By Every Word

A Letter to Kingdom Citizens

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Jun 262015

Earlier today the Supreme Court delivered a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. This is a historic ruling for the United States and one that fuels a lot of feelings on all sides of this issue. There are a lot of questions that people of faith are having right now because of this ruling so I felt compelled to address a message to the citizens of God’s kingdom.

Who is a citizen?

First, let’s address the subject of the qualifications to be a citizen in the kingdom of God. To be a citizen you have to be saved; born again. This has nothing to do with church membership. Salvation happens when a person repents. The word, repent, means to change the way you think and to accept God’s word as the truth and Him as your Lord. In doing so you’re asking God to forgive you of your sins and you’re admitting that you have violated what you know to be His laws and you’re making a confession to accept His mercy and change. The word Lord actually means owner, or master. So if Jesus truly owns you, you’re no longer your own but you belong to Him which means you will obey Him. There are many religions and many churches who claim to be affiliated with Jesus but you will know them by their fruit. None of us are perfect, but if you’re truly His, you’re going to do your best to obey Him and follow His word… even if it offends other people.

How does this ruling affect the kingdom of Heaven?

Nations are facing terrorism, economic crisis, civil unrest, starvation, and a plethora of other problems. The kingdom of Heaven has none of these problems and will never have to worry about such threats; that’s why God wants to impact earth with His government. His government functions perfectly.

How does this ruling affect God’s citizens on earth?

That’s what is so wonderful about God’s kingdom; even in the midst of a foreign land He still has jurisdiction over His people. This ruling has no effect on God’s people or His kingdom- it’s just another beautiful day in His kingdom. God is still King and He is still on the throne.

Ask yourself this:

Is drunkenness a sin? Yes.
Is telling a lie a sin? Yes.
Is committing adultery a sin? Yes.
Is having sex outside of a marriage a sin? Yes.

We have all of these acts of sin taking place in the United States every day yet God’s people are still fine amongst it all. God’s kingdom doesn’t change because of what a nation in the earth makes a ruling on; God is consistent always. This ruling has no bearing on God’s kingdom- His kingdom still reigns and He is still on the throne today as He was yesterday. If someone is a drunk and they come to Jesus they have to leave their ways behind and accept His ways. It doesn’t matter if they are over the age of 21; it doesn’t matter if it is legal on the earth. In God’s kingdom it is illegal.

Ephesians 5: 18 (KJV)
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

In God’s kingdom you obey the King, regardless of the laws of the nation where you currently preside. Just because it is now legal in the United States to marry a same sex individual, it doesn’t change God’s law. Just as with a drunk, if someone comes to Jesus and submits to Him they are submitting to His authority and agreeing to follow His laws. If someone is a drunk they give up their way and follow Jesus. If someone is a kleptomaniac they give up stealing and follow Jesus. If someone identifies as gay, they acknowledge that in God’s kingdom this is illegal and they no longer deem it acceptable and they turn and follow Jesus (Romans 1). People who are in adultery may have a hard time letting go of that relationship, but they understand that to be His they have to. People who used to drink may still love the taste and feeling from being inebriated, but they understand in God’s kingdom it is illegal so they give it up. Someone who identifies as a homosexual may have a hard time facing the changes that God’s word demands, but they understand in His kingdom it is unacceptable and they follow Jesus. Nothing has changed.

There is a man in the United States that said he would light himself on fire if this ruling happened… listen, this is ridiculous. If he is going to light his body on fire because the Supreme Court has ruled it legal and constitutional to disobey God, why doesn’t he also do it because they allow drunkenness to be legal, or marijuana to be legal. You cannot force people to do what you want; even God Himself doesn’t do that. Stand for the truth, preach the truth, and let people make their decision. Show them love no matter what they decide in hopes that they will listen and their hearts be changed. We’re not the Holy Ghost, so let the Holy Ghost do His job and we do ours.

Let me take a step back and make a note of something. Earlier I stated “We have all of these acts of sin taking place in the United States every day yet God’s people are still fine amongst it all.” I know the thought will come to someone’s mind “Some of God’s people are committing these very sins.” You are absolutely right. The difference is whether they are working on changing their ways. When a citizen sins they must acknowledge that they are wrong, not deem their behavior as acceptable. They must repent, and ask God to help them to change. When a religious person sins they unremorsefully say “It’s OK I’ll just ask God to forgive me like I always do.” As true citizens of God we should be becoming more like Jesus in our culture.

How does this ruling affect our nation?

This is a good question and the one that is important to ask. This ruling does have an effect on the nation. What is that effect? At this moment I do not know. But here is what I do know.

Psalm 33: 12 (KJV)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

When a nation makes God their Lord- remember what Lord means?- they are blessed. As a nation we face a lot of crisis and problems that are a result of disobedience. Overtime we have grown accustomed to those consequences even though they may have a significant impact on our nation. There is an effect on a nation who makes a ruling to accept something that God says is illegal. God doesn’t necessarily relinquish punishment and retribution on the people of earth, but because His word is law, and the bible says what it does in Psalm 33: 12, there is an automatic effect that takes place as God has to release His hand from a part of the nation. God has always wanted us to obey Him with our own free will. If the nation decides to disobey Him or go against Him, He allows them to. Remember Samuel when the nation of Israel rejected God as their King?

But remember citizens of God, God is able to keep you safe and even bless you right in the midst of a nation that turns against Him; He’s done it before. Let’s also remember that at one time we were also lost in sin and continue to pray for our lost brothers and sisters that they will turn to God. Regardless of their sin, God loves them and wants them to return to Him just as He wanted you and me to at one time in our very recent past.

Don’t be discouraged. Everything that is happening must come to pass according to scripture. Continue to pray, continue to lead, and continue to follow the Lord. You were a citizen of His kingdom yesterday and you still are today. God’s plan hasn’t changed- He is still working in the earth through you, His ambassadors.

Quick Thought

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Dec 282010

Luke 6:46
46. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
KJV

Simple verse but something God asks me every time I…

display fear
display worry
question Him
lack faith
forget to pray
neglect to read His word
disobey
display any character trait other than that of His kingdom

It hurts but we must adhere to His chastening. (By the way, chastening is another way of saying “butt whipping!”) We don’t realize what we’re doing when we disobey His word. It’s not a practice… religion practices obeying the King, but to kingdom citizens obeying the King is our culture.

Is it your culture? … or are you obeying His word on a trial basis? …until the next temptation comes? There are some things we know we would not do in front of God Himself, but we do them from time to time without much of a thought. We sometimes, with these types of slip-ups, say “I’m still struggling with this.” Struggling is a word we like to use synonymously for things we know we should not be doing but we do them anyway. It’s these kind, the simple things, that keep us from obtaining the level of depth we desire of God. It’s these small things that separate the majority of Christians from the Elijahs, Elishas, Isaiahs, Pauls…

Song of Solomon 2:15
15. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
KJV

It’s the small foxes that keep us from the precious fruit, the best fruit…

If we’re to be an influence to those around us impacting them with our culture, the kingdom of Heaven, we must display after the manner of our Lord. We must be good stewards, representatives, ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Taking no offense of His Word lightly. That doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but we try our best to obey Him.

-For the Kingdom

Kingdom Obedience

Kingdom Awakening, Video Comments Off

Nov 042010

Where is the discipline of His disciples? We have interpreted grace as a weapon that destroys having to be obedient to law- when actually grace came to destroy the condemnation of the law we were under and the sacrificial law of the past. Every where you look there are people who claim to belong to God but “they don’t do what He says.” Did God give us grace so that we could violate His commandments all of our lives? God forbid. It is time for His citizens to return to obedience.

Myles Munroe is currently this year teaching on “Kingdom Law for Kingdom Living” and I was deeply inspired by just the few short messages that I heard on the subject. God begin to reveal things to me in my own life that I needed to put under subjection to the King of glory. God began to open up revelation to me on the subject and show me His desire for us to walk in His ways. The result is blessings, benefits, and an abundance from Heaven being poured out because of the natural laws that are built into being obedient to His commandments… and it will overtake you.

The Lord’s Prayer 02

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Jul 152010

Luke 11
2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven…
KJV

So here is where Jesus began to teach the disciples how to pray. He says Our Father.

This is a corporate prayer. He’s not just my Father, or your Father- He’s our Father. Sometimes we get so caught up with prayer being about me, me, me- that we forget we are praying to the government of Heaven. We are sending up a petition from a member of the body of Christ. This word, “our”, builds unity into our prayer.

Acts 20
35) I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
36) And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
KJV

Our brothers and sisters sometimes are weak and our prayers help to lift them.

Romans 15
1) We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
KJV

Ought means- you should do this, I expect you to do this, you better do this.

Look at how much is in this one word- ‘Our’. When we begin prayer like this it’s no longer just me, I am praying as a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven and I am praying a corporate prayer that includes all of us, which builds all of us and strengthens all of us.

Next, remember who you are praying to. The Father. This is so many things in one word. The word Father in the Hebrew is ABBA which also means source and sustainer. He is Source, Sustainer, Government, ABBA! Why is this important? It’s important because we are recognizing who He is to us at the start of our prayer. We don’t make Him Father God, He’s Father God no matter what- so it’s important that we acknowledge Him as Our Father. That’s all we can do- acknowledge Him. So when we begin our prayers we’re recognizing Him and saying “Our Source, our Sustainer, our Father”.

Please don’t miss this… A source is this.

Source: anything or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained.
Dictionary.com

When you call Him Father- you are recognizing Him as where everything that you need comes from. You are stating that everything that has been obtained, will be obtained, or can be obtained, can only come from Him.
When you call Him Father you are declaring Him your Sustainer- that means what keeps you and maintains you is Him alone! Praise God! That is a powerful statement!

I have to add this in here right now…

John 4
23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

This use of spirit is very important. It is not capitalized so it’s not talking about the Holy Spirit, which is always capitalized. This word is lowercase and refers to “attitude and awareness”. You cannot worship God or pray effectively if your mind is not on what you’re doing. Your attitude has to be towards the thing, aware of what you are saying and who you are saying it to in order to do something in spirit.

So when you are calling on Him, Our Father, BE AWARE of what you are saying. When you understand these truths of these two short words, praying aware with an attitude of understanding- you’re calling upon the government of Heaven, Source and Sustainer of all things, in a corporate prayer from the body.

This is going to add so much to your prayer life- because we can only do something effectively, when we have understanding.

[Just as a side note: I am not teaching, to be so restrictive, that it’s wrong to say “My Father”. It’s just important for us to understand that we pray for others and that Jesus was showing it’s not just about us. What good is it, if I’m blessed and my friends and neighbors aren’t. Sure, they can pray- but we lift up the weak in faith in our prayers. We’re supposed to pray for one another. It’s not just about your blessing, your needs, your wants- it’s about the kingdom. It’s not about one citizen having all the wealth and all the health, it’s about His kingdom having wealth and being in good health. When we look at a country in the world and we see a few in power and living well, but most of the country is in poverty and sickness- there is something wrong. But when the entire nation thrives- wow how awesome. “What is it with those people, they are all in good health, all have their needs met, they all have joy, they all are blessed.”]

That’s Kingdom!

Purpose of Prayer – Lesson 1

Kingdom Awakening, Video Comments Off

Jul 092010

This is message 1 of the Kingdom Study Series on Prayer. In this message we explore the question “Why do we pray?” We first have to review God’s purpose which will open up questions we have all asked our self. There is a reason for prayer… as kingdom citizens, it’s time we discover what it is. Understand the purpose of prayer, and you can finally pray with purpose.