Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus,
For the next few weeks, we will be exploring and going deeper with an understanding of prayer. If I ask the question, “how successful is your prayer life,” most Believers would say “so-so.” This means we have exceedingly more prayers not answered, than answered. This should not be so for any one of us. Jesus had an exceptional prayer life. “But Larry, He is Jesus.” With the deepest love, let me tell you what God said to me about this same point. He stepped on my toes, too. The success of our prayer life should rival Jesus’ success. Jesus was a human being, Who set aside His divinity, to fulfill the requirements for a “human” sacrifice for all sin. Luke 2:52 tells us, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” We understand Jesus’ growth in wisdom. But what does “stature” mean? In this context, Luke is emphasizing:
• Jesus grew as a real human child
• His development was normal, progressive, and complete
• He matured physically, just as He matured mentally, Spiritually, and socially
This verse is an affirmation of the true humanity of Christ, countering heresies that deny His full human development stating that He operated as God in the flesh. I’ve addressed this before in previous messages. Had Jesus operated as God in the flesh, using His divinity, and not His human nature, this would have been illegal, and satan would have won against God in God’s Court of Heaven. God delegated authority or kingship to man (Psalm 115:16) – to Adam and Eve and their generations – God did not give man the earth or else Psalm 24:1-2 and Deuteronomy 10:14 would be wrong. God retained ownership of the earth. But He gave man stewardship of the earth. When Adam sinned, the act transferred the kingship, or stewardship, of the earth to satan. Jesus acknowledges this in John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11, and Luke 4:5-8. Jesus had to come as a man, He had to operate as a man, He had to defeat satan as a man, and He had to reclaim authority, or Kingship, as the “last Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45). Anything done differently would have given authority and kingship of the earth to satan for eternity.
The point of the last paragraph is to show us that Jesus operated 100 percent as a human, not one bit different than us. This is why God said what He said to me. If Jesus can do it, so can we. We can have a wildly successful prayer life – if we know how to pray and the position from which we are to pray. This is what we are going to examine in this and coming messages. Imagine how MUCH BETTER ours and our family’s lives will be once we master prayer.
Luke 16:8
And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
This is an indictment by Jesus Christ of how poorly equipped and ignorant most Believers are when it comes to operating in The Kingdom of God. This is why He said the children of this world are smarter and wiser, than Believers. They may be evil, but they fully understand how to work the world system while most Believers are terribly insufficient operating in The Kingdom of God.
Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take It by force.
What is Jesus saying in this verse? It almost sounds like someone, or something, is attacking Heaven. What Jesus is really saying is when the Jewish people, who had been laboring under the harshness of the law, learned from John the Baptist, and then Jesus, about The Kingdom of Heaven (also known as The Kingdom of God) and the Spiritual laws, they wanted to know more. This was such good news and so nearly unbelievable that people wanted to know more. And once they learned and witnessed The Kingdom through the teachings, actions, and miracles of Jesus Christ, they wanted everything God had for them through Jesus Christ. Their passion to have all The Kingdom was almost like violence. They were not going to stop pressing into The Kingdom until they had appropriated all of it.
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for The Kingdom of God.
Romans 14:17
For The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in The Holy Ghost.
A kingdom has:
King – Jesus Christ
Location – Heaven extended to earth in a Believer’s heart and manifestations
Government – Sovereign Kingship ruled by God through His Messiah-King
Laws – The Word of God
Language – The Unknown Tongue of The Holy Spirit
Army – The Angelic hosts
Economy – Stewardship and Rulership – based upon sowing seed, reaping harvests, and blessing others.
Currency – Faith
Taxes – Tithe
Citizens – Believers
Court – Throne Room of God
Adversary – satan and kingdom of darkness
As Believers, we have been misled to believe that we, as citizens of The Kingdom of God, fight against satan and his kingdom of darkness. We do contend with satan and his kingdom, but we don’t fight. Fighting is left to God’s Army, the Angelic hosts. We, as Believers, contend with satan and his kingdom in the Court of Heaven, in the Thone Room of God. Failure to recognize this has created weak anemic Believers who fight battles God wants them to settle legally, not emotionally. We can swing our sword, shout at demons, and fight the wind – but if the verdict hasn’t changed in Heaven, nothing will change on earth.
Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the keys of The Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first The Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The Kingdom of God is not some place you go; it is somewhere you recognize. It is a state of consciousness. Jesus told us in Luke 17:21 that “the Kingdom of God is within you.” You don’t need to go anywhere or do anything special. The Kingdom is in you already. You just shift consciousness from seeking solutions in the world to seeking solutions in The Kingdom. When we need something like finances, health, or help with relationships, we pray asking, begging, or crying out to God for the solution we desperately need. This seems reasonable because isn’t this what prayer is supposed to be? This is what Smith Wigglesworth, the famed English evangelist, called “Seeking Second.” It’s a fundamental error that keeps Believers trapped in spiritual desperation. And, over time, what little faith we have is quenched even further. We’ve been taught consciously and unconsciously to put the material world first. We see this in the Disciples when Jesus feeds the 4,000. Again, when confronted with the perceived lack of food and the need to send people away to get food – after they had already fed the 5,000 men, after they had watched Jesus calm the storm – they still revert to “muscle memory.” The worldly and emotional, conscious and unconscious, state of lack. They do this instead of focusing from a position of “Seeking First.” Instead, they are “Seeking Second.” Believers treat Heaven like it is a cosmic vending machine, inserting prayers and expecting blessings to drop out of the bottom.
Every time we pray FOR abundance, we’re unconsciously affirming abundance isn’t already present. Every time we pray FOR healing, we’re reinforcing sickness as our primary reality. God isn’t separate from us. We don’t pray “TO” God; we live “FROM” God. We’re not going TO the cross; we’re coming FROM the cross. This is our foundation; this is our reality. If we choose to live “FROM” it. “Seeking first The Kingdom and His righteousness” is prioritizing consciousness over circumstances. We’re not trying to acquire what we lack. We’re recognizing what we have. This is how satan deceived Eve. He was able to have her change her focus from the provision she had to a perceived lack that wasn’t real. This is why praise, thanksgiving, and blessing is a conscious shift from “lack” to “abundance;” from “need” to “have.” We must learn to live “FROM” The Kingdom and not “FOR” The Kingdom. We must be living from “WINNING” and not for “LOSING.”
II Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be unto God, Which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.
We’re going to focus on the COURT OF HEAVEN for the next few weeks. The entire Bible is both a love story and a legal document. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of references and inferences to a sovereign government with a court and proceedings in The Bible. Let’s look at the various components of The Court of Heaven.
1. God’s Courtroom / Throne Room
Daniel 7:9–10
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and The Ancient of Days did sit, Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Psalm 82:1
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods.
Psalm 89:7
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.
1 Kings 22:19
And he said, Hear thou therefore The Word of The LORD: I saw The LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.
Job 1:6; 2:1
1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before The LORD, and satan came also among them.
2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before The LORD, and satan came also among them to present himself before The LORD.
2. God as Judge
Isaiah 33:22
For The LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us.
Psalm 7:11
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Psalm 75:7
But God is The Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Genesis 18:25
That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee: Shall not The Judge of all the earth do right?
Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Hebrews 12:23
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God The Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
3. Jesus as Advocate / Intercessor
1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with The Father, Jesus Christ The Righteous:
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Romans 8:34
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, The Man Christ Jesus;
4. The Holy Spirit as Helper / Legal Aid
(Paraklētos = helper, advocate, counselor.)
John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; (the legal “helper”).
John 14:26
But The Comforter, which is The Holy Ghost, Whom The Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16:8–11
8 And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on Me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
5. Satan as the Accuser
Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and The Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Job 1–2
Satan presents accusations against Job.
Zechariah 3:1–2
1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before The Angel of The LORD, and satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And The LORD said unto satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O satan; even The LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
This is a classic courtroom scene:
• Joshua the high priest
• satan accusing
• The Lord rebuking
• A change of garments (legal justification)
6. Witnesses in Heaven and Earth
Hebrews 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deuteronomy 31:28
Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these Words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
Job 16:19
Also now, behold, my [Job] witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
1 John 5:7–8
7 For there are three that bear record in Heaven, The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost: and these three are One.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, The Spirit, and The water, and The blood: and these three agree in One.
7. Believers Presenting a Case Before God
Isaiah 43:26
Put Me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
This is a legal invitation to present a case before God.
Job 13:3
Surely I would speak to The Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
Job 23:4
I would order my cause before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
Micah 6:1–2
1 Hear ye now what The LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
2 Hear ye, O mountains, The LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for The LORD hath a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel.
Psalm 35:1
Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
Psalm 43:1
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
Lamentations 3:58
O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.
8. How Believers Enter God’s Court
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto The Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Ephesians 2:18
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto The Father.
Hebrews 10:19–22
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into The Holiest by The Blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;
21 And having an high priest over The House of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Psalm 24:3–4
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of The LORD? or who shall stand in His holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
• clean hands
• pure heart
Psalm 15
Who may dwell in God’s holy place:
• upright
• righteous
• truthful
9. How to Present Your Case (Scriptural Basis)
Isaiah 43:26
Put Me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
Isaiah 41:21
Produce your cause, saith The LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith The King of Jacob.
Hosea 14:2
Take with you words, and turn to The LORD: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
“Calves” in Hosea 14:2 means sacrificial offerings, used metaphorically to describe repentant words, confession, and praise offered to God instead of literal animal sacrifices.
Psalm 119:49
ZAIN. Remember The Word unto Thy servant, upon Which Thou hast caused me to hope.
Jeremiah 1:12
Then said The LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten My Word to perform It. (This is legal grounds for presenting Scripture.)
2 Corinthians 13:1
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (Legal principle.)
I apologize for the lengthiness of this message. But it is so important we, as Believers, receive all Jesus has appropriated for us through His redemptive sacrifice and suffering. Anything less would seem to me a personal affront to God, The Father, Who gave His Son for us that we might have God’s very best. And we can be a much more effective ambassador for The Kingdom of God when people not only hear what we say, but they are able to witness God’s hand upon us and the power of what we are able to do.
When Heavenly meaning hits the earth, the earth has to express Heavenly values (read Isaiah 55:8-11).
In Christ Jesus,
Larry