In the creation of the world, God placed man and woman in this kingdom, we call the garden. Yet, God’s design was disrupted because of the fall.
Don’t you hate that? All things are going well and something comes along and disrupts everything.
God’s design was disrupted because of man’s disobedience. He didn’t listen to what he had been told. When this occurred, this kingdom was yielded to Satan, the father of all lies. Yes, he was the instigator and the architect of their fall.
This then ushered in a counterfeit kingdom that is called the “kingdom of darkness.”
This kingdom is in conflict constantly with the Kingdom of God.
How does Satan rule in this kingdom of darkness? By filling men’s hearts with lies and deceptions; by keeping men “in the dark” regarding spiritual truth. He blinds our minds so we cannot understand or see the kingdom of heaven.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4: 4)
So we have now darkness and light–ignorance and knowledge. We either walk in the darkness of ignorance or in the light of knowledge. The two were separated for a reason.
Jesus had told us to walk in the light. What does that really mean? “God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet, walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1: 5-7)
Yes, my friends, it’s all about our walk! May He “Teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His path.” (Isaiah 2: 3)
Each day we choose our path, which one we walk on. “Let us walk in the Light of the Lord.” (Isaiah 2: 5)
His pleasant path leads us to pleasant places. He will stay close to us and guide us along His pathway as He is watching with His eye and lighting our way.
What does walking in the light provide for us? “My God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalm 18: 28) But, I must turn to Him for that to occur. We can start here, and say, “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning.” God responds when we ask for Him to keep our light bright.
Kingdom-walking keeps our light burning bright.
The light has a lot to cover, His kingdom is huge! Walking in His light does this:
- Advances us. “With your help, I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall.” (Psalm 18: 29)
- Perfects us. “As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is flawless.” (Psalm 18: 30a)
- Shields us. “He is a shield, for all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 18: 30b)
There is so much more that His light provides. He is a rock. “He arms me with strength and He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle. He gives me His shield of victory and your right hand sustains me; you step down and make me great. You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn.” (Psalm 18: 30-36)
All of this comes from embracing the Kingdom walk, the Kingdom of Light.
Read the rest of the Psalm and see the effect of asking God to keep our lamp burning.
Kingdom-minded believers understand that the fire needs to be stoked.
When a fire is stoked it is prodded and moved around to be ignited to burn higher and better.
“That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1: 6-7, AMPC)
Our gifts are not given in full bloom; they need to be developed through use.
In our development we need to remember this: “Don’t develop partnerships with those who are not followers of Jesus’ teachings. For what real connection can exist between righteousness and rebellion? How can light participate in darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6: 14)
We need to position ourselves in those places where we can use our gifting, in and outside of the church.
KINGDOM PRINCIPLE: If we want to bloom, we must be positioned and planted in good soil. From the beginning, to be fruitful, we have to be seedful. We have to take the time to prepare the soil if we want to embrace the seed.
KINGDOM ASSURANCE
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