Do you know that many Christians profess their faith in the Word of God while they are sitting in Egypt and not in the Promised Land? Only the Holy Spirit can lead us out of bondage (Egypt) and into ourinheritance (the Promised Land). When we come to salvation and the nature ofGod’s Kingdom within us starts operating, there will be a change in the humanpersonality for the character of God within us will be put on display. When we readthe Word of God we see that Yeshua refers to these characteristics as the fruitof the Spirit. Basically it comes down to this: If there is no fruit, there isno Kingdom within us.
I receive e-mails almost every day from people askingwhy they don’t experience the Kingdom of God. I can only advise you accordingto what I have learned from my own experience, and this is that you will onlyexperience the Kingdom to the extent that you have laid down your life. TheKingdom of God is a matter of the heart. If you believe that you can live only tosatisfy the appetites of your body and soul without any repercussions on thebasis of your profession of your belief in Christ, you are deceived – for theirwill be spiritual death. Sin death. You see, holiness is spiritual cleanliness– that is why demonic spirits are referred to as unclean spirits.
Some time ago Aldo was with me on a ministry trip, andhe said to me: “Mom, don’t let the person who is ministering now lay hands onyour head and pray for you – he has unclean spirits on his hands.” Uncleanspirits latch on to “sin”. It can latch on to your senses as you watchpornography, as you bow before the altar of the minibar in your house, or whenyou mistreat and abuse your wife. Whoever is in control of the gates of thecity, controls the city. For instance, when you allow pornography to comethrough your eye-gates, those evil spirits are allowed access into your body.We have to make choices. We have to leave the old man behind. We have receivedforgiveness through the blood of Yeshua, but spiritual deliverance is a part ofthe process when God’s Kingdom starts ruling in your heart. Why don’t we reachfor this place of freedom more than for anything else? Because we are toooccupied with our search for pleasure in our self-satisfying andself-glorifying lifestyle. We don’t realise that there is a life of abundancein Christ – a life of freedom, a Promised Land!
The Kingdom of God is within us. It is an unseen innerKingdom, but it has an outer manifestation. It is a Kingdom of the heart whereGod, through Christ, rules within us. As we go through the maturing process andHoly Spirit moves within us, we will discover that various parts of ourpersonality are not reconciled to God. Those parts that still need to bereconciled will rebel against God and His Word. Those parts are looking forself-gratification. In those parts where rebellion still rules, the Holy Spiritneeds to be invited in. As we repent, we will receive forgiveness – but realand lasting change will only come when you keep on submitting yourself to HolySpirit until your being and your behaviour changes. Yeshua’s plan for us wasnever that we will continue in sin and unrighteousness after we received thegift of forgiveness. When parts of our heart aren’t fully submitted to God wewill struggle to have fellowship and intimacy with God, and that is completelyunderstandable because the Word teaches us: 2 Cor 6;14 dat it is impossible forlight to have fellowship with darkness.
The more we surrender our lives to God, and His HolySpirit takes control of our old nature, the easier the fellowship with God willbecome and the easier it will be for us to obey Yeshua’s commands.
Matth. Kingdom of God.
So, the salvation we receive through Christ results ina new creation and a new nature, and from this condition of our hearts we canstart living “Kingdom-life” here on earth. That which is of the old corruptednature will pass away, and that which is of Christ will grow to maturity.
Seek first Matt. 6
Kingdom-life is a life full of the manifestation ofChrist. You can live as a son of God in His fullness here on earth – you don’thave to wait until you get to heaven.
It is so sad to say, but I know that those faithfulfollowers of Christ who choose to lay down their life, pick up their cross, andfollow Yeshua the Messiah will be persecuted. It is difficult for Christians toadmit it if they stand with one foot in the world, and the other foot on God’sWord; for we consider ourselves saved and Spirit- filled, but we live inrebellion and according to the lusts of the flesh. We live a life of mixedseed! And that is what we will reap – a confused life!
The mystery of God that we need to understand is thatChrist in us is the hope of Glory. There is a vast difference between havingChrist in us – and having Christ with us. Christ “in us” is the Kingdom of God. Divine grace is God, in Yeshua, enabling man to do God’s will. When wechoose to sin, we become enslaved to Satan and then we start trading on Satan’strading floor with our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. It is never God’swill for His children to continue in sin. As we abide in Christ His godly imagebegins to appear in our personality, and our hearts will be transformed fromhardened hearts to soft, gentle and contrite hearts.
Choose today to place God’s will over your own will.Choose today to invite the Holy Spirit of the living God into your heart andyour pain and all the dark areas of your life. Choose life today, so that youand your descendants can live in God’s Kingdom!
I have seen from my own experiences that there is ahuge difference between living Kingdom-life, and living in the world whilesaying that you have received salvation. The peace, love, joy and righteousnesswe have in Christ, will result in holiness, because God said: “Be holy, for Iam holy.” The Lord was referring to the holiness displayed in our character andbehaviour – that means our behaviour is righteous because The Lord Himselfthrough He Spirit is busy changing us.
For the last couple of years my family and I have beengoing through tremendous fiery trials. There were days when I realized thateverything of Retah has to die, die, die; in order for Christ to live throughme. I could experience the change in my entire being as the supernatural becamea part of the natural.
The Spirit of the Living God has come to dwell insideof us. The Kingdom of heaven has come to earth, and I stand amazed when I seehow God flows through an empty and broken vessel in order for His Kingdom tomanifest on earth.
Not our way – but YHVH way!
On Friday morning I’ll be flying out from Cape Townvery early in order to minister at a weekend camp in Gauteng. My family will bedriving up on Saturday, and will be home on Sunday. Today is our last daytogether at Yzerfontein, and each of us has a different request of what to dowith our day. The kids just went for a walk on the beach and to go and look ata whale the washed up on the beach. Tinus and I still have to go for our lastjog together. The cousins asked if we could please go to Langebaan one lasttime, and Josh wants to play a game of tennis. Aldo just wants to be there whenthe wheels of the bus start turning – no matter where we go. We have such afull day to look forward to! Thank you Yeshua that we can enjoy every moment,and we ask for Your will in everything we do.
And thus another holiday has come to an end – but wewill keep on living Kingdom life every step of the way.
The Kingdom of heaven is available for all the sons ofGod – live it!
Love,
Retah and family.