As you begin to grow in the knowledge of the Courts you may begin to wonder: What do we need to do to operate in the Courts?
But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced. (Matthew 12:36-37 AMPC)
He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of [firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. (Matthew 17:20 AMPC)
The legal words used in Matthew 12; acquitted, condemned, and sentenced, show that our words can be used in the Courts of Heaven. Jesus said our words would move mountains when mixed with faith. How are you using words in your own life?
Now is the time to seek to listen to the Holy Spirit, our Counselor in the Courts, and watch what we are releasing into the lives of others. Ask the Lord for help. He is our source of wisdom, knowledge, and power. The New Testament shows us how our Lord would have us speak:
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:5-6 AKJV)
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29 AKJV)
We should speak words of grace towards others. When you grow in the knowledge of God, learning and walking in His ways, the goal is to become an elder: a wise, mature child of God with the fruit of the Spirit. If our words are destructive towards ourselves or others, our access to the Courts may be limited: Our words should not be attacking other Christians and aligned with the enemy!
How do we know if we are on the right road, making progress towards maturity?
Is there a way to tell when we go off the road and veer into a ditch instead of walking in His ways?
The Bible tells us:
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes... (Luke 12:48 AKJV)
When we don’t know any better, God mitigates the punishment. This sounds wonderful. If we don’t know what we are doing wrong, the punishment will be light. Let’s place this in the proper perspective by looking at the previous verse:
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Luke 12:47 AKJV)
This is the other side of that coin. When you begin learning God’s ways, as we are commanded to do, we are expected to do what we are learning. Jesus told His followers:
And why call you Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46 AKJV)
If we want our Lord to provide for us and protect us, He expects us to DO what we LEARN. What does it look like when we are before the Throne of Grace and fail to do what we know to do? My daughter, Ashley, has allowed me to share her personal experience as an example:
Ashley began joining me for morning prayers and was shocked to find out that each time she joined me, she began to get a headache. I advised her to seek God as to what sin she had committed that opened the door to such an attack.
A few days later she went to a chess tournament. Before leaving, she asked if I would pray for her, not only for wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit but to have fun as well. Ashley lost all but one game, and the one she beat was an eight-year-old child. That evening she sulked, hidden away in her room. When she didn’t appear for several hours, I sought her out.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I asked, “Are you that upset about losing at the tournament? You know many of those kids have been practicing for years.”
She sighed, “It is more than losing. Christ was trying to teach me something at the tournament and I got a headache, like the ones in the morning. This was stronger and went away right after the tournament.”
I grimaced, “It sounds like the enemy has access to your mind. Has the Holy Spirit shown you where?”
Ashley whispered, “All of this kind of started when I began playing and was really focused on this ‘Cinderella Choose Your Own Adventure’ story. I kept thinking about that game… all the time, even when I wasn’t playing it!”
I didn’t have a lot of guidance from the Holy Spirit right then, I just suggested, “then that is probably what opened the door.”
Later that night I was crocheting a blanket, praying in the Heavenly Language when the Holy Spirit connected all the dots. I went to say goodnight to Ashley and relayed what the Holy Spirit had revealed.
She allowed certain recreational habits like daydreaming and video games to become an idol in her heart through her imagination. When circumstances were against her, she turned to these preoccupations rather than to God for comfort. This created a stronghold in her mind that the enemy was using to keep the Holy Spirit from bringing her wisdom.
The number eight is important: it means judgment and destruction. The Holy Spirit was showing her that if she continued giving the enemy ground in her mind, it would only lead to judgments from the Courts, which would bring destruction and loss into her life.
Our Counselor and Friend made the choice perfectly clear: Ashley could obey what God had already been speaking to her about or receive consequences for her actions. This had to be her choice because she knows it is right according to God’s ways and desires to do it. I cannot make the decision for her.
This is an example of TRUE grace and mercy. Just because the enemy comes against us, it doesn’t mean we are not before the Throne of Grace. The attack wasn’t overwhelming, but it did put Ashley on notice that she wasn’t implementing what she learned. If we pay attention when difficulties, sicknesses, or persecutions arise, the Holy Spirit will show us where we have wandered off the road and into the ditch where the enemy is able to affect our lives.
...If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you access [to My presence] and places to walk among these who stand here. (Zechariah 3:7 AMPC)
But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:49 AMPC)
In order to have authority in the Courts to intercede for others, we need to learn and follow God’s ways. Jesus, Himself, tells us we must practice what we learn, or else destruction will come. In the New Testament, God shows us how to achieve this:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14 AKJV)
If we want the full rights of a grown son, we need to learn from our Teacher, the Holy Spirit. With His guidance, we can become mature children of God. By not only learning but DOING what we LEARN, we are able to fully function in the Courts of Heaven. One of the first things we have seen the Lord address with many people is their words.
...for the accuser of our brothers is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night... (Revelation 12:10 AKJV)
Satan is the one who brings accusations against God’s people. We do not need to side with him by declaring things against God's children. This will not only bring backlash, but it may also eventually remove us from the Courts. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to speak in agreement with the Lord’s will instead of agreeing with what the enemy is doing.
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