 As I live the rest of my life reading and studying His Word, I have learned humility and what it means to be obedient. I have learned what it is to be guided by His Spirit. Once you humble yourself to His Will for your life, things that you thought were okay to do and look “right” in your eyes will seem out of place and don’t belong in your life. Being a Kingdom citizen means you never have to fight for yourself, but always submit to the King. Do you recall what ambassador James stated? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:6-7 The Lord God, our King, has angels to intervene for you. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:9-12 King David knew that angels were the Lord God’s army when he proclaimed: I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Psalms 34:1-7 Always remember, as a citizen of His Kingdom you should never concern yourself with fighting for your “rights”. You are not of this world! You are born again by His Spirit. Therefore you are now Kingdom citizens, with all the rights and privileges afforded you by our Lord and King. What can this world ever offer you that He cannot give you, no matter what this world says! For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 Keep in mind, there is a spiritual war being waged against our being and we are to submit our will—mind, body and soul—to the Father and the evil one will run from you. That is all we must do—submit our will to His Will! Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7 We hear many times, from those who don’t study or know God’s Constitution, that you should fight the devil. But you won’t find it anywhere in His Constitution—your Bible. We are to draw near to Him. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. James 4:8-10 NLT As we read in James 4:7, we are only to submit to God and RESIST the devil. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having [freely] forgiven us all our sins, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross. Colossians 2:13-15 AMP Christians keep trying to fight a battle that Jesus already won for us! All we are required to do is accept His victory, seek Him and submit to His Will. You are not “fighting the devil”. You are fighting your own selfish will. Even ambassador Paul wrestled with his own selfish will: So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:14-25 NLT We must purify our hearts with His Word. When you are a citizen of His Kingdom, all your needs are met. We should never concern ourselves with the needs of life, such as clothes, food, shelter. Trust God! We know our Lord and King provides us with all our needs, yet we worry, fret and scrounge to get the very things He has said He would provide…if we would just seek Him and His righteousness (because He IS righteousness!) above everything else. These are the very words of King Jesus to His people, yet we still doubt: “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28-30 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 Loving the Lord God with all your heart is the main key to obedience. We as Kingdom citizens should never concern ourselves with battling the devil and his demons. That isn’t your responsibility. That has already been done. We only need to understand that victory and submit to the Fathers will by obeying His Word. It is mankind's nature to overthink and overcomplicate things. If we would simply follow King Jesus' teachings and His life, we would find a life of far greater peace. He never called His citizens to a life of worry and strife. Knowing the Father loves us and trusting that His way is always for our benefit, gives peace and contentment. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 NLT Remember, your faith in God's Word is your greatest asset in His Kingdom. All scriptures are NKJV unless noted W.R. Luchie www.kingdomcitizens.org |
