Presenting Your Case in the Courts of Heaven

Before I get started here, no, this is not a teaching on the courts of heaven as you have seen from others. This is a firsthand account of how to present your case before the throne of God.

Based off the following scriptures, we can see that we can bring our case before the Lord.

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” — Isaiah 1:18  

“Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” — Isaiah 43:26  

“Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, because the Lord has a case against His people.” — Micah 6:2 NASB95

The word reason means to convince, prove, or show to be right. It is a legal term that is part of the court scene. It means “let us cease the arguments; let us do something about it.” The prophet invokes heaven and earth as witnesses to an indictment that God stated against His people. Moses declared that the people needed to choose rightly because all of heaven and earth were witnesses to their choices.

We can reason with God over His verdict through Jesus Christ. He is our mediator, and His blood speaks on our behalf.

1. Repent

Anytime you want the Judge of all things to hear you, you must start with a humble heart, and that often entails repentance. When we repent, we become white as snow; our nature is changed by God’s grace.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” — James 4:10

God will not only forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness, but He will also lift you up. When God lifts you up, He gives you a high status, exalts you, and puts you on display before your enemies — namely, Satan and his minions.

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble.” — Luke 1:52 NASB95  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9

Confession brings cleansing.

2. Find Out What the Charge Is Against You

Satan accused Job of serving God only because God had protected and blessed him and his family. Satan said Job needed to be proved.

“So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’” — Job 1:9–11

Joshua, the high priest, had a vision of Satan accusing him before the courts of God. This gave him insight into what the enemy was trying to do to destroy him.

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’” — Zechariah 3:1–2 NASB95

In this case, the Lord rebuked Satan, and Joshua was clothed with filthy garments. The angel said, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” — Zechariah 3:3–4 NASB95

Joshua was made clean by God — not by his own righteousness, but by what God deemed clean.

Satan is an accuser. Revelation 12:10 tells us that salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Satan is not always loud about his accusations. Many times, he takes you to court to get a verdict against you so he can legally attack.

“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” — Luke 22:31–32

Again, Jesus is our mediator. He will allow sifting. He went through it Himself in the wilderness. Testing is part of preparing for an assignment. God needs to know He can trust you.

3. God Makes His Accusations Clear

When David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed, he thought it would be his secret. But God told Nathan the prophet. Nathan confronted David with his sin, and David repented, but he suffered the consequences. All David could do at that point was plead for mercy for his son while he was dying.

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” — Proverbs 28:13 

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” — Psalm 51:2

• When Cain killed his brother Abel, God said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.” — Genesis 4:9–10 NASB95   This is an example of heaven and earth testifying against a person’s sin. Cain’s sin caused him to be cursed from the ground and to be a wanderer on the earth. There was no way out for Cain. He paid the price for his sin.

• Elijah delivered God’s accusation against Ahab for murdering Naboth.

• In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira paid the price for lying to the Holy Spirit. Again, we find one of God’s servants pronouncing the judgment of God on people for sin.

Jesus said that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He called the devil the father of lies and a murderer. He said Satan was the ruler of this world.

Satan loses his ability to rule over those who make Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior. But that does not mean he won’t accuse them. He makes war against the saints of God and tries to wear them down — through physical, emotional, and financial strikes — to get God’s people to give up.

Paul called Satan the god of this age and credited him for blinding people from the gospel.

Be Sober and Vigilant

Peter wrote:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” — 1 Peter 5:8–9

Let’s break this down:

• Sober = clear-headed, restrained, self-controlled

• Vigilant = awake, alert, watchful

• Adversary = legal opponent

• Devil = the one who separates — the enemy, seducer, accuser

• Walk about = from the Greek peripateō — to tread all around, to walk at large like a predator occupied with its prey

• Seeking = pursuit

• Roaring = a howling sound like wolves or lions; a roar that can be heard up to five miles, used to gather the pride, defend territory, and announce presence

• Devour = to consume destructively, eat quickly, or be totally absorbed by a powerful feeling

• Resist him = be hostile toward, oppose, rebel, or set oneself against

• Steadfast = solid, strong, firm

Peter warned, be clear-headed, sober, restrained, and self-controlled. Stay awake, remain alert, and watch! Your adversary is a legal opponent, and he is looking around, occupied with you, so that he can drum up a legal complaint against you.

Satan's goal is to seduce, accuse, and eventually separate you from the relationship and protection of God.

Because emotions have power, we must learn to keep them in check. Pulling each thought into captivity means taking it and subjecting it to examination with the Holy Spirit.

Ask yourself and God: Does this emotion serve an unhealthy mindset? If the answer is yes, replace this emotion with God’s truth to remove its power.

You must resist him in strength. You cannot be soft on his seductions.