It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Posts tagged ‘seed sown’

Kingdom of Heaven and Earth to Co-Exist Within You

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth there was a continuous flow or gateway between heaven and earth where God and mankind had open access to one another. God’s original plan for humanity was for mankind to rule and reign in the physical realm of earth as God rules and reign in the spiritual realm in the heavens. All authority and dominion were given to mankind for the purpose of transforming the earth into a place where God’s presence and likeness would be seen throughout the whole earth. 

Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” NKJ

God took man out of the dust of the ground, (earth) and formed him into the image of God’s likeness. God breathed into mankind His breath of life,who was given a will and the ability to rule and reign over the earth he also had the capacity to make choices and decisions regarding his life.   Wherever God reigns and God rules is called the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom spanned from the heavens to earth, as God ruled in heaven and the Godlike-man ruled in earth, both were part of the Kingdom of God. God’s kingdom territory, like most kingdoms, is wherever the King has dominion and rules.  

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. NKJ

In God’s original creation, God, mankind and nature were in perfect harmony with one another.  God’s living spirit resided within mankind and His presence was in fellowship with both mankind and nature, until the rebellion of mankind against their God and King. That was the day the Godlike mankind spirit died. The spirit of God that was breathed intomankind ceased to be and was separated from the body. Then the soul of mankind lost it perfect unity and connection with their Creator. 

Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space, with their disobedience to God and obedience to Satan, then came the fall into sin and thereby the transference of the dominion and rule from the Godlike man into the hands of Satan. The earth which was the kingdom of God fell into darkness andinto the hands of Satan the prince of darkness.  

Romans 6:16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. NLT

Luke 1:78-79 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.” NKJ

Jesus came to earth, being fully God and the Son of Man, bringing both the kingdom heaven and God’s rule back to earth through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and that it was near because He had come. Wherever the Spirit of God lives in the earth, that becomes part of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told them to repent, which means to change the way, the direction you are going or to change the way you think about what you are doing.  To repent is to turn from your old ways of doing things and to agree with God’s word and His direction. It is not just about feeling sad or it regretful it is about changing one’s heart and mindset.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” NKJ

Through faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection we can receive the Holy Spirit of God to be born again in the likeness of God through His Spirit. Then we are now in fellowship with God and have entered into the kingdom of heaven. God’s kingdom is where God’s presence and earth join. Just as it was in the original state when God created the earth, His presence was in the earth and He would walk with mankind in the garden in the cool of the day. God’s presence was in the earth and His kingdom reigned upon the earth. 

1 Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Genesis 3:8-9 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

God has always desired fellowship with His creation and He knewbeforehand that mankind would rebel and turn away. It was because of the love God had for us, that He would not leave us in our fallen state. He sent Yeshua, Jesus our Rescuer and Redeemer He provided a way for all humanity to return to Him. God provided a way for mankind to revert back to their created purpose, which is to resemble, reflect and reveal the love of God in the earth. By God’s grace we are saved, through faith in the completed work that Jesus did on our behalf. Jesus lived a perfect life, that we could not. He died a death that we deserved. He paid the cost for our rebellion and sin, that we owed.  Through faith in Jesus, we can now again be in fellowship with God and receive the Holy Spirit of God to live within us.

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The kingdom of heaven is not something you can observe or see with the naked eye. It is not demonstrated by what you eat or wear, nor any self-righteous acts that we may try to do to obtain access to God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is within us when the Holy Spirit is living in us. Then the presence of God is in these earthen vessels, God’s presence and dominion and kingdom has come once again into the earth. And because His kingdom and dominion we now have the power and are able to live a life God had ordained in the beginning through the Holy Spirit. We have the power to forgive, to love, to show mercy and to have peace and joy in the midst of a crooked and perverse world.  

Romans 14:17-18 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

1 Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God and earth are joined together in our earthly bodies and thereby, the kingdom of God is now living within us. How that kingdom is displayed,will be seen through the degree we allow His kingdom ways and His Spirit to have preeminence in our lives.  

Matthews 13:23But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” NKJ

 

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The Soil of the Soul – Rocky Soil

We have seen so many people accept Jesus as their Saviour with joy at the beginning only to see them spiral down into a pit of darkness. When life comes to test our commitment to the truth and principles that we so joyously received, it is then we will demonstrate our loyalty and dedication to the word. When the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy all that we represent as the image bearers of God, this is a test to see if we will stand or will we give in to the pressures of life. Life will come to test and see if we truly believe what we said and if we are really devoted and steadfast to our principles and to our God.

Jesus explains this process in the parable of the seed sown in rocky soil and good soil. Jesus described the different ways people act in response to hearing God’s word in the parable of the seed. If the word of God is sown and falls on a heart that is hard, the enemy can come devour the word, so they cannot receive it. Unfortunately many people will give up at the first challenge or testing because they are not grounded in the word.

Mark 4: 3-7 Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

Many people hear the word of God preached and yet they refuse to receive or comprehend it because their hearts are too hard. They are like the wayside, well-traveled road where the soil is so hard a seed will not be able to penetrate the hardness of the surface. Some people have been so hurt by life they have hardened their hearts and they do not trust anyone and refuse to believe in God or anyone else due to the lies of the enemy and the pain that life has given them.

Other people’s hearts are like stony ground where the soil is soft to receive the seed, the word of God, but the soil is shallow, the rocks, boulders and obstacles in their lives block their roots and when they are tested they wither. They do not have much knowledge of God’s word and there is no place for the word to take root in their hearts and minds. They may start out on fire for the Lord but again, at the first wave of testing, they get angry at God for letting things happen and may give up at the first sign of trouble. There is still too much of the hardness of the world in their hearts and not enough of God’s word, God’s truth rooted in them.

They are not deeply rooted in the word so when the heat of life comes to test their faith, they will burn from the heat of life’s pressure because their roots are not deep enough to bring the word to their hearts.

Others receive the word and begin to grow but they allow the thorns and problems of this world to grow greater in their hearts and minds, which chokes the truth of God’s word. They that allow the challenges and pressures of trying to pay bills get food for the family and provide housing to become greater than the truth of God’s word, are then unable to fulfill God’s created purpose for them. They tend to focus on the things the world is going after, food clothing and shelter.

Jesus told us not to worry about the things we will eat and wear, but to seek the kingdom of God and His right way of living and all these things will be given to us. The two things Jesus told us to do are to get into the kingdom and then line up with the ways of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is entered by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus says He is the Door and no man enters except by Him.

Matthew 6:25, 31-34   Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. NKJV

Once we seek the kingdom of God and enter by faith in Jesus, we are to live in right standing with the kingdom ways and learn the constitution of our kingdom. The Spirit of God gives us the ability to live in right standing with God by seeking the truth of the word of God.

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