The Kingdom of God
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
In Matthew Chapters 5-8, Jesus starts teaching a large crowd and His disciples. He starts with what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. He teaches about being a disciple in the world, personal relationships, giving to the poor, prayer, fasting, anxiety, judging others and finishes with building on a rock foundation. In the middle of this teaching, He states:
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Jesus is teaching on anxiety and the worries of the world. He talks about how we shouldn't be anxious for what we will eat or drink, or what we will wear. Comparing our lives with the birds of the air, He states how we are of much more worth to our heavenly Father than birds, yet they are fed and clothed. Stating we have little faith, He goes on to say how worry cannot add a single hour to our lives. He knows our needs, and states as much in verse 32:
"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."
He then goes on to state our foundational Scripture of Matthew 6:33. We need to understand the language of the Bible so we are going to breakdown the meaning of the verse.
Seek- to go in search of or in quest of; try to obtain or go to, desire
Kingdom- royal power, rule or realm (rule meaning principle or governing regulation governing, conduct/ action), royal domain, sphere, authority, power of God
Righteousness- equity, justification (righteousness through Jesus 2 Cor 5:21), the condition acceptable to God
Added - place additionally or lay beside, join to
So, we can re-write this verse using the definitions used above:
Go in quest of, desire the power and authority of God first, His rule or realm, and His justification and all these things will be additionally given or joined to you.
God isn't concerned with your needs; He is concerned with your faith. He knows we have needs, everyone does, even the Gentiles. It takes faith, according to verse 30, stating we have little faith! We need to seek Him first!! Anytime we go to the world system before going to God, we are in rebellion! We are to seek Him first in faith, knowing He has our needs covered!!
We are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus, according to:
2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
So, if we are to seek His Kingdom, authority, rule, realm, how do we do that? What do we need to learn, seek, go in quest of concerning the Kingdom of God??
Acts 1:1-3 "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God."
After His resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples, and teaches them over a period of forty days, speaking of the Kingdom of God. Jesus spent His last forty days on earth teaching Kingdom principles, to de-program His disciples from the world principles they had lived with for the first thirty or so years of their lives. This was a whole new way of thinking for them. This was the way to access godly things, spiritual things. Jesus was leaving them soon, and wanted them to know how to do what He did! The healings, deliverances, the miracles! But, Acts goes on to say:
Acts 1:4-6 "Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
The Father promised the Holy Spirit which would guide into all truth.
John 14:16-17 " I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you."
John 16:13-15 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you."
The Spirit only hears Kingdom talk! He won't speak on His own initiative, but only what God speaks. We access the Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit and faith. But first, let's understand the differences between the Kingdom of God and Satan's kingdom.
Chapter 2
How do we seek the Kingdom? Not by looking around corners or under rugs and asking, Kingdom where are you? Understand something about the two Kingdoms. Every human being is born into one kingdom, Satan's kingdom. But through Jesus Christ, we are transferred into the Kingdom of God!!
Colossians 1:13 "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son"
Let's take a look at the two Kingdoms and see if there are any differences.
Satan's kingdom (Seeing) God's Kingdom (Believing) Darkness Light Fear Faith Worry Peace Taxes Tithe Destruction Prosperity Disease Health Curse Blessing Democracy King authority Born into Born again Work/ Toiling Work/ Faith John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
1John 3:8b "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."
Looking at the above table, it is obvious that Satan's kingdom is completely opposite of God's Kingdom. Yet, we are all too familiar with Satan's kingdom. That is because Satan's kingdom principles are what the world system is based on. This is what we have all learned our entire lives, the world system. We live in the seeing world, that we should worry about bills, taxes, sickness, oppression and do what we can, day by day, to survive. God wants us in His Kingdom, believing, through faith, that He has much better for us, no illnesses, peace, provision, and blessing.
The only way into God's Kingdom is to be born into it, to be born again. To be born again means to be born from above. To actually be born from Heaven, another place or Kingdom. Since we are born from another Kingdom, we do not belong to Satan's kingdom any longer, but rather we are representatives of God's Kingdom, ambassadors!!
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation"
John 18:36 "Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
How do we get into God's Kingdom? What do we need to do?
John 3:3, 5 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." And "Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Once there is spiritual birth, transfer happens!! This is great news!! Once you have received Christ as your Savior, Spiritual birth and transfer automatically happens!!
Colossians 1:13 "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son"
New Kingdom rules/ laws come into effect!! Christ came to earth to give life and more abundantly!! Superior, beyond measure and excessive life!! This is for us, now, as believers!! Not just heaven, by and by!! This is our inheritance for earthly living!!
Romans 5:17 "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
We have, through Christ, access to the Kingdom of God. We have access to the blessings and benefits. This is something that has been watered down in the church, but is obvious in Scripture. We don't have to go through life, day to day, with no power, accepting what the enemy has for us. Instead, we can accept what God has for us!!
John 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm."
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."
Access is granted into the kingdom only by birth, or in this case, rebirth into it. You have to be born into the kingdom of God, through the Holy Spirit. Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior is the way into God's Kingdom. Once you have received Christ, the Holy Spirit now dwells in you and you are of His Spirit.
John 3:3-5 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Once there is Spiritual birth, a transfer happens!
Colossians 1:13 "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,"
The new Kingdom rules and laws now come into effect!! We are no longer in the world kingdom! We no longer have to accept what the world has for us! We can receive what God has for us! God's will is not for us to go day by day, being typical!
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
What a great promise!! Jesus came to give us abundant life!! Not only a place in heaven, but also abundance here in life!! God has so much more for us in this life! We can no longer just "camp at the cross" knowing that He has paid the price for us to have so much more!! Abundance means: an extremely plentiful or over sufficient quantity or supply!! Do you believe the Word??? Then this is for you!! Abundance!!
Romans 5:17 "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
Don't let anyone tell you different! This is the Word, and it pertains to you if you are a blood bought servant of Jesus Christ!! You can't spot a lie unless you know the truth! The truth is you are His, bought with a price, reigning in life because of what He did for you!!! Hallelujah!!!
In the next chapter, we will look at the battle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Who has the power?? It may surprise you!!
Chapter 3
Psalm 115:16 "The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, But the earth He has given to the sons of men."
Luke 4:6 "And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish"
Wait a minute! Don't these two verses contradict each other? If the earth was given to the sons of men, then how can Satan say it is his? When was it given to him?
In the garden of Eden, man knew God and His will, but didn't live by it. Instead, when tempted, Adam ate of the fruit and fell into temptation by allowing God's word, plainly given to him, to be changed. Through that yielding, the devil was given a place in this world to tempt man. Instead of obeying God, Adam obeyed Satan, and anyone who obeys another is that one's slave, not master. Adam in essence, became slave to Satan, giving him ownership of the things of the earth. Satan has always worked through man to try to establish his kingdom.
Genesis 11:1-9 " Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the [i]language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth."
Here man is working under the curse in rebellion to God, to magnify himself above God. God knew their hearts and confused that plan. The world system is not any part of God's system. It is based on pride and selfishness. God's system is based on His love for us. The world system is man trying to accomplish on his own, what God wants to do for us! That's why it won't work today; God isn't in the plan!!
Genesis 12:1-3 "Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you;2 And I will make you a great nation,
and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;3 And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
God told Abram to leave Ur and he would be blessed if he obeyed. So, through faith, Abram left with his family, not knowing where God was going to take him. He was walking by faith to an unknown destination. We will walk in blessing if we walk by faith as well! Faith is not from the world system, but from God's system. We need to walk and live in God's system!
1 John 5:4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith"
The only reason we need to go into the world system is to take out of it for God's system! We still need to work, pay taxes and occasionally get sick. But, God's Kingdom system promises that we will have abundance, peace, health and blessing while 'using' the world's system!
What does this mean for us today? Think of the way the world is now headed; the U.N., One World Government, one monetary system or global economy. Sounds like Genesis 11 all over again?? If God isn't in it, it won't work!
Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Jesus death, burial and resurrection bought back the kingdom!! He now has authority and power over everything on heaven and earth! The kingdom has been transferred!!
Colossians 2:10 "and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority"
Philippians 2:9 "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name"
Ephesians 1:20-21 "which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."
Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
He is not saying here that we are to evangelize to all the nations. He says we are to make disciples of all nations and teach them everything He has taught them! This includes healing, deliverance and restoration of God's Kingdom plan.
Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
God made us to function like Him. That is why authority is so coveted! Think of it. If we had authority in this world, wouldn't Satan do anything to convince us that we don't have it? Wouldn't he tell lies to us, teach us untrue doctrine in churches and oppress us to the point of lack of faith?? We do, however, have authority to function in that capacity, only through Jesus Christ. The first Adam lost it, the second Adam recovered it!!
1 Corinthians 15:45-47 "So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven."
Ephesians 2:1-13 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands- 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Galatians 5:1 "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."
Chapter 4
Life in the Kingdom of God demands a re-examination of everything you've been taught in the World's system. So, now that we have the Kingdom, we need to learn how to function or operate in the Kingdom.
There are 'laws' that operate in the world's system, such as, what goes up must come down, or for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are also spiritual laws that govern the Kingdom of God!
Laws are absolute and they are also enforced in the world's system. So also, are they absolute and enforced in the Kingdom system. Here are some examples of the world's laws and Kingdom laws.
World Kingdom Traffic Laws
Error
Speeding
Run a stop light
Go the wrong way
Penalty
Ticket if caught
Sin laws
Error
Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23a "For the wages of sin is death"
Penalty
2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Newton's Laws
What goes up, must come down
Gravity is greater every time it works
The Word
Isaiah 55:11 "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Psalm 103:20 "Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!"
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us"
God wants us to soar like eagles above our circumstances!
Humanitarian Laws
Rape, sex trafficking, murder and bigamy is illegal
Salvation law
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;"
Business laws
Supply and demand
Strategic Planning
Business future development Financial laws
Malachi 3:8-10 ""Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.
2 Corinthians 9:6-10 "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written,
"He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever."
10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
Matthew 12:37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Kingdom Laws
The laws of sin have to be dealt with just like traffic laws bust be dealt with when you are caught breaking them. Sin is an offense, to miss the mark.
2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Jesus took on our sin. He knew no sin, or had none in Him. He was perfect in every way, unblemished. He took on our sin, two thousand years ago, before those reading these pages were even born! He knew we would be here and took on our sins for us so that we could become righteous through Him! If you have Him as your personal Savior, you are now righteous before God!! Hallelujah!!
Romans 8:1 "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
We are clean, with no sin, before God, so now there is no condemnation of our sins!! If you feel condemned, it's not of God! Through Jesus, we are made clean!
Romans 8:16-17 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
His Spirit stirs our spirit. We confess our sins, we are then forgiven and nothing can condemn us back to owning that sin again! It's gone!! Don't let that condemning spirit decide when to leave; you tell him to leave! And stop the entrance point!
Hebrews 10:9-14 "then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."
The Law of the Word
The Word of God has no other potion than to succeed or prosper. It is bound by God to accomplish what He says. The Word of God is under the authority of the King of the Kingdom!
Hebrews 6:13 "For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you."
He swore by HIMSELF because there was none higher to swear by! He is the top of the list, the highest, the One, the beginning and the end!!
The Word has POWER!! It has Creative Power!
Genesis 1:3" Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light."
The Word will NEVER DIE!!
1 Peter 1:23 "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God."
Jesus is the Word!! And it is Impossible for Him to fail!!
John 1:1, 14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of [l]the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
So the Word of God is inside of us! When we hear the Word and our hearts leap or we feel like we are being stirred up, it's because the Word is already there and the Spirit of God is activating that Word in us!!!
Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."
Jeremiah 1:12 "Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it."
Psalm 103:20 "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!"
In order for the Word to work for you, it has to be teamed up with your faith!
Every pursuit in God's system starts with the Word of God! It is the seed that produces what we need. What can block the power of the Word from working for you?
1. Motive
2. Doubt (which blocks faith)
3. Fear
4. Worry
5. Ignorance or lack of knowledge
Motive
James 4:3 " You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Are you asking with your motives in mind or God's Kingdom in mind? Who would get the glory if God's power was used in this instance? Check your motive. Is it for your pleasure? Your gratification? That is using God to gain your purposes in life, and not living by faith for God's glory.
Doubt
James 1:8 "being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Doubt is the opposite of faith. It blocks your faith from producing. Satan always tries to get you out of faith through thoughts, reasoning, second guessing and double mindedness. It started in the Garden of Eden with Satan's suggestion to Eve that she surely would not die if she ate of the fruit of the tree. Genesis 3 records the fall of man. Through Satan's suggestions and reasoning, Eve doubted God's word about eating of the fruit. She put her trust in Satan's word, believed she would not die, and ate.
Fear
2Timothy 1:6-7 "For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
Fear does not come from God. God has given us power, love and a sense of discipline. This means that fear has to come from the evil one, who wants to shut down our faith, because without faith, it is impossible to please God. God's system works on faith!!! That faith is pleasing to God and He honors our faith!! Use your faith with God's Word and believe it will do what He said it will do!! Don't fear!!
Worry
Matthew 6:25-27 " "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"
Jesus speaks in Matthew about worry. He does not want us to worry. Worry causes doubt, fear and lack of faith. Trusting in God should relieve our worry! According to ABCNews.com,
"But a group of researchers found a very strong association between generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, and the occurrence of cardiovascular events such as strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and death." http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/anxiety-bad-heart/story?id=11092179
It is not new that cardiovascular events, strokes and heart failure are tied to worry, anxiety and doubt. The medical system and the news is just catching up with what Jesus prophecied over 2000 years ago!
Ignorance or lack of knowledge
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;"
If we are to be righteous, we need to train in Scripture. We are told that we are the righteousness of God through Christ, we should renew our minds!! We need to educate ourselves in the Word! We need to learn how to use it!! Hosea chapter 4 says God's people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge. This only means that we will NOT be destroyed if we have God's knowledge!! Who is the destroyer? The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy! So we can defeat the enemy's plan with knowledge!!
Romans 8:19 "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
So even creation is waiting on the Sons of God??? When will we rise up in Christ!!!?? When will the church realize its purpose?? It's power given to us through the suffering and death of Christ??!! Stop "camping out" at the CROSS!! Move into the purpose of God for your life!!!
The Word works, so work the Word!!
1. Come into agreement with the Word and the Kingdom System.
Matthew 8:17 " This was the fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."
2. Declare what the Word says!! Speak it!! Jesus did!!
3. Your actions need to line up with the agreement declared! Know what the Word says about your situation and live it out, no matter what it looks like in the natural.
James 2:14 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?"
Satan will come after what you are not so concrete in. He looks for the weakest link! It is one thing to find and speak Scripture over a situation. It is another to believe and have faith enough to walk it out! Faith produces works or actions in accordance with what you believe.
Law of the Finances
Every pursuit in God's System starts with the Word! It is the "seed" that produces what we need.
Matthew 12:33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit."
1. The Kingdom System is in us because it comes from the Holy Spirit. If you have given your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit is a down payment you have received.
2. It starts in your heart.
3. He wants to change us from the inside out!
4. What you plant is what you harvest. Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
If you plant kindness or good works, people will see that and say what a nice guy you are! You will receive kindness back. If you are mean and unloving to people, you will not get love back in return!!
If you plant encouragement, people are going to want to be around you! You make them feel good!! If you try to discourage people, and nothing encouraging comes out of your mouth, people will not want to be around you! You will be known as a negative person, and no one wants them around!
If you deposit money into the Kingdom of God by tithing, Kingdom principles kick in and according to Malachi 3:8-11, God will bless your finances and open the windows of heaven to you! He will rebuke the devourer for you!! And we can test Him on this as well!! This is the only place in the Bible where we can test God!!
God has designed His Kingdom t function in a certain way. Satan patterned the kingdom of darkness after the kingdom of light. When people bow to satan, he meets there need, but there is always destruction and death attached to it. That's why God commands us to stay away from the world's system.
God is not moved by our need. He knows what we need. He said so in:
Matthew 6:8 "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
The thing that moves God is faith. He designed His kingdom to work by faith in Him!! That is why we please Him when we exercise our faith!! God needs some "seed" that expresses our faith in Him!
1 Kings 17:10-16 "So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink." 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand." 12 But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die." 13 Then Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.'" 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah."
The woman was obedient by giving first to Elijah, sent by God, to her. She in essence, gave a tithe to God by her obedience, and her bowl and jar would not be empty. She was afraid to the point of speaking her own death and the death of her son in the situation. But, nevertheless, she gave. This defeated that spirit of fear in her and gave her victory!
Ezekiel 22:30 "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one."
God is also moved by your faith to intercede for someone else. He honors your faith even if the person you are praying for is unsaved! Think of all the times someone stood in the gap for the nation of Israel in the Bible. There are numerous accounts of prophets and kings praying for the nation of Israel, and God honored those prayers! That was because those prayers were offered in faith, knowing that God is a Good God!!!
Matthew 14 tells us of Peter's faith and walking on water. Peter said basically, if you are Jesus, ask me to come, and I'll get out of this boat and walk to you. All Jesus had to say was "Come", and Peter walked on the water. Once Peter looked at his surroundings, he started to sink. He had started walking by faith, and then looked at the natural circumstances. The storm hadn't gotten any worse than when he first got out of the boat, it's just that Peter's focus was off of the Lord, and now on his circumstances. God knows what you need, but He is moved by faith!
Living in victory requires faith. It may seem like nothing is happening, but no matter what you are seeing or hearing or feeling like, you've got to stand by faith!
Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
All you need is the Word of God, because the Word is our "seed" that expresses our faith in God!
Chapter 5
Operating in the Kingdom
We have the kingdom in us! But now we need to learn how to operate in that Kingdom. We must learn how these new laws work. As we learn these laws and begin to put them into practice, we can move in the abundant life Jesus was speaking of!
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
We must remember that God has designed His Kingdom to function in a certain way! In order for us to function in His Kingdom, we must adjust our ways to His ways.
In Satan's kingdom, everything is work activated and this is the system that we are familiar with. It works by us working and toiling in a cursed system in that work.
Genesis 3:17 "Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life."
Jesus came to restore God's system.
Matthew 11:28-30 " "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
The system of God's Kingdom is voice activated, along with your faith.
Acts 1:1-3 "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God."
Acts 2:1-4 "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."
Acts 3:1-10 "Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. 2 And a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. 4 But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, "Look at us!" 5 And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-walk!" 7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."
Matthew 12:33-35 ""Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
What comes forth in our lives comes from our hearts. What we deposit is what we will produce. When we treasure the Word of God in our hearts, it produces from the Kingdom system!!
If we want to work God's system, we must:
1. Seek first the Kingdom of God. We do this by finding out what God says first about our need. Look it up! There is a verse for every need we have in the Bible. Use a search engine, a concordance, a reference book pointing you to a verse in the Bible. This is what God says on the subject! Know what He says about it!
2. Confess and agree with the written Word. You have to confess it with your mouth and believe it in your heart. "No matter what the circumstances look like, God says this about it, so I agree and believe that God's Word is above my situation, and my situation must now come into agreement with God's Word." Speaking this over your situation and circumstances moves your faith into agreement with God's Word. He is not moved by our need, but by our faith!!
3. Now that you know what He says about your situation, and you are in agreement that He is right, true and faithful, take a step in accordance with what you have just confessed!!
a. Healing - Begin to move that body part that is hurting
b. Relationship - Begin to walk out your restoration! Call that person up, text them, love on them in some way.
c. Finances - Speak to your bank account and bless it! When you deposit your paycheck, bless it, tell it to grow and multiply, to sustain you and your family. Remember, money is not your master, it is your SERVANT!
4. Praise Him for it!! Nothing changes the atmosphere like PRAISE!! Praise God for it like it is in your hands, standing in front of you, like it is done!! Because it is! If you prayed according to His Will, which is His Word, it IS DONE! You just have to receive it!!
God may ask us to do things we don't understand, but there are supernatural things going on. Have faith and stand firm in the Word. It will accomplish that which He has sent it out to accomplish!!
Verses for different situations:
Healing: 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 4:23 ;8:14; 3 John 2
Finances: Phillipians 4:18-19
Wisdom: Matthew 16:23; James 1:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16
Worry/ fear: Matthew 11:28-30; 2 Timothy 1:7
There are so many more!! Dig into the Word!!
Chapter 6
God not only wants you to come out of the world's system, but He also wants us to stay out!! There are levels to our faith. Mark puts it like this:
Mark 4:26-29 "26 And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately [a]puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
The soil is your spirit and the Holy Spirit in you. Your willingness to loof to God to produce or provide what you need.
The seed is the Word of God. God honors His Word, planted in faith.
Isaiah 55:6-11
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
The Blade
This is the first step. Start small. What is something you can do right now, today, that will be a small step of faith? Maybe for some it is:
1. Speaking to that spirit of fear and not listening to it. Shut it up and get it out! Rebuke fear quickly. Don't play games with satan. Resist listening to fear.
2. Declare I believe the Word of God over your situation or circumstances. The enemy wants you to stop advancing your faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, so satan does not want you in faith! That is pleasing to God!!
3. Breaking curses that have been spoken over you. Any negative word spoken to or about you is a curse; it isn't a blessing!! Break those curses over you and speak promise and blessing over yourself. You are a child of God and an heir to His blessings and favor!!
The Head
Now your faith has grown because you have nourished it with the Word of God. But it still hasn't given forth the Harvest that is expected. You see it coming, so how can you stimulate it to be ready for the Harvest? Continue to speak The Word over yourself and your situation. Be in the Word more now than ever as you are beginning to see "fruit". Take what you have been doing to another level! Maybe that means working on your church attendance. Church attendance increases your faith by hearing the Word of God and encourages you. You can receive anointing for any healing you may need, by the elders of the church. Church attendance helps in the discipling aspect of your spiritual growth. Also pray for others and serve them; this is not all about you!
The Grain
The grain is the desired harvest. John 15:8 states:
"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."
It is the object of the harvester. Grain has the ability to either be used for food or for more seed. We are blessed to be a blessing in the Kingdom of God. If you are faithful with little, He will trust you with more. Tithing or sowing shows you love God more than money. You trust He will provide for you more than you trust money will provide for you. Fasting shows you love God more than what you are fasting. You want more of Him and you are sacrificing something to get closer to Him.
The Harvest
This is the manifestation of your labors. The flowing of the blessing! Praise God that the Harvest has come!! What you stood in faith for has come out of the spiritual and into the natural!! You have sown faith and now are able to reap!! Praise Him for the victory and give thanks to Him!!
Chapter 7
Why would we allow the Spirit of God to lose to Satan? God has already won, through Jesus Christ. Now we have that power, through Jesus, and we don't use it. The power of God is being choked out of the church by our lack of faith. Many have received Christ as their Savior and stop there. God has so much more in His Kingdom for us! We cannot just camp at the cross!! Jesus did not endure the cross, the pulling of his beard, the humility, the nakedness, the pain and scorn, the crown of thorns, spear in His side, the mockery just so we could have a "get out of hell free" card. Salvation should be the most important thing for us to share spiritually (Luke 10:20), but God has given us so much more for this life! We don't have to put up with lack, worry or fear. We don't have to accept sickness.
When we are saved, our words accept Jesus and our actions change according to that faith. If there is no change in our actions, James 2 comes into effect where faith without works is dead. We can use this same thing concerning healing, finances, restorations, etc. Activate the system in Jesus' name, ask vocally, believe and take action!
We trusted Him with our hearts at salvation. We received Him through faith that Jesus came to cover our sins. Trust Him also through that same faith, for finances, restoration, healing, loved one's salvations, and anything else you need for life! Start believing His promises are for you!!
Review test
1. According to Matthew 6:33, what are we to seek first? _______________________
2. What does the Bible mean by kingdom? ___________________________________
3. God is moved by need? True/ False
4. According to Acts 1:3, what was Jesus teaching about during His last 40 days with His disciples?
5. Name a few differences between Satan's kingdom and God's kingdom systems.
6. The world's system works though toil. God's system works through faith. True/ False
7. How do you activate God's system?
8. How was the power of God demonstrated in Acts 2?
9. How was the power/ authority of God demonstrated in Acts 3:6?
10. How can you release His power in your situation?
11. What has He given you? (Ephesians 1:3)
12. What has He given you? (2 Peter 1:3)
13. Who are we to learn from? (Matthew 11:29)
14. What are we to do? (1 Peter 2:2)
15. What are we to do? (Hebrews 5:14)
16. God does not intend for His Word to be ____________ of _____________!
a. Isaiah 55:11
b. John 10:33-38
c. Psalm 34:7
d. Psalm 103:20
e. Romans 10:17
17. Say and do what God _____________ and _____________.
a. Matthew 4:1-11
b. John 5:18
c. 1 Peter 2:21-24
18. Faith is Expectation. It is the link to the ______________.
a. Hebrews 11:1-6
b. 2 Corinthians 4:18
c. 2 Corinthians 5:7
Confidence in Prayer
Who am I in Christ?
1. Child of God; Prophet, Priest and King
2. Righteousness of God
3. Heir to the throne, seated with Christ in the Heavenlies
4. Ambassador, disciple, son/ daughter
5. Head and not the tail
Write out the following scriptures:
1. 2 Corinthians 5:21
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. 1 Peter 3:12
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. Matthew 7:7-8
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. 1 John 5:13-15
___________________________________________________________________________________
Read Mark 4:1-25 and answer the following questions.
1. Write and understanding of verse 11.
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Who is the sower?
3. What is the seed?
4. What soil do you want to sow into?
5. Think of someone that would fall into each of the soil catagories
a. Side of the road ____________________________________________
b. Rocky ground, shallow _______________________________________
c. Thorns ____________________________________________________
d. Good soil __________________________________________________
6. How can you invest in the good soil while at the same time helping the less productive soil become productive?
Kingdom Review
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Acts 1:3 "To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God."
John 18:36 "Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
Kingdom Laws:
1. Sin - we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God
2. Salvation - Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart
Law of the Word:
1. His word will not return void
2. We need to go to Him and learn from Him; His way is easy and His burden is light.
3. Kingdom faith is voice activated.
4. We have authority through Jesus Christ, who has been given ALL authority on heaven and earth.