When you get to Heaven, do you want to meet the woman with the issue of blood? How about the poor widow that gave all she had, her last two mites? How about the bent-over daughter of Abraham or the madman of Gadarenes? How about the man with the withered arm or the woman whose sons were going to be taken away by the creditors that had been a servant to Elisha? You’re not going to find them by those names or descriptions. Why? Because that is not who they are since being transformed by God.
How many of us are old sinners saved by Grace? None of us are unless we’re a freak outside of God’s creation. We were “an old sinner.” We are now “saved by Grace.” We should NEVER again identify ourselves or even think to ourselves we are or were “an old sinner.” Jesus made this very clear in The Scriptures. We are a new creation; old things have passed away.
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for The Kingdom of God.
Jesus tells us if we identify with our old nature, with our old being, with our old spirit of disobedience, with anything less than how God sees us, we are not fit for The Kingdom of God.
“Fit” = Greek word, “euthetos” which means, “suitable, fit, useful.”
The question is “are you fit?” Are you “useful” in The Kingdom of God?
James 1:22-24
22 But be ye doers of The Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of The Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
The Holy Spirit, through James, is instructing us “faith without works is dead.” “Doing” is acting in faith. But Larry, Romans 10:17 tells us “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by The Word of God.” Yes. But “hearing” is more than “listening.” We see this in Joshua 1:8.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Notice the “hearing” of Romans 10:17 is defined in Joshua 1:8: “But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.” This means we are to be constantly speaking God’s Word, out loud, to ourselves giving thought to what we are saying. This is meditation. In the process of meditation, The Word eventually becomes Truth, which means it becomes “revelation” or “wisdom” to our hearts.
Proverbs 2:6
For The LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Notice, out of God’s mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Where is this found? Yes, on the written pages of The Scriptures. When we meditate “knowledge and understanding,” we receive wisdom from God. God rewards those that diligently seek after Him with wisdom – REVEALED TRUTH.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
What is the purpose of God giving us His wisdom? It is summarized for us in II Timothy 3:16-17.
II Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
What does it mean to be “thoroughly furnished unto all good works?” It means we have come to the Truth that everything and anything possibly required or needed to do the good works of The Kingdom of God is already available to us through the decreed Word of God, in faith, and the commanding of our ministering spirits.
Without God’s wisdom, without understanding who we are in Christ, and therefore being fit for The Kingdom of God, what are we and who are we? We’re saved and have eternal life. But we are mere servants to the world. We are not ruling as kings and priests unto God. The Holy Spirit spells this out for us throughout Scriptures. Let’s look at three Scriptures.
Galatians 4:1
Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Ecclesiastes 10:5-7
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
Matthew 25:29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
How do we overcome the lack of understanding our present identity in Christ? It is spelled out for us in II Corinthians 10:3-5, verses we are all familiar with in The Scriptures.
II Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Verse 3: We don’t entangle ourselves in the affairs, or after the affairs, of men. We do NOTHING after the flesh or through the flesh.
Verse 4: Where are the “weapons” of our warfare found in The Scriptures? Yes, Ephesians 6. Every weapon is designed and given to us by God, “IF” we are willing to meditate and observe to do what we are instructed by Joshua 1:8. What is the outcome of performing Joshua 1:8? “For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
What are “strongholds?” “Strongholds” = Greek word, “ochuróma” which means, “a fortress, strong defense, stronghold.”
Fortified walls were designed around cities to keep the enemy out. However, if we allow the enemy in, the same walls can be used to keep us in and The Spirit of God out. Spiritually, the metaphor of a stronghold is used to describe entrenched sin or false beliefs that can dominate a person’s life.
Verse 5: “Casting down” = Greek word, “kathaireó” which means “to take down, to destroy, to demolish, to dethrone.”
“Imaginations” is the Greek word, “logismos” which means “Thought, reasoning, argument, speculation.” “In the Greco-Roman world, philosophy and rhetoric were highly valued, and the ability to reason and argue effectively was considered a mark of education and intelligence. The early Christian community, while valuing reason, also emphasized the importance of divine revelation and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, often challenging the prevailing philosophical ideas of the time.”
“High thing” = Greek word, “hupsóma” which means “spiritual or intellectual barriers that stand against the knowledge of God.”
“Obedience” = Greek word, “hupakoé” which means “obedience, submissiveness, compliance.” “In the New Testament, it is often used to describe the obedience of believers to God, Christ, or The Gospel. It implies a listening that leads to action, reflecting a heart aligned with divine will.”
We must learn to look into the glass or mirror of God’s Word and see who we are in the eyes of The Most High God and His Son Jesus Christ. And when we rise each day and when we go to sleep each night, we declare, in God’s Word, who we are in The Kingdom of God.
We are victors coming from the victory going to a success.
Upon salvation, we, as Believers, look back to the cross as a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice. However, we are done going to the cross. We now go forth, from the cross, as victors coming from the victory going to a success. The Holy Spirit tells us we are more than conquerors through Christ. Being “more than a conqueror” means we receive all the spoils of Christ’s victory without having to fight. “It is finished.” Everything we do going forward is to be a success if it is in line with God’s Word.
Romans 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
Not only are we more than conquerors through Christ, but we are set up by God to always triumph in Christ in every situation.
II Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be unto God, Which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour [sweet smell] of His knowledge by us in every place.
In closing, we must remember “it is finished.” This being the case, we are not “going” to prosper, we are not “going” to be healed, we are not “going” to be victorious, we are not “going” to be a success. We “are” prosperous, we “are” healed, we “are” victorious, and we “are” a success. Nothing is “going to be.” “It is!” Once we understand and operate from “it is,” we are “fit” for The Kingdom of God.
Much love in Christ Jesus,
Larry