Advancing Encouragement By:
Bishop James Jr. Hairston

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.

What does this passage of scripture have to do with praying? Let us look at the text which has many applications to it and today I want you to be encouraged by the power in the words that Jesus has spoken! Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and you can see the start of that on the day of Pentecost in the upper room where they were praying, Acts 1:14 and Peter began his leadership as the one with the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven as Jesus Christ has already spoken. I believe what Jesus told His disciples about binding and loosing is exactly what the Apostles did starting with prayer. After the choosing of another apostle, Acts 1:26 in Chapter two on the Day of Pentecost they were still together from Acts 1:14 in a house. I believe during this time they were praying ushering in the day of Pentecost and the Holy Ghost came upon each one of them with power, cloven tongues like as of fire. The Kingdom of Heaven is of the spiritual realm and it took binding and loosing in prayer to destroy every opposition that came up against the Church. After the day of Pentecost you will see how prayer was one of the key components to binding and losing in order to turn the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ to break all the bondage and spirit of sin, spirit of poverty, and the spirit of fear along with miracles of healing and casting out all kinds of spirits, Acts 16: 16, was performed in many lives by the power of the Holy Ghost. Acts2:38-47 was the start of breaking the spirit of sin, poverty and performing miracles from teaching, fellowship and prayer. Acts 3:1-9 after prayer Peter and John performed a miracle of healing. Acts 4:31 they continued to pray to bind and loose on the earth so that they can speak the word of God boldly and the bondage and spirit of poverty continued to be broken among the people of God! In Acts 12: 4-12 the people of God were binding and loosing on the earth for Peter to be set free from prison and with binding and loosing in Heaven from the prayers of the people God sent an angel to set Peter free! In Acts 16:25-31 Paul and Silas was binding and loosing on earth and binding and loosing was from God in Heaven set them free from prison and broke the bondage and spirit of sin in the jailor and his household. Today my friend it is time to do some binding and loosing in your life through prayer and watch God bind and loose in Heaven for you and He will perform the miracles you need in your life, of healing, financial blessings, bondage of sin of any kind to be broken or whatever you stand in need of He can and will do it according to His will in Jesus Name. Remember where two or more are gathered in His name to bind and loose He will be in the mist of it and whatever you ask in His name He will do it, Matthew 18: 18-20.

James Jr. Hairston