The Kingdom of Heaven Is Near You

Luke 10:9
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The Kingdom of God is near you.'

This passage of Scripture tells of when Jesus commission His followers to get out into the villages and release the Kingdom of God over them.  And this verse gives us some interesting insight...

What is interesting is that the sick being healed is directly related to the Kingdom of God being near.  This gives us a clear indication that there are two kingdoms at war, and based on what Jesus says, in one of these kingdoms sickness is rife, while the other's aim is to destroy sickness.  The good news is that we have been brought into the latter Kingdom.

Isn't it encouraging to know that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom that aims to overthrow sickness?  It is an encouraging thing to know that God does not send sickness, nor is it in His plans or purposes, because it is diametrically opposed to the Nature of His Kingdom.

Friends, God does not want you to be sick.  He wants you to be healed, well and better more than you do!  Why do you think Jesus sent the disciples to heal all who were sick!?

If you are sick, what you need is to get as close to where the Kingdom of God is in operation as possible. And even better news is that Jesus tells us that it is in us!  (Luke 17:21)  What we need to see more of is the Kingdom of God that is within us being released around us in order to see it overthrow the current kingdoms and governments.

If you are battling with anything that is not of the Kingdom of God; sickness, poverty, unforgiveness, condemnation, addictions, whatever it may be...  declare the Kingdom of God into that situation.  Declare that Jesus is Lord!  He is the King, and you are declaring that situation to come under the rulership of the King of Kings Jesus Christ, and you will see your salvation!  (Romans 10:9)

And if you are not seeing what you believe should be the desired results, don't give up!  Be persistent!  You may feel like you are losing the battle but Jesus has won the war!  Declare all out attack!  Get friends around you, faith-filled believers, go to your leaders, pastors, and keep declaring the Kingdom of God's rulership over that situation, and know that in God's Kingdom, there is healing for every situation.

You Have Been Qualified To Do Great Things!

Colossians 1:10 - 12
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His Glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light.

Many people today are afraid to step out in faith for God to move because they subconsciously feel like that just aren't good enough.  They aren't at "that level" yet.  But the Scripture tells us something otherwise, and we must remember the Truth revealed in Scripture is a far higher authority than our experience.

My friend, you are qualified.  Already.  Past tense.  God qualified you to share in the inheritance of all the saints of the Kingdom!!  What is that inheritance?  Well, technically, it is the Earth.  On a number of occasions in Scripture, God promises that is the saints that will inherit the Earth.

Now, I am not going to get technical and go into what that exactly entails or how that works out.  But if we are to inherit the Earth, we have to start somewhere.  And as I so often mention, that means pushing the forces of darkness back with the invading Power of the Kingdom of Light.

So many times we have heard before that our commission is to bring Heaven to Earth.  That's because it is true.  We have the Kingdom of God inside us, and we have been qualified to release it.

You don't need to wait until you are more holy, have more power, or know how to operate in power before you actually do those things!  You have already been qualified to administer the Kingdom of Heaven!

Stop waiting, stop delaying, take your chances!  Make the most of every opportunity!  And declare the Kingdom of Heaven in every situation you are privileged to have the opportunity to do so.

Practically, if someone tells you that they aren't feeling so great or they're going through a rough time after you've asked them how they're doing; then instead of saying "shame"...  simply put your hand on their shoulder and declare the Kingdom of Heaven over them.  Release Heaven into their situation.  Release health, bind sickness.  Release provision, bind the enemy's robbery.  Release supernaturally open doors of opportunity.  Release joy, bind depression.  These are the "good works" and the "fruit" and "pleasing the Lord" that these verses above are talking about.

It's as easy as that!  You are a child of Heaven!  Decree on behalf of the King!  Because you have been qualified.

You Change The Atmosphere!

Luke 11:20
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.

By saying this, Jesus was highlighting what the work of God was about and why He came.  The Earth for too long has been riddled with demonic influence causing depression, hatred and poverty.  And He came to push that demonic influence right back, and begin the establishment of a New Order.  His Order, the Order of the Kingdom.

When Jesus rose from the dead, His disciples were convinced that He was going to restore the Earth back to its former glory and establish God's Kingdom once and for all.  After all, He was the very Son of God!  The Messiah!  Surely He had accomplished what was now required?  But Jesus had other plans...

He left them.

He said to the disciples that they were now to carry on the Work He started and extend the Kingdom of God wherever they went, and He would send them the Holy Spirit to empower and help them in this supernatural task.

You see friends, many Christians today have similar mindsets to the disciples before His ascension (Acts 1:6).  They expect and hope that when Jesus returns He will sort everything out, thereby absolving any responsibility.  But what they don't realise is that He came to redeem mankind back to their position of authority on the planet so that they could continue His work of establishing His Kingdom.

Friends, you have been commissioned and empowered to change the atmosphere around you!  You have the Kingdom of God inside you (Luke 17:21), and that is a very different kingdom to the kingdom of this world that is still suffering from the influence of satan.  Your objective is to change the atmosphere around you, and be part of God's priesthood that establishes His Kingdom here on Earth.

Maybe it is at home, where there are hurts, disappointments, anger?  Maybe it is in the work place, where there is jealousy, corruption and pride?  Maybe it is at school.  Even at a restaurant!  Maybe one of your friends are sick?  Declare with your mouth (Proverbs 18:21) the Life of God into those situations.  Release the anointing of God's Presence over them, and command the darkness to leave and submit to the Light and Kingdom of God.  You will be surprised what you will begin to see happen in and around your life.

We need to live this life with the awareness of who we are and what we have been commissioned with, and when our mindsets change to such an outlook, the Kingdom will grow at an exponential rate!

Try it, it's much easier than you think!  You have been qualified!  (Colossians 1:12)

Romans 10:17

"...faith comes from hearing the Message, and the Message is heard through the Word of Christ."

Now, I have shared from here before, but it is an important follow-on from last week's message out of Romans 12.  As we saw last week, our mind's need to be renewed from the pattern of the way the world thinks to the pattern of the way Christ thinks.  Christ thinks positively.  He always has hope.  He always sees life.  We need to see things from His perspective.

How do we do that when we are faced with negative circumstances and depressing stories on a daily basis?  Well, it is absolutely imperative that we immerse ourselves in the Word of Christ.  Notice that the translation of this verse I have used actually says "the Word of Christ", not the "word of God".  There is a difference.  The Word of Christ reveals the Glorious Nature and Person of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  We need to immerse ourselves in that Word that breathes life into all situations.

When we do so, faith will naturally arise in our hearts.  Just like when the Springboks (not in this case) won the Rugby World Cup it doesn't take much for you to get up off your chair and clap and shout.  Faith isn't something you need to work up.  It is the natural by-product of the hope-giving Message of the Word of Christ.  

THis is why it is imperative we immerse our ears and eyes in Scripture, teachings, preaching, books and sermons that reveal the Good News of Jesus.  When we do so, our minds will be renewed to think about things from Christ's perspective and not the perspective of this world's hopeless pattern.  And when we're thinking that way, the Kingdom will come in so many more ways than we can imagine!