Daniel 9-11:1 / 1 John 2:18-3:6 / Psalm 121 / Proverbs 28:27-28
We live among two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of the devil. Not only do we live among these two kingdoms, but people are also divided. They must choose to live under one kingdom or the other. There is the Jesus Christ Kingdom and there is the anti-Jesus Christ kingdom. Under which kingdom do you live?
As followers of Jesus, we are exhorted in scripture, to live in the world but not of the world. In 1 John 2:15 we read: “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” the New Living Translation, NLT. This is one of several verses that contrast living in the world, versus living of the world.
Our perspective, our rules, our weapons, along with everything else we’ve been given as citizens of heaven are very different from the things available to those who belong to the system of the world and the devil. One kingdom is fueled by love, the other by hatred. One is fueled by building up, the other by tearing down.
I’ve said this before: no one would willingly choose the kingdom of hatred and tearing down if they had the spiritual eyes to see Truth. If everyone saw the beauty of Truth, they would choose that path every time. Therefore, we must work to open the eyes of those who are blinded by the ruler of this world (the devil). But how do we do that?
We must first know who we are according to the Spirit. 1 John 2:20-21 (NLT) says this, “But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So, I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.”
We help others see the Kingdom of Love through our knowledge of Truth and through prayer! We are the keepers of Truth. But we must not keep the Truth to ourselves. Truth is meant to be shared with others for the sake of their freedom. When we have received freedom as the people of God, our hearts are moved to share that freedom with those who don’t know.
We are in a spiritual war, one that has lasted for centuries. This war began when the serpent deceived Eve and enticed her into eating the fruit God had forbidden her to eat. That day the enemy declared war on those loved of God. And that day God began a plan to win us back to His heart and to give us our freedom again.
God is not content for us to live in darkness; that’s why He sent His Son Jesus Christ: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So, live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Those of us in Christ are no longer part of the dark kingdom; we are part of the Kingdom of light, and we are lighting the way for others to see and receive what we have been given.
