Kings and queens of the King of kings

Grace, a messenger of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the churches in every continent and nation:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I come before you with thanksgiving to God for the faithfulness and relentless faith of many of you. As you give your life to Jesus and humbly accept His will and calling in your lives, I need to inform you of the royal degree given by the King of kings. He has appointed each one of you as kings and queens in His Kingdom, for you are chosen by God and are precious to Him. You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2: 4-5, 9).

The very vision of the King of kings is that each of us are trained and molded to be great kings and queens who would disciple and prepare future kings and queens such that we will populate the earth that God’s Kingdom will be made known and established in all the earth. I plead with you to take up this royal degree for it is a command, yet under every command there is a choice of covenant. A covenant however is not a command hence it cannot be broken. At this point, there are certain principles for holy or royal living that kings and queens should uphold and even in every ministry.

Principles in ministry

As kings and queens, we all have a people to care for and protect. Kings and queens are like shepherds. We are entitled to lead, in humility and love, and to disciple, doing it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Whether in sharing the gospel, or to disciple new believers, you ought to have an attitude of being God’s kings and queens.

Since you have the royal blood running in you, the blood that was shed on the cross for you, you ought to guard yourselves in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 16:13, Proverbs 4:23, 1 John 5:21, Psalm 34:13, Philippians 4:7). In everything you do, be holy for the King of kings is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Practical principles for royal living

1.      Kings and queens are allies in the Big Kingdom; you protect your partners-in-Christ.

Love each other – 1 Peter 4:8, John 15:12

Encourage each other – 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, Titus 2:15

Rebuke/ Correct/Warn each other’s wrongs – 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Proverbs 27:6, Galatians 6:1, Titus 2:15

I urge you to do all of these out of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 16:14). Do not judge another (Matthew 7:1). As partners-in-Christ, we help each other as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). This is all to build up the Kingdom of God.

2.      Kings and queens should be kind, polite, courteous and have manners

Love is not rude (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Don’t engage in foolish arguments (2 Timothy 2:23-24).

Be gentle in words and deeds (Ephesians 4:2-3, 1 Peter 3:3-4, Proverbs 15:1, Titus 3:2, Colossians 4:6).

This is what you ought to do as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. And above all these virtues, clothe yourselves with God’s love which binds all of these in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14)

3.      Kings and queens should make wise and careful decisions in small or big things.

Be shrewd as serpents, yet innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).

Be wise towards non-believers (Colossians 4:5).

Recorded in the Book of Proverbs teach us very clearly what wise decisions are.

The pre-requisite of wisdom is to fear the Lord for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

4.      Kings and queens should shine and set a good example.

Don’t hide (Matthew 5:14-16).

Do what is good before God and man (Titus 2:7, Titus 3:1-11, Micah 6:8).

5.      Kings and queens should be prudent in spending their wealth and time. God’s kings and queens seek to spend their wealth and time in the Kingdom of God and not on themselves.

Be faithful in giving your tithes and offertory (Proverbs 3:9).

Share your wealth with the poor and needy (Matthew 19:21, Luke 12:33).

Spend time with the Lord (Matthew 6:33; 6:6, Romans 10:17, Luke 10:38-42, John 15:1-5)

Be good stewards of time and make the most of opportunities (Psalm 90:12; 39:4-5, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Romans 13:11-14, Ephesians 5:15-17, Galatians 6:9-10, 1 Peter 1:17; 2:11).

Kings and queens, my dearest brothers and sister-in-Christ, be encouraged for our God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20)

This is the royal degree: You are kings and queens of the King of kings. Got it? Or, rather, done it?

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Sacrificing Your Isaac

What does it mean to sacrifice your Isaac? Or perhaps, God is asking you to sacrifice your Isaac but you can’t because your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak. Your Isaac simply refers to the thing or person that you love the most in your life and you find it hardest to surrender that to God. Isaac was Abraham’s beloved son and Abraham loved him and it certainly wasn’t easy for him to obey God in sacrificing Isaac. If you’ve been caught in a struggle between the convictions of the Holy Spirit and the alluring power of your heart’s desire, I pray that the Holy Spirit will move in your heart mightily as you read this article. May God create in you a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within you… may the Lord restore to you the joy of His salvation and grant you a willing spirit, to sustain you (Psalm 51:10-12).

The Attitude in Sacrificing your Isaac

Proverbs 3:4-6 says trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge God and He will direct your path. You might be struggling because you love God and want Him to guide you, at the same time, it causes you too much pain to let go of your Isaac. The only way God can save you from your struggle is if you trust Him with all your heart. There can be no room in your heart for your Isaac as you trust in God with all your heart. You might have asked for confirmations or even prayed that God will change His mind. God is not a man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should change His mind (Numbers 23: 19). When God promises He will save, He will. Whatever He purposes for in your life, it will be accomplished. Psalm 50:23 writes that he who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that God may show him His salvation. Yes it's hard to surrender and sacrifice your Isaac, don’t do it with your own strength. Begin to thank the Lord for the things He has done for you, the promises He has given and worship the Lord. Abraham worshipped the Lord (Genesis 22: 5). When you do these, you are fixing your eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of your faith. Your offering of thanksgiving to God honors Him and prepares the way for Him and you will see God’s salvation in your struggles in His time. 

Why does God want our Isaacs? (Psalm 40: 6 - 8)

Bible says from God are all things and He is worthy of it all (Revelation 4: 11). Your Isaacs do not belong to you. What can you give to God that God has not given to you? What do you have that is not of God? Isaac was a promised son God had given to Abraham. When we read Genesis 22:1-19, we often think that Abraham didn’t seem to have struggled in sacrificing Isaac but I believe he did. Abraham however understood that God was looking at a heart of obedience rather than the sacrifice.

Abraham hung on to God’s promise through Isaac He will make him a great nation. When God had asked him to sacrifice Isaac, he did not lean on his own understanding but simply held on to God’s promise and obeyed God. Notice in Genesis 22:5, Abraham says to his servants that both he and Isaac will return. Sometimes, it seems as if God is contradicting. When we think like that, we are limiting God’s ways and God’s power. Doesn’t it say in the scriptures that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts? (Isaiah 55:8-9) This however does not mean that God will not ‘take’ your Isaac. In the case of Abraham, Isaac was God’s promise to him. If your Isaac is in the way of God’s will and hindering God from being the Lord of your life, then because God loves us and wants all of us that we can soak in the richness and abundance of Him, He will take your Isaac. Yet, He promises He will make all things beautiful in His time. But, God’s not gonna snatch your Isaac away. He might intervene, but He will not force you. His Holy Spirit will convict you and give you the strength to submit to His will. 

Don’t hate God because of this. I know it happens. But think about His Kingdom; think about what God has done for you. Think about how privileged you are that God didn’t just call you, He chose you. Meditate on John 15:16 and Matthew 22:14. The Lord says that He has loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). This love can only be found in Christ.

Psalm 40:6-8 says that God doesn’t desire or require our sacrifice and offering. What God desire is our heart and obedience to say “Here I am”, and that we desire to do His will. We will not know what His will is unless we have God’s word hidden in our hearts. Start meditating on His Word day and night, because as you do that, incense will arise from your hearts. Thanksgiving will arise to heaven and be like sweet incense to the Lord. For when you delight yourself in the Lord, He will grant you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). This means that God is the only one who knows you. We do not know everything about ourselves because we didn’t create ourselves, God did. And didn’t scripture says the heart is deceitful above all else? (Jeremiah 17:9) What you think you want may not be what you really want. 

Just as this song has ministered to me, I hope it ministers to you: 

Who is like you Lord in all the earth?

Matchless love and beauty, endless worth

Nothing in this world will satisfy

Jesus You’re the cup that won’t run dry

Treasure of my heart and of my soul

In my weakness, You are merciful

Redeemer of my past and present wrongs

Holder of my future days to come

Your presence is heaven to me

Oh, Jesus, oh Jesus…

Your presence is heaven to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQAwpMFS_9o

Jesus set the perfect example for you. Abraham has sacrificed his Isaac. God loves you; He has chosen you. He grieves with you in your pain and struggles. He desires for you to be in His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forever more. He says, "I am with you always." (Matthew 28:20)

Got it? Or, rather, done it?

FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love (1 Corin.13:13, NLT).

God loves us. Without God’s love, there is no faith; there is no hope. And without His love, our relationship and faith in Him is naught. Because God says He Himself is love (1 Jn.4:9), without the existence of God, we can’t have faith in Him and how then can we hope in Him? For this reason, without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). Faith is the basis of our foundation in Christ. Hebrews 11:6 writes that anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. When you have faith in God, you believe and acknowledge His existence in your life, you also believe that He loves you with an everlasting love, because He is love. Here, God teaches us that in Him, faith and love goes hand-in-hand. Remember God also says that without faith it is impossible to please Him and He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. God takes delight in those who seek Him with all their hearts. What reward does God promise? From Matthew 5:11 and Jeremiah 29:13-14, when our hearts are pure and we seek Him wholeheartedly, He reveals Himself to us that we may know Him better. The Greek meaning of ‘knowing God’ is to know Him experientially. To ‘see God’ in Matthew 5:11 has the same meaning – to know God experientially. This builds up our faith in Him. Our faith is built on two levels: first is the Biblical knowledge of God (His Word) and second is our spiritual experience and encounters with God. The journey of our faith is both rational and emotional – this is the nature of our God. God has wisdom beyond understanding and His love for us through Jesus Christ shows that our God has feelings and emotions too! Now where does hope come in? Hebrews 11:1 writes that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. There is hope in Christ Jesus because He lives, and because He lives, we can have eternal life with God (Jn.3:16). This is our hope in God, our confidence of God’s goodness in the land of the living (Ps. 27:13), which is eternity with our King! And now we know that in Christ, faith, hope and love are inseparable and they remain.

Many of us question what is faith? And some of us find it hard to always have faith in God. The minute our problems come in like the waves, they hit us and we feel feeble and weak and doubts begin to sink in. Well I’ve got good news for us! God promises us in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that His grace will sustain us and He will make us stronger in our weakness. It’s alright to be weak in God’s presence, in fact, when we are weak, then we are strong. I have to emphasize though that this weakness in God is not coming into God’s presence in defeat. On the contrary, because we are humans, we are weak, and so we learn to cling upon and revel in God’s promises. This is faith! And this is when God’s power bursts out from your life!

The Lord showed me different dimensions of faith as He led me to Hebrews 11:

1.       To fear the Lord is to have faith in God; to have faith in God is to fear the Lord

Faith is being sure of what we hope for (v1), and that is being confident of God’s goodness in the land of the living (Ps27:13). “How great is Your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear You” (Ps31:19). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and God Himself gives us wisdom and understanding. As in Proverbs 2, we must accept and store up God’s commands and words in us and ask the Lord for His wisdom in our daily lives. In every circumstance that you’re in, have faith in God, just trust and believe that He will make all things new. You’ve got to be sure and be confident that God has stored up so much goodness in eternity and that is when we return to be with Jesus forever! That is the reward and the amazing promise God has for us at the end of the race. Faith in God can be described as our faithfulness to Him. When we remain faithful to God in all we do and say, He protects our ways (Prov2:8, Heb.11:7). 

The devil can’t harm us, our problems can’t drown us, people can’t bring us down, unless we allow them to, unless we make a decision in your heart saying, “God I give up, there is no hope in You. I don’t want to trust You. I don’t want to have faith in You. I don’t feel like You love me anymore. I don’t want to walk in Your ways any longer, I’m gonna do my own thing, walk my own path and be the lord of my own life.” This isn’t the faith that pleases God, this isn’t the faith that the ancients were commended for. Rather, give your life, your all to Jesus. Hold on to Him, hold on to His ways and simply look ahead to the prize that God has prepared heavenward in eternity.

2.       Faith leads to obedience; Obedience reaps greater faith 

Has it ever crossed your mind how one moment Jesus prayed “take this cup from me” and the next he prayed “Yet not what I will, but what You will”? (Mark 14:36)

Jesus was obedient to the Father and He chose to deny himself, take up his cross and follow God’s will for him. Though Jesus knew he would be resurrected and that God had a bigger plan, he was a perfect God and perfect man – he experienced fear as all man would. Yet, Jesus clung on to what is ahead and onto God’s Kingdom plan on earth (which is salvation through Jesus Christ), and this is the faith in God Jesus demonstrated and that we must learn. His faith in every single promise of God and every Word of God was expressed in his obedience to death. And as he obeyed, he had greater faith. This faith in God allowed God’s strength and courage to overpower Jesus’ fear. After Jesus prayed, he became courageous and willed to the Father (John 18:8-11).

When we take up our faith in God, it means that we fix our eyes on Jesus – the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2). God is love, and His love is perfect. Doesn’t scripture say that perfect love casts out all fear? (1 Jn.4:18) Doesn’t it also say that every word of God is flawless (Ps.18:30)? Since Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6), and the word became flesh (Jn.1:14), Jesus is the Word, the way and He is love. And because He is perfect and flawless, when we fix our eyes on Him and hope in Him, we allow His perfect love to break away every fear in our hearts that dampens our faith (Isaiah 40:31). And through this, we have the strength and courage to obey the Lord (Heb. 11:8-10, 17-19, 23,27, 31-38). It’s all about Jesus! 

3.       Faith encompasses righteousness in God

In all we do, whether speech or action, we always have to make a conscious decision to be set apart for God or to conform to the world. Hebrews 11:7 demonstrates that righteousness comes by faith.

Noah and Moses made a choice to be set apart (Heb.11:7, 24-26), hence it was credited to them as righteousness that comes by faith. However, we can’t be made righteous on our own. We are found righteous only through Jesus Christ – the author and perfector of our faith. Hence as we clothe ourselves with the righteousness of Christ, we need to spend time meditating on the word of God that we may know the commands of God (Prov. 2:10-15).

Now, how can we have faith in God?  Faith doesn’t stem from ourselves, rather it comes from revelation given by the Holy Spirit (1 Corin.4:13). We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and in order to do that we need to ask in Jesus’ Name and receive it by faith. Know that when you pray for something like that, the Holy Spirit is working even if you might not feel the ground shaking or electric currents through your body!

Faith in God means obeying without questions or having to know the full picture (Heb.11:8), it means acknowledging God’s faithfulness (Heb.11:11). It also means being sure of what we hope for at the end of this race (Heb.11:16); it is faith that God can work the impossible, being certain of what we do not see (Heb.11:1,17-19). Finally, faith is a choice. God never promised us that we wouldn’t go through suffering, rather it is through sufferings that we develop hope at the end (Rom.5:3-5). We need to persevere in our sufferings and know that hope doesn’t disappoint us because of God’s love (Heb. 10:36, Rom.5:5).

Got it? Or rather, done it?

The secret to be content in everything

Shalom my dear brothers and sisters. It has been such an amazing journey with the Lord thus far and more than that, I’m extremely excited and delighted to share with you what the Lord taught me in the last few months.

A great man of God once told me, “Coming to God in brokenness and defeat isn’t gonna bring you victory. You gotta learn to revel in His promises.”

You can’t imagine what a great revelation this was to me! I always thought that since Scripture writes that God doesn’t despise a broken and contrite spirit, I was expected to always be broken before God. But no! That’s a lie. It is true that the Lord doesn’t despise our brokenness, yet we musn’t fail to understand that in that brokenness, there musn’t be defeat. Rather, it has to be filled with victory in Christ. Brokenness that delights in the Lord is one that acknowledges Christ’s power; it is brokenness that holds on to God’s promises – “His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness” (2Corin.12:9).  

We must first understand what God means in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

1.      His grace is sufficient for us.

Verse 7 writes that it was given to Apostle Paul a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment him. Remember when Jesus was crucified, He too had a crown of thorn on His head that pierced His flesh. And prior to crucifixion He was beaten with whips that had hooks on them – this too resembled what Paul describes. Yes, it is by His stripes that our wounds are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

We often think we need extra grace from the Lord, when really the grace He poured out on the cross is abundant – it is more than enough! It was His death that pinned all our wounds to the cross once and for all and by that, we are healed.

2.   For His power is made perfect in weakness.

The weakness that Paul mentions isn’t one’s weakness or flaw but it is the weakness of man. God knows how weak we are, the fragility of man is depicted in how we were formed – from dust, which can be easily blown away (Psalm 103:14-16). God’s power is made perfect in our weakness because the fact that we are weak makes God strong. His power on the cross is a clear example of this. Jesus came to earth as a man; hence He was weak like anyone of us. His death on the cross displayed the ultimate fragility of mankind, but it is through this fact that God’s power is made perfect – Jesus was resurrected, not with any power he possessed in human body, but in the power of God.

 Therefore Paul says all the more we need to boast of our weaknesses, so that Christ’s power can rest on us (v9). Delight in your weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when you are weak in Christ, then you are strong in Christ (v10).

Jesus, Paul, David and many others recorded in the Bible understood the secret to be content in everything. They went through hard times, which I dare say a million and one times tougher than what we go through today. And this secret is in Colossians 1:

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruitful in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” (Col. 1:10-12)

There are four actions explicitly uncovered in the above Scriptures:

1.      Bearing fruit in every good work.

Good works that are pleasing to the Lord are those prompted with love and produced by faith (1 Thess. 1:3). Love and faith are of paramount importance. God reminds us to do everything in love, anything done without love in God’s eyes is naught (1 Corin.16:14, 1 Corin.13). From love stems joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians5:22), for love never fails (1 Corin.13:8). And without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). Our every work prompted with love must be produced by our faith in God. Only when we believe that He exists, will we understand and produce fruit of love, for God Himself is love (1 Jn.4:8). We must earnestly seek Him in all our work because when we trust in the Lord with all our heart and acknowledge Him in all our ways, we revel in His promise that He will direct our paths (Prov. 3:5-6). 

2.      Growing in the knowledge of God

The key in this is to fear the Lord. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov.9:10). We must accept and store up God’s commands, turn our ear to His wisdom and apply our heart to understanding, then will we understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God for He gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding (Prov.2:1-6). In order to know His commands, we gotta spend time with Him in studying and meditating on His Word (Ps.1:2), we gotta talk to Him a lot more every time and everywhere (Col.4:2) and we gotta start to listen and 

wait upon Him, just be still to let Him speak (Ps.46:10).

3.      Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might

As mentioned earlier, we must boast gladly and rejoice in every suffering and pain that we go through that we may experience God’s power and strength made perfect in these situations and in ourselves. When we come before God in brokenness and victory, reveling in His promises, we put our trust and hope in Him. God promises that for those who hope in Him and wait upon Him, they will renew their strength, they will mount up on wings like eagles, they’ll walk and not be weary, run and not be faint (Isaiah40:31). This is how the Lord strengthens us only if we hope and wait upon Him. When we wait for Him in all we’re going through, He will deliver (Prov.20:22). Strengthened by the Lord, we have endurance and patience in all our circumstances. It is our hope in Christ Jesus that inspires the 

endurance in these (1 Thess.1:3).

4.      Joyfully giving thanks to the Father

Joy is given by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess.1:6). Hence, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us joyfully give thanks in our sufferings. When you find it hard to give thanks, make a simple prayer to our Father, “Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and joy to give thanks.” The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehe.8:10). That’s why Paul writes that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil.4:13). We can now find strength and joy in the Lord to give thanks in all our circumstances. Our thanksgivings are like burnt offerings presented to the Lord and the aroma that ascends to heaven delights our Father (Article: The power of praise changes things, May 22, 2011). A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit (Prov.15:13).

These are not 4 steps to achieving success in this secret. This is 4 actions you must follow concurrently. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God, whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col.3:16-17). Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord (Ps.31:24).

Reminder: Coming to God with brokenness and defeat isn’t gonna bring you victory. You gotta revel in His promises.

Got it? Or, rather, done it?