Understanding The Kingdom Of God
God wants us to have an understanding and a revelation of His Kingdom which will help us to understand who we really are. If we do not understand who we are in Christ, we are never going to be able to access the blessings of heaven. God wants us to have a picture of why He created us and placed us on the earth so that we can live to our full potential. God wants us to enjoy the best that heaven can offer while we are doing God’s will on the earth.
Mark 1:14-15 - Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
From the time Jesus started preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, a new season of hope was made available to all as Jesus went about describing what heaven was like.
When we are blessed with a wonderful home, we eagerly share our joy and the secret of our success with others. When Jesus preached the Kingdom message, He was actually telling everyone what His home was like. However, He went further by telling everyone that His desire was to share all that was His with others. He also made it clear that this was not for the future, but available in the present to share and enjoy.
Live like a king
This applies to us today. God wants us to live in the realm of His Kingdom on earth each and every day of our lives. It is available to His people and all we have to do is make the choice to enjoy what is ours.
1 John 4:17 - As He is so are we in this world.
Jesus came to restore our purpose which is to live in the realm of and to rule over our earthly destiny. God’s children should not be enslaved, abused, or down-trodden. We are called to be the head and not the tail and we should ensure that we occupy positions of authority and power. This is our prophetic destiny and should not really be prayed for. We should not engage in spiritual warfare in order to obtain it. No, just take it because it is a finished work that Jesus completed on the cross.
Every born again Spirit-filled child of God who is living below their potential is living as a victim when they should be victors. God’s people who are living in these circumstances cannot blame God or the devil. When Jesus preached the Kingdom message, He explained that there was a much, much better way to do life. God’ wants His people to have a good quality of life so that they can influence others.
If we do not live under the influence of heaven, we will live under the influence of the devil.
An everlasting Kingdom
Belgian television recently broke into their regular programming with an urgent bulletin stating that the nation had come to an end. The news flash informed viewers that the Dutch-speaking half of the nation had declared independence and the king and queen had fled.
The bulletin was highlighted with footage from a military airport showing dark silhouettes of a royal entourage boarding a plane.
Thirty minutes later the station flashed a message saying, "this is fiction," but it was too late. By that time, many Belgians had already fallen for the hoax; embassies were calling authorities to find out what was going on while foreign journalists scrambled to get confirmation of the story.
Why did they do that? The kingdoms of this world will come and go. We can wake up in the morning to a new government. This happens in so many countries all over the world. Even the strongest and most powerful kingdoms will fall or come to an end. History tells us about some of the mightiest empires that lasted for generations, but eventually ended.
The Iron Curtain held people under communism for seventy years, but it fell in one day. The kingdoms of the world cannot last because they are not under the rule of the King. That is why they will not last forever.
There is a great conflict between the Kingdom of God and Satan’s kingdom which is still present, and alive. It is organized and set against God’s people and against God’s purposes for the earth. Everything that opposes God comes from the kingdom of darkness.
The devil hates God, His image, and His creation and that is why he makes war against men and women.
Jesus presides over an everlasting Kingdom. It has no end. It is so sad to see people follow after things that will come to nothing, but they will resist submitting to a Kingdom that is permanent. It makes no sense at all. When we follow Jesus, we access permanent blessings. They are everlasting.
The King’s family
Christian mistakenly believe that the Kingdom of God is all about defeating the kingdom of darkness, but we must remember that God’s Kingdom will be around for millions upon millions years after the kingdom of darkness has ended. Therefore, God does not focus on the devil, but on His people because He wants us to enjoy His home and wants us to rule and reign with him as we preside over all that is His. Have a long-term view of your life. It is not merely the few years you live on earth, but it continues throughout all eternity.
God’s Kingdom is not only in the future, but is present and accessible today. Every kingdom has a king and the King of God’s Kingdom is Jesus and He came to tell us that there is a better way. He encourages us by telling us that we can live a much better life than we are living and enjoy so many more benefits. God sent the King, His Son, so that we could live an abundant life.
God did not have a family. The citizens of His Kingdom are His adopted children who are heirs and co-heirs with His Son Jesus.
The Kingdom of God has a culture. We are in the world but not of the world. We live in the world but live under a different set of rules.
When there is famine, we will eat because we are not subject to earthily circumstances, but heavenly blessings.
The Kingdom of God has dominion, power, and a standard of righteousness. The moment Jesus started His ministry, He told everyone that the devil is a lair and that he is the source of all sickness, poverty, and misery. Jesus told them that He has come as the King of kings to offer everyone a different standard of living.
The gospel of the Kingdom incorporates the true love of a Father. Kingdom benefits are rights of every child of God without exception.
Kingdom characteristics
Every household has certain characteristics and every kingdom has certain characteristics traits which can be defined and each of these are different to the characteristics of other households or kingdoms.
How would we know whether the devil is king of a person’s home? There are certain characteristics that will tell us whether the devil is reigning in that situation or whether God is. Their characteristics are totally different.
These characteristics are clearly defined in Galatians 5.
Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
What is Paul saying here? He is merely defining the characteristics of the devil’s kingdom which is not compatible with the characteristics of God’s Kingdom.
Galatians 5:22-25 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
This is really what the church should look like and these characteristics should be evident in the lives of God’s people to show everyone who is Lord of their lives. When we understand this, we know we are not under law because no one can judge us when we have the joy of the Lord, or when we love others, or when we are gentle.
How can we manifest these characteristics of God? It depends on what choices we make for God. That means we can choose to enjoy an environment of heaven or an environment of hell. When the flesh is dominant then all hell breaks loose in our homes, in our churches, and in our work places When the Spirit of God is evident, heaven is manifest.
We can determine how well we are doing and how successful we are depending on how much of God’s Spirit and how much of the flesh is manifest in our lives.
Be part of God’s Kingdom
John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
When we become children of God, our eyes are opened to the enormous resources that are available to us. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are born again into His Kingdom which means we do not have to die first before we enjoy Kingdom benefits. They become ours to apply in our lives while we are alive on the earth. We do not have to work for them or to climb up the ladder of success and eventually be promoted to them. No, it is a matter of understanding who we are and what is ours and to renew our thinking so that our minds are aligned to God’s Word.
When we make a decision for Jesus, we accept Him as our King and we should know that He presides over the most powerful Kingdom. When we follow the wrong king, we follow the wrong influence and end up in the wrong place.
God is looking for ways to bless, promote, and exalt His children. We need to have a revelation of this. So many Christians believe that God is looking for ways to condemn and judge them. This is the wrong picture they have of the King and that is why they do not follow Him with everything fiber of their being.
When you know of the heart of your King, you will become bold in accessing and enjoying the blessing of the King.
Defeat your enemy
Matthew 11:12 - And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
God has not called us to wage a continuous war against our enemy the devil. However, God wants us to aggressively protect what He has given us. What He has given us to enjoy is our right. It is not something we have to strive for, or to earn, or even to fast and pray about. No. It is ours to take and if we do not take what is ours, we will not enjoy what is ours. It is as simple as that.
2 Corinthians 10:4 - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…
The devil will do everything in his power to steal the Kingdom blessings from you and only you can prevent him. We are engaged in a spiritual war and have to pull down every obstacle that stands between us and the blessings. God has given us His Spirit and weapons of war that enables us to protect and keep what we have been given.
One of the most powerful weapons that the devil uses against us is temptation. That was his strategy when he tried to defeat Jesus in the wilderness. He temps us in the flesh and if we do not resist and overcome these temptations, we will always be fighting.
Too many Christians are fighting too many battles for too long and they do not enjoy their Christian life. There is a time for us to be in battle mode but this should not be always be fighting. Yes, we will face temptations which we must resist and there is a time for the devil to leave. The Bible tells us that the devil left Jesus after three failed attempts to entrap Him. How senseless would it be for Jesus to continue with spiritual warfare after the devil left Him? When the devil departed, angels came from heaven and ministered to Jesus. God is always ready to encourage us in our earthly walk. After overcoming temptation, Jesus came out of the wilderness and started plundering the devil’s kingdom by raising the dead, casting out demons, and healing the sick.
If you are always fighting you cannot enjoy Kingdom benefits. There is a time for the devil to leave you alone so that you can minister to others without any hindrance and to enjoy the authority and power you have in Jesus.
Spiritual forces of darkness operate from a realm that encompasses the earth and stand between heaven and earth. Once these forces are overcome, there are only two realms and that is the earthly realm and the heavenly realm and when the demonic realm is short-circuited, heaven and earth become one. That is what Jesus was talking about when He prayed “Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” He saw a free flow of heaven’s blessings coming to earth without any resistance and opposition from God’s enemy. Picture the angels walking up and down from heaven to earth in Jacob’s dream.
Paul had a great revelation of this dynamic because he kind of flipped flopped in and out of heaven bringing the blessings of revelation to the early church as it struggling to find its identity. The keys of heaven are ours and we can use them to access anything we need for our daily living.
Finish the fight and start enjoying what Jesus has for you today.
Our flesh is the battle ground between good and evil and God is either going to win the battle in our life or is going to lose the battle. God will lose the fight against Satan if the flesh is strong. God will win the battle if the spirit is strong. It is so amazing to think that this battle is actually playing out in the flesh, in our bodies, and in our lives. God wants us to walk in the Spirit.
Be prepared
Matthew 25:1-13 - "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
We can either walk in the Spirit or we can walk in the flesh. When we walk in the Sprit, there is no devil to fight. When we walk in the flesh, we will face a spiritual fight. When we walk in the flesh, we walk out of step with God which is a difficult walk. Walking in the Spirit is walking in step with God which is an easy walk. That is why God has given us His Spirit.
There is a spirit realm that God wants us to live in which is a heaven environment. It is living in the Spirit and if you want to live in the heaven on earth you have to understand it will never be in the flesh but in the Spirit. The Spirit and the flesh manifest this great conflict. The devil triumphs when the flesh triumphs. God triumphs in the war against his enemy when the Spirit in us triumphs.
The devil wars against God and our flesh represents the opportunity for the kingdom of darkness. The Spirit and the flesh are contrary to each which means we cannot do the things that you wish. In other words, we cannot exalt the flesh and exalt the Spirit. Something must be put down. The Bible says that no flesh will glory in the presence of God.
Today we have so many fleshly manifestations in the Christian community. If we can put to death the works of the flesh and allow God’s Spirit to manifest, we will see to what extent God will use us to transform our communities and transform the nations.
This Kingdom is costly
Matthew 13:44 - The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
I am surprised to find so many people who are embarrassed to tell others that they are Christians. Your position in Christ is valuable so do not make excuses to others about your faith.
Be proud of who you are because you have found a treasure that others have missed. So many people live their lives running around looking for the secrets of life and fulfillment. This can only be fully found in Jesus.
Change everything you can so that you can follow Him fully and without hindrance and chase after those things which belong to you.
You have a part to play in God’s Kingdom and God wants you to work with Him to advance His plans for the earth in your lifetime.
Take control
Genesis 1:26 - “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”
We are at our best when we are in control. The UN Commission for Human Rights says that slavery is the most demeaning thing that can happen to a human being. That is because God did not create us to be enslaved. We were created to rule and to be in control.
We need to take control over our destiny and this means taking control over our homes, our businenesses, and our eternal purpose.
People tend to think it is a bad thing when we exert authority. God has given us this authority to take control over the territory that has been given to us. The reason why things become and disorganized and messy is because the person who is in charge has lost control. When those who have a Kingdom mindset take control, there will be order and a heaven influce.
The mystery of the Kingdom
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
There is so much which we do not comprehend. We have no idea the vastness of His Kingdom and how much He has for us. As we start applying these principles and promises, we discover there is more and more. When we think we have all He has for us, we discover new treasures. Never limit God.
Live in a new neighborhood
Ephesians 2:6 - And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
If you do not like your life you can change it. If you do not like your spiritual environment, you can change it.
In order to have a true understanding of the authority, we must know that God intervenes in the affairs of this world and He uses His anointed vessels to accomplish His plans.
Today, everything is opposed to God. Sadly, a large section of the church today can be regarded as anti-God because of certain beliefs that have been embraced and taught which go against God’s ways.
But there is good news. God’s glory is coming and the church will be changed by the glory and presence of God. The church is about to be transformed by the Spirit of God and will be made ready for the Bridegroom.
Although the church is not there yet, the bride will match the Bridegroom in power, perfection, and glory.
God is going to touch the church supernaturally and He will do the supernatural work necessary to bring about the transformation.
So many anointed children of God have been tricked and deceived and have lost their positions, ministries, and reputations. God is going to restore us and will release a fresh anointing upon our lives. We will once again take up our position of authority and take our rightful place with Him as priests and kings.
God is preparing us in these last days to preach this message to the ends of the earth before the end comes. The Kingdom message will change families, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. It will either be accepted or rejected.
We have to access God’s blessings and God’s ways and live it so that when God calls, we will know what message to preach or else we will be preaching the wrong message. If we cannot live it we cannot preach it.
