Reading many
of Dr Myles Munroe’s books has opened the eyes of my understanding
to what it
really means to be saved by God through His Son Jesus Christ. Many Christians
serve Christ here on earth with the hope of making it to heaven someday, yet
they don’t realize that there is more to salvation. Getting saved is just the
beginning of a doorway leading to the discoveries of the kingdom of God. I
would like to assure you today that as a born again Christian believer you have
so much more to look forward to, to live for, to be! You have the power of God
that raised Jesus Christ from the dead residing in you! Christianity is just not ordinary. It is a life obtained through Jesus, not attained though works. It is a life freely expressed and not suppressed by lustful or bitter feelings. It is a life exchanged totally by the life of Christ and not simply changed in certain aspects. The Christian life is a gift from God through His Son Jesus Christ to lead us into the heavenly kingdom.
“O Lord our God, other lords beside
thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy
name.”~Isaiah26:13
Before God
graciously granted us the gift of salvation we were living in darkness with no
hope. The word “lord” describes something or someone who has authority,
control, or power over others as master, chief, or ruler. So when we believed
the message of Christ through the gift of faith given by God, Jesus became the
Lord of our lives. In our world today, we see many people beings slaves to the
lords of sexual immorality, greed, the love of money, racism and many other worldly spirits. Yet that is not the kind of life God our Father intended for
His people to live. When He placed Adam and Eve on earth He saw that everything
that He had created was good and gave them dominion to rule, to lead, to live
life abundantly.
Because God
does not seek to control us, He gave Adam and Eve the freewill to choose His
will by allowing them to partake in every fruitful tree in the garden except one
tree, just one. Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and did what they
desired. This no doubt still happens to this age in many Christian’s lives.
Because of being self-centered they choose their will against God’s even though
He has given them everything that they need. I remember at one point in my life as
a born again Christian tempering with the things of the world. Living like the
world yet claiming to be born again. Trying to please the world and yet being
condemned by the same. A small still voice asked: “God has given you everything
that you need, what do you still want from the world?” It all goes back to
being self-centered, where our fleshly pleasures matter more than the will of
God for our lives. When we are self-centered it becomes all about us and never
about God, and that will always results in sin.
“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand.”~Mathew4:17
That was
Jesus’ first statement when he began his public ministry. Earlier in Mathew3:1,
we see John the Baptist also crying out to the people to repent. Repentance
means realizing that you have been walking in the wrong direction and then
making a decision to turn 180 degrees in the opposite direction. God wouldn't command us to repent if it were beyond our ability to do so. Repentance means changing the way you've been programmed to think in matters regarding sex,
money, race, family relations, yourself, basically life in general. Change your
mind about the way you've been programmed to think about God. Change your mind
about being self-centered and focus rather on being God centered and then will
the life of Christ flow out of you. This world’s system teaches us so many
things contrary to the God’s kingdom but as Jesus began to minister, he taught
us how things are done in his Father’s kingdom. You might be asking yourself,
“Now where is this kingdom?” You might be in despair thinking that the only
time you’re ever going to experience peace is in heaven. Like the Apostle
Paul how I wish that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that
you may know the hope to which God
has called you to, the riches of his
glorious inheritance, and his incomparably great power for us who believe! The kingdom of God is here on earth and
it is up to you to tap into it or live an ordinary life waiting to make it into
heaven someday!
“For of this you can be sure: No
immoral, impure, or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has an inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”~Ephesians5:5
Jesus said
that he came that we may have life abundantly and he was talking to the
citizens of the kingdom of God. A lot of Christians still living a
self-centered life cannot experience the fullness of God’s kingdom. Watchman
Nee says that, “they can only utter but half a praise because they know but
half a salvation”! They’re living in diseases, in depression yet the word of God
says, “Bless the Lord O my soul, who heals all your diseases.” If God’s word be
true then let your experience be false! They’re living in lack and greed yet
the word of God says, “God meets all your needs according to His riches in
glory.” If God’s word be true then your experience must be false. God’s Word
says that we have been made holy and blameless yet we constantly find ourselves
participating in the same sin we have been delivered from. Many of these
problems arise when a Christian’s heart is full of self. Pleasing yourself,
doing what you want, and not obeying God’s precepts.
In God's Kingdom there is financial abundance. However, the precept in God's word is, "Give and it shall be given unto you a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing." Hence no greedy person can enter God's Kingdom and experience the financial abundance in it. Again, in God's kingdom there is peace of mind, joy, and purity yet the precept says " Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body", hence no immoral person can enter the Kingdom of God and experience the joy of purity. God's way is no killer joy instead it brings joy. Stop fighting against God and work with Him because He has got a great life planned out for you!
“You have laid down precepts that are
to be fully obeyed.”~Psalm119:4
Imagine what
would happen if we followed God’s precepts... When the world tells us to fornicate
God’s Word says that among us, there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality.
When the world tells us to get even with our enemies, God’s precept says we
must bless those who curse us, pray for them who persecute us. When Jesus taught us how to pray he said, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done…”. Can you begin
to imagine the kind of life we would live in if God’s kingdom had come into our
lives, our families, our churches, our government…There will be no more war,
no more bribes, no more abortions, no more broken hearts, no more hatred. We would be ruled by the
kingdom of God, but it can come only when we obey God’s precepts, ceasing from
seeking to gratify self but actively seeking God’s will and obeying His precepts. When I live healthfully- that is; working out, drinking plenty of
water, and eating healthily, I’m being called extreme. It’s the same as being a Christian living in the kingdom of God. When you are free from diseases, sin,
living in the fruits of the spirit, having breakthroughs, preaching the gospel
with boldness they call you extreme, yet you’re only living the normal
Christian life-life in the kingdom of God!
“And in the days of these kings shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall beak in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever! ~Daniel 2:44
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