Chapter 4

This last year I had the privilege of getting to team-teach the youth Sunday School class at our church. They were in the middle of a study called “The Gospel Project” when I started. One of the first lessons I encountered was one on Kingdoms. When I read this lesson, something clicked inside of me.
TWO KINGDOMS
From this study, I found out there are only two kingdoms, the Kingdom of this World and the Kingdom of Heaven. When I saw this clearly, I realized that we are always facing one and turning our back to the other. Every day, every moment, we get to choose what we look at, what we listen to, where we go, and what we do. It was at that point that I realized that I have spent my entire adult life trying to follow Jesus with my eyes fixed on the world. Oh my goodness! No wonder it wasn't working for me.


THE KINGDOM OF THIS WORLD: the kingdom of lies and deception - the kingdom of self
When I began to meditate on what makes up this kingdom we call The World, I realized that this is an external kingdom. It does not matter how good a person is in this kingdom, what matters is:  Is he rich or smart or talented or handsome? In this kingdom it doesn't matter who we are, what matters most is who people think we are. In this kingdom we are moved by the opinions of others, so we are constantly seeking approval. We have to wear certain clothes or drive certain cars or live in certain areas of town or be a certain weight. And what we have or what we do is never enough, because we see others who have more.
Pride is the base-line in this kingdom. We want to be stronger, faster, prettier, smarter, or more talented than the next per-
son. We have learned how to measure ourselves and others, so there are clear winners and clear losers. There are haves, and there are have-nots. This is a kingdom of status, and everyone wants to be the one on top. Everything in this life is about get- ting ahead, which is a never ending battle because there is always someone who is stronger, faster, prettier, smarter, or more talented than we are. This fosters selfish ambitions and bitter envies. James 3:14-16 says, “But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” Even writing this down makes me feel the tension that is in this world all the time. The stress of trying to measure up is almost unbearable.
Covetousness and greed are the moving forces in this kingdom. We want what others have, and we will stop at nothing to get it. And then when we get what we wanted, it is never enough. We want more. Bigger. Better. Faster. Isaiah says that everyone from the least to the greatest is covetous, and all are greedy. That is why we are so far in debt. We are not content with what we have.
As I was meditating on what I see in the world, scriptures started bombarding my mind. 1 John 2:15 says: "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." What? When we love this world and the things it has to offer, we do not have the love of the Father in us? What does this mean? I don’t love God?
Then it says, "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world."
Oh my goodness. How many of us feel that we are blessed because we have the bigger car or better house? How many of us feel like we are blessed because we win? But the lust and the pride of it all does not come from God. This is a lot to process. I began to see that things have moved us, not God. God is about to take all the things away, and I feel like He is saying to us, just like he said to Lot, "Do not look back!" Let it go. Don't think about it. Don't worry about it because "This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave, but anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” (1 John 2:17)
Then God allowed me to see that we want to please people instead of Him. James 4:4 says, "You adulterers and adulteresses! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. I say it again: If you wnanttobeafriendoftheworld,you make yourself an enemy of God." He said it twice. The world and the people of the world who are moved by pride and lust and status are going in the opposite direction of God, and if we
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want to be their friends, we have to do the things that would please them. That is an abomination to our Father. They are following after a lie. We have to follow the truth. We cannot have it both ways. So according to scripture, if we want to fit in with the world, we have just made God our enemy. We have chosen.
So after evaluating what the Kingdom of the World is and what it has to offer, we find that everything is self-centered. We are the god of this world. It is all about
us. Pride. Lust. Greed. We want what we want, and we want it now. We are more important than the next person, so we will do whatever it takes to get our way. The problem is that none of this brings peace and none of it brings joy. It brings divi- sion. It brings jealousy. It brings confusion and chaos. It is like chasing after the wind. We never catch what we truly want, what would really make us happy. We are going the wrong way.
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
the kingdom of Truth
When I started meditating on the Kingdom of Heaven, I found that this kingdom is an internal kingdom. The Bible says that the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. There are no haves and have-nots. All men are created equal. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of the Most High God. It does not matter if we can jump high or run fast. It doesn't matter if we are rich or
poor. It doesn't matter if we are fat or skinny. It doesn't matter if we are beautiful or if we are not beautiful. It does not matter
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if we are smart or if we are not. We are His workmanship cre- ated in Christ Jesus for good works that He has prepared in ad- vance that we should walk in. God made us. God calls
us. God chooses us. God equips us. God prepares the
works. God prepares us. God prepares the way. God places what we need for the task in our hands. All of our strengths are for His glory. All of our weaknesses are for His glory. God or- chestrates everything from beginning to end, so where is the boasting? There is nothing I can do that God didn't do for me, so the only boasting I have is to say, "God is good!"
The base line in the Kingdom of Heaven is humility. It is not us, but Christ in us. If we have any power, it is His power. If we have any wisdom, it is because God has given it to us. If we have any strength, it is because our Savior is strong. There is no boasting. Even Jesus said, "The Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is to do." (John 5:19) Jesus, Himself, did nothing apart from God. We can't either. There is no cause for pride. We can do nothing by ourselves. We only do what we see the Father do- ing. We are completely dependent on Him.
Then I found that love and mercy are the moving forces in this kingdom. When we begin to live and move and have our being in Truth, God teaches our heart how to love. Not the love the world gives, but the God kind of love, the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love. “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and itkeepsnorecordofbeingwronged.”Loveforgives. Loveneverrenders evil for evil, but instead gives a blessing.
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“Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ – the Son of the Father – will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.” (2 John 3) So we begin to speak the truth and love people. We allow them to choose the path they wish to follow. Free will is an amazing thing. It is the greatest gift God ever gave to mankind, so we let people choose. Love speaks the truth and then loves others regardless of what they decide to do. Then we let the consequences play out. God knows how to discipline those He loves. We no longer try to control peo- ple. We stop judging. We leave it all in God's hands. He is able. Then people are drawn to the light, and mercy flows like a river all around us.
We finally understand that what others want is more important than what we want, so we learn to lay down our own selfish de- sires. We learn to lay down our ambitions and pride. We learn to think of others as more important than ourselves. We learn to let go of all control and manipulation. We learn to submit to authorities. We learn to trust God with all that we have and all that we are. We learn to treat others like we would want them to treat us. We learn to walk on the narrow road that leads to life.
The Kingdom of Heaven then becomes a place where we can find rest and refuge for our souls. We can lay all of our burdens down. All strivings cease. It is a place of peace and joy. No matter the circumstances, our heart is the same. When our eyes are fixed firmly on Jesus, and our mouth is giving Him praise, there is nothing that can reach us because our heart belongs to the One who created it. It is safe and secure. We choose to obey. We choose to trust. It is at this point that we begin
to: "Not worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God
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what we need and thank Him for all He has done." Then the peace of God that passes all understanding guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
After evaluating what the Kingdom of Heaven is and what it has to offer, I find that this kingdom has nothing to do with an- ything external. It is not about what we have or we don’t have. It is an internal kingdom. It is a place of rest. It is a place of peace. It is a place of joy. It is a place of equality. There are no haves and have-nots because God has given richly to us all great and amazing promises whereby we can all become partakers of His divine nature. All of this happens in the heart. It is all about who is going to sit on the throne of that heart. This place was created for God and for God alone. If we have anything or anyone else sitting on that throne, it is an idol, an abomination to God, and it has to fall. Our God is a jealous God. It is all or nothing with Him. He will have no idols before Him. We can hold nothing back. So to enter this glorious, peace-filled, joyous place of rest, we have to completely turn our back on the King- dom of the World (Self), and turn our face and our obedi-
ent heart toward the God who can save us from ourselves. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.”
Hebrews 3:12-19 talks about this glorious place of rest with this warning: "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the liv- ing God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first be- lieved, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." Remember what it says, "Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did
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when they rebelled." And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard His voice? Wasn't it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when He took an oath that they would never enter His
rest? Wasn't it the people who disobeyed Him? So we see that because of their unbelief, they were not able to enter His rest.”
These people were rescued from Egypt (sin). God led them and fed them. He did everything He could to turn their unbe- lieving hearts back to Himself, but they would not. So he gave them no rest. Anxieties, fears, insecurities, and terror ruled them. This may be you. You love God, but there is no rest in your soul. If this is the case, I have good news for you. He- brews 4:1-7 says: "God's promise of entering His rest still stands, so we oughttotremblewithfearthatsomeofyoumightfailtoexperienceit. For this good news - that God has prepared this rest - has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn't share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter His rest...So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is to- day." "Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts."
Did you hear that? Today God wants to bring you to this place of rest. If you want to find this place, face Jesus right now with your heart-wide-open and pray this prayer: "Search my heart O God and know me. Try my anxious thoughts. See if there is any wicked wayinsideofmeandleadmeintopathsoflifeeverlasting. IaskthisinJe- sus' name. AMEN.” (Psalm 139:23-24) When you pray this
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prayer, God will bring to your mind the lies you have been be- lieving. Once He does, come to Him without excuse and say, "God, I am guilty, and I am so sorry. Please forgive me." This hastocomeoutofyourmouth. "Ifyouconfessyoursins,Godis faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unright- eousness." (1 John 1:9)
Your heart should have rest at this point. If it does not, pray the prayer again until God has dealt with all the lies He wants to deal with today. You will know when He is through, because peace will enter your heart. Once this is done, God will have revealed to you who your true enemies are: unforgiveness, shame, guilt, self-condemnation, depression, being offended, self-pity, feelings of worthlessness, fear, doubt and unbelief,
etc. Once you put a name to your enemy, you can recognize it when it tries to come back. If it tries to return, turn your back to it. If it enters your heart again, face Jesus, and say, "I am guilty again. Please forgive me." Pretty soon your enemies will stop coming around because they can't get in. It is written "Sub- mit to God, resist the devil, and he has to flee." (James 4:7)
At this point I want you to take the time to thank God. Declare all the great things God has done for you. Tell others. Declare His greatness. When you do this, joy bubbles up inside. We were created to give our Creator praise.
So I have come to understand that there are only two kingdoms, the kingdom we can see and the kingdom we cannot see. One leads to life, and the other leads to death. This was a game changer for me. My eyes had always been upon the world and the things of this world. I had my own plan and my own agenda. Now, my gaze has shifted. My eyes are upon my King,
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and He now leads my every move. I don’t know where I am going; I am just following Him.
two realms
Then I began to understand that there are two realms, a natural realm and a spiritual realm. I knew this, but somehow I always thought that the spiritual realm was somewhere way up in the sky, and we were down here - completely separate. I know that is somewhat true because both Jacob and Jesus had angels as- cending and descending upon them. But, what I did not under- stand was that both realms always work side-by-side and simul- taneously interact with one another. The spirits affect every- thing that happens in the natural realm, and the natural affects everything that happens in the spirit realm. That’s scary, isn’t it? Not if we know how it all works.
Spiritual Laws
There are spiritual laws set up in the heavens just like there are natural laws set up on earth. We know that on earth, there is the law of gravity - what goes up, must come down. There are also laws that govern the sun and the moon and the stars and the seasons. We see those laws enacted every day, every week, every month, and every year. There are laws that govern the ocean, “When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’” (Job 38:11) There is complete order in all of the universe. God planned it that way.
There is also complete order in the spirit realm. God set up laws there, too, but what is allowed to happen in the spirit realm
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depends on what we choose in the natural. “If you follow My de- crees and are careful to obey My commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. Thelandwillthenyielditscrops,andthetreesofthefieldwillpro- duce their fruit. Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land.” (Leviticus 26:3-5)
Did you see that? If we obey God, He causes rain to fall, crops to yield, seasons to overlap so that we will always have plenty, and He causes us to live securely in our own land. This is all in the natural, but the spirit realm makes it happen. The spirits (angels) are commanded to send rain. The spirits are com- manded to cause the trees to yield fruit. The spirits are com- manded to protect us so that we can live securely in our own land.
When we understand this, we can understand scriptures like: “And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.’” (Mark 11:21) And, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.’” (Mark 4:39) When we obey God, the spirits (angels) are commanded to send a blessing, and theydo. Theirpowerextendsintothenaturallawsofna- ture. “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” (James 5:17) That’s a lot to think about.
Another story that came to my mind while pondering the work- ing of spirits in the natural realm was something that happened right after Jesus fed five thousand people. “Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling
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against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw Him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking He was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw Him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage! I am here! Then He climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were to- tally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.” (Mark 6:47-52)
There are some things that we cannot understand because our hearts are still too hard to take it all in, but the more we yield our hearts to God, the softer our hearts will become. Then we will be able to understand how a person could walk on water, make the wind and the waves stop, or feed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish. The spiritual (angel) realm is com- manded to send a blessing. This process starts in the natural as we begin to let God into every part of who we are, as we take up our cross and follow Jesus, and as we are obedient to every- thing He wants us to do. The more we submit to God, the more the spiritual world is commanded to bless us. Wow!
Then God said, “I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able tosleepwithnocauseforfear. Iwillridtheland(ourheart)ofwildani- mals and keep your enemies (we have all been naming our enemies) out of your land. In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword (the Word of God). (Leviticus 26:6-8)
When we obey God, fear has to leave, peace is commanded to
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enter, and all enemies will be slaughtered. The spirits are com- manded to work on our behalf. This all happens on the inside of us, in our heart, but it is still in the natural realm. Fear leaves and peace enters. All of our enemies are defeated.
But there is more. “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill My covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be My people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.” (Le- viticus 26:9-13)
When we obey God, God walks with us. He prospers us from year to year. He multiplies us. He breaks the chains that bind us. We walk with dignity, because God commands it to be so. The spirits then carry out the work that our actions set into mo- tion. We walk and act like a king. We can do this because God walks with us. “The LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Be- fore Him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 20:11) Oh my goodness!
However, look what happens when we refuse to obey. “If you do not listen to Me or obey all these commands, and if you break My covenant by rejecting My decrees, treating My regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey My commands, I will punish you. I will bring sudden terrors upon you - wasting diseases and burning fevers that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away.” (Leviticus 26:14-16) If we choose to disobey what God tells us to do, He then sends spirits (demons)
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who bring terror and disease on us. The spiritual consequences of our natural choice to disobey is sickness, disease, blindness, and fear.
Once I got hold of this verse, I began to treat all sickness as if it were a consequence of sin. When someone calls to ask me to pray for someone sick, I go for the heart. “Heart, open wide in Jesus’ name. Light and love of Jesus Christ, enter. Light, search every part of his heart. Let truth lead him and guide him. Bring to the surface all things that are hidden that he may be healed. Tear down every stronghold and every high thing that exalts it- self against the knowledge of God. I ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN.”
Now, do I think all sickness is because of sin? No. “Now as Je- sus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disci- ples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Jesus answered, ‘Neither, this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.’” (John 9:1- 3) Even though I know that all sickness is not caused by sin, I think most of us are clueless to the enemies that are within us. I don’t think we fully understand what we do, so God will use whatever means He can to turn our hearts toward Himself. Sin opens the door to sickness, disease, and terror. The thief is then allowed in to kill, steal, and destroy, but God has sent His Son so that we can have life and have it abundantly. All we have to do is repent, and then the spirits (demons) that bring terror and disease have to relent. God then commands the blessing, and the spirits who bring blessings (angels) have to bless.
But sickness is not the only thing that happens to those who
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disobey. “You will plant your crops in vain because your enemies will eat them. I will turn against you, and you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you (the spirits) will rule over you, and you will run even when no one is chasing you! (Leviticus 26:16-17) If we disobey God, nothing we do will prosper. We will plant much but harvest lit- tle. But more than that, the spirits who hate us will take over. Bitterness, anger, depression, worry, jealousy, fear, hatred, and the whole mess of other spirits who want us destroyed will be allowed to take over our heart. There will be no rest for our soul. The spirits (demons) will not let it happen.
Then read the rest of Leviticus 26. If we continue to sin, it will be seven times worse. And if we still don’t turn, seven times worse, then seven times worse, then seven times worse, until we are finally eating our children. God’s not playing. He knows that if we die in our sin, we will spend an eternity separated from Him, and He will do whatever it takes for this not to hap- pen. He disciplines those He loves, and as you can tell, He is trying to discipline the whole world.
THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS HAS SET US FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH!
The problem we have all faced our entire life is that we are sin- ners. We were born with a sin nature. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Once we sin, these spir- itual laws are set in motion. The spirits (demons) are com- manded to send sickness, disease, and terror. They are com- manded to devour our crops, to defeat us, and to rule over us.
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In times past, there was no way to escape this punishment. “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) We have broken the law, and there are severe consequences for our actions. But when Jesus came to earth, died in our place, and took our pun- ishment on Himself, a new set of spiritual laws were set in mo- tion.
“For the law ofthe spirit oflife in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) We can now come to God, with- out excuse, and say, “I am guilty.” Once we do this, He says, “Forgiven. Your debt paid in full.” At this point our sin and the consequences of our sin goes away. God then commands the spirits to bless and not curse. Peace enters, the Kingdom of God advances, and God gets all the glory. Praise and thanks- giving then enter our heart because we understand the good gift that God has given us - righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the Kingdom. This is freedom.
THERE ARE SPIRITS FOR US AND SPIRITS AGAINST US
There are laws that all spirits have to follow, they can do noth- ing in heaven that we don’t allow on earth. When God gave me the Parable of the Raccoon, I knew that He had given me the keys to the Kingdom. I could see it; I could feel it; I could touch it, but I didn’t understand it. It was not until God showed me Matthew 16:19 in the New Living Translation that I began to understand. “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind (forbid) on earth will be bound (forbid- den) in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit) on earth will be loosed (permitted) in heaven.”
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When I come to God and say, “I am guilty of being resentful and bitter. I am guilty of wanting to retaliate. God, please for- give me!” Because I confessed my sins, those spirits - resent- ment, bitterness, retaliation - are bound or forbidden to move in the heavenly realm. I then turn my back on them, and I don’t let them enter my heart again. I forbid them to move in me. This action starts in the natural - I choose. Then, whatever I choose is forced to play out in heaven.
From the moment God gave me the Parable of the Raccoon, He began to reveal the names of my enemies. Once they were named, I could recognize them, and therefore, fight them. However, it was not until a few weeks ago that God began to reveal to me the spirits that are for us.
My pastor had been teaching about the unseen realm for several weeks. His focus was on angels and their role in our lives. His sermons touched something deep inside of me. Then one day while I was in prayer, a question entered my mind. I was pray- ing, “God, give him all the patience and endurance he needs,” when this thought entered: “Are patience and endurance angels, God?” It was a passing thought, but the next morning Leia, my spiritual daughter, called and said she had a dream.
Before she went to sleep that night, fear was trying to come upon her. She knows the scripture, “God has not given us a Spirit offear,butofpowerofloveandofasoundmind,” (2Timothy1:7)so she turned her back on fear, put ear plugs in, listened to praise music,andfellasleep. Whileshewasasleep,theHolySpirit spoke over her, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.” She then opened her eyes, and she saw two enor- mous angels, one was called Goodness, the other was called Mercy. When she was telling me this, she was beyond excited saying, “You don’t understand how big they are, and God said that they will follow me all the days of my life!”
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This brought up so many questions in my mind. I know that there are good Spirits because the Bible mentions them: truth, holiness, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, the fear of the LORD, knowledge. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13) This Spirit guides us and tells us things to come. He is the Spirit of Jesus, because Jesus is the truth, and He has much authority. And I know that there is a Spirit of holiness because Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness.” (Romans 1:4) The Spirit of holiness comes with power. This Spirit was on Jesus, and it will be on us, too, once we have completely set ourselves apart for God.
Isaiah 11:2-5 says, “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.”
I pray this scripture often over people in authority and over the people I love; however, it never occurred to me that these were angels. Then I began to pay attention to all of the times when virtues are personified. “Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the LORD pours down His blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.” (Psalm 85:10-13)
These are like people. Righteousness goes before, announcing His coming, preparing the way. Righteousness and peace kiss.
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Truth springs up. Righteousness smiles down. And the land yields its bountiful harvests. What is this harvest? Fruit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithful- ness, self-control, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, fear of the LORD, knowledge, truth, holiness! Are these angels, too? I didn’t know, but what I did know is that God spoke to Leia in a dream - goodness and mercy will follow her all the days of her life. This was confirmed in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and unfailing love (mercy) will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” Goodness is a fruit. Then I knew.
“I have given you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind (forbid) on earth is bound (forbidden) in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit) on earth is loosed (permitted) in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) I will forbid anger, resentment, and retaliation to have dominion over my heart, but I will permit: kindness, goodness, patience, mercy, self-control to rule. Then somewhere along the way en- durance has her perfect work, and unfailing love wins. It is a sacrifice to be kind. It is a sacrifice to let self-control and patience rule in our heart. It is a sacrifice to extend mercy to someone who has wronged us. But God has given us the power and the authority to do this. We choose! Then He sends His angels to make sure it happens.
I don’t know if this is touching your heart in any way, but it is mine. These are angels that go before us to prepare the way, and they go behind us to be our rear guard. When this thought entered my heart, the scriptures about angels made sense.
“If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet.” (Psalm 91:9-13) Kindness, goodness, mercy, patience,
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and self-control are a part of the many faceted wisdom of God. They are spirits that are sent to care for us and protect us. Look at all these angels are commanded to do. No evil can conquer us. No plague (sickness) can come near our dwelling. They hold us in their hands so that we won’t even hurt our foot on a stone. Lions, cobras, and serpents will all be crushed under our feet because the angels are commanded to bless us. Oh, my!
I know that goodness and mercy are in Leia’s heart. This is who she is, and these virtues will never fail her. They will guard and protect her all the days of her life. Then I asked God, “Do I have angels?” He said, “Yes, an army. Look in your heart. You will know who they are.”
My heart is singing at the very thought of how good my God is to me. He has sent His angels to prepare the way. Now I call the angels by name. God, will You give me more patience right now? Make me kind. And LORD, let me have unfailing love and mercy. I need You, LORD. And then God comes with power. “Ifyouthen,beingevil,knowhowtogivegoodgiftstoyourchil- dren, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13) These virtues are part of the many faceted wisdom that is our God, and He delights to give His goodness to His children. It is part of God’s big plan.
“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the be- ginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principali- ties and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our LORD, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. (Ephesians 3:8-13)
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Every time we choose life instead of death, and blessing instead of cursing, God’s glory radiates in the heavenly realms. We dis- play His greatness to the principalities and powers in the heav- enly places. Our confident hope in what Jesus did for us gives us bold, confidence access to His grace and mercy. We know that it is not us, but Christ in us that accomplishes anything, but we also know that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us, so we choose.
Now I understand the spirit realm and the natural realm are in- tertwined. It starts on earth. We will forbid or permit things to happen in our heart on earth. What we choose will be played out in the heavens. Everyday we choose life, or we choose death. We choose blessing, or we choose cursing. The choice is ours. Then, God makes sure that we reap the rewards or the consequences of our choices.
One God
IN CONTROL OF IT ALL
There have been several paradigm shifts in my life the last few years, but the major shift came to me two or three years ago when God allowed me to see who was at the head of the enemy army. This revelation shook everything I had ever believed and everything I have ever been taught to the core. Once I em- braced this truth, it changed my life. It changed the way I look at everything. My feet are now on solid ground, and my heart is unmovable.
I am going to start out by paraphrasing what I learned, and then I will go to scripture. Once you see it, your eyes, too, will be opened and you will see it everywhere. You will then be like me and say, “How did I ever miss this?”
I first saw it in Joel 2. Joel talks about an army that marches forward in unison. It never breaks rank. It breaks through
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every defense. It dodges every weapon. It goes over every wall into every city into every window into every house. Before them it is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them it is a deso- late wasteland, and the people writhe with pain as they march through.
“Sound the alarm in Jerusalem! Raise the battle cry on My holy mountain! LeteveryonetrembleinfearbecausethedayoftheLORDisuponus. It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears. Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again. Fire burns in front of them, and flames follow after them. Ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. They look like horses; they charge forward like warhorses. Look at them as they leap along the moun- taintops. Listen to the noise they make - like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of fire sweeping across a field of stubble, or like a mighty army moving into battle. Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with ter- ror. The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right position. They break through defenses without missing a step. They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows. The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.” (Joel 2:1-10)
When I saw this, I thought, “This is the enemy army!” This has already happened. The enemy army has already entered every room in every house that I know, and desolation has followed. We are now a wasteland. The internet and TV, our cell phones and the music we listen to have probably let most of it in, but regardless of how it has happened, it has happened. But what hit me hardest is what Joel 2:11-12 says next. “The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads with a shout. This is His mighty army, andtheyfollowHisorders. TheDayoftheLORDisanawesome,terri- ble thing. That is why the LORD says, “Turn to Me now, while there is
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time. Give Me your hearts.”
WHAT! God, You are at the head of the enemy army? Is this true? You have to tell me. Is this true? Then peace started washing over me as scripture after scripture came pouring in. “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when He corrects you. For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child. As you endure this divine disci- pline, remember that God is treating you as His own children.” (He- brews 12:5-7) All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose, for we are being conformed into the image of His Son.” (Romans 8:28) My brothers and sisters, when trou- bles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4) “Consider Job and the end in- tended by the LORD - that the LORD is very compassionate and merci- ful.” (James 5:11)
Then God took me to Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 where He says, “If you obey Me, I will bless you, bless you, bless you, “But if you do not obey Me...I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies, those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.” (Leviticus 26:14-17) Who is doing it? God.
I know that some of you are thinking about all the suffering and all the pain, and you are saying to yourself, “How can God do that?” But, His ways are so much higher than our ways, and His thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts. He knows what the end is going to be, we don’t. James 5:11 keeps playing over and over in my mind and in my heart, “Consider Job and the end intended by the LORD - that the LORD is very compassionate and merciful.” To lose our entire family and our fortune does not
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seem compassionate and merciful. To lose our honor and our health does not either. But look at what Job, the most right- eous man who ever lived (besides Jesus), said at the end of his trial, “Then Job replied to the LORD: ‘I know that You can do anything, and no one can stop You.’ You asked, ‘Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I - and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about You before, but now I have seen You with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” (Job 42:1-6)
How can we question His wisdom with our ignorance? We can’t. Job couldn’t either. God is God, and He does whatever He pleases, things too wonderful for us to comprehend. Really, most of us, like Job, have only heard about God, but in the coming days we will see Him with our own eyes and we will sit in dust and ashes, too.
I don’t know about you, but I am relieved. I don’t know much about my enemy, except that I don’t trust him, but I know my Father. I know His heart. He loves me. He is faithful to me. And I know His plans, they are always plans to prosper and not to harm, plans to give me hope and a future, so now I can relax. Now, no matter what happens, I rejoice. Now, in everything I give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me. I know God is up to something good. I let my Father deal with me. I open my heart wide so that He can heal me and de- liver me, and I submit every part of myself to His will. I hold nothing back. I let Him have His way. I let peace guide me straight into His loving arms. It is there I find refuge under the shadow of His wings.
When I look at the “Big Picture,” I see God’s plan to give man- kind a choice. The choice is to believe and trust Him or to be- lieve and trust in the lies. What we choose sets in motion things
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in the spirit realm that will then dictate what happens in the nat- ural. God commands the blessing or commands the curse, but either way, God is at the head of it all. He is a loving Father pleading with His children to choose life. The life or death we choose this very day will be for all eternity.
NOTE: I want to note here that there are two spirits that will be hardest to fight, the spirit that is on the love of money and the spirit of homosexuality. Both of these spirits demand a to- tal devotion to the world and to the things of this world.
Jesus writes about the perils of wealth in Matthew 19:16-26.
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, ‘“You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and , ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
It sounds like this guy was a pretty good guy. He was trying to do things right. He was trying to be good. However, he was rich. We are, too. We, like this rich young ruler, sit in our pews thinking that we have done a pretty good job following Jesus. But then Jesus says to the rich young ruler, “If you want to be per- fect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that say- ing, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly
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astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
When we have money, we can buy the things this world has to offer; we can have all the comforts and the status our heart longs for. Lust and pride are within our reach. With the poor, this is not so. They are oppressed and abused. This world has not been kind to them, why would they want it? However, most of us have been given this world on a silver platter. We have lived in the most prosperous place and the most prosper- ous time period in all of history. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we have to turn our back on all this world has to of- fer. That will not be easy.
It will likewise not be easy for those who have embraced the homosexual lifestyle. Romans 1:21-27 “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts , and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among them- selves, who exchanged the truth of God (the Kingdom of Heaven) for the lie (the Kingdom of the World), and wor- shiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one an- other, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in them- selves the penalty of their error which was due.” Homosexuality is a consequence of our exchanging the truth of God for a lie and
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for worshiping and serving the creature and the creation rather than the Creator.
“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore, I took them away as I saw fit.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50) The sin of Sodom was pride, fullness of food, and idleness while the poor suffered outside the gates. Our heart chooses the lie. Our heart embraces selfishness, and God gives us over to it. The spirits of this world are then al- lowed to rule us until they take over every area of our life. There are giants in the land. To exit this lifestyle will require every last ounce of strength we have. We will have to turn our back on everything we know and love. We cannot look back.
If you are in this lifestyle or one like it and you want to get out, you have to call on the name of Jesus every second of every mi- nute of every day. He is there to rescue you. He is waiting to hear your voice so that He can come in with all the armies in heaven to set you free. Pick up your Bible and start replacing all the lies with the truth that sets you free. Turn your face toward Jesus and your back to this world and all it has to offer. DO NOT LOOK BACK! Find someone to hold your hand - some- one who knows the truth and walks in it, someone who will love you through it all.
Like the rich young ruler, those who are trapped in the homo- sexual lifestyle will have to forsake all to enter into the kingdom of heaven. We all have to do this, but for some it will be much harder than for others. But know this - it is possible. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Ask God to help you. He is standing there with open arms waiting for you to ask.
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Blessings, my friends. May the LORD give you eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to understand what He is saying so that you may have full confidence in the goodness of His plan and in His great love for you. Remember, we are all more than con- querors through Him who loves us.
Terri Tidwell