Weekend Mediation: CONVICTED!!! For Good Character!!!

2 Timothy 3


We are walking in today: Weekend Mediation:  CONVICTED!!! For Good Character!!!

The Power of Character in Leadership--By Dr. Myles Munroe

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living;

Character Matters

An ancient proverb declares, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” While some have fallen from higher and more public places than others, they have all suffered losses. These losses are avoidable, but they came about because the leaders lacked “a good name,” or integrity.

Starting Strong Then Self-destructing

Too many leaders start strong but then fail or self-destruct because of the defects in their moral compass. As a result, they lose much or all they have worked for. They nullify their potential, so that they are unable to make future contributions to their generation.

The Greatest Obstacle to Leadership Success

Everywhere, people are struggling with the idea of what it means to be a leader and on what foundation they can build true leadership.  This is a critical time in our world when the future of leadership is at stake.

Yet I have concluded that the greatest threat to a leader’s success is a deficit of character.

What Kind of Character

Character is: the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation.

In the sense of this definition, everyone has “character.” We are each identified by the sum of our mental and ethical traits.

But the question we are asking is this: As we exercise leadership, of what kind, or quality, are our mental and ethical traits? As we talk about character, therefore, we will focus on what it means to develop and manifest honorable principles and ethics that will distinguish our lives.

“Convicted” for Good Character

Asking ourselves some probing questions about our own lives.

. If family, friends, and colleagues were asked to give a statement under oath in court about the strength of my character, what would they say? Would they be able to talk about my good values and the positive contributions I have made to society?

. Changing the analogy around, would their testimony be strong enough to “convict” me for my good character? If so, would their assessment be true in light of what I know about myself?

. How much importance I have placed on having a good name-and the character to back it up.

. What difference would it make to my family, my business, or organization for me to be acknowledged as a person of genuine integrity?

. Am living ethically in all areas of my life- such as the ways I work with others, meet my responsibilities, and treat others in the world?

Your Personal Security System

Good character is like a personal security system for life. We can install character in our lives so that it will work like those security systems. We do this by developing values and establishing a code of ethics that will alert us to, and protect us from, the negative effects of various outside influences- such as life’s pressures, difficulties, and temptations.

A Foundation of Character

A failure in character can happen to anyone, in any vocation or stratum of life. As we will see, the development of character of a individual begins with the realization of his value as a human being and an understanding of what they was born to accomplish.

With that awareness, he can gain a new sense of self-worth, internal strength, and hope for the future. No matter what type of leader you are or how widespread your influence, you face personal temptations, challenges, and stresses. Only a foundation of character will sustain you and your leadership.

Easier Kept than Recovered

We can understand why leaders who have ethical defects lose the trust of their followers, because we have all experienced some type of betrayal, as well as the pain and anger it generates. As leaders, we must ask ourselves, “Am I, in any way, violating the trust of those who are influenced or affected by behavior?” Once you lose the trust of others, it is very difficult to win it back.

The Priority of Character

There are many components to leadership, but I consider the following three areas to be indispensable:

1. Purpose and vision

2. Potential and ability

3. Values, ethics, and principles.

Leaders must believe in their own capacity to fulfill the vision that resides in their mind and heart. Values, ethics, and principles relate to a leader’s character. They are the standards that a leader establishes for himself- and lives according to-in the process of exercising his potential and ability for the accomplishment of his vision.

THE PRICE OF GREATNESS IS RESPONSIBILITY

The Most Powerful Force

1. Character protects a leaders life, Character is the most powerful force a leader can possess because it protects his life, his leadership, and his legacy- it manifest who he is and shapes who he will become.

2. Character extends the longevity of Leadership

You character not your gift is the fuel of your leadership. Your gift is validated by your character. So when you character isn’t maintained and starts to “leak”. Your gift loses the ethical power that propels it.

3. Character Preserves a Leader’s Cause and Legacy
As we have noted, a leaders failure can damage the reputation of the government, company, organization, or associates with which he is connected. A leaders values are personal- but they are never private.

Some leaders fall dramatically and publicly, destroying their legacies in an instant. Others unravel their legacies over a long, slow moral descent that eventually ruins their lives. When the longevity of an individual’s leadership is cut short by a character issues, he is often unable to leave the legacy that he was meant to give to his generation.

You Leadership Rest On Your Character

. What character, or moral force, is, and how to develop it.

. How your beliefs shape your values, morals, ethics, and principles

. How to build you leadership so that it is both effective and enduring

. How to develop specific qualities of principled leaders.

. How to be restored after a failure in character

Character matters to you because

1. It establishes and strengthens your inner life, so that you are a person of integrity and honor

2. It enables you to effectively fulfill your purpose and potential.

3. It protects your leadership and vision- preventing you from canceling them prematurely, and enabling you to leave a legacy for your own generation and future generations.

Character matters to the world because.

1. It is the key to inspirational leadership.

2. It safeguards the well-being of those who are under the authority of leaders or are otherwise affected by leader’s actions and influence.

3. It enables leaders to build and maintain healthy communities while addressing critical problems with ethics and integrity.

Shema Selah what would you be found convicted of???  What characteristics can be found in how you live your life??  https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1570329909711786/?l=6397343762859507750

Men Of Torah Day--Understanding the Kingdom Concept of Giving?

Matthew 2

We are walking in today: Men Of Torah Day--Understanding the Kingdom Concept of Giving

Witness give throughout the Bible:  H5414 nathan--to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned

Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given H5414 you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for meat.

The Torah ...............
 Exodus 3:21 And I will give H5414 this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

The prophets..................
 Isaiah 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give H5414 thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

The writings ...........................
 Psalms 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given H5414 to the children of men.


Jeremiah 32:19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give H5414 every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

Matthew 2 in its entirety key verses 1-2

Matthew 2:1-2
After Yeshua was born in Beit-Lechem in the land of Y’hudah during the time when Herod was king, Magi from the east came to Yerushalayim 2 and asked, “Where is the newborn King of the Hebrews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF GIVING TO THE KING

God created the earth, bringing form out of formlessness and order out of chaos, not to leave it empty but for it to be inhabited. His original purpose and plan was to extend His heavenly Kingdom to the earth—to bring His invisible supernatural rule into the visible natural domain.

It was for this reason that He created mankind—male and female—in His own image and clothed them in physical bodies of flesh and blood and bone made from the same stuff as the earth itself, that they might exercise dominion over the earth just as He did in Heaven. They were to be His vice-regents, ruling in His name and under His authority.

Isa. 45:18  For thus says Adonai, who created the heavens, God, who shaped and made the earth,
who established and created it not to be chaos, but formed it to be lived in: “I am Adonai; there is no other.

Adam was created as king and ruler of the earth. This is only natural. God created man in His own image and likeness, and because God was a King, man was to be a king as well. As king of the earth, man possessed certain unique qualities and characteristics that set him apart as distinct from all other creatures on the earth.

One of these qualities was self-determination. Man possessed the ability to reason—to frame his own thoughts and ideas and to make his own decisions. In this he was like his Creator. He was endowed also with the capacity for face-to-face, one-on-one intimate fellowship with God, a privilege that no other creature on earth enjoyed.

The Creator gave Adam the earth as his domain because a king is not a king unless he has territory over which to rule. Man’s rule over the earth was usurped by an “unemployed cherub,” a rebellious and fallen angel who had no right or authority to take it. Man became a slave in his own domain.

But the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable

Roman 11:29  for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable.

Christ entered the public eye proclaiming a simple but profound message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” As a human as well as the Son of God, Yeshua had the authority both to restore the Kingdom and to rule it as King. Kingship was His birthright.

Matthew 4:17. From that time on, Yeshua began proclaiming, “Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!”

“You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born…” (John 18:37b).

Yeshua was not the only one to recognize His kingship. Even as early as His birth, there were those who knew who He was and why He had come:

After Yeshua  was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:1-2).

ma·gus 1. a member of a priestly caste of ancient Persia. See also Magi.
• a sorcerer.


THE SIX ROYAL KINGDOM PRINCIPLES OF GIVING

The coming of  Christ as King demonstrates another important characteristic of God: He is a giver. First, He gave man the earth to rule. Then, after man lost his Kingdom, God gave His Son so that He could get man’s Kingdom back.

God is a giver. In fact, His honor as King of Heaven demands a gift. As God, He gives because it is His nature. As Kingdom citizens, we give because we are like Him, created in His image and likeness, and because giving is a proper way to honor a king.

THE SIX ROYAL KINGDOM PRINCIPLES OF GIVING

1. The power of kings is displayed in their wealth. The wealthier the king, the greater his power (or at least the perception of his power in the eyes of others. Kings who rule over lands that are sparse in resources and whose citizens are poor are judged to be poor kings, lacking in power and influence and therefore dismissed as unimportant.

They may even be perceived as unable or unwilling to take proper care of their citizens and subjects. Poor kings, therefore, develop a poor reputation, which brings us to the second principle.

2. The purpose for a king’s wealth is to secure his reputation—his glory. So a king’s reputation is tied to his ability to take care of his citizens, and that ability is directly related to his wealth.

3. The glory of a king is his power to out-give another king. This is another reason why wealth is important to a king. Kings are deeply and continually concerned with their reputations, and no king likes the thought that another king might be richer, more benevolent, or more giving than he.

3. Giving places a demand on the king’s wealth. Wealth that is not used for anything serves no purpose. Righteous and benevolent kings do not seek riches simply for their own enrichment and pleasure.

They don’t acquire wealth just so they can sit atop the pile and say, “Look at me! See how rich I am!” Good kings use their wealth to bring prosperity to their people and improve the quality of their lives.

This way the king’s riches do not stagnate or rot away. In keeping with a fundamental principle of wealth-building, good kings know how to make their wealth work for them—they give it away in order to receive more. It is a principle of reciprocity—giving begets giving.

5. Giving requires a response from the king. When you give to a king, he is obligated not only to respond to your gift but also to exceed it.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

6. Giving to a king attracts His wealth to the giver. Giving begets giving. This principle works both ways. Kings give away wealth in order to gain more wealth. But when we give to the King, it begets giving back to us because our generosity attracts the King’s wealth to us.

SEVEN REASONS TO GIVE TO A KING

1. Royal protocol requires that a gift must be presented when visiting a king. This is why the queen of Sheba brought such lavish gifts to King Solomon even though he was richer than she was. It was royal protocol. He would have done the same had he visited her.

And none shall appear before Me empty-handed (Exodus 34:21b NKJV).

2. The gift must be fitting for the king. Worse than approaching a king with no gift is to bring a gift unworthy of him.

3. The gift reveals our value or “worth-ship” of the king. The quality of what we offer the King and the attitude with which we offer it reveal much more than our words do of the value or worthiness we attach to Him. Quality doesn’t mean expensive or fancy necessarily, but it does mean offering our very best. And our gift does not necessarily have to be of monetary value. Of much greater value to the King is the gift of a heart that seeks first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

Our gifts to the King should always be offered from a sincere heart and a humble recognition of His greatness and awesome majesty.

The Lord says: “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men (Isaiah 29:13).

4. Worship demands a gift and giving is worship. “Worthship” is where we get “worship.” To worship the King means to ascribe worth or worthiness to Him. And, as we have already seen, that always involves bringing Him a gift. There is no genuine worship without gift-giving.

But giving is itself an act of worship, and worship is always fitting for the King. The Magi who saw His star in the east understood this, which is why they brought gifts when they came to find Him:

On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrhh (Matthew 2:11).

5. Giving to a king attracts his favor. Kings are attracted to people who give with a willing and grateful spirit.

A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great (Proverbs 18:16).

Giving from a generous heart with no thought or expectation of return particularly attracts the King’s favor because that is the attitude closest to His own. And He rewards that kind of spirit.

To “receive” a prophet or a righteous man means to care for and supply that person with no expectation of repayment. Giving with no ulterior motive and with no strings attached—that is the kind of giving that attracts the favor of the King:

Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward (Matthew 10:41-42).

6. Giving to a king acknowledges his ownership of everything.

7. Giving to a king is thanksgiving. One of the best ways to express gratitude is with a gift. Gratitude expressed is in itself a gift.

FIVE REASONS TO GIVE

Giving is natural for kings. As Kingdom citizens and children of the King, we too are kings. That being the case, several principles follow:

1. If we all are kings, then we should give to each other. Remember, you never approach a king without a gift.

2. When we give to the Body, we give to Christ the King. Because Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, every time we give to each other, we are giving to Him.

3. Every time we meet one another, giving should be automatic. If we are to be like our King, who created us in His image and likeness, a giving spirit should be second nature for us.

4. The wise men knew there was a greater King on earth. That is why they brought Him gifts and worshiped Him. He is still on earth—in the hearts and lives of His citizens. So whenever we give, we do so as if giving to Him.

5. When you give to a king, you make a demand on what he possesses. Giving begets giving. When we give to the King of Heaven, we obligate Him to give in return. This is not a presumptuous statement but the expression of a principle He established. When we give, He gives; when we withhold, He withholds.

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

The ultimate and greatest gift the King wants from us is summed up in these words:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Giving activates royal obligation. Give Him your life and receive His life. …remembering the words the Lord Himself said:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Shema Selah, so we must consider how we come before the king, bearing gifts of worship, we have to understand in a kingdom giving begets giving!!  https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1568141509930626/?l=8612611428503079487

What Is Culture??

Matthew 5

We are walking in today:  What Is Culture??


Witness way throughout the Bible:  H734 'orach--way of living

Psa 27:11 - Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, H734 because of mine enemies.

The Torah ...............
 Genesis 49:17 - Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, H734 that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

The prophets ................
 Isaiah 2:3 - And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: H734 for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The writings ...........................
 Proverbs 12:28 - In the way H734 of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

Isaiah 40:14 - With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path H734 of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

Matthew 5:3-10

3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 “How blessed are those who mourn!
for they will be comforted.

5 “How blessed are the meek!
for they will inherit the Land!

6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
for they will be filled.

7 “How blessed are those who show mercy!
for they will be shown mercy.

8 “How blessed are the pure in heart!
for they will see God.

9 “How blessed are those who make peace!
for they will be called sons of God.

10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted
because they pursue righteousness!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF CULTURE
As we have already seen, for example, every country has land— territory. Without land there is no country. Historically, the land a people inhabits significantly influences the culture they develop. Desert dwellers, for instance, are unlikely to develop a maritime culture unless they live along the coast. Their culture will reflect the arid environment in which they live. A second key component of every country is language.

A country is not a country unless it has one major language. Many nations of the world have numerous sub-languages and dialects. But every nation always decides on one major language because language identifies you as a country. Language is the key to unity. It is also a key factor in a nation’s culture.

Another element that all nations share in common is a constitution. As we saw in Chapter Six, a constitution is a contract between the people and their government. Furthermore, all nations have a moral code. A nation’s moral code embodies the moral standards under which the people have agreed to live and by which they have chosen to govern themselves.

Culture may also be defined as the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.

For you see, culture is also what lies at the very center of the great cosmic conflict between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. And earth is the battleground. The battle for earth is the battle for culture.

MANIFESTATIONS OF CULTURE

1. Values. Shared values are a defining characteristic of a culture and a nation. What we value reveals who we are. Our values reflect our character. Basically, a value is a belief or conviction that is considered worthy in and of itself by a person or group. It is a standard or ideal that regulates conduct or policy

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3-10).

2. Priorities. Culture manifests itself in the things we regard as most important. In other words, whatever we prioritize in life reveals our culture. Yeshua got right to the heart of priorities when He said:

So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:31-33).

3. Behaviors. The way we behave reveals our culture; it’s that simple.

4. Standards. The standards we apply in everyday life reveal whether we have a culture that indulges and encourages mediocrity or a culture that inspires excellence. Do we take pride in the appearance of our houses and churches and businesses and cities and streets? Do we place a high premium on quality in all things? Or are we satisfied with just enough to get by? Either way, our standards reflect our culture. In fact, our culture will never rise higher than our standards.

5. Celebration. Our culture is revealed in the things we celebrate as well as in the manner that we celebrate. Are holidays and other celebrations opportunities for fun and laughter and togetherness as families, or excuses for drunkenness and other kinds of excess?

6. Morality. The level of our moral conscience and consciousness reveals the level of our culture.

7. Relationships. Who do we relate to? How do we relate to them? How do we treat people? How do we handle the destitute, those who are hurting, and those who are abused? What is our attitude toward the poor? There’s a culture in Heaven that is revealed when poverty is around.

8. Ethics. Is honesty our best policy, or is honesty our only policy? If someone overpays us, do we keep the money or do we take it back? Kingdom ethics is always proactive.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you” Luke 6:31

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” Matthew 18:21-22

9. Social norms. Whatever is regarded as normal in our society reveals our culture. Is shacking up “normal”? Are out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births “normal”? Is cheating on taxes “normal”? Is corruption in government “normal”?

What are the “norms” of the Kingdom of Heaven? Here are a few that Kingdom Ambassador Paul called “the fruit of the Spirit”:

…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law Galatians 5:22-23.

10. Dress. Culture also manifests itself in the way the people dress. How we dress speaks volumes about our values and ideals as well as how we feel about ourselves. All of these relate to culture.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight 1 Peter 3:3-4.

11. Foods. Food has always been a cultural distinctive. Certain dishes, certain ingredients, and certain seasonings are associated with certain regions of the world or certain regions within nations.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God Matthew 4:4.

At another time, He told His inner circle of followers:

My food…is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work John 4:34.

12. Permits. We reveal our culture by what we permit. Remember, what we bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. If we “loose” lewdness and immorality, those things will characterize our culture. If we “loose” corruption and dishonesty, we will have a corrupt and dishonest culture.

On the other hand, if we “loose” love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and the like, our culture will reflect these traits. As Kingdom citizens, we have the authority to bind and loose for the social, moral, and spiritual good of our fellowmen. This is why it is important for us to be involved in and to engage the popular culture and challenge it with the culture of Heaven.

13. Acceptance. Our culture is defined also by what we accept. More and more people who claim to be believers and even Kingdom citizens are buying into the popular culture to such a degree that by their language and lifestyle it is impossible to tell which Kingdom they belong to—the kingdom of the world or the Kingdom of heaven.

That’s why we need to be always alert and ever careful to evaluate all the new ideas and philosophies that come down the line. Some of them may be fine. But many, perhaps most, will be contrary to the culture and values and ideals of the Kingdom of Heaven. When this is the case, as Kingdom citizens we have the duty and responsibility to refuse to accept them.

14. Rejections. On the other hand, our culture manifests also in what we reject. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t play both ends against the middle. There is right and there is wrong, and Kingdom citizens must reject the wrong and embrace the right.

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters Matthew 12:30.

15. Distinctions. Culture manifests also in our distinctions. What distinguishes us from other cultures?

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).

16. Quality standards. And finally, culture manifests in our standards of quality. God never does anything halfway, and neither should His children. In everything we do, Kingdom citizens should always be on the cutting edge of excellence, leading the way for everyone else rather than following in the world’s wake.

In Kingdom life we don’t have to be perfect in what we do because we are imperfect people, but that is no excuse to accept shabby work, half-finished projects, or a just-enough-to-get-by attitude. Our King demands our best. And He deserves nothing less. For this very reason, it should be our joy to give our very best to the King…and to give it freely and willingly.

PRINCIPLES
1. Once you understand the culture of a people, you understand the people.

2. Culture is the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties by education, expert care, and training.

3. Culture is the enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training.

4. Culture is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.

5. Culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.

6. Culture is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize a company or corporation.

7. Culture means to grow in a prepared medium.

8. The battle for earth is the battle for culture.

Shema Selah we are being culturized by the Kingdom of Heaven!! https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1567134100031367/?l=6230552217124828012

Weekend Meditation: Believe in the Dark What Was Said In The Light!

We are walking in today:  Weekend Meditation:  Believe in the Dark What Was Said In The Light!

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?
Dr. Myles Munroe says your faith is only as strong as the tests it survives. Many believers walk around daily making claims and praising and worshipping God – testifying to how good He is and how much He blessed them, but their faith has never truly been tested. It is easy to say, “God is good” when things are going well, but what about the bad times?

God allows our faith to be tested so we can see how strong we are. His purpose is to help you grow, because He knows that untested faith is not valid faith and never amounts to much.

The testing of our faith serves not only to show the strength of our faith but also to reveal the motive behind our faith. Motive is birthed by beliefs and convictions. If you say, “I trust in God,” why do you trust in God? Is it because of who He is or because of what you hope to get out of it? Satan accused Job of following God only because God had blessed him, so God allowed Job to be tested. He wanted to reveal the motive behind Job’s faith, to reveal whether or not Job would continue to follow God even after he lost everything.

Dr. Myles Munroe says that in the Kingdom of God, as in any country, your belief in the nation’s constitutional promises and privileges can only be verified when circumstances require that you place a demand on the system. The testing of your faith in the Kingdom of God occurs through circumstances, which provide an opportunity for you to validate your belief in the political, economic, social and cultural system of Heaven on earth.

RE-DISCOVERING FAITH
Why did the people consider Jesus’ words a “hard teaching?” Because they realized He was calling them to follow Him with no guarantees of fish and bread; calling them to be satisfied with Him and Him alone; calling them to follow Him without knowing outcomes in advance, content to leave the future in His hands. That’s Kingdom faith: faith that trusts God whether He blesses or not, whether He delivers or not, whether He heals or not. Kingdom faith trusts Christ no matter what because it knows that He has the “words of eternal life,” and has discovered the same truth expressed by King David who wrote, “Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You” (Ps. 63:3).

Don’t build your faith on what God show you; build it on God. Kingdom faith is tested faith. Here are ten essential qualities of Kingdom faith:

1. Kingdom Faith Is Steadfast and Stable in Storms.
2. Kingdom Faith Is in God’s Omniscient Knowledge, not Our limited Knowledge.
3. Kingdom Faith Is Beyond Our Own Understanding.
4. Kingdom Faith Is Rewarded After the Tests.
5. Kingdom Faith Is Rewarded by the King.
6. Kingdom Faith Is Given and Sustained by the King.
7. Kingdom Faith Is Stronger than Blood.
8. Kingdom Faith Is Purified by Tests.
9. Kingdom Faith Does Not Fear Trials.
10. Kingdom Faith Commits the Future to God.

The author of Hebrews writes that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, but how can we have that faith especially when things seem to be going wrong?  Dr. Myles
Monroe on an interview states the following:

The book Rediscovering Faith was written out of tragedy. I’m a pastor of one of the most significant churches in the Bahamas and this year began with tragedy for us. A young man who was a very dear member of our church literally took his wife’s life, they were both members of the church, and he also took his life. As a senior pastor, you know you’ve never had this experience before, you have to comfort the church, you’ve got to make sure that you protect the security of the people’s faith in God and when things happen that you can’t explain, when your life falls apart, when nothing is working, even when prayer doesn’t seem to be working, What do you do? That’s the question. And I think God took me back to a simple question.

Why do you follow Yeshua? And most of our faith in the twentieth century church seems to be focused on following the Most High to get good things. What happens when bad things happen? Many people actually stop following God because they think it isn’t working, the Most High failed and the biggest issue that came out of this tragedy was the most powerful re-connection to the book of faith. Faith is believing--that’s it. The word faith is the word pistes in Greek and it simply means conviction or belief. I think we’ve made faith into something that has become a problem because people actually use faith like its some kind of manipulating tool, to make God do something good
for them. Also it is easy to talk faith when everything is going well. It’s the moment of crisis that you’re talking about where you either find out your faith stands the test or you need to examine it. You know in this book you’ll find an important quote that I got out of that tragedy. The quote is, “Your faith is only as strong as the test it survives.” No matter how much you brag about how much
faith you’ve got, the test will reveal what quality of faith you have. Everybody has faith in something whether we call it that or not. Sometimes we have faith in ourselves, it might be our money, our position in life but not everybody has faith in the Most High.
This is very important. This book deals with God stripping us and reducing us back to him. Even the present crisis in the world, people think of it as a negative. I think it’s a wonderful experience because God will remove things from your life reduce you back to him and not just to him, but faith only in him. More often in the word, you go back and read him saying to his people over and over and over again, I gave you the blessing and you had such great enjoyment of the blessing, that you forgot
about me.  In this book I take you back to the biblical faith because this modern faith we have been living with cannot handle crisis. 

I think about Daniel's faith when God allowed him to go into the lions den. Was there something wrong with Daniel? Was Daniel in sin? No, the lions den was the greatest act of the Most High's
power to prove Daniel's faith. The three  Hebrew boys, I think they prayed a prayer that we need to pray again. They told the King, our God is able to deliver us from your fiery furnace, but then part of the prayer that we need to learn again is--what if He doesn’t? We know the Most High is able to do anything, but here’s the beauty. He’s also able to do nothing. What happens when God does nothing?
What do you do when God is silent? Do you still believe? You see, the three Hebrew boys had a faith that was on the other side of the coin. He’s able but what if he doesn’t? We still won’t bow.   I want
the people to know today, If you lost your job, your business fell apart, you had a foreclosure on your house, whatever it is, don’t allow it to touch your belief in the Most High because there is always life after the test. Faith is believing in life after the test. Knowing that the test is always temporary. Faith and trust are linked together. They are the same because when you trust God it doesn’t matter what happens after that. The most powerful defense against crisis, is faith because faith tells the crisis, you are only temporary. Faith is telling every crisis you cannot outlast my belief. This is why we have to rediscover the faith that we have lost. Yeshua told Peter a very important statement. He says, Peter satan is going to sift you, that means you are going to go through a crisis, but notice He didn’t say, I’m going to pray for you to get blessed. And he also didn’t tell Peter, I won’t deliver you from the test but he says I’m going to pray for you that your faith fail not. Paul says that we must fight the good fight of faith.

The fight is keeping your belief when you’ve lost everything. When there is a tragedy you still believe. No matter what you’re going through today your faith must outlast it because your faith is the key to victory. We are all going to be sifted at some point in our lives more than once, so there are things, in the times of blessing that we can do to prepare ourselves and strengthen our faith for the time of testing. Corey Tambourine has an excellent quote. She says, “Believe in the dark, what he told you in the light.” Sometimes you only believe God for the light, question is, do you still believe him when it’s all dark? Always remember after every dark, day is on the way and He never changes!!!

Shema selah we have to know and truly believe that He is the same and fails not!!  While His plans are not our plans our faith and trust should never change with the seasons!! 

Citizenship Is Not Membership!!!!

 Luke 16

We are walking in today:  Citizenship Is Not Membership!!!!

Witness fellow throughout the Bible: H7453 rea`--fellow, fellow-citizen
 

Judges 7:22 - And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, H7453 even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.


The Torah  ...............
 Exodus 2:13 - And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? H7453

The prophets  ..................
 Zechariah 3:8 - Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows H7453 that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

The writings  ...........................
 Judges 7:14 - And his fellow H7453 answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

Judges 7:13 - And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, H7453 and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

Luke 16:16, 31 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

16 Up to the time of Yochanan there were the Torah and the Prophets. Since then the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is pushing to get in.
31 But he replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moshe and the Prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!’”

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF CITIZENSHIP

Citizenship is not membership. Religions function on membership, while nations and kingdoms function on citizenship. Citizenship is the most valuable asset of a nation and is not easily given because of its power and impact.

People are attracted to a nation that appears to promise a better life than the one they are living where they are. Some people even become desperate enough to do anything they have to do to become a part of that nation.

Citizenship is necessary for the validity and legitimacy of any nation. Not only that, but citizenship is the most sacred privilege of a nation. So the concept of citizenship is critical to understanding the nature of the Kingdom of heaven. As I’ve said before, all governments and kingdoms operate on governing laws and principles.

THE POWER AND PRIVILEGE OF CITIZENSHIP

As a sacred privilege, citizenship is the most precious gift that any nation can give. That’s why there are laws to protect people from it and protect it from people. Apart from native-born citizens, citizenship is neither awarded lightly nor obtained easily. And it shouldn’t be. Citizenship is too precious a treasure to hand out indiscriminately like handbills.

When it comes to matters of citizenship, the Kingdom of God is no different from any other country. Remember, the Kingdom of God is not a religion. It is a government with a country. Heaven is that country, and  Christ is its King. Referring to Christ, the ancient Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote:

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders….Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever… (Isaiah 9:6-7, emphasis added).

Like any other country, the Kingdom of God has the principle of citizenship. And, like the example of America above, once people know about the Kingdom, and once they understand what it is and what it has to offer, they clamor to get in. This is what Yeshua was referring to when He said:

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it (Luke 16:16).

Why then, someone might ask, do we not see people clamoring to get into the churches? Why does the church as a whole seem to have so little impact on our culture? The reason is simple—and sad. Most pastors don’t understand the Kingdom, so they don’t preach it or teach it.

Consequently, most of the people in the churches don’t understand the Kingdom either, so they don’t model Kingdom living. My experience has been that once people know about the Kingdom and see it modeled, they want it!

Such is the power of the lure of citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven.

BECOMING A KINGDOM CITIZEN

All nations, including kingdoms, have citizens. And all nations require immigration status. The Kingdom of God is no different. Every Kingdom citizen today is a naturalized citizen. We emigrated from a foreign country—a “dominion of darkness” where we as a race had been “exiled” ever since Adam’s rebellion in the garden of Eden.

Col. 1:13

13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.

At that time, the human race lost citizenship in heaven. We lost our citizenship because we lost our Kingdom, and we lost our Kingdom because we lost our property—our territory. Don’t forget that without territory, there is no kingdom; and without a kingdom, there can be no kingdom citizenship.

When Christ began His public ministry, He announced that the Kingdom of Heaven had arrived. That was the only message He preached. He brought back to earth the Kingdom we lost at Eden and gave us access to it again.

We enter the Kingdom of heaven through the process that Yeshua called being “born again” changing our mind and turning from our rebellion against God, placing our trust in Yeshua for the forgiveness of our rebellion, and acknowledging Him as Lord (Owner) of our lives. This “new birth” gets us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

John 3:3

3 “Yes, indeed,” Yeshua answered him, “I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

When we become citizens of God’s Kingdom, it means that we voluntarily align ourselves with a new government and a new country, embracing its language, its ideals, and its values. The Kingdom constitution is explicit regarding our citizenship:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household Ephesians 2:19.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body Philippians 3:20.

Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves Colossians 1:12-13

Not only does the new birth make us citizens of Heaven, but our citizenship begins immediately. We are Kingdom citizens right now. Why is this so important?

Here’s why: Religion postpones citizenship to the future. Religious leaders tell their people, “You will be a citizen…someday. You will be in the Kingdom…you will have joy later…you will be a full citizen. But not today. Not yet. The Kingdom has not yet come.”

You can never appropriate what you postpone. That’s what you call “locking up the Kingdom of God” to those who want to get in. It is for this reason that I am convinced that the greatest enemy of the Kingdom is religion.

Religion keeps pushing the Kingdom away from people: “You can’t get in now; you can’t experience it now; you can’t benefit from it now; wait until later.” And so the people suffer.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

If you were to visit the Bahamas and happened to lose all your money or face some other crisis, all you would have to do is turn to your country’s embassy and they would help you. That’s what they are there for. One of the responsibilities of any government is to take care of its citizens, whether at home or abroad.

In a very real sense, that’s what the church is (or what it is supposed to be): an embassy! The church is not a religious place. When Yeshua established His ecclesia, He did not have a religious institution in mind.

His purpose was to set up an embassy of His Kingdom—a place where Kingdom citizens (new and old) could receive aid, be trained in the ways, laws, language, and customs of the Kingdom, and be equipped with the Kingdom resources they need for effective life in the Kingdom colony on earth.

All Kingdom citizens are simultaneously citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven as well as citizens of the earthly nation of their birth or their naturalization. We don’t give up our earthly citizenship when we become citizens of the Kingdom.
And in the same way, we don’t have to be in Heaven to benefit from heavenly jurisdiction. Our citizenship is constant, and the Kingdom government exercises jurisdiction over us wherever we are.

My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is from another place (John 18:36).

Speaking as one king to another, Yeshua acknowledged His kingship.

He did not say. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world”; He did not say, “My kingdom is not in this world.” He said, “My kingdom is from another place”; He did not say, “My kingdom is not in this place.” As the official representative of the emperor, Pilate possessed kingly authority in Judea.

In fact, He stated plainly to Pilate:

You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37b).

INVISIBLE CITIZENSHIP

The Kingdom of Heaven is invisible does not mean that it has no impact. Yeshua taught this truth about the Kingdom more than once. On one occasion He illustrated it this way:

What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough (Luke 13:20-21).

The Kingdom of God is invisible. We cannot detect it simply by observation. And if the Kingdom of God resides within its citizens, this means that all Kingdom citizens are invisible also.

We bear no physical or outward signs that broadcast to the world, “I’m a Kingdom citizen!” Our citizenship must become known in other ways.

Our language and our behavior should make that known to them. In other words, they should recognize us by our distinct culture.

Culture is a product of the language, ideals, and values of a people or a nation. Even though people cannot recognize us as Kingdom citizens by our outward appearance, our distinctive language, ideals, and values should give us away.

Our culture should reflect and reveal our citizenship as being here but not from here, as being in the world but not of the world.

PRINCIPLES

1. Citizenship is the most sacred privilege of a nation.

2. Citizenship is the most precious gift that any nation can give.


3. Like any other country, the Kingdom of God has the principle of citizenship.

4. Every Kingdom citizen today is a naturalized citizen.

5. The new birth makes us naturalized citizens of the Kingdom.

6. Not only does the new birth make us citizens of heaven, but our citizenship begins immediately. We are Kingdom citizens right now. Our citizenship is a present reality.

7. Religion postpones citizenship to the future.

8. You can never appropriate what you postpone.

9. All Kingdom citizens carry dual citizenship.

10. All colonial governments and citizens are invisible.

11. The Kingdom of God is invisible.

12. All Kingdom citizens are invisible also.

13. Our culture should reflect and reveal our citizenship as being here but not from here, as being in the world but not of the world.

Shema Selah the Kingdom of the Most High is an invisible kingdom!!!  It is at hand but not of this world!!!  https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1561703873907723/?l=2602505812965302125

Men of Torah Day--Keys of the Kingdom!!!

Luke 12

We are walking in today: Men of Torah Day--Keys of the Kingdom!!!
Guest Speaker Minister Elton Walker


Witness key throughout the Bible:  H4668 maphteach-- key, opening instrument

Judges 3:25they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, H4668 and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead
on the earth.

The Torah  ...............

The prophets ..................
 Isaiah 22:22 And the key H4668 of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

The writings  ...........................
 1 Chronicle 9:27 And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening H4668 thereof every morning pertained to them.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Luke 12:32 Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has resolved to give you the Kingdom!

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF KEYS

In essence, all nations and kingdoms contain inherent principles and laws that must be adhered to by each citizen in order for the citizen to benefit from his citizenship privileges and rights. These laws and principles are called by Yeshua, “Keys of the Kingdom.”

What good are keys you can’t use? They are as useless as locks you can’t open. This is exactly the problem with many believers today. We have a big bunch of “keys” called “Scriptures” that most of us don’t know how to use. We have the keys, but we don’t know which key unlocks which lock. It’s like having all of this information but not knowing how to use it, having all of this power available to us but not knowing how to apply it.

Knowledge of the Word of God is important, but insufficient by itself for effective living as a believer. This is because most believers lack a proper Kingdom mind-set. Part of understanding the Kingdom is learning how to use the keys of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s desire and purpose for us. Yeshua said:

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Our Father, the King of heaven, has given us the Kingdom. It is ours. In fact, Jesus Himself brought the Kingdom to us. It was His main purpose in coming to earth in human flesh. We receive the Kingdom through His death.

KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

One day Yeshua asked His disciples, His inner circle of 12 most intimate followers, the most important question He would ever ask them.

Mathew 16:13-16

13 When Yeshua came into the territory around Caesarea Philippi, he asked his talmidim, “Who are people saying the Son of Man is?” 14 They said, “Well, some say Yochanan the Immerser, others Eliyahu, still others Yirmeyahu or one of the prophets.” 15 “But you,” he said to them, “who do you say I am?” 16 Shim‘on Kefa answered, “You are the Mashiach, the Son of the living God.”

The titles “Christ” and “Son of the living God” were reserved exclusively for the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel and hope of the world who had been prophesied for centuries.

Yeshua says that upon the “rock” of Peter’s confession of faith, He will build His “church.” The Greek word for “church” is ecclesia, a word that is widely misunderstood. Because it is translated here as “church,” most people believe that ecclesia is a religious word.

It is not. Ecclesia is a governmental term. It literally means “called-out ones” and was used by the Greeks to refer to the senate or other political groups that were chosen by the “democrat,” or government.

The fact that Yeshua used ecclesia to describe the body of followers that He was establishing tells us two things. First, the word church itself is a political rather than a religious term. And second, this entire discussion about keys and about binding and loosing is not a religious but a political discussion.

The ecclesia, therefore, is a secret group entrusted with secret information critical for the operation of the Kingdom. This group will be so powerful that even the “gates of hades will not overcome it.” Another way to translate that phrase is, “the gates of hades will not prove stronger than it.” Even hell itself will not be as strong as the ecclesia that Yeshua is establishing.

What this means is that we who are Kingdom citizens are supposed to be operating on a level that blows other people’s minds. We should have access to a power that mystifies those who are not yet in the Kingdom. We are supposed to be living life at a certain level where we are tapping into resources that others cannot explain.

As Kingdom citizens, we are already in the Kingdom; we don’t need the keys to it. What we need—and what Yeshua has given us—are the keys of the Kingdom—the keys that will unlock the power of the Kingdom and make it work in our lives. Kingdom citizens and only Kingdom citizens have these keys. Citizenship in the Kingdom is a prerequisite for getting them.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE SECRETS

The key to keys is not having keys. The key to keys is knowledge, knowing what the keys are for and how to use them. On another occasion Yeshua told His “cabinet”:

Luke 8:10
The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you

A miracle is something that humans cannot explain, an event or occurrence that seems to defy the laws of nature. These men had seen Yeshua walk on water, heal the sick, raise the dead, shrivel a tree by speaking to it, calm a storm, multiply bread, and many other “miraculous” things that were beyond the ken of human experience.

But to Yeshua, none of these were miracles. He said, “These are no miracles; I’m just using keys. I know how to put them in the locks, and they are unlocking prosperity, unlocking healing, unlocking peace, unlocking authority.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it (John 14:12-14).

Yeshua’ ecclesia (which includes us) was going to do the same things He was doing—and more—because the Holy Spirit who would come after He was gone would teach them the keys of the Kingdom and how to use them.

One significant key is embedded in this passage: the key to opening the “warehouse” of Heaven. The key that opens that lock is prayer—asking in Yeshua’s name—and whatever and anything we ask will be done. That is a wide-open promise, but it is not a way to gratify our own selfish wants and desires. We must use the right key.

We must ask in Yeshua’s name—according to His will and in line with His purpose. That is what will open Heaven’s floodgates. The twelve disciples of Yeshua had already seen this key activated in unforgettable fashion the day Yeshua fed five thousand people with fives loaves of bread and two fish.

Yeshua replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to Me,” He said. And He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children (Matthew 14:16-21)

Yeshua used this situation to test His disciples to see if they picked up on the secrets. He said, “You feed them.” That was the test. They should have asked, “Which key do we use?” Instead, they said, “All we have is….”

They were limited by what they could see. But in the Kingdom of Heaven we walk not by sight but by faith. The lesson Yeshua wanted them (and us) to learn is that when you know the keys to the Kingdom secrets, you will never again say, “All I have is….”

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF KEYS

Knowledge leads to understanding. Once we know the principles behind keys, we can understand how they work in the Kingdom. There are several principles that define the properties of keys.

1. Keys represent authority. If you possess a key to a place, it means you have authority in that place.

2. Keys represent access. A key gives you instant access to everything that key opens.

3. Keys represent ownership. Possession of a key gives you de facto ownership of whatever that key opens.

4. Keys represent control. If you possess the key to something, you control it.

5. Keys represent authorization.

6. Keys represent power. Whoever gives you keys gives you power at the same time.

7. Keys represent freedom. When you have keys, you are free to go in and out.

SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF KEYS

1. Keys are laws. They are fixed, reliable standards that never change. When used correctly, they always work.

2. Keys are principles .The keys of the Kingdom are principles, systems that operate under fixed laws.

3. Keys are systems. Every government runs on systems: the social system, the economic system, the political system, the educational system, the telecommunications system, etc.

4. Keys activate function.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17).

5. Keys initiate action

6. Keys are the principles by which the Kingdom of God operates. Not only are keys principles, but specifically, keys to the operation of the Kingdom. They give us access to the blueprints, the schematic, and the flowcharts so
7. .

8. Keys cannot be substituted by feelings, emotions, wishful thinking, or manipulation

THE COUNTERINTUITIVE NATURE OF KEYS

coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive
[ˌkoun(t)ərinˈt(y)o͞oədiv]

ADJECTIVE
1. contrary to intuition or to common-sense expectation (but often nevertheless true).

It is this very counterintuitive quality of the Kingdom of heaven that makes it so hard for the world to understand. The Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdoms of this world operate by completely opposite principles. People raised in the world’s system cannot comprehend on their own the truly otherworldly nature of God’s Kingdom. This is why Simon Peter could not recognize Yeshua as the Messiah except by divine revelation.

As Yeshua started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call Me good?” Yeshua answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Yeshua looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Yeshua looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-23).

Once we get into the Kingdom and start functioning properly, we inevitably become prosperous. Prosperity is a natural product of Kingdom living. But we must live by the standards of the Kingdom in order to prosper in the Kingdom.

Additionally, it is the power of ignorance of Kingdom keys that can destroy us. Scripture says:

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

Once you get the keys of the Kingdom and learn how they work, the blessing of God will bring you wealth without sorrow. And He can do it in an instant if He is so inclined.

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it (Proverbs 10:22)

The way most of us in this world pursue success and wealth and try to get ahead is completely contrary to the principles and laws that God designed into creation. But we are too blinded by our corrupt minds to see it. Climbing the corporate ladder by walking on people’s heads and stepping on their hands, hurt them, use them selfishly, scheme against them, betray them, lie, cheat, steal—whatever it takes to be a millionaire before the age of 40.

Because of our fallen nature of human reasoning, the principles and keys of the Kingdom of God are completely foreign to the way we have been trained to think. That is why the first word Yeshua said when He came to announce the Kingdom was, “Repent.” Change the way you think.

Principles work but are not always understood. Principles are established by the manufacturer!!!

PRINCIPLES
1. Life in the Kingdom is really about returning to the governing authority of God in the earth and learning how to live and function in that authority.

2. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a secret society, but its keys have to be learned.

3. When you know the keys to the Kingdom secrets, you will never again say, “All I have is….”

4. Keys represent authority.

5. Keys represent access.

6. Keys represent ownership.

7. Keys represent control.

8. Keys represent authorization.

9. Keys represent power.

10. Keys represent freedom.

11. The keys of the Kingdom are the keys to ultimate truth, the knowledge of which brings true liberty.

Shema Selah, for the keys of the kingdom are the principles of the King!!  Let us return to our King and operate in His understanding!! https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1560579584020152/?l=6122379684579598569

Encore!! Rule of the Bedrock of Order and Social Justice!!!

​ 

Psalm 19

​We are walking in today: Encore!! Rule of the Bedrock of Order and Social Justice!!!

Witness law throughout the Bible: H8451 towrah-- law, direction, instruction, of special law, codes of law, custom, manner

Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. H8451

The Torah ...............
 Exodus 12:49 One law H8451 shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

The prophets ..................
 Ezra 7:6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law H8451 of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

The writings ...........................
 Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, H8451 which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law H8451 of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Psalm 19:7-11

7 (6) It rises at one side of the sky,
circles around to the other side,
and nothing escapes its heat.
8 (7) The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
restoring the inner person.
The instruction of Adonai is sure,
making wise the thoughtless.
9 (8) The precepts of Adonai are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of Adonai is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
10 (9) The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The rulings of Adonai are true,
they are righteous altogether,
11 (10) more desirable than gold,
than much fine gold,
also sweeter than honey
or drippings from the honeycomb.

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF LAW
Any civil society, the “rule of law” is the bedrock of order and social justice. No human society can survive long without laws. This is just as true for a kingdom as for any other system of government. Human nature being what it is, laws are necessary to keep man’s baser instincts and drives in check, protect public safety and decency, and preserve the moral order. Every kingdom is governed by laws. Laws enforce and protect the standards by which the kingdom operates.

In order to develop a better understanding of the overall kingdom concept, it is important to have knowledge of the origin, nature, and function of laws in a kingdom. We often think of laws as unpleasant and inconvenient demands that restrict our freedom and limit our options.

True freedom is always circumscribed by boundaries, and laws define those boundaries. Within those boundaries we are free to thrive, prosper, and reach our full potential.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.


The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11).

It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF LAW

1. All creation was designed to function by inherent principles. Inherent means “built-in”; existent from the beginning. In other words, the laws of the King of Heaven are built into the very structure of creation and determine precisely how all of creation functions.

2. These principles are called “natural law. “Natural law has to do with laws concerning the nature of a thing.

3. Natural law is the standard for effective function of everything that God has created.

4. Laws are the key to successful existence and a guarantee of fulfillment of purpose.

5. Laws protect purpose. When we obey laws, we protect the purpose for which we were born.
By obeying God’s laws, I mean living in willing submission to Him as King and Lord and honoring His Word as the unchanging standard of reference for our lives. So then, what laws of God are we to obey? All of them, of course, and there are many. But here are the two most important:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18b).

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).

6. The purpose for law is to protect the constitutional covenant. Laws exist to make sure that the provisions of the constitution are carried out consistently, equitably, and without prejudice for all citizens. When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised….Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath (Hebrews 6:13-15,17).

7. Laws are the conditions of covenant. They are the terms under which, if followed, the covenant will operate.


THE KING’S WORDS OF LAW
As I said before, laws are built into the very fabric of creation. Everything in the natural realm operates according to inherent principles. The same is true of the spiritual realm. The Kingdom of Heaven is like any other government in the sense that it has laws to protect it and assure that it operates according to God’s intent.

Laws establish God’s Kingdom. And these laws were put in place long before the first human being arrived. And yet so often, we have the arrogance and the presumption to question God or challenge Him about His laws and the way He runs things.

Job knew he was innocent of any wrongdoing and could not understand why he was suffering. In his pain and indignation, Job ended up trying to tell God a few things. That is when God spoke up and adjusted Job’s thinking:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens My counsel without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell Me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!…Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth? (Job 38:1-5a,33).

In other words, God was saying, “Job, how dare you ask Me about My laws? You weren’t even around when I made them! Who are you to challenge Me?” It does no good for a product to challenge the manufacturer: “

Remember, the king’s word is law in his kingdom. When it is written down, it is called a testament, and when repeated verbally, constitutes a commandment:

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said (Exodus 24:3-4).

THE MEANING OF LAW

What exactly is “law”? The most basic Hebrew word for “law” is torah, which also means, in addition to “law,” direction and instruction. In time, the word torah was used to refer to the entire body of law that Moses received from God on Mt. Sinai and passed along to the Israelites. In this usage, torah means “the law,” “the direction,” and even “the Law of the Lord.”1 In the New Testament we find two basic Greek words used for “law.”

The first of these is nomos, which means “to divide out, distribute” and also “that which is assigned.” It gradually came to mean “usage” and “custom” and, eventually, “law as prescribed by custom, or by statute.”2 This is the word from which we get our English word norm.

Whatever becomes accepted as a numinous society eventually becomes a law four society. Depending on the nature of the idea or behavior, this process could be very dangerous because we as a society could end up endorsing and normalizing evil or immorality.

This is precisely what has happened and is happening in western culture with regard to such issues as homosexual rights, homosexual marriage, abortion rights, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, and the like. God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and normalizing evil and assigning it the force of law in our society.

The second Greek word for “law” in the New Testament is ethos, which means “custom.” Whenever we speak of something as being “customary,” we are speaking of ethos. God’s laws are supposed to be customary for us. It is supposed to be customary for us not to lie or steal or covet.

It is supposed to be customary for us to forgive and to love our enemies as well as each other. Ethos is less formal than nomos. In fact, whereas nomos came to mean decreed, established law, ethos was used to describe unwritten law. The most powerful laws of all are the unwritten laws.


NATURAL LAW VERSUS WRITTEN LAW

God intended law to be natural. To understand the Kingdom of Heaven, it is important also to understand the distinction between natural law and written law. First of all, written law is necessary only when natural law is absent. If we human beings were all law-abiding by nature, there would be no need for written law.

But as we saw above, our rebellion against God destroyed the rule of natural law in our lives and made written law (as well as human government) necessary to protect society and restrain evil. Second, the purpose for written law is to restore natural law to the conscience. Because of our rebellion against God, we lost our instinctive knowledge and understanding of natural law.

Our consciences became corrupt and our likeness to our Maker became tarnished and distorted. Things that were natural in the beginning now became “unnatural.” For example, we consider generosity to be a virtue, a positive quality we admire in others and aspire to in ourselves. Why? Because it is not a “natural” human trait, at least not anymore. God never commanded Adam to be generous and giving. Why not? Because giving came naturally to Adam.

A generous spirit was inherent in him because he was made in the image of God, his Creator, and God is generous by nature. But after the rebellion, mankind became greedy, obnoxious, abusive, mean, stingy, and hoarding.

Third, natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of the law.” This reflects God’s desire for His laws, the standards of His Kingdom, to become the norms of our society. Remember, earth is a colony of Heaven, and the laws of the King of heaven should apply here as much as they do there. Laws produce society because they determine social relationships.

There is a difference between the law and the spirit of the law. The spirit of the law refers to original intent—the purpose that was in the mind of the Lawmaker in the beginning. Therefore, the spirit of the law is the inherent essence of the original purpose and intent of that law.

PRINCIPLES

1. Every kingdom is governed by laws.
2. The Bible is the law book of the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. The Kingdom of heaven has laws to protect it and assure that it operates according to God’s intent.
4. Laws are built into creation.
5. Whatever becomes accepted as a norm in our society eventually becomes a law four society.
6. God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and normalizing evil and assigning it the force of law in our society.
7. God’s laws have personal application with national ramifications.
8. Written law is necessary only when natural law is absent.
9. The purpose for written law is to restore natural law to the conscience.
10. Natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of the law.”
11. Laws produce society because they determine social relationships.
12. The spirit of the law is the inherent essence of the original purpose and intent of that law.
13. Any nation is only as good as the laws it enacts.
14. Natural law is the fundamental operating principle of the Kingdom of Heaven.

​Shema Selah it is the unwritten law that resides in our hearts and minds that will return us to the Kingdom of the Most High!!​ https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1559462974131813/?l=6285790880425800216

Weekend Mediation: Rule of the Bedrock of Order and Social Justice!!!

​ 

Psalm 19

​We are walking in today: Weekend Meditation:  Rule of the Bedrock of Order and Social Justice!!!

Witness law throughout the Bible: H8451 towrah-- law, direction, instruction, of special law, codes of law, custom, manner

Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. H8451

The Torah ...............
 Exodus 12:49 One law H8451 shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

The prophets ..................
 Ezra 7:6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law H8451 of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

The writings ...........................
 Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, H8451 which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law H8451 of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Psalm 19:7-11

7 (6) It rises at one side of the sky,
circles around to the other side,
and nothing escapes its heat.
8 (7) The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
restoring the inner person.
The instruction of Adonai is sure,
making wise the thoughtless.
9 (8) The precepts of Adonai are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of Adonai is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
10 (9) The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The rulings of Adonai are true,
they are righteous altogether,
11 (10) more desirable than gold,
than much fine gold,
also sweeter than honey
or drippings from the honeycomb.

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF LAW
Any civil society, the “rule of law” is the bedrock of order and social justice. No human society can survive long without laws. This is just as true for a kingdom as for any other system of government. Human nature being what it is, laws are necessary to keep man’s baser instincts and drives in check, protect public safety and decency, and preserve the moral order. Every kingdom is governed by laws. Laws enforce and protect the standards by which the kingdom operates.

In order to develop a better understanding of the overall kingdom concept, it is important to have knowledge of the origin, nature, and function of laws in a kingdom. We often think of laws as unpleasant and inconvenient demands that restrict our freedom and limit our options.

True freedom is always circumscribed by boundaries, and laws define those boundaries. Within those boundaries we are free to thrive, prosper, and reach our full potential.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.


The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11).

It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF LAW

1. All creation was designed to function by inherent principles. Inherent means “built-in”; existent from the beginning. In other words, the laws of the King of Heaven are built into the very structure of creation and determine precisely how all of creation functions.

2. These principles are called “natural law. “Natural law has to do with laws concerning the nature of a thing.

3. Natural law is the standard for effective function of everything that God has created.

4. Laws are the key to successful existence and a guarantee of fulfillment of purpose.

5. Laws protect purpose. When we obey laws, we protect the purpose for which we were born.
By obeying God’s laws, I mean living in willing submission to Him as King and Lord and honoring His Word as the unchanging standard of reference for our lives. So then, what laws of God are we to obey? All of them, of course, and there are many. But here are the two most important:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18b).

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).

6. The purpose for law is to protect the constitutional covenant. Laws exist to make sure that the provisions of the constitution are carried out consistently, equitably, and without prejudice for all citizens. When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised….Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath (Hebrews 6:13-15,17).

7. Laws are the conditions of covenant. They are the terms under which, if followed, the covenant will operate.


THE KING’S WORDS OF LAW
As I said before, laws are built into the very fabric of creation. Everything in the natural realm operates according to inherent principles. The same is true of the spiritual realm. The Kingdom of Heaven is like any other government in the sense that it has laws to protect it and assure that it operates according to God’s intent.

Laws establish God’s Kingdom. And these laws were put in place long before the first human being arrived. And yet so often, we have the arrogance and the presumption to question God or challenge Him about His laws and the way He runs things.

Job knew he was innocent of any wrongdoing and could not understand why he was suffering. In his pain and indignation, Job ended up trying to tell God a few things. That is when God spoke up and adjusted Job’s thinking:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens My counsel without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell Me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!…Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth? (Job 38:1-5a,33).

In other words, God was saying, “Job, how dare you ask Me about My laws? You weren’t even around when I made them! Who are you to challenge Me?” It does no good for a product to challenge the manufacturer: “

Remember, the king’s word is law in his kingdom. When it is written down, it is called a testament, and when repeated verbally, constitutes a commandment:

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said (Exodus 24:3-4).

THE MEANING OF LAW

What exactly is “law”? The most basic Hebrew word for “law” is torah, which also means, in addition to “law,” direction and instruction. In time, the word torah was used to refer to the entire body of law that Moses received from God on Mt. Sinai and passed along to the Israelites. In this usage, torah means “the law,” “the direction,” and even “the Law of the Lord.”1 In the New Testament we find two basic Greek words used for “law.”

The first of these is nomos, which means “to divide out, distribute” and also “that which is assigned.” It gradually came to mean “usage” and “custom” and, eventually, “law as prescribed by custom, or by statute.”2 This is the word from which we get our English word norm.

Whatever becomes accepted as a numinous society eventually becomes a law four society. Depending on the nature of the idea or behavior, this process could be very dangerous because we as a society could end up endorsing and normalizing evil or immorality.

This is precisely what has happened and is happening in western culture with regard to such issues as homosexual rights, homosexual marriage, abortion rights, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, and the like. God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and normalizing evil and assigning it the force of law in our society.

The second Greek word for “law” in the New Testament is ethos, which means “custom.” Whenever we speak of something as being “customary,” we are speaking of ethos. God’s laws are supposed to be customary for us. It is supposed to be customary for us not to lie or steal or covet.

It is supposed to be customary for us to forgive and to love our enemies as well as each other. Ethos is less formal than nomos. In fact, whereas nomos came to mean decreed, established law, ethos was used to describe unwritten law. The most powerful laws of all are the unwritten laws.


NATURAL LAW VERSUS WRITTEN LAW

God intended law to be natural. To understand the Kingdom of Heaven, it is important also to understand the distinction between natural law and written law. First of all, written law is necessary only when natural law is absent. If we human beings were all law-abiding by nature, there would be no need for written law.

But as we saw above, our rebellion against God destroyed the rule of natural law in our lives and made written law (as well as human government) necessary to protect society and restrain evil. Second, the purpose for written law is to restore natural law to the conscience. Because of our rebellion against God, we lost our instinctive knowledge and understanding of natural law.

Our consciences became corrupt and our likeness to our Maker became tarnished and distorted. Things that were natural in the beginning now became “unnatural.” For example, we consider generosity to be a virtue, a positive quality we admire in others and aspire to in ourselves. Why? Because it is not a “natural” human trait, at least not anymore. God never commanded Adam to be generous and giving. Why not? Because giving came naturally to Adam.

A generous spirit was inherent in him because he was made in the image of God, his Creator, and God is generous by nature. But after the rebellion, mankind became greedy, obnoxious, abusive, mean, stingy, and hoarding.

Third, natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of the law.” This reflects God’s desire for His laws, the standards of His Kingdom, to become the norms of our society. Remember, earth is a colony of Heaven, and the laws of the King of heaven should apply here as much as they do there. Laws produce society because they determine social relationships.

There is a difference between the law and the spirit of the law. The spirit of the law refers to original intent—the purpose that was in the mind of the Lawmaker in the beginning. Therefore, the spirit of the law is the inherent essence of the original purpose and intent of that law.

PRINCIPLES

1. Every kingdom is governed by laws.
2. The Bible is the law book of the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. The Kingdom of heaven has laws to protect it and assure that it operates according to God’s intent.
4. Laws are built into creation.
5. Whatever becomes accepted as a norm in our society eventually becomes a law four society.
6. God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and normalizing evil and assigning it the force of law in our society.
7. God’s laws have personal application with national ramifications.
8. Written law is necessary only when natural law is absent.
9. The purpose for written law is to restore natural law to the conscience.
10. Natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of the law.”
11. Laws produce society because they determine social relationships.
12. The spirit of the law is the inherent essence of the original purpose and intent of that law.
13. Any nation is only as good as the laws it enacts.
14. Natural law is the fundamental operating principle of the Kingdom of Heaven.

​Shema Selah it is the unwritten law that resides in our hearts and minds that will return us to the Kingdom of the Most High!!​

Encore!!! Birth of a Nation !!!

Genesis 12

We are walking in today: Encore!!! Birth of a Nation !!!

Genesis 12:1-3 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
12 Now Adonai said to Avram, “Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a GREAT NATION, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF CONSTITUTION

Like every other governmental system, every kingdom has a constitution. The constitution of any nation has to do with the manner in which the government of that nation is organized, particularly with regard to the way sovereign power is exercised.

It embodies the basic laws and principles that guide that government and lays out the specific powers and duties of that government in relation both to the people and to other nations and governments. A constitution also delineates, guarantees, and protects the specific rights of the people who live under its jurisdiction.

In a totalitarian state or a dictatorship, the supreme leader, along with a ruling elite of cronies appointed by him, determine the laws and conditions under which the people live—laws usually designed for their own benefit and enrichment at the people’s expense. In a republic or democracy, on the other hand, power lies with the people.

They elect leaders to represent them and then petition those leaders to enact laws and policies that will benefit the electorate. In a democracy the leaders are answerable to the people. Those who fail to perform adequately or who violate the people’s trust can be voted out and replaced. Through their elected leaders, the people establish their own constitution.

In a kingdom all power resides in the king. It is the king, therefore, who establishes the constitution for his kingdom. The constitution of a kingdom is the documented will, purposes, and intent of the king. It expresses the king’s personal desires for his kingdom and sets out the principles. This is why it is always good to have a king who is righteous, benevolent, and compassionate, with a genuine concern for the welfare of his citizens.

A ROYAL CONTRACT

In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contract that the king has with his subjects—his citizens. It is not the contract that the citizens have with the king, and this is a very important distinction. In the first, the contract originates with the king and in the second, with the people.

A contract generated by the people is a democracy, the complete opposite of a kingdom. A royal contract, on the other hand, originates completely and exclusively in the heart, mind, and will of the king. His citizens have no input concerning the terms or conditions of the contract.

He set out all the conditions and parameters beforehand. Everything was already in place by the time Adam arrived on the scene. All Adam had to do was follow the terms and conditions that God had already established:

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.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:26-28).

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed….The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:8,15-17).

As you can see, this entire contractual process was completely unilateral on God’s part. Adam had no input at all; in fact, when the contract was drawn up, he wasn’t even around yet! After he was created, Adam simply received the completed contract from the hand of the King.

The same is true regarding God’s contract with Abraham. First, God determined what He was going to do and then presented Abraham with the completed contract.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great , and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3).
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”…He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:1,5).

A kingdom constitution, then, is the document that constitutes the king’s desire for his citizens. In a democracy, the people plan and decide what they want to happen to them. But in a kingdom, the people have no say. Instead, the king tells you what he wants to happen to you. This is why God would make a statement like:

For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me , and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you… (Jeremiah 29:11-14).

THE KING’S WILL AND TESTAMENT

The Bible is the expressed will of the King in written form. It is the constitution of His Kingdom. It is the king’s will expressed in tangible, written form. This means that the constitution is not limited to an oral contract. Putting the constitution in written form sets it up as a standard that can be measured easily as well as making its terms and conditions clear to everyone.

As we have already seen, the words of the king become the law of the land. His words do not produce the contract; his words are the contract. And out of this contract—this constitution—comes the law. The constitution is not the law; the constitution produces the law.

What I mean is that the constitution establishes the terms, conditions, and rights of life in the kingdom. This leads to laws designed with the express purpose of ensuring that all of those terms, conditions, and rights are preserved, protected, and accomplished. The constitution is the will and the testament of the king for his citizens.

The Bible, then, comprises God’s documented thoughts concerning His citizens—His expressed will, desire, and intent for the human race He created in His own image.

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF THE KINGDOM CONSTITUTION

1. The source of the constitution is the king, not the citizens. Whereas the Constitution of the United States begins with the words, “We the people…” the constitution of God’s Kingdom says, “I, the Lord…” We who live in democratic states can always amend our constitution because we, the people, created it. But we cannot change God’s constitution because we didn’t write it.

The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from His land (Psalm 10:16).

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations (Psalm 33:11).

2. The constitution contains the benefits and privileges of the citizens. It spells out the advantages that come with being a Kingdom citizen as well as everything the citizens can expect from the King. In the Bible, these often take the form of promises. Here are just a few:

Do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:31-33).

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

3. The king obligates himself to the tenets of the constitution. A king and his word are the same, and when he speaks, his word becomes the constitution. So when a king’s word is spoken (or written down), the king is obligated to carry it out. That is why the Bible states that whatever God says, He will do and whatever He promises, He will bring to pass. Once the King of heaven speaks, it is as good as done. God cannot fail to keep His Word, for if He did, He would cease to be God.

4. The constitution contains the rights established by the king for the citizens. In addition to the benefits and privileges accruing to Kingdom citizens, the constitution also delineates and sets forth their rights.

5. The constitution cannot be changed by the citizens—only by the king. This principle should be perfectly clear by now and needs no further elaboration.

6. The constitution is the reference for life in the kingdom. How are Kingdom citizens supposed to live? What are the values, the ethics, the moral code, and standards of behavior for citizens of the Kingdom, and where can they be found? In the constitution. God’s standards for life in His Kingdom are found throughout the Bible. Such standards as these:

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God….Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy….Honor your father and your mother….You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet… (Exodus 20:3-17).

7. The constitution contains the statutes of the kingdom. Statutes are fixed, predictable standards. “Teach me Your statutes,” King David of Israel says. Normally, where the word “statutes” shows up, you will find “laws” in the same sentence. Statutes give the physical image of law. That’s why we call a carving in stone a statue. Or we call it an image. Image is the same as statue. A statue is permanent. A statue means simply a fixed, predictable image or standard.

“Heaven and earth will pass away before My statutes change. I will move the heavens and the earth before I move My statutes” (see Luke 16:17; 21:33).

Who are we to dare to think that we have the right or the authority to change or set aside the statutes that the King of Heaven has set in place? Religious people can do that any time they want, because they are not really in the Kingdom. Kingdom citizens, however, cannot. Our constitution says, “The word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Pet 1:25a).

PRINCIPLES

1. Every kingdom has a constitution.

2. The constitution of a kingdom is the documented will, purposes, and intent of the king.

3. In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contract that the king has with his subjects—his citizens.

4. A kingdom constitution is the document that constitutes the king’s desire for his citizens.

5. The constitution in a kingdom constitutes the expressed will of the king.

6. The Bible is the expressed will of the King in written form. It is the constitution of His Kingdom.

7. The words of the king become the law of the land.

8. The constitution is the will and the testament of the king for his citizens.

9. The Bible comprises God’s documented thoughts concerning His citizens—His expressed will, desire, and intent for the human race He created in His own image.

Shema Selah we are now being reborn into the Kingdom of Heaven!!  Thank You the Most High!!