
also suggest that the anointing of power is a “reward” for passing the test of
the wilderness. Jesus went into the wilderness “filled.” He came out in the
“power” of the Spirit, manifesting the Kingdom of God. His filling was a
gift. The power was a reward for successfully obeying the Lord in the
wilderness through the temptations and trials. We must know that every
time we face temptation and trials in a wilderness place, we are being
granted the opportunity to qualify for a new place of power! As we embrace
the grace of God and overcome, God deems us worthy to carry and function
in a new place of power. We can walk in the two anointings—not just the
anointing of the Holy Spirit, but also the anointing of power, which people
can plug into and receive abundantly from.
The final thought concerning the Holy Spirit and the anointing is that it
is a substance. This concept and revelation changed my life. To be able to
move in agreement with the Spirit and power, we should know this idea.
Sometimes we think the anointing is something mystical. It is spiritual but
not necessarily mystical when you understand it. John G. Lake also said,
“God is not superstitious. He is scientific.” Lake believed the anointing was
an actual substance that lived on the inside of us. As a result, it could be
transferred, imparted, administered, and used to touch people in need. This
idea concerning the anointing comes from an examination of the Scriptures.
For instance, the woman with the issue of blood wanted to touch the hem of
Jesus’ garment. Mark chapter 5, verses 25 through 29, shows this woman’s
faith and determination. She had her focus on the garment Jesus was
wearing.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and
had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent
all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.
When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the
crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may
touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the
fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body
that she was healed of the affliction.

Why did she want to touch Jesus’ clothes? Some believe there was
something religiously special about the garment Jesus wore. I’m not really
sure about this. What I do know is that the anointing was in this garment
because the anointing on Jesus’ life had saturated it. The anointing, being a
substance, had permeated the clothes of Jesus. As a result, the woman
desired to touch the clothes to pull the anointing out of them. With her faith
she made a demand on the anointing that had embedded itself in Jesus’
garments. Her focus was on Jesus’ clothes because she understood the
anointing was a real substance, yet unseen. Again, this is very similar to
electricity. We cannot see electricity, yet we know it’s a very real substance.
It has great power. We have no problem believing it is real because we see
the effects of it. The same is true of the anointing. What we carry in our
lives and spirits is a very real substance.
We can take the anointing and impart it in many ways. One of the main
ways is through the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands is not a
symbolic gesture; it is a transference and impartation of the anointing. We
take the anointing in our lives and impart it by faith through our hands. This
is what Peter did to the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts chapter 3,
verses 6 through 8:

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do
have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise
up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him
up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple
with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

Clearly Peter understood something was in him. There was something

he could give to this man that had the power to heal him. Peter took the
substance of the anointing that was in him and imparted it to this man. As a
result, the man was dramatically healed. The anointing is a very real
substance that is the resurrection power of who Jesus is. This power lives in
us, and we have the right to impart it as the very substance of God.
This also explains a couple of other occurrences in the Scriptures. Peter
used his shadow to heal people. Acts chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, tells the
story of Peter’s shadow being cast on people and them being healed:

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes

of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into
the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the
shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

The substance of the anointing on Peter was cast with his shadow on
people. As a result, they were healed. This seems magical, yet it is actually
a very real phenomenon that is explainable. It was the anointing transmitted
by faith into people through Peter’s shadow. When you understand the
dynamics at work here, it can cause a greater realm of faith to operate.
When I began to comprehend this, I started releasing the God who lives in
me rather than just petitioning the God in Heaven. This is what the
anointing is. It is the God of the universe living on the inside of me. He is
manifest in this substance called the anointing that is full of resurrected
power. When we know who He is and what is in us, we can release Him
and see powerful demonstrations.
This is why Jesus told the disciples that they should go perform
supernatural feats and heal the sick. Luke chapter 10, verses 8 and 9, shows
us Jesus commissioning them to heal the sick. He didn’t tell them to ask
God to do it. He told them to take who and what lived inside them and do it
themselves.

Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things
as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them,
“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

They were to operate in and release the substance that lived in them.
They were to then declare, “The kingdom of God has come near to you”
(Luke 10:9). Healing is a tangible demonstration of the Kingdom
manifested. It shows the power of God annihilating the power of satan in a
tangible way! This happens because of what lives in us—the very substance
of God, called the anointing.
Paul, Peter, and the early Church understood this. This is why certain
Scriptures were penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Colossians
chapter 1 and verse 27 declares that Christ lives in us. He is the hope of
glory!

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory.

If we knew who and what really lived in us, it would birth a new level
of faith from which to operate. When I began to understand the substance of
the anointing, my ability to pray in faith skyrocketed. I was no longer
asking a God sitting on a throne in Heaven to do something. I was taking
the God who is in me and allowing Him to perform supernatural things.
This is a major difference. Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 20 speaks of the
exceeding abundance of what He can do. It is according to the power
working “in us”: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”
(Eph. 3:20).
There are many other Scriptures that speak of Jesus, His power, His
faith, and other things living in us. If we could accept by faith that this isn’t
a spiritual concept alone but also a practical one, things would change
dramatically. Remember, “God is not superstitious. He is scientific.” We see
this again in the story where a man thrown into the tomb of Elisha was
raised. Elisha had walked in such an astounding anointing. It had permeated
his very being, even his bones. The result, in Second Kings chapter 13,
verses 20 and 21, was that a man was resurrected from the dead by touching
the anointing-saturated bones of Elisha.

Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands
from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. So it was,
as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of
raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when
the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he
revived and stood on his feet.

The substance of the anointing remained in Elisha even after he was

dead. There was still such power residing in him that it overcame death and
brought a man back to life. This is phenomenal. The only explanation is that
the anointing is a substance that can saturate clothes, shadows, hands,
words, and even the bones of a dead prophet. May God help us to learn how
to administer this anointing that lives in us.
There is one more example of this substance of the anointing operating
that I would like to cite. In Acts chapter 19, verses 11 and 12, the Bible says
that handkerchiefs were brought from the body of Paul. These
“handkerchiefs” were so full of the anointing that Paul carried that they
exorcised demons and healed the sick.

Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so

that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body
 to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went
out of them.

The word handkerchiefs is the Greek word soudarion, and it means “a

sweat cloth.” It refers to a towel for wiping perspiration off the face. Wow!
So these were not the pieces of cloth people sell on television to make a
profit off of unsuspecting and desperate people. Sorry for the sarcasm.
These were literally cloths that Paul wore, potentially while he worked.
Perhaps they were what he used to wipe sweat from his face while making
tents to support himself and the ministry. Regardless, it is apparent that
these “handkerchiefs” were sweat rags brought from his body. This means
that the perspiration that flowed from his body carried the anointing of the
Spirit. It was so powerful that it healed people and set people free from
demons. This occurred because the anointing is a substance.
I do believe it is appropriate to pray over handkerchiefs, cloths, and the
like to “impart” the anointing into them. These can then be laid on people,
and they can receive miracles from the Lord. The pieces of material actually
become storage batteries once the anointing is imparted into them. This is
very similar to the batteries used to start our cars. The batteries have no
ability to generate power themselves. They can only receive it and hold it
until it is needed to crank the car. This is what was happening with these
aprons and handkerchiefs. They were able to receive and hold the anointing
Paul carried. They could then, by faith, be accessed when they were laid on
those in need. When there is a true anointing released into these cloths, the
anointing can remain there and bring life to what it touches. This may seem
far-fetched to some, but it illustrates the tangibility of the anointing. This is
important in getting people healed. It is the substance of the anointing that
brings healing to people. This is why many will feel some kind of physical
manifestation of fire, heat, electricity, shock, or another demonstration.
They are encountering the substance of the anointing.
Yet if there is something legal working to forbid someone from being
healed, this legality must be removed. It is possible to experience all sorts
of power and demonstrations and still be sick. Only when the legal issue
used by the devil is removed can the anointing have its effect. Please
remember, though, that sickness and disease are not always a result of
something legal against someone. It can be simply the devil moving
illegally and working against someone. In this case, we simply take the
authority and anointing of the Spirit and administer His life and healing.
However, if something legal is allowing it, we must move this out of the
way. Once this occurs, the substance of the anointing aggressively received
in the Spirit will bring healing. Jesus bought and paid for this. It is our right
to receive all things He said were legally ours. The Holy Spirit brings these
things to us and allows us the benefits of all Jesus did! Here is a prayer we
can pray to operate in the anointing of the Spirit and see people healed:

Lord, thank You so much for the anointing of Your Spirit. Lord,
help us discern the basis of every demonic activity. We ask to
be made aware of whether the devil is moving illegally or
legally to afflict with this sickness. Lord, by faith we move in
agreement with Your anointing and Spirit. Thank You, Holy
Spirit, for coming to bring everything Jesus died for into reality
in our life. Let any legal thing satan would use now be
dissolved and revoked. Holy Spirit, we receive the substance of
Your anointing to come and touch all infirmities. We by faith
grab hold of the power and presence of the substance of the
anointing. We receive that which has the authority to undo all
sickness and disease. We shake off all complacency and
tolerance of disease. We stir ourselves to embrace Your power,
Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, we receive the very substance
of the anointing that removes and revokes any remaining effect
of devilish activity. We receive our healing now from the power
of the Spirit. Thank You, Jesus, for all You did to remove the
legal rights of the devil. They are broken, and we are now free
to receive from Holy Spirit Your full redemption and health. We
take it now in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 PRESENTING OUR CASE FOR
HEALING IN THE COURTS

S O OFTEN IT SEEMS THAT I DEAL EXTENSIVELY WITH what the devil is doing
legally to stop what Jesus paid for us to have. This is necessary to get
things legally in place for breakthrough. We must know how to take the
blood of Jesus and remove the case the devil has against us to hold us
captive in sickness. Again, Revelation chapter 12, verses 10 and 11, tells us
that the accuser is constantly building cases against us:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation,

and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.
 So, “the accuser of the brethren” is not someone speaking evil or being
critical against us in the natural. The accuser that is bringing legal cases
against us before God is of demonic origin. We undo these cases by the
blood of the Lamb. When we repent, the blood of Jesus is the thing that
legally removes and revokes the right of the devil to speak against us. In
regard to healing, the legal rights of the devil are annulled and that which
the devil is using to hold in sickness is destroyed. It is, however, one thing
to have a case against us removed and another thing to make and present a
case ourselves. Not only do we overcome the accuser and his case by the
blood of the Lamb, we also overcome by “the word of our testimony.” This
is speaking of our presentation of our case. “The word of our testimony” is
the evidence presented that allows God to render verdicts in our favor. This
is very powerful and something in which we must learn to walk to secure
the healing that Jesus’ work on the cross legally provides for us!
The word testimony in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 11 is the Greek
word marturia, and it means “evidence given.” It comes from the Greek
word martus, which means “a judicial witness.” So, “the word of our
testimony” is when we are presenting evidence before the Throne of God.
This allows the Judge to render verdicts. Therefore, not only do we need to
undo the case of the accuser against us by the blood of Jesus, but we also
must present our own case for healing! If the Court of Heaven is a “real”
court, it can only render verdicts based on evidence presented.
Several years ago, I was teaching on the Courts of Heaven in the
Chicago, Illinois, area. Even though I was in the United States, I was
speaking before a Korean group and was therefore being translated. When I
finished one of the sessions, the man hosting the meetings and translating
for me shared a story with me. He was a translator in the natural court
system of Chicago. When a Korean was in these courts, he was hired to
translate into Korean so it was sure that they understood the proceedings.
He shared how in a court setting one day, a young attorney was seeking to
make his case before the judge. This attorney kept rambling on, seeking to
get the necessary facts into evidence. The judge watched, waited, and
listened patiently for a good while. Finally, however, the judge interrupted
this young attorney. He said, “Young man, please stop.” The judge then said
to this lawyer, “I know what you’re trying to do, but you’re going to have to
give me a reason.” What was he telling this young advocate? The judge was
aware of the verdict that was wanted. However, the lawyer had yet to give
him evidence that would allow this verdict. He had not made his case. If
there is to be a ruling from the court, there must be evidence to substantiate
that ruling. Judges can only render verdicts on the basis of the evidence
presented. If we are to secure and receive healing from the Courts of
Heaven, we must know how to present our case in the courts. If the devil is
using something legal to hold someone in sickness, not only do we have to
have that legal right revoked, we also need to present “the word of our
testimony” to give evidence. This can allow the healing that Jesus bought
and paid for to become ours.
There can be many things we can present in the Courts of Heaven as
evidence and testimony. The first and foremost thing is what Jesus has done
for us. As we approach the courts, we should bring the evidence of the
cross. We have discussed previously what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
It is appropriate to submit this into evidence in the Courts of Heaven. We
can submit before the courts that, according to Isaiah chapter 53 and verse
4, when Jesus died on the cross, He bore away our sickness and carried
away our pains:

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

We shared previously that the word griefs means “maladies, diseases,

and sicknesses,” while sorrows can mean “pains.” So, when Jesus died on
the cross, He declared sickness illegal. It has lost its legal right to operate
against those who belong to Jesus and are in covenant with Him. This is a
piece of evidence we should present before the courts.
We can also present the evidence as testimony that Jesus took stripes on
Him to secure our healing. Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 5 declares this:

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised

for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon
Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

We can present before the Courts of Heaven that the beating Jesus took
was for our healing. We can also present before the courts that after the
cross, we are healed already according to First Peter chapter 2 and verse 24:
 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we,
having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose
stripes you were healed.

We take all that Jesus has done for us, and we present it as evidence in
the Courts of Heaven. We begin to make our case for healing based on His
finished work.
The Holy Spirit will help us as we present our case before the Judge.
Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Parakletos, which, when searched out,
means “a legal aide.” This comes from John chapter 14 and verse 16, where
the Spirit is called the “Helper”:

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
Helper, that He may abide with you forever.

This same word is used for Jesus’ function in First John chapter 2 and
verse 1. We are told that Jesus is our “Advocate”:

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may

not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

The very same word parakletos is translated as “helper” but then also as
the legal term “advocate.” An advocate is someone who stands in the courts
to plead the case of another. Jesus stands to plead our case with us, but the
Holy Spirit also empowers us and gives us counsel as our legal aide. He
helps us know how to make our case and present the evidence. This again is
why we are told in Romans chapter 8 and verse 26 that the Spirit helps our
weakness. He shows us how to present our case.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not

know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered.

The way a case is presented is important to the judge’s decisions. We

must by faith take any and all things Jesus did for us and present them
before the Judge. We are then, by the power of the Spirit, releasing the word
of our testimony based on what Jesus has done.
Another thing we should use as testimony is what is written in our book
in Heaven. Psalm chapter 139 and verse 16 shows that we have a book in
Heaven. In this book is written our destiny and purpose of why we are alive
on the earth:

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your

book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as
yet there were none of them.

I have shared about this concept at length in my previous books on the

Courts of Heaven, particularly about how to access them. Before we ever
were alive on the earth, there was a book written about us in Heaven. Our
purpose for being alive on the earth is to fulfill that destiny and purpose.
When we are presenting our case for healing, it is proper to cite what is
written in our book. In other words, we should declare that our healing and
health are necessary to fulfill what is in our book.
For instance, one of the main things written in my book is I am called to
“disciple nations.” I know this because I have heard the Lord clearly tell me
so. I need health to be able to do this. So, it would be proper for me to say
before the Courts of Heaven, “This is what my mandate is. I cannot fulfill
this without a strong body. On the basis of what is written in my book, I am
asking for all that Jesus died for me to have to become mine. I ask to be
healed. I use what is written in my book as evidence and reasons why
healing should be mine.” In court, the stronger the case you can make with
more evidence, the better.
To present evidence from your book, you need revelation of what is in
your book. You need to have an awareness of why you are alive on the
earth. Let me give you some ideas of how to discern what is in your book in
Heaven so that you can present it as evidence in the courts. First of all, we
should cultivate a relationship with the Lord so that we can hear Him.
Hearing His voice is critical to discerning what is in your book. John
chapter 10 and verse 3 says we are His sheep and therefore should hear His
voice:
 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and
he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

We must pay close attention to the things He has said to us throughout

the years. These are very significant clues as to what is in our books. These
things we should present before the courts as being in our books. This is
why Daniel chapter 7 and verse 10 tells us the court is seated and the books
are open:

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A

thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the
books were opened.

From the books we present evidence into the courts. The things we have
heard from the Lord are strategic to our destiny. If sickness is warring
against us or threatening to take us out prematurely, we must use what is in
our books as evidence and testimony to secure our long life and destiny.
Another clue to what is in you book is found by paying attention to your
desires. You will notice that “all my substance yet unformed” was written in
the book of Heaven (see Ps. 139:16). This can mean, among other things,
my DNA. What makes me tick? What reverberates with me? Whatever is in
my book God will have also formed desires consistent with this. I should
pay attention to the passions of my heart. They are clues to what is in my
book.
My inclinations can also give me insight into what is in my book. What
do I gravitate toward? What kind of people do I enjoy? If I let “nature take
its course,” where do I end up? These can be signs of what is in my book.
I should also pay attention to my mixture of gifts. Whatever I am gifted
in will be consistent with what is in my book. God didn’t give me gifts
contrary to what is in my book. I am good at specific things because they
are necessary to fulfill what is written about me in Heaven.
A final thing to consider concerning what is in our book in Heaven is
where my frustrations lie. My frustrations exist because I was created to
solve those problems. That is why they are so frustrating. Our frustrations
can be a real sign of what is written in our book. The Holy Spirit will help
us discern what is the destiny written in our book. We can then present from
our book evidence into the Courts of Heaven. If sickness is seeking to
thwart what is in our book, we can petition the court to have it removed.
God wants us healed and delivered to be able to fulfill what is in our book
in Heaven.
Another part of “the word of our testimony” and evidence we should
present is the promises in God’s Word. There are promises God gives us as
His children. There are promises also connected to our faith and obedience.
We should present these as evidence before the Courts of Heaven. Psalm
chapter 91, verses 1 through 16, is filled with promises of healing, health,
wholeness, and protection. We are told that if we abide in the secret place
and make the Lord our refuge, we are preserved.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is
my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely
He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the
perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and
under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your
shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by
night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence
that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at
noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at
your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your
eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because
you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High,
your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any
plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels
charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands
they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and
the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set
his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on
high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me,
and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and
show him My salvation.”
 It would be appropriate to submit this as evidence in the Courts of
Heaven. The promises of God concerning healing contained in this psalm
are powerful. He delivers us from “perilous pestilence” (Ps. 91:3). He
saves us from “pestilence that walks in darkness” and “ destruction that
lays waste at noonday” (Ps. 91:6). There are diseases that cause people to
“waste away.” God delivers us from them. Even though thousands fall
around us, it will not touch us (see Ps. 91:7). We will not become a statistic.
We can present this in the courts as evidence from God’s Word! What
touches others will not touch us. Only with our eyes will we behold the
reward of the wicked (see Ps. 91:8). God promises divine health and
protection. No plague will touch our dwelling or those in our house. The
angels will cover us and keep us from all of this (see Ps. 91:10-11). We will
not even dash our foot on a stone. The angels of God will carry us in their
hands (see Ps. 91:12). With a long and satisfying life will we see His
salvation (see Ps. 91:16)! These are promises of God’s Word that we should
present in the Courts of Heaven. This is evidence the courts love to hear
from the faith of God’s people.
There are also very distinct promises of healing made to those who do
certain things. In Isaiah chapter 58, verses 6 through 8, we see God
promising health that breaks forth quickly:

Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go
free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your
bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the
poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover
him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your
light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall
spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before
you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

God promises that if we minister to others in their need and desperation,

our healing can break forth speedily. If we have ministered to others, fed the
hungry, taken care of the poor, and clothed the naked, God promises divine
health. We can take this and present it as evidence in the Courts of Heaven
before a just God. Based on His justice, He can then render a verdict of
healing and health. Psalm chapter 41, verses 1 through 3, says what the
Lord will do to those who care for the poor:

Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him
in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him
alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; you will not deliver
him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on
his bed of illness; you will sustain him on his sickbed.

God promises healing when someone has cared for the poor. We can
take this promise if we have done this and present it as evidence before the
Lord.
I remember getting a prayer request for healing for a certain well-known
ministry. They were having a very serious surgery, and the outcome was
questionable. This one was advanced in age and had other things
complicating the procedure. As I began to lift them before the Lord, I heard
to Lord say to present Psalm 41:1-3 before the courts on their behalf. I
knew the Lord said they had cared for the poor and the distressed. I asked
before the courts that they would be healed on the basis of this promise. I
presented it as evidence before the courts. The report came back very
quickly that the surgery they had was a success and they were well and
healed. Their ministry before the Lord to the poor was received as
testimony. Learning to present the promises of God before the Lord as
evidence can produce great results.
It is appropriate to present evidence of our walk with the Lord before
the courts. For instance, Proverbs chapter 3, verses 7 and 8, reveals the
power of the fear of the Lord:

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from
evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

We can come before His courts and humbly testify that we have sought
to depart from evil and fear the Lord. Therefore, on the basis of this
testimony, we ask for health to our flesh and strength to our bones.
We can also present before the courts our case that we have paid
attention to and reverenced His Word. Proverbs chapter 4, verses 20
through 22, gives the promise of life and health to the flesh of those who
obediently listen to the Word of God and let it direct their lives:

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my

sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in
the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them,
and health to all their flesh.

We can humbly present the evidence of our life and ask to be forgiven
in any and every place in which we haven’t been faithful. We can also say
that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have sought to order our lives
as best we can according to the Word of God. We can ask for healing from
the courts on the basis of this testimony. We should always be humble
before the courts of Heaven but not ashamed to present evidence of our
efforts to obey Him. There are books in Heaven that have recorded
everything about us. So, when we present our testimony, these books will
be consulted to verify our evidence. If it is found to be true, there can be
verdicts rendered as a result. I believe Malachi spoke of some of these
books in Malachi chapter 3 and verse 16. They are called Books of
Remembrance, and they cause us to be remembered before the Lord.

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the
Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was
written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who
meditate on His name

These books can testify of us in the courts and cause us to be

remembered. They can verify our obedience and heart for the Lord and
cause us to be remembered. It is proper to ask for these books to speak and
verify our history with God.
There is one more piece of evidence that we should present before the
courts that I will mention in this chapter. We should present the mercy of
God as evidence. In Mark chapter 10 and verse 47, we see a man called
blind Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus and asking for mercy:

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to

cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
 We know that Jesus did stop to heal this man. Bartimaeus’s cry was on
the basis of mercy. Many others in the New Testament asked Jesus for
mercy as they were healed. When we approach the Courts of Heaven, we
should come in the midst of every other testimony, releasing the evidence of
His mercy. We can declare that “God, You are merciful. I am asking for
healing on the basis of Your kind and merciful nature. In the midst of all the
other evidence I have presented, I am only worthy to be healed by You
because of what You have done and because of the mercy it has released.”
This, I believe, speaks boldly before the Courts of Heaven. Presenting
evidence and releasing our word of testimony is critical to approaching the
courts. God’s desire is to heal. He has given us the privilege of petitioning
His court for it. In the next chapter, I will give us one more piece of
evidence we should present in the courts for healing. Here is a prayer you
can pray based on the evidence we have talked about in this chapter:

Lord, we present before Your courts all that Jesus, Your Son,
has done. We thank You for Your work on my behalf on the
cross. Lord, we thank You for everything You suffered. Thank
You for the beating You took for our healing. Thank You for
hanging on the cross, carrying away our sickness, and bearing
away our pain. Thank You for the stripes on Your back. We can
never say thank You enough. We now present all You did on the
cross on my behalf before Your courts. Let it now speak for me
in the Courts of Heaven. We receive our healing on the basis of
Your cross!

Lord, we also bring before Your courts all that You have written
in our book of destiny. I thank You that we have a book written
in Heaven about us and our future and purpose. Lord, we need
health and wholeness to fulfill what is in our book. We present
before You all that is in our book. We ask before this court that
healing and power will flow into our bodies that we might
complete what is in our book. We thank You for a long and
satisfying life that we may accomplish all that is written about
us. We have come, O God, to do Your will!
Lord, we come before Your courts based on the promise of Your
Word. Thank You for the grace You give us to obey You. Thanks
so much for the promises of Your Word. We bring Your Word
and promises before Your courts and present them as evidence.
They are the word of our testimony. They declare Your
faithfulness and kindness to us. Lord, we remind this court that
Psalm 91 declares freedom from sickness, pestilence, plagues,
injury, and hurts. We present Your Word and ask that all that it
promises in Psalm 91 would be ours. We ask before this court
that angels bear us up in their hands and that You satisfy us
with a long life. We also petition this court that all ministry to
the poor would be recognized by this court. We ask according
to Your Word that we would be made whole from all sickness
and that healing would flow to us. May all we have done for
the poor and all that is recorded in books in Heaven be brought
to the courts and verified. Let it speak on our behalf before this
court. We also submit to this court that we have sought to walk
in the fear of the Lord and to depart from evil. We have not
always fully obeyed in this, however. We ask for forgiveness
concerning this. We ask, though, that according to Your Word,
it would be health to our flesh. Let our history of obedience
speak before Your court. Also, we have made Your Word our
food. We ask that our love for Your Word would speak in this
court as well and allow health to our flesh to now come. We
also ask and petition this court that Your mercy would speak
for us. Lord, thank You for Your mercy. We remind this court
that when You, Lord Jesus, walked the earth, You healed on the
basis of mercy. Would You now allow Your mercy to flow to us?
Lord, we ask from this court for the healing that Jesus died for
us to have. Thank You so much for the healing and life that is
flowing to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
 PRESENTING MORE EVIDENCE
FOR HEALING

W E HAVE DEALT WITH SEVERAL PIECES OF EVIDENCE that can be presented

as “the word of our testimony.” In this chapter, I want to deal with
one more that I believe carries great weight before the Courts of
Heaven. Those who will build God a house secure for themselves healing.
When the Jewish leaders approached Jesus concerning a centurion who had
sickness in his house, Jesus responded and went with them to bring healing.
The facts given to Jesus concerning this activity moved Him to go to this
Gentile’s house. The principle is that when this evidence is presented and
the testimony given, it can securing healing.
In Luke chapter 7, verses 1 through 10, we see this story of a Roman
centurion with a sick servant who is about to die. Jesus is petitioned by the
elders of the Jews to help this man and heal his servant.
 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the
people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s
servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So
when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him,
pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when
they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the
one for whom He should do this was deserving, “ for he loves
our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far
from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to
Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that
You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think
myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant
will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority,
having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do
this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, He
marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that
followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith,
not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the
house, found the servant well who had been sick.

There are powerful truths in this story that show the things that move
the heart of God. We can see from this story how to potentially present a
case for healing in the Courts of Heaven. This centurion was Roman, which
made him disqualified from receiving from the Lord at this present time.
Remember that during Jesus’ earthly ministry, He was sent only to the
House of Israel. This meant that healing, deliverance, and the touch of God
through Jesus was only for the Jews. It would not be until after the cross
that the Gentiles would be brought into the covenant. This is why Jesus said
He was only sent to the Jews. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 24 shows Jesus
declaring this as a Gentile woman pleaded for healing for her daughter:

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel.”
 Jesus did heal her daughter because of her persistent faith. She was able
to reach into that which was yet to come and pull it into the now. This is the
power of faith. The only other time I see in Scripture where Jesus
ministered to a non-Jew was here with this centurion. What was it that
caused Jesus to go with the elders of the Jews and minister healing to
someone in this Roman’s house? It was two things that they used to plead
their case before Jesus. They told Jesus, “He loves our nation, and he has
built us a synagogue.” When Jesus heard these two things, He was moved
to go with them. Healing was indeed secured for this man’s house. The
servant who was about to die was healed and made well. The reason Jesus
agreed to do this for this man was his heart for Israel and his building of
God’s house!
We are aware that God promised a blessing for all who love Israel.
God’s promise to Abraham is found in Genesis chapter 12, verses 1 through
3:

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country,
from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I
will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you
and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you;
and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God promised to bless all who bless Israel. He also said there would be
a curse on those who cursed this God-chosen nation. This is God’s promise
to Abraham and a part of the Abrahamic covenant. This is why Jesus agreed
to go and heal the man in this centurion’s house. The plea based on the
man’s love of Israel allowed this. We too can petition the Courts of Heaven
based on our love and heart for Israel. This carries great influence and
weight before the Courts of Heaven. It is appropriate to state our case,
including a heart and desire toward God’s people. He will bless those who
bless Israel.
The second thing that they used to petition Jesus was this man’s
building of a synagogue. He, as a Roman soldier, had built God a house!
When someone builds God a house, it gives that person standing and
position in the spirit realm. I believe it gives them a place to present cases
in the Courts of Heaven. It becomes a piece of the evidence that can speak
on their behalf. This is especially true when we are in need of healing.
When this Roman soldier built the house of God, it caused Heaven to give
him a place from which petitions could be made. Anyone who builds God a
house or involves themselves in building God a house is esteemed before
Heaven. Whether we do this through hands-on involvement, donations,
serving in the house, or contributing in other capacities, it can give us a
place from which we can petition God. Especially when it comes to asking
God for healing to flow into our house, those who have built God a house
have this place.
We see this in particular portions of Scripture. When the Shunammite
woman and her husband built a room for the prophet Elisha to live in, her
barrenness was healed. Second Kings chapter 4, verses 15 through 17,
shows Elisha speaking the word to the woman from the room she had built
for him:

So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in

the doorway. Then he said, “About this time next year you shall
embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do
not lie to your maid-servant!” But the woman conceived, and
bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha
had told her.

This woman and her husband built a room for the one who represented
God to them. She was in fact building God a house. The result was a word
spoken that broke barrenness and built her house! When we build God a
house, He will build our house! This is exactly what happened to the
centurion. He built God a house, and Jesus released healing into his house
and built it. Sickness was trying to destroy it, but because of what he had
done, it was sustained and built.
We also see this principle in Exodus chapter 1, verses 20 and 21.
Pharaoh commanded the midwives who helped in the birthing process to
kill the male children. He was afraid of the prophesied leader arising to
deliver Israel. The midwives, however, feared God and wouldn’t do it. The
Bible speaks of the blessing that came on them because they built the house
of Israel rather than destroying it:
 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people
multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the
midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

When the midwives brought life instead of death and built God’s house
by blessing the people of Israel, God gave them households. In other words,
they had families themselves. The principle is clear: when we build God a
house, He builds our house.
We can also see this principle in the Book of Haggai where the people
put their own houses ahead of the house of God and it resulted in negative
things happening to their house. Haggai chapter 1, verses 3 through 9,
shows the Lord’s displeasure because the people were building their own
houses rather than the house of God:

Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses,
and this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the
Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! You have sown much, and
bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but
you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one
is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a
bag with holes.” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your
ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the
temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the
Lord. “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and
when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord
of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one
of you runs to his own house.

Their houses were not being blessed and actually were being resisted
because they were not building God’s house.
The encouraging thing is that the moment they corrected this, things
shifted in the spirit and the blessing returned. Haggai chapter 2, verses 18
and 19, shows how the moment they began to build, a shift in the spirit
realm caused the blessing to be released:
 Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth
day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the
Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: Is the seed still in the
barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the
olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless
you.

Even though things didn’t look different in the natural, the prophet
declared that things had moved in the spirit because the people had begun to
build the house. It was only a matter of time until the fruitfulness returned.
Their building of God’s house had secured blessings and fruitfulness back
to their lives—and even to the nation. We could look at many other
examples connected to building God a house. The truth is, this action gives
us a place from which we can petition the Courts of Heaven. This is why
Jesus responded to the request to go and heal the servant in the centurion’s
house. To be involved in building God a house can position us to petition
the court for healing.
When I speak of building God a house, it can be our involvement in a
local church. However, it is not limited to just this. Perhaps God has placed
it in your heart to help expand His work through other forms. Maybe your
support and effort in missions would qualify? Or maybe supporting and
helping a prayer ministry in a nation or for a nation? Perhaps it is helping
see the apostolic move of God shift the culture of a nation? Maybe it is
being a part of an apostolic family whose heart and efforts are directed
toward seeing nations fulfill their divine destiny? Building God’s house can
be a multifaceted effort. I am stating this because if you have been involved
in some of these or other things, it could give you the right to petition the
Courts of Heaven for healing.
This is what happened with the centurion. When Jesus was almost to his
house, a friend came to meet Him. He communicated that the soldier didn’t
feel worthy to stand before Jesus; neither did he esteem himself worthy for
Jesus to enter his house. The friend then said the words that amazed Jesus.
He said the centurion wanted Jesus to only speak the word and his servant
that was sick would be healed. Jesus was amazed. Here was a Gentile who
understood a mystery of the spirit realm. He understood the power and
mystery of alignment and as a result was operating in great faith! The
centurion shared that he was a man under the authority of the Roman
government. Therefore, he had authority himself. His words, as a result,
carried power. He could tell people to do things, and they did it because the
authority he carried derived from his alignment with Rome. The centurion
was declaring that he understood the same thing about Jesus: Jesus carried
authority because of His perfect alignment with the government of Heaven.
Therefore, just like the centurion’s words caused things to move in the
natural realm, Jesus’ words moved things in the spirit realm! All He had to
do was speak the word, and healing would flow into his house! This is
exactly what happened. They returned to the house and found the servant
completely healed. The words of Jesus from a distance had released healing
into this man’s house. However, the driving thing that allowed the words of
Jesus to have their effect was the building of God’s house. It was the
evidence presented that brought Jesus to his house in the first place.
We should learn how to present our case for healing in our house based
on our honoring of and love for Israel and our history of building God a
house. This is a prayer and evidence we can bring into the courts. Our word
of testimony can be used to present our case. Here is an example of a prayer
that we might bring to the Courts of Heaven as we submit our case for
healing:

Lord, I approach Your courts now. I thank You that the blood of
Jesus silences any case against me. Anything that would resist
my healing is revoked and removed. I acknowledge and know
that You purchased healing for me on Your cross. When You
were brutally afflicted and died, You carried away sickness and
disease and bore away my pains. I thank You for all You have
done for me. I now come before You, Lord, as Judge of all. I
acknowledge all the voices that are speaking on my behalf
before this court. I want to ask that all Jesus died for
concerning my healing would now flow into my house. As
evidence before this court I want to declare my love for Your
people Israel. Your Word clearly declares that You will bless
whomever blesses them. I love Your people Israel and state
before this court that they are Your covenant people. I ask for
the blessing of God to come over them and for all You intended
for them to become a reality.
I further state before this court that I have involved myself in
the building of Your house. Even as the centurion built Your
house and it moved You to release healing into his house, I ask
for Your healing in my house. I ask that sickness and disease
would be taken from the midst of my house (see Exod. 23:25).
Lord, I love Your house. I have sought with my efforts, my
finances, my service, and my loyalty to build Your house. I now
ask, because I seek to build Your house, that You would build
my house. I ask, even as the centurion’s house received healing
because he built Your house, let healing flow into my house,
Lord! I ask that every form of sickness that would seek to tear
down my house now be judged from Your courts. I ask that
sickness and disease be removed and healing and wholeness be
restored. Lord, thank You for rendering a verdict of judgment
against this sickness from Your courts. In Your vengeance from
Your throne now let this sickness be declared illegal and
unrighteous and its power broken. I receive from Your courts
the healing virtue of the Lord into my life. Thank You, Lord, so
much!
 LAYING OUR LIVES DOWN

W HEN WE SEEK TO SILENCE THE ACCUSER SPOKEN OF IN Revelation chapter

12, verses 10 and 11, we use the blood and the word of our
testimony, but we also must lay our lives down. This is the posture
from which we approach the Courts of Heaven. Even when approaching the
courts for healing, laying our lives down must be a part of the procedure.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation,

and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.…”

The willingness and ability to lay our lives down to death grants us
great authority, influence, and place in the Courts of Heaven to present our
case. Laying our lives down is not about just giving up our natural, physical
lives. There are definitely those who have done so for Jesus. These have a
great reward. “Not loving our lives unto death” also speaks of laying down
our own preferences, desires, comforts, and conveniences to serve the Lord.
The word lives in the Greek in this Scripture is suche, and the idea is our
soulish life. In other words, I sacrifice that which I would prefer and
choose. When I willingly do this, I am not loving my life unto death.
When Mary and Martha came to Jesus after the death of Lazarus they
both spoke the same words to Jesus. We see this in John chapter 11, verses
21 and 32. In verse 21, Martha speaks from her heart of pain:

Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my

brother would not have died.”

The grief in her heart caused her to speak an accusation against the
Lord. She was saying, “It’s Your fault, Lord. You could have stopped this.
Where were You? We called for You. Why didn’t You come? Lord, if You
had been here, this wouldn’t have happened.” Martha is possibly spewing
allegations against the Lord from a life that hadn’t been laid down.
Mary, on the other hand, is one who has cultivated a life surrendered in
the deepest recesses of her heart. She speaks the same words as Martha, but
from a completely different spirit. In verse 32, we see her coming to Jesus.
Instead of an accusation from a not-surrendered heart, she, with the same
words as Martha, declares a statement of faith:

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell
down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here,
my brother would not have died.”

Mary falls down at the feet of Jesus. She lays her life down and speaks
from this place of surrender. Her statement is not only a statement of faith,
but also a declaration of worship. She is saying, “I know who You are. I
know the power You have. I don’t understand why this has happened. Yet I
trust You.” The result of this interaction was Jesus said, “Where have you
laid him?” Jesus is now about to perform one of His most powerful
miracles. I believe there was something in Mary’s yielded heart and
willingness to lay her life down that moved Jesus. I am aware that this was
the plan all along. Jesus purposely allowed Lazarus to die. This was so He
could manifest His glory in this situation. Yet clearly Jesus was moved by
the surrender and yielded place of Mary’s heart. Her tears of love and
adoration mixed with her grief moved His heart. The laying down of her
life had great power before the Lord. We must know that our ability to
come to this place of surrender carries great power in the Courts of Heaven.
Prayers and petitions presented in the courts from a broken and humble
heart move the Courts of Heaven. Requests made out of this place carry
great weight.
From this encounter with Mary, Jesus goes to the tomb of Lazarus. He
raises Lazarus from the dead. We should, however, be aware of the way He
did this. Knowing the “ways” of God is very important. Psalm chapter 103
and verse 7 says Moses knew God’s ways:

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of

Israel.

The children of Israel only experienced what God did. Moses

understood how God did it and what caused it to work. When we know only
the acts, they cannot necessarily be duplicated. However, when we know
His ways, we can reproduce the results over and over again.
We can discover a very significant “way” that God does things in this
story of Lazarus’s resurrection. Notice that Jesus declares that He has been
praying over the days of Lazarus’s sickness, death, and burial. He hasn’t
been idle in the spirit realm. Jesus has been very active, preparing in the
spirit what was necessary for the miracle about to happen. He says in John
chapter 11, verses 41 and 42, that He has been praying leading up to this
moment:

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead
man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father,
I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You
always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by
I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus had clearly been praying. Why would Jesus be investing times of
prayer over this situation? I believe that He was dealing with every legal
thing that had allowed Lazarus to die prematurely. Even though God
allowed it, Lazarus’s death was caused by the devil. The devil cannot do
anything except he has discovered a legal right to do it. This is especially
true in premature death. Jesus understood that before He could raise
Lazarus, the legal right used to kill him prematurely had to be revoked.
Jesus had undone this through His prayers. Perhaps it was Lazarus’s own
sin or transgression. I would think, though, that it was probably connected
to something in Lazarus’s bloodline that had given the devil the legal right
to take him out. Jesus, through His prayers, had dealt with the bloodline
issues in Lazarus. Perhaps He had undone any legal claim of the devil to
own Lazarus that allowed a case against Lazarus in the spirit realm.
Whatever it was, Jesus, through prayer, had peeled away the legal case of
the devil.
When He stepped to the mouth of this tomb, He had no need to pray
more. Now He could make a decree of authority and power, and
resurrection life was free to raise Lazarus. We see this in John chapter 11,
verses 43 and 44:

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud

voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out
bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was
wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let
him go.”

Lazarus was raised from the dead because Jesus, through prayer, had
undone all the legalities the devil used. Once this was done, the life and
power of the Lord were free to bring life, healing, and resurrection.
There is resurrection life available to us. Jesus is the Healer. There are
definitely legal things satan uses to hold people in sickness and even cause
many to die prematurely. Whether it is for family members, the multitudes,
or ourselves, we can approach the throne of His courts. The Lord has
granted us the right to step into the third dimension of prayer and remove
every legal issue. As we do, we will see many powerful miracles occur. Just
as Jesus did in response to the cry of Mary from a laid-down life, so
Heaven’s court will respond to us. Here is a prayer to lay down our life
before the court and make our petition:
 Lord, I come before Your courts. As I come approaching Your
throne, I lay my life down. I receive Your grace to surrender
every part to You. I ask to be broken before You as a vessel of
the Lord. Even as Mary fell at Your feet, I fall before You in my
spirit. I yield myself before You. I ask that every place of
accusation, anger, and any sense of injustice I feel toward You
be removed from me. Take every aspect of the Martha spirit out
of me. Help me to deal with my pain before You. Even as Mary,
I acknowledge and trust You. Forgive me for any place I would
blame You on any level. I surrender my “suche” life before
You. I now ask from this place of surrender before Your courts
that healing would flow. I ask that the very resurrection life of
God would move in this realm of sickness. Lord, thank You for
all You have done. I now, from this place of surrender, receive
from the fullness of the cross. I command from Your courts
sickness to be broken and healing received! In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Come before His courts! Healing awaits you!

 ABOUT ROBERT HENDERSON

R OBERT HENDERSON IS A GLOBAL APOSTOLIC LEADER who operates in

revelation and impartation. His teaching empowers the body of Christ
to see the hidden truths of Scripture clearly and apply them for
breakthrough results. Driven by a mandate to disciple nations through
writing and speaking, Robert travels extensively around the globe, teaching
on the apostolic, the Kingdom of God, the “Seven Mountains,” and, most
notably, the Courts of Heaven. He has been married to Mary for forty years.
They have six children and five grandchildren. Together they are enjoying
life in beautiful Midlothian, TX.
For the full Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven Curriculum and
more from Robert Henderson, visit www.roberthenderson.org/store