Binding & Loosing

Binding and Loosing Using the Keys to the Kingdom

My intention with this article is to encourage you as a parent/guardian of a troubled child to use the authority that God has given you to help your child.  This is not a thorough teaching on the theology of the Keys to the Kingdom and binding and loosing.  Our authority as believers is a crucial thing to understand, so I strongly encourage you to delve into studying this topic on your own, if it’s something you have questions about.  (Graham Cooke (BrilliantPerspectives.com + YouTube videos); and Dr. Miles Monroe (videos on YouTube) have some excellent teachings on this and there are many other worthy teachings available). 

Matthew 16:18-19 NLT

 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell [some versions say: "the Gates of Hell" ] will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” [NASB says, "...whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."]

From Wikipedia:

"Binding and loosing is originally a Jewish Mishnaic phrase also mentioned in the New Testament, as well as in the Targum. In usage, to bind and to loose simply means to forbid by an indisputable authority and to permit by an indisputable authority. One example of this is Isaiah 58:5–6 which relates proper fasting to loosing the chains of injustice."

The Kingdom is the government of Heaven. If you are a citizen of Heaven, you have the rights of citizenship. How do you know if you are a citizen of Heaven?  The Bible teaches that as long as you are trusting in the Blood of Jesus to save you, you are a citizen.  That’s whether you are a day old Christian or have been walking with Jesus for decades. If you are questioning your acceptance as a child of God (and therefore, citizen of God’s Kingdom), please put Colossians 1:22 on your mirror and read it out loud to yourself every day!

“Yet now He [God the Father] has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body.  As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.” (NLT)

Now we know that God has given us the authority to bind (forbid) and to loose (permit) things on earth.  He will back that up by binding and loosing those things in the spiritual realm.  So what does that mean in practical terms when dealing with your troubled child?

1)  Binding and Loosing is a temporary thing. It is not the same as deliverance or healing, although it can certainly be used in the process of delivering or healing someone. Jesus gives us the example of binding the “strong man” while you remove things from the house he’s in. The point, I believe, that Jesus was making was that you will not be able to clean out that house unless you first bind the strong man that’s there guarding the stuff. You have not cast him out by binding him, but you have prevented him from operating or hindering you while you do your work (such as teaching or praying for healing or deliverance, etc.). It can mean binding the spirit of confusion or deafness while you are trying to talk to your child, for example.  One example from my own life is that one time my daughter was in a fit of rage while we were sitting in my minivan, preparing to go somewhere.  I bound the spirit of murder in Jesus Name and she quit raving.  She felt the spirit of murder leave her and the Joy of the Lord come to her (was “loosed” to her), and we were able to go on our way peacefully.  This was not a full blown deliverance, but it did change the atmosphere and taught my daughter a valuable spiritual lesson.

2) Binding and loosing has to do with the spiritual realm. 

A) Binding. It is not about overriding someone’s free will.  Jesus is never about overriding someone’s free will! Humans have free will. Demons do not, and we have authority over them in Jesus. That’s why sometimes you will bind an unclean spirit, but the person might continue on with the negative behavior.  They are choosing that of their own free will (rather than being "compelled to" by an evil spiritual force). Typically when someone is free of unclean spirits, they will make better choices, but that is not always the case.  That goes back to discipleship and sanctification - an ongoing process. Again, in my opinion, “clearing away the rocks” certainly helps your child stay on the right path, but it does not force them to.  The child may still have some lie lodged in their soul that needs to be exposed and dealt with, for example. Ask the Holy Spirit for help.  He is our Helper and He will help you!

B) Loosing. Luke 13:12, gives us an example of when Jesus loosed a captive, “And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” As noted above Is 58 gives us another example of loosing when it says in verse 6, "...Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove [loose] the chains that bind people."

I believe it can also mean loosing the opposite of what was bound.  God always give the exchange.  He never just sets us free from something without giving us the opposite.  He brings us out of darkness into light.  He gives us the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  He takes our dirty rags and gives us clean priestly garments. These are just some examples.  The Bible is full of them!  That’s important to remember when we are binding things off our children.  Loose heavenly things to them as well.

3)  I believe that the Keys to the Kingdom are one of those “simple and sublime” things.  You can simply bind and loose things.  You can also go on an adventure with God, discovering new keys to use and new doors to open and ones to close.  Graham Cooke is an wonderful example of this.  He has a collection of keys (in the natural) and he pursues God for new keys all the time!