Soon after I had put up the blog about borders, boundaries and hedges one of our pastors, Jim preached about the walls of Jericho. Ok. So the “Walls did come down!” This really bugged me…. Not because the walls of Jericho fell down but because it didn’t fit my box. I knew that God was trying to tell me something but at the time I was too stubborn to hear it. It wasn’t until our senior pastor, Phil prayed for people in bondage that it started to click. It was time to start a study on bonds, chains and walls that should be torn down.

There is something significant about Jericho. Everything inside of Jericho was destroyed. Everything on the WRONG side of the wall was destroyed except for a small group of people protected by a red rope.

During my study I found several interesting facts.
1. God said that if we bind something – it’s bound and if we unbind something – it’s free. (Matthew 16:19)
2. Somethings are good and right to be bound in and some are not.
3. There are many things that bind us as God’s people and that we should pray to break the bondage so that those we pray for can be free indeed.
4. We need to pray that believers are bound as Christ’s bondservants and for the hope of salvation!

So I’ll list verses about binding that I’ve found so far. You can enhance your intercessory praying by working your way through these verses.

But let me get back to Jericho This story fits into this blog because of the parable that it tells. You see Jericho represents sin/iniquity. There are some walls that God wants to tear down. Sin is something that can bind us as believers and keep us from obedience and trust in our AWESOME Lord. Sin should not be messed around with. (Remember Achan). The bonds should be broken (yes – tear Down that WALL!) and everything associated with that sin should be destroyed……
that is with the exception of God’s grace.

Fortunately for us, God has provisioned us with His grace, the RED cord of the blood of Jesus saves us from sin or we should be totally destroyed with the sin.

So when we pray that bondage is broken - we HAVE to remember mercy. God has the power to be the bondage breaker! God has the power to strengthen the bonds that please Him. We are called to pray for each other that this power works in the lives of those around us. But in the process we need to remember His mercy is needed to heal where the damage has been done.

Bonds that need to be broken;
The enemy – Exodus 2:23,Exodus 6:6,Jeremiah 34:13
Iniquity - Hosea 13 :12.
Sin – Romans 7:14
Guilt -Hosea 10 :10.
Transgrassions Lamentations 1:14.
Darkness - Isaiah 49 :9.
Foolishness - Proverbs 22:15
Affliction/illness - Job 36:8
Delilah bound Samson/ sexual sin - Judges 16 :6.
Demons - Mark 5:4
Illness – Luke 13:16
Death – John 11:44
Unbelieving partners – 2 Corinthians 6:14
Rivers – Revelation 9:14
The devil – Revelation 20:2
bitterness and hardship – Lamentations 3:1-8,Acts 8:23
the flesh Romans 7:14
your job – Jeremiah 34:9-10
elemental things of the world Galatians 4:3
false brethren Galatians 2:9
Credit – Nehemiah 5:5
Despondency – Exodus 6:6
Walls that need to be torn down;
Isaiah 30:13 – sin will cause your wall to fall down and you will be defenseless
Jeremiah 49:27 – Damascus, false rulers
Jeremiah 51 – false gods, Babylon
Ezekiel 13 – pretences or false fronts
Ezekiel 38 – the earth at Christ’s return
Ezekiel 43 – those who defile His holy name
Amos 1 – the enemy


Good things that bind us;
Bound by obligation either by vows or family responsibilities - Numbers 30:4-5
Marriage 1 Corinthians 1:15
Bound in the Lord -- 1 Samuel 25:29
Bound by the Law – Romans 7:6
Bound for the gospel – Acts 28:20
The covenant with God – Ezekiel 20:37
Most high God – Acts 4:29, Acts16:17
Christ – Romans 1:1, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Galatians 1:10,Revelation 15:3, Revelation 19:2
Love and Unity – Colossians 3:14
your job – Jeremiah 34:9-10
A persons word – Numbers 20:2

Mercy in bondage
Ezra 9:8-9
1 Samuel 2:27
Joshua 24:17
Exodus 6:5-6
Exodus 2:23
Dueteronomy 32:36

Zechariah 2:5
`For I,' declares the LORD, `will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.' "

Borders, Boundaries and Hedges
The essence of intercessory prayer


There is a song that we often sing in church. You won’t catch me singing it though. I know that the song “Let the walls fall down” is really saying let the pretenses be removed and let us be real with God and our brothers and sisters. It’s not what the song says however. I guess “let the pretensions be removed” doesn’t lend itself to the cadence of the song, but God’s word has plenty to say about walls and it isn’t all about falling down!

Walls go two ways. They are meant to keep things out and sometimes they are meant to keep things in.

Almost every intercessory prayer involves borders, boundaries and hedges.

When we meet together with God in intercessory prayer for another we need to understand the dynamics of what is happening. For every action there is a reaction. For every boundary there is a border. When we pray for protection for another person we are binding the ability of harm being done to that person, but we are also praying that that person is surrounded, hedged, fortified, with safety.

When we pray for healing we are asking God to bind the sickness and push back it’s borders as well as increasing the strength and wellness of the person. A good example of praying this way is when we first begun praying for Susan. She had an enlarged heart. She was almost on the list for a heart transplant. However, we began to pray that God would shrink the heart and heal Susan. Specifically I prayed that God would surround the heart and bind it from growing larger. Then I asked God to shrink the hearts boundary back to it’s normal size. At the same time, I was (and still am) praying that God strengthens Susan’s heart muscles so that they can be strong enough to pump the blood that is needed to give her body the right amount of oxygen. I’ve lost touch with Susan, but I do know that the doctor’s were amazed at her improvement during the time that she was on our prayer chain.

So we pray that God will bind sickness, evil doers, gossip, and people from falling back to sin. Each of these things are walls. Walls to enclose something and shrink it’s border. Walls to prevent people from falling into sin, walls to keep gossip from being effective. Jabez prayed that his border was increased. He wanted a blessing and an extension, a growth of who he was. God moved his border and allowed him to do and be someone ‘bigger’ than he was before.

A hedge is a soft wall. It adds protection and security, but still a freedom for growth. So we pray for a hedge of protection around our pastor, and around our children. We do not want to ‘block them from being who they are’, but we want that buffered wall to be their just the same.

Some verses to pray specifically about wall around us;


Ezekiel 22:30
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Exodus 34:24
For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.
Psalms 147:14
He makes peace [in] thy borders, [and] fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Proverbs 15:25
The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

1 Chronicles 4:10
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou would keep [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

Deuteronomy 19:8
And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

Psalms 74:17
Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: Thou hast made summer and winter.
Proverbs 15:25
Jehovah will root up the house of the proud; But he will establish the border of the widow.
Isaiah 26:15
Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified; thou hast enlarged all the borders of the land.
Isaiah 60:18
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

Who is this God that we pray to? Why should we pray to Him? If our prayers are to be more than good wishes or pretty words than we have to grow in our understanding of the One to whom all will bow someday.
One of my goals is to create a list of 365 attributes of who this God is. I’ve included 31 of the first ones that I’ve thought of. This isn’t a theological list and the attributes aren’t in a specific order. This is the way that they came to me.
I challenge you to join me in collecting attributes of God this year. Whether you are studying for your small group Bible study or doing personal devotions, take notes on who He is and WHY we seek Him, use these to praise Him as you pray.
1. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble– Nahum 1:7
2. The judgments of the Lord are true and altogether righteous Psalm 19:9, Titus 1.2; Heb.6.18
3. The Lord made the heavens and the earth Psalm 124:8,Ps 121:2,Ps 146:6, Ex 31:17
4. He provides rain and makes the grass grow Acts 14:17,1st Kings 8:36,Job 5:10,Job 38:28,Ps 147:8
5. He is the first and the last and is forever Revelation 1:17-18
6. His law is perfect, it restores the soul Psalm 19:7-8
7. He is slow to anger Nahum 1:3
8. God is incomprehensible Job 11:7-19
9. He is eternal Psalm 90:2, Ps. 102:27
10. God is omnipresent Psalm 139::7-12, Ezek. 48:35
11. He knows all things Psalms 139:2-6
12. The Lord will provide Genesis 22:14, Psalm 68:10,Job 24:23
13. The Lord will protects from all evil Psalm 121:7,Psalm 146:9, John 10:28
14. He is the possessor of heaven and earth Genesis 14:19, Genesis 14:22
15. He is the Lord of heaven and earth Acts 17:24, Matthew 11:25
16. God is always the same Hebrews 1:10-12, Mal. 3:6, James 1:17
17. He upholds all things by His word Hebrews 1:3
18. He is righteous and just Deuteronomy 32:4, Judges 5:11,Psalm 7:11,Ps9:8, Ps 119:138,142,144,160,164,172, I Pet. 1:17
19. The Lord is kind Psalm 33:5, Exodus 15:13,Psalm 25:6,Jonah 4:2, Joel 2:13
20. The independence or self-existence of God Ps33:11,115:3,Is40:18,Acts 17:25,Rev. 4:11, John 5:26
21. God is not subject to limitations, He is perfect Job 11:7-10,Ps. 145:3, I Kings 8:27, Isa. 66;1, Jer. 23:23, 24, Acts 17:27, 28
22. He is the true God Num. 23:19,I Cor. 1:9, II Tim. 2:13, Heb. 10:23
23. The Sovereignty of God. Eph. 1:11, Rev. 4:11
24. He is wise Ps. 104:24, Dan. 2:20, 21b
25. God has grace Neh. 9:17b, Rom. 3:24
26. He is merciful Rom. 9:18, Gen. 17:19b, Ps. 145:9, Isa. 55:7
27. He is holy Ex, 15:11, Isa. 6:3b, Rev. 4:8.
28. God is with us Isa. 7:14;8:10 (in Jesus) Matt. 1:23
29. He is personal (I AM) Genesis 15:1, Genesis 26:24, Genesis 46:3, Isaiah 42:8, Isaiah 43:5, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 22:32
30. God is triune (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) Matt,28:19-20, 2 Cor.13:14,Gen.11:7
31. He has sealed the believers Eph.1:13,Eph.4:30
32. God is our redeemer Isaiah 47:4
33. God is our rock and our deliverer 2 Samuel 22:2

So you want to add some attributes of your own? (then I don't have to look them all up!)

I stole this from my oldest daughter, Debbie's blog. I love it.
One Beggar’s Bread

“Nothing will supply the needs,

and satisfy the desires of a soul,

but water out of this rock Jesus Christ,

this fountain opened.

Quenching Thirst

The pleasures of sense are puddle-water;

spiritual delights are rock water,

so pure,

so clear,

and so refreshing —

rivers of pleasure!”

-Matthew Henry