Tonight, we are going to view a fresh perspective on prayer from Dr. Franics Myles in his book on “dangerous prayers.”(1) Now, I have taken some time to wade through his book and weed out the muck. Let me get started by saying that I have heard it said, “Prayer is a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a domestic intercom for increasing our conveniences.” This catchy statement shows how we often view prayer as a type of weapon for doing battle in spiritual warfare; and in some respects, it is, for it is the last thing emphasized in that well-known passage in Ephesians about “the armor of God” (cf. 6:10-18; specifically, v. 18). But it’s not just an offensive weapon. Prayer is a defensive measure; one which will allow us to present a solid defense in court; specifically, in the Kingdom Court.
Robert Henderson says, “The first thing we must do to step into [the Kingdom Court] is to get off the battlefield. We have to recognize the need for legal precedents to be set before we run to the battle. We are in a conflict, but it is a legal one.”(2) He continues to say that “Jesus never pictures prayer in the battlefield context. He did put prayer, however, in a courtroom or judicial setting in Luke 18:1-8”(3) – which is our primary text. You see, most of us probably have not considered that before we suit up for battle with the armor, we must put on our Sunday best. We must enter the courtroom, being clothed with the precious blood of Christ, and through prayer plead our case for divine judicial intervention. So, with this idea in mind, let’s go ahead and begin with our main passage.
Pleading with the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8)
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me’.” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
How many of you have been praying over a situation for a long time, maybe even years, with no apparent answer or relief? In verse 1, Jesus said “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” “This [statement] suggests that this [parable] . . . is for people who are on the verge of giving up or losing hope, because the mountains of problems they face have been stubbornly resistant to the prayers they have prayed.”(4) The disciples once came to Jesus discouraged because they had no success in praying for the healing of an epileptic, and He told them, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Jesus implied that some prayers may take a little extra boost, like fasting; but others, as shown by this parable, may require some kind of divine legal proceedings.
This prayer represents “the final court of appeal for anything legal in nature, spiritually speaking. Jesus . . . tells us the story of a desperate widow and a corrupt judge. He tells us that in a certain city there was a judge, a corrupt one at that, who did not fear God nor respect any man. This widow went to this corrupt judge and asked him to give her justice and legal protection from her adversary.”(5) Now, “the word ‘adversary’ used in the passage comes from the Greek word antidikos. This is where we get our prefix anti, meaning ‘against,’ and the word dikos means ‘rights.’ So, an adversary is a person or entity who is violating your legal rights as a citizen, [and we must not forget that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God]. We immediately see that Jesus is placing prayer in this realm in a judicial context or framework.”(6)
“The corrupt judge was very reluctant to give the widow the justice and legal protection she deserved. However, her persistency became a nuisance to him; so, in order to save himself the trouble, he reluctantly gave her justice and legal protection from her adversary.”(7) “The moral of the story is that by going to a judge, though he was corrupt and reluctant, the woman got the breakthrough she desperately needed. Her breakthrough, having come out of the court system, was legally binding within the judge’s jurisdiction. What is also interesting is that . . . the widow never addressed her adversary directly. She only talked to the judge – the whole time! It is interesting that in courts all over the world, the defendant or plaintiff is never allowed by the judge to address the prosecutor directly except through their attorneys.”(8)
“Jesus finally flipped the story by talking about His heavenly Father and comparing Him to the corrupt judge. Then Jesus made the case that if the corrupt judge delivered the widow from her adversary, how much more will the heavenly Father, who is a superior and righteous Judge, deliver His dear children from their adversary (Satan) in the [Kingdom Court]?”(9) So, is there really such a thing as the Kingdom Court?
Listen as I read Daniel 7:9-10: “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; 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.”
There is a Kingdom Court; and so, I think it would be a good idea to discuss some things about a court system and draw some spiritual parallels. “A court of law is a place where justice is administered; it consists of a judicial tribunal that hears and determines cases that come before the court.”(10) Globally, court cases always involve four key players, which are namely these:
“1. The presiding judge, who is the highest officer of the court. He or she actually embodies the court. This is why no court is ever in session until the judge is seated. This is exactly what Daniel saw in his prophetic vision as the Ancient of Days took His judicial seat in [the kingdom’s] highest court.”(11)
“2. The prosecutor, who prosecutes the case based upon evidence that he or she has gathered against the accused. By function, the prosecutor is the most adversarial member of the court. It’s no wonder the Bible uses the word ‘adversary’ to describe Satan’s primary activity against the saints.”(12) For example, Zechariah 3:1 speaks about how Satan was standing ready to oppose and accuse Joshua the high priest.
“3. The advocate or defense attorney. He or she is a passionate defender of the legal rights of the accused in the courtroom. Jesus is also called our ‘advocate’ in 1 John 2:1-2.”(13)
“4. The defendant or accused. This is the person or entity who has been accused of committing a crime against the state. Because followers of . . . Jesus are citizens of the Kingdom of God, the crimes [that] Satan brings against us in the [Kingdom Court] are crimes against the Kingdom of God and its righteous principles.”(14)
Be aware that Satan is the prosecutor, known as the accuser and adversary. We read in Revelation 12:10, “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’.” One day the accuser will be subdued, but for now, the devil is very active in charging us before God, reminding the Lord of the crimes that we commit – our sins and transgressions.
This “passage [in Revelation] makes it clear that Satan’s favorite activity against New Testament believers is to level accusations against them in the [Kingdom Court]. Christians who don’t know how to operate in the [Kingdom Court] are being destroyed by Satan’s unanswered accusations because of their lack of knowledge.”(15)
We read in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The word “adversary” used in 1 Peter 5:8 is the same as in Luke 18:3, for it comes from the Greek word antidikos, meaning “against one’s rights.” “So, [let me remind you again that] an adversary is a person or entity who is violating your legal rights. Unfortunately, so many Christians . . . don’t understand how relentless and malicious our adversary, Satan, really is when he brings charges against us in the [Kingdom Court]. Satan knows that Jesus’ finished work on the cross ‘crushed his head,’ so the only thing he relies upon to deny the saints victory is the unanswered accusations against us in the [Kingdom Court].”(16)
Now, “one of the most important things about lawsuits or courtroom trials is that whosoever shows up for court always wins,”(17) and the devil is always ready to pounce at the opportunity like a lion. In 1 Peter 5:8, “the apostle gives us a stern warning. He warns us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary is walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. [So] how does Satan ‘devour’ the saints of the Most High? It is through legal accusations [that] he brings against us in the [Kingdom Court] for violating the law of God . . . or disobeying the Holy Spirit.”(18)
Getting back to our parable, “even though the judge was totally corrupt, the woman knew that he was the only one who occupied a seat of judicial authority in that city over her adversary. It would seem from the text that the adversary also lived within the corrupt judge’s jurisdiction. Consequently, his judgements had enough reach in them to stop the attacks of the widow’s adversary. The woman’s cry was for [both] justice and legal protection from her adversary.”(19)
“Justice has to do with the restoration of legal rights previously denied, while legal protection seems to imply that the woman, besides having her legal rights restored, also wanted the judge to issue a permanent restraining order against her adversary concerning any future infractions. The picture of the [Kingdom Court that] Jesus paints from this story is breathtaking. Jesus, in essence, is telling us that we can come before the [Kingdom Court] and [petition] God the Father, the Righteous Judge, to give us justice in the restoration of our [legal] rights. Additionally, we can also move on the [Kingdom Court] to issue an active divine restraining order against Satan, our vigilant adversary.”(20)
Satan Stood before the Court (Job 1:6-10)
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” 8 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?” 9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 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.”
In verse 7, God asked Satan an interesting question. He asked him, “From where do you come?” And we read that “Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it’.” Somehow, Satan had the ability to stand before the Lord. So, does this mean that the court is located somewhere in heaven? Well, this would not make much sense, because the Bible teaches that “Satan and one-third of the angels who rebelled against God were forcibly cast out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:7-9). So, it seems unlikely that the court is located in heaven, as we would be saying that Satan was invited back to heaven.
Maybe it is somewhere on earth. Jesus taught that the kingdom of God was at hand (Mark 1:15); or rather, invading the earth. In Revelation 20:12 (similar to Daniel 7:10), we read how “the dead, small and great, [were] standing before God, and books were opened . . . and the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” When you look at Revelation chapter 20 in its context, it appears to take place on earth. Perhaps the court is in some other realm or dimension, as Paul mentioned there being a third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2). We do not know the exact location of the Kingdom Court; but what matters is that one exists, and we need to know how to operate in it.
“The accuser of the brethren is a prosecutor . . . and his job is to bring charges against the inhabitants of the earth who are found guilty of sinning against God’s Word and government. This is why Satan was in the [Kingdom Court]. He had come to prosecute cases! . . . It’s interesting that the devil, who tempts us to sin against God, is the one who also prosecutes us . . . the moment we act on the temptation!”(21)
“While Satan was trying to present cases . . . against the children of men, the Lord brought up the name of Job. God asked Satan if he had considered and reflected on the lifestyle of His servant Job. What is quite interesting is Satan’s response to the Lord’s question about Job. Satan said, ‘Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?’ (v. 10) . . . The Hebrew word for hedge is skuwk. The word skuwk actually means ‘a restraint’.”(22)
“The protection or hedge around Job that Satan was referencing was actually a legal order of the Court that God had put in place to protect him and his family and all of his possessions . . . What was on Job’s life was a divine restraining order that the [Kingdom Court] had actually superimposed over his life, family and property. This divine restraining order made it impossible for Satan and his minions to attack Job.”(23)
Maybe someone here has recently experienced “a serious of unfortunate events” in their life, or perhaps a family member has been plagued by the same old sin and can’t seem to break free. Perhaps the problem is that the hedge around ourselves, or even our family, was somehow removed. So, how do we pray in such a way as to regain that hedge of protection? How do we pray to present a solid defense in the Kingdom Court to halt the attacks of the accuser and prosecutor? How do we pray in such a way as to convince the Judge to issue, or re-issue, a divine restraining order against Satan? Well, allow me to briefly share the 12-Step outline on how to pray:
1.) Address the Father in Praise and Worship; 2.) Ask for the Court to Be Seated; 3.) Surrender Your Rights to Self-representation to the Lord as Your Advocate; 4.) Summon the Specific Sin to Appear in Court (meaning, you must search your heart); 5.) Address Satan’s Accusations and Admit Your Sin; 6.) Repent of Your Sins; 7.) Appeal to the Blood of Jesus to Wipe Out All Sin; 8.) Ask the Court to Dismiss All of Satan’s Accusations and Charges; 9.) Ask the Lord to Destroy the Evil Altar and Execute His Judgement Against It; 10.) Present Scriptures That Will Be Used in Issuing a Divine Restraining Order; 11.) Ask the Court to Issue a Divine Restraining Order and Receive It by Faith; and 12.) Ask the Lord to Seal Your Righteous Verdict and Court Proceedings in the Blood of Jesus [see the “Kingdom Court Prayer Guide” below for more details on how to pray].
Time of Reflection
So, what if you use this kind of prayer to defend against the attacks of the enemy and you still see no breakthrough? Well, “it may mean that the prosecutor has more evidence against the accused that the court must also consider . . . Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is in Satan’s evidence dockets so you can render it useless.”(24) You see, the problem may be hidden sin. Be sure that there are not any unconfessed sins in your life. Remember, 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In the very next chapter, in 1 John 2:1-2, the apostle said, “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. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” We unfortunately still commit sin after we are saved, but as long as we’re willing to confess those sins, our Advocate, Jesus Christ, goes to work in our defense before the Righteous Judge! And He will be victorious, because the verdict has already been rendered.
On the cross Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). On the cross Jesus already won the court battle over sin and death for those who choose to trust in Him and confess Him as Savior and Lord. It is up to us, as believers, to stand on the finished work of the cross in faith as we plead our case over our sins and struggles, and as we seek a divine restraining order over the attacks of the enemy.
One day all people will all stand before the judgement seat of God. John said in Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” In the great judgement, those written in the Lamb’s book of life will be found worthy to enter heaven, because of what Jesus did on the cross.
On the cross Jesus died for the sins of the world, and He arose from the grave demonstrating His victory over sin and death. Romans 10:9-10 says, “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.” Do you want Jesus, the Advocate, to fight in your defense? Jesus said in Mark 10:32, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” And so, I invite you to come, walk the aisle, and pray to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life.
[Kingdom Court Prayer Guide]
In Luke 18:1-8, we learn how some prayers are not answered until we plead with the Judge. In Daniel 7:9-10, we learn that there is a Kingdom Court. So, how are we supposed to pray as we seek to plead our case before the Kingdom Court? As an example, let us look at how to pray against fear; and we will use Job as an example, since Job was obviously troubled by fear – as are some of us. How do we know that Job had a problem with fear? Well, in Job 3:25-26, we read where Job declared, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.”
Job was deeply beloved of God and blessed beyond human comprehension. However, he lived under constant fear that his children might sin against God and die! His fears eventually opened the door for Satan to level accusations against him in the Kingdom Court (Job 1:6-10). The Bible says that fear involves torment and whoever lives in fear is not perfected in the love of God (1 John 4:18). So, let us look at a “prayer guide” or “prayer outline” that can be used to win in court and destroy the evil altar of fear the devil is using against us:
1. Address the Father in Praise and Worship. “Heavenly Father, holy is Your name and greatly to be praised. I worship and adore You, and I enjoin my worship with the heavenly chorus of Your holy angels and the crowd of witnesses, in Jesus’ name.”
2. Ask for the Court to Be Seated. “Heavenly Father, Righteous Judge, I ask that the Kingdom Court be seated according to Daniel 7:9-10. I ask this in Jesus’ mighty name. Father, I stand in Your royal courtroom because of the blood and finished work of Jesus on the cross. I have come to receive Your righteous judgement over my life against the spirit and altar of fear that Satan has planted. I call upon Your holy angels to be witnesses to my lawsuit and righteous prosecution of the evil altar of fear.”
3. Surrender Your Rights to Self-representation to the Lord as Your Advocate. “Heavenly Father, Your Word, in 1 John 2:1-2 says, ‘If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.’ I thank You that Jesus is my faithful Advocate before the Righteous Judge in the Kingdom Court. Lord Jesus, I surrender my rights to self-representation and ask You to be my Advocate to help me plead my case before the Righteous Judge and prosecute the evil altar of fear that Satan planted in my life.”
4. Summon the Sin of Fear to Appear in Court [this means you must search your heart for sin]. “Righteous Judge, I summon the altar of fear in my life to appear in Your royal courtroom to face prosecution in Jesus’ name. It is written in the Bible, which is the Constitution of Your Kingdom, in 1 John 3:8, ‘For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil’.”
5. Address Satan’s Accusations and Admit Your Sin. “Heavenly Father, I know that Satan is allowed to level accusations against the children of men, for it is written in Revelation 12:10 that he is ‘the accuser of our brethren.’ Jesus said in Matthew 5:25, ‘Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him [to court], lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.’ In all humility, I choose to quickly agree with the legal accusations of my adversary, Satan. Righteous Judge, I admit my sin before You.”
6. Repent of Your Sins. “Heavenly Father, I repent of my personal transgressions that opened the door for the spirit and altar of fear to oppress my life. Lord, every sin that the enemy is using as a legal right to build cases against me and to cause me to live in fear, I ask that the blood of Jesus would just wash them away. I repent for idolizing my fears instead of trusting God.”
7. Appeal to the Blood of Jesus to Wipe Out All Sin. “Lord Jesus, thank You for cleansing me by Your blood so that Satan has no legal footing against me in Your courtroom. It is written in 1 John 1:9, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Righteous Judge, I appeal to the blood of Jesus to wipe out all my shortcomings, transgressions, and iniquities. In Jesus’ name I receive by faith the cleansing power of the blood of Christ”
8. Ask the Court to Dismiss All of Satan’s Accusations and Charges. “Heavenly Father, based upon Jesus’ finished work and my heartfelt repentance, I now implore the Kingdom Court to dismiss all of Satan’s accusations and charges against me. For it is written that the accuser of the brethren has been cast down. So, I ask You, Father, to cast down all of Satan’s accusations against me, in Jesus’ name.”
9. Ask the Lord to Destroy the Evil Altar and Execute His Judgement Against It. “Heavenly Father, Righteous Judge, I ask that You send high ranking angelic officers of the Courts who excel in strength to execute the judgement of Your Supreme Court and destroy the evil altar of fear, in Jesus’ name.”
10. Present Scriptures That Will Be Used in Issuing a Divine Restraining Order. “Heavenly Father, I present before Your Supreme Court the following scripture as my rock-solid evidence against the spirit and altar of fear in my life. In 2 Timothy 1:7, it is written, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ Righteous Judge, based on the aforementioned scripture, it is clear that I qualify for a divine restraining order against the altar of fear, in Jesus’ name.”
11. Ask the Court to Issue a Divine Restraining Order and Receive It by Faith. “Heavenly Father, Righteous Judge, I ask that a divine restraining order and a permanent injunction against the spirit and altar of fear in my life would now be issued by the authority of Your Supreme Court, in Jesus’ name. I decree and declare that any and all forms of fear the devil has issued or is orchestrating against my life are now cancelled, in Jesus’ glorious name.”
12. Ask the Lord to Seal Your Righteous Verdict and Court Proceedings in the Blood of Jesus. “Heavenly Father, Righteous Judge, I now ask You to seal my righteous verdict against the spirit and altar of fear in the precious blood of Jesus. May You also cover with the blood of Jesus all my legal proceedings in this Court. It is written in John 8:36, ‘Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’ I decree and declare that I am free from the evil altar of fear, in Jesus’ name. Amen!”
Keep in mind that this same outline and process can be used in praying against any and all of Satan’s accusations. Just substitute the word “fear,” with whatever sin you are dealing with. You may also need to change up some of the related power verses that “support your case.”
NOTES
(1) Francis Myles, Dangerous Prayers from the Courts of Heaven that Destroy Evil Altars (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2021).
(2) Ibid., pp. 67-68; quoting Robert Henderson’s book Operating in the Courts of Heaven.
(3) Ibid., p. 68.
(4) Ibid., p. 20.
(5) Ibid., p. 20.
(6) Ibid., p. 20.
(7) Ibid., pp. 20-21.
(8) Ibid., p. 21.
(9) Ibid., p. 21.
(10) Ibid., p. 44.
(11) Ibid., p. 44.
(12) Ibid., p. 44.
(13) Ibid., p. 44.
(14) Ibid., pp. 44-45.
(15) Ibid., p. 45.
(16) Ibid., p. 45.
(17) Ibid., pp. 45-46.
(18) Ibid., p. 46.
(19) Ibid., p. 47.
(20) Ibid., pp. 47-48.
(21) Ibid., pp. 49-50.
(22) Ibid., p. 50.
(23) Ibid., p. 51.
(24) Ibid., p. 71.
