I have heard a lot of people talk about the courts of Heaven, including Robert Henderson and my friend, Doug Addison, who both teach on it (I recommend checking out their awesome teachings). But, for a time, I hadn't looked into it. I used to think, “I've got my thing, and they have their thing.” Then God began to show me that in order to deal with idols, we have to take them to court.
There is a story in Acts 19 where Paul was residing and preaching in Ephesus, and a silversmith named Demetrius made shrines of the goddess Artemis (Diana), that brought in no small income from his craft. While there, Paul began preaching about how idols are not really gods, that they're made with men's hands, disrupting the whole scam the idol tradesmen had going on. Demetrius gathered all of his fellow tradesmen and stirred them up against Paul, saying that there was danger as their trade would totally be discredited, and so would the temple of the great goddess Artemis. Then they were all filled with rage and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
| “Jesus doesn't only appear in the court, and He doesn't just heal your soul. He does both.“ |
The whole town was in an uproar. They went to a huge auditorium, and continued to shout for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Idols That Riot in Our Lives
You see, that's what idols are doing; they are rioting in your life! They are shouting in your ears, “You've got to have this gadget, it's going to make your life better, make you feel better, and look better. You've got to get this thing now!” They're shouting; they're rioting in your life. They're driving you to spend your energy, money, time, and thoughts on them. They won't shut up; demons never get tired. They chit-chat and chitter-chatter, putting this and that thought in your mind, like, “Now you are hungry; now you want some more food.” making you think, “I just ate, but now I want something sweet, now I want something salty.”
Idol worshipers all had this in common: They always brought food, dedicated it, and sacrificed it to an idol. Then, they ate it as part of becoming one with that idol. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul says not to partner and be in fellowship with diabolical spirits by eating at their feasts. Have demons been driving you to your food idol? Are you partnering and fellowshipping with diabolical spirits by eating at their feasts?
I lived this; I was possessed by food. Once I broke the cycle, I lost weight supernaturally, just like that! Now, I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I don't crave more food when I've finished eating; I'm satisfied. I don't have to struggle anymore, or have a demon driving me to overeat. If you get rid of idols, you're going to have a breakthrough.
Accusations in the Court
Back to Ephesus. Several people tried to get the crowd to calm down, with no success. Finally they brought in the town clerk, and he was able to calm them down. Where is the town clerk from? He's from the court! He says in Acts 19:38 (AMPC), “Now then, if Demetrius and his fellow tradesmen who are with him have a grievance against anyone, the courts are open and the procounsels are [available]; let them bring charges against one another [legally].” He was saying, “Look, the courts are open. You can't continue to riot. You have to be quiet, and do your business legally, in the court.”
You may not realize that those idols (demon gods) have been going up into the courts that are in the heavens, and have been bringing all kinds of evidence against you: “They eat this. They shop all the time. They waste their money on gadgets. They are a shoe fanatic…” on and on and on. They have a list—a stack of evidence against you!
The Lord showed me an office in the second Heaven, and it was full of paperwork in boxes. There were file cabinets that had files just pouring out of them. I asked, “What's that, God?” He told me, “That's the evidence room with all the evidence that's against you.”
The Importance of Showing Up
You see, satan roams back and forth on the earth looking for evidence. He's called the accuser of the brethren. Where are accusations made? In a court. Now, the enemy has been going to court against you, but when there's a court case between two people, whoever doesn't show up, loses. If you haven't been showing up, you've been losing. I ought to know; I have been in lots of courts. Before I met Jesus, I went to prison when I was sentenced in a court. Before I went to that court and got sentenced, I had been called to many court cases and never showed up. So, automatically, I had many warrants out for my arrest. Whoever doesn't show up, loses. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
The idols (demon gods) are writing down accusations against us. The only thing that shuts them up is to take away their legal right within our soul, then take away their legal right in the heavenly courts. I have had some people tell me, “Oh no, we don't have to do that. We have the Blood of Jesus.”
According to Hebrews 12, the Blood is in the court testifying on our behalf. That's why if we go to court, if we show up, we can't lose. It says that in the court of Zion, is the judge of all the earth, Jesus, the mediator, the new covenant. These are all legal court terms, and the Blood is there that speaks a better testimony. How do you give testimony? You do it as a witness in court. So when the enemy goes into the heavenly court, and we go up to meet him, the Blood is there to say, “See that big, old pile of stuff that you've got? It's all under the Blood!” But we have to show up to court. Otherwise, we have given up our right to win.
Our “Antidikos”
In Luke 18:2-3 (NKJV), Jesus gave us the parable about the persistent widow, “…There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.'” Who's our adversary? The accuser of the brethren, satan. That word “adversary” is the Greek word “antidikos,” and it means “an opponent in a lawsuit.”
Satan isn't just walking, or flying around saying, “Oh, you're naughty, and you've done this and that,” and placing your sins in a box. He's going up to the court and presenting that evidence, because he is “an opponent in the lawsuit.” He's bringing a lawsuit against us. He's the antidikos, “the accuser of the brethren.” He's the adversary that this woman was fighting when she went to the unrighteous judge.
Our Just Judge
Continuing in Luke 18:3b-8a (NKJV), the woman said, “‘Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.'”
See, this is what happens when you go to court. God will do it speedily, because He's not an unjust judge. He will avenge His elect and do it speedily, but we must go to court where our adversary is accusing us.
Healing the Soul
I've had people tell me, “Kate, you don't need to do that soul healing stuff; you just have to go to the courts.” I feel we must do both. I want to prove to you that we need to go into the courts of Heaven, but we also need to have our souls healed.
There are things that you can get healed in your soul, and you don't have to go to court; you decree that you're excellent of soul, and stop unhealthy behavior. But for other things, like idols, you need to go to court. Remember, the mob in Ephesus would only be quite when the city clerk showed up. In order to stop idols rioting, you need to go to court!
I was repeatedly getting wounds on my soul healed, but the idols still had a legal right up in Heaven, and I hadn't taken care of it. They just kept making noise in my mind and driving my decisions. They tried to drive me back to food, telling me I was still hungry when I wasn't, trying to make me try more remedies to get rid of my skin spots, and on and on.
Jesus doesn't only appear in the court, and He doesn't just heal your soul. He does both. In Revelation 19:11 (NKJV) it says, “Now I saw Heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” So Christ judges—that's court—and makes war. I make war to get my soul healed.
Waging War
Jesus said in John 14:30-31 (AMPC), “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]” (Photo via Unsplash)
The way you make war, and make it so the enemy doesn't have any power over you is this: You get everything in you that's in common with him, healed. I don't make war by screaming at a demon, because they won't leave when they have legal right to be there. I get my soul healed, and then they have to go, because I have nothing in me that's in common with them, so they have no power over me.
I believe that Jesus both goes into the courts, and He heals our souls. May you stay the course on this important victory in the courts of Heaven!
