Whatever You Bind Series

Today we’re in week number four of our series called “Whatever.”

Throughout this series we’ve been looking at some of the most powerful promises in Scripture that begin with that simple word… whatever.

We’ve talked about things like: Whatever you do — do it all for the glory of God. Whatever you ask — ask in the name of Jesus.

Whatever you have — learn to be content in Christ.

And today we come to another “whatever” that many believers have heard.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:18 from the New International Version of the Bible today.

And I purposely did this because I feel like there are some folks who have heard this for years… but haven’t fully understood it’s meaning.

The NLT that I usually preach from uses a little different wording but the meaning is the same. But if you have heard this verse before… many of you have heard it like this.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Now when many people hear that verse, they aren’t quite sure what to do with it. Some people ignore it completely.

Some people misunderstand it. And some people take it so far that it starts sounding like spiritual fantasy. But Jesus didn’t say this to confuse us… He said it to empower us.

In this passage of Scripture Jesus is revealing something incredible about the life of a believer. He shows us that followers of His are not meant to live spiritually passive lives.

We are not just spectators watching the world spin out of control.

Through Him, we have been given spiritual authority.

Authority to stand against what the enemy is doing.

Authority to pray Heaven’s will into Earth’s situations.

Authority to resist darkness and release the work of God.

In other words, there are things in life that God never intended for you to simply tolerate. There are moments when a believer must stand up and say: “No… that stops here.”

And there are other moments when we need to open the door and say: “Yes… Lord, let Your will be done here.”

That’s what Jesus meant when He talked about binding and loosing. And today I want to show you what that really means — not in theory… but in everyday life.

Because this authority doesn’t just belong in church services.

It belongs in your home. In your relationships. In your ministry. And even in the battle for your own heart and mind.

So let’s take a look… first of all… with the foundation of it all.

1. Binding and loosing is about spiritual authority

When Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,” He was revealing something powerful about our identity.

He was saying, “If you are a follower of Jesus you are Heaven’s representative. When you speak according to My Word, Heaven backs you up!”

Now… I do want to clear something up… binding and loosing isn’t a magic formula. It’s not shouting “I hereby… bind thee!” at your problems. It’s about standing in agreement with the rule of Heaven and enforcing God’s order in a fallen world.

To bind means to restrict or forbid something on earth that Heaven already forbids.

To loose means to permit or release something on earth that Heaven already approves.

James 4:7 teaches, So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Notice the order is this… humility or submission before resistance. What I mean is this… Spiritual authority only functions under spiritual alignment.

Like what we talked about a couple of weeks ago… When a police officer raises their hand and traffic stops, it’s not because their arm is strong… it’s because of the badge and authority they represent.

When a believer says, “In the name of Jesus, stop,” the enemy recognizes the authority of Heaven’s kingdom.

A child pretending to be a police officer can wave all day long; nobody’s stopping. But when the real officer stands there, traffic halts.

The authority isn’t in the arm… it’s in the relationship with the law. Likewise, authority in prayer doesn’t come from our strength, or position or how loud we say it… it comes from our submission to Christ.

If you want to walk in authority, stay aligned with Christ:

Stay in the Word. Stay humble and prayerful. Stay obedient even when it’s costly.

Let me ask you a question… Are you operating in your full authority, or are you still acting like you’re powerless?

2. Binding and loosing happens through prayer

Spiritual authority operates through the instrument of prayer. Prayer is not a last resort; it’s our first weapon. I’ve heard it put this way… Prayer is the courtroom of Heaven where decisions get made and enforced.