16/08/2020
*Seeing the Kingdom*
JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID TO HIM, “MOST ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, UNLESS ONE IS BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” ( John 3:3)
Most Christians have repented enough to be forgiven, but not enough to see the Kingdom. They go part of the way, then stop. Did you know that meeting Jesus was only the first step in your Christian walk? Conversion puts you at the entrance of an entirely new way of living, but there is a lifetime of experiences beyond the entrance that many folks don’t experience. They never enter into their full purpose. They spend their life rejoicing just on the other side of the river shore, but never move in to take the cities and inhabit the promised land. It’s not enough to barely make it across the river into the promised land; we must go all the way and fight for the territory God has promised to His Church. Life is so much fun when we experience the miraculous and partner with the supernatural! It’s an honor and privilege and responsibility that too many of us have feared and ignored. The idea of Kingdom power and spiritual conflict unsettles some people, but without power, the Gospel is not good news.
The Promised Land is a prophetic picture of the life that God desires for you to live, a life where His “great and precious promises” are fulfilled in your life. The Bible is filled with promises that are beyond your ability to comprehend. But there are certain “pillar truths” about the nature of God that, once they are established in your way of thinking, will make these promises seem an indispensable part of being in a covenant relationship with the God of the Universe. One pillar truth is found in Luke 1:37.
-The literal translation of this verse is, “For with God no spoken word [rhema] is without ability.” That means, when God speaks His promise to you, it comes with power to accomplish what was said. Think about that for a minute. Could the implication be that every time God speaks to you, it is proper to respond as Mary did in this context: “Let it be to me according to Your word”?
- When you have read promises in Scripture, heard the Holy Spirit speak them to you, or received prophetic words over your life, has it been easy to respond like Mary? If not, do you think part of the problem lies in the fact that you are more focused on your lack of ability than the ability of God’s word?