The Kingdom belongs to the Father

The word Kingdom used here is the Greek word Basileia (Strong’s no.932) meaning

1. royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
   1. not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
   2. of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
   3. of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom
2. a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
   used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah

The idea Jesus was trying to get across is that the Father had the RIGHT or AUTHORITY to rule over the kingdom. In other words, the SEAT OF AUTHORITY; the supreme source of all authority belongs to God.

The right to rule usually covers a particular domain and the execution of those rights usually comes to those who have expert or above average knowledge of every aspect of that domain.

So here Jesus points us to the source of all authority, NOT our bosses, kings, presidents, prime ministers but God the Father. And in order for those rights to be extended to us and to be able to execute those rights, we need to seek to know the Father more but coming to His presence constantly through prayer and the study of His word.

 That is why Jesus said in Matt 28:18 “…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Some people enjoy certain rights which affect only certain parts of this earthly domain but Jesus here says that “I have been given authority both in heaven and here on earth”.

Notice here what Jesus said, He has be GIVEN that authority. That means he obtained that authority from the Father. And the question is this; HOW do we obtain that authority? Do we get it when we become born again?

Becoming born again qualifies us but it does not ENABLE to execute those rights. We experience that divine authority in operation when we DO what Jesus said His declaration in Matt 28:18. The following verses show us exactly what to do…

Matt 28: ¹⁹ “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NASB)

GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL nations… I am with you ALWAYS…

When you are involved in the above activity, you experience the presence of Jesus and you see His authority in action.

The Kingdom belongs to God!

Stay Blessed.

Now can God lead into Temptation? What is temptation?

Temptation is the Greek word Peirasmos (Strong’s no. 3986) meaning

1. an experiment, attempt, trial, proving
   1. trial, proving: the trial made of you by my bodily condition, since condition served as to test the love of the Galatians toward Paul (Gal. 4:
2.  

1.            the trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy  

• an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances
• an internal temptation to sin 1b

2.            of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus the Messiah from his divine errand  

• of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness
• adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one’s character, faith, holiness

3.            temptation (i.e. trial) of God by men

• rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves

Often, we think of temptation as the desire to do evil or something wrong but sometimes temptation is resisting wrong, pain, discomfort, pleasure. The prayer Jesus taught is the kind of prayer he had to pray himself and the challenges and faith required for this prayer, he experienced. Jesus prayed to be lead out of temptation in the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed so that he will NOT resist the evil coming to him. To define temptation generally, it is the desire to do something usually wrong but not necessarily evil.

Lead us not to into temptation could also read lead us AWAY from temptation. It is possible for us to pray for things and God will respond but it will not be the perfect will of God.

Matt 26
⁵²Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. ⁵³Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

Notice that Jesus said that when He prays, His Father WILL respond, but then he was able to know that the evil he was about to face was necessary.

Look at the temptations of Jesus in Luke 4 and you will realise that it only the fulfilment of the word of God in your life that is necessary.

Stay Blessed.

Today we are going to talk about the father delivering us from evil.

Evil is the Greek word Poneros (Strong’s no. 4190) and it means

1. full of labours, annoyances, hardships
   1. pressed and harassed by labours
   2. bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble
2. bad, of a bad nature or condition
   1. in a physical sense: diseased or blind
   2. in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad

Isn’t it interesting how broad the definition of the word evil is? In fact, we usually associate wickedness to evil but from looking up the Greek meanings of evil, I realise that you can separate wickedness from evil.

One evil I have found is in labours. We are so full of labour, annoyances and hardships, pressed and harassed by labours and toils that it prevents us from having a proper relationship with the father.

It is seems to be easy to wake up to go to work than to wake up to pray. It seems easier to engage oneself in some sort of activity than to spend time in the presence of God. Yet we find time and time again, Jesus retiring or drawing back to pray.

We are TOO BUSY TO BE BLESSED!  A quality time with the father regularly brings us an inspiration, direction, instruction which delivers us from hardships, toils and labours which profits us nothing both physically and spiritually.

Can we follow what Jesus did and do what he say… that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;  Luke 18: 1

Stay Blessed

And forgive us our debts, as * * we forgive our debtors. 

Today, we are going deal with one of the rules of the kingdom of God; forgiveness.

Forgive is the Greek word Afiemi (Strong’s no.863) and it means, among others,

1. to send away
   1. to bid going away or depart
      1. of a husband divorcing his wife
   2. to send forth, yield up, to expire
   3. to let go, let alone, let be
      1. to disregard
      2. to leave, not to discuss now, (a topic) 1c

Of this prayer which the Lord Jesus taught His disciples, this is the only bit which was explained further by Jesus.

Matt 6:14

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Matt 6:15

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

It was explained in no uncertain term: forgive and you will be forgiven, do not forgive and you will not be forgiven.

What is the Lord trying to tell his disciples? That offence WILL come in one way or the other. It means we WILL offend God in one way or the other. On the journey of life in Christ, we will still make mistakes and others WILL make mistakes or offend us.

But in other to obtain forgiveness from the Father, we must forgive others who offend us. So in effect, the key to our liberation from judgement of our sin is in our own hands.

One of the things about unforgiveness is that it does not affect the offender in any way, it affects you. It only affects the offender when you actual act on your unforgiveness to perpetuate something harmful to the offender.

Unfortunately, forgiving others is often seen as weakness and an affront to our ego and pride. Now this is what the scriptures say about God’s reaction to pride.

Jas 4:6

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

1Pe 5:5

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

It was pride that sent Lucifer tumbling down from a high position and closeness to God to eternal condemnation. That is how much God resists the proud!

Eze 28

⁴ “By your wisdom and understanding

You have acquired riches for yourself

And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.

⁵ “By your great wisdom, by your trade

You have increased your riches

And your heart is lifted up because of your riches–

⁶ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, `Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,

⁷ Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,…

⁸ `They will bring you down to the pit, …

(NASB)

Stay  Blessed

Matt 6:11           
             Give us this day our daily bread. 

This is a very interesting prayer that demands a lot of faith in the provisions of the Father. This is because the word daily used here is not the usual word daily, the Greek word Hemera (Strong’s number 2250).

The word daily used in this context is the Greek word Epiousios (Strong’s no. 1967) which means

1.  
   1. the bread of our necessity
   2. the bread that suffices for each day

In order words, Give us this day, the bread of our necessity or Give us this day, the bread that suffices for each day.

Now remember the disciples had left everything they were doing to follow Jesus. Nothing else is more important than following Jesus but then we also acknowledge that our needs ought to be met each day.

So what happens to many believers is that we place the importance of our daily needs being met above following Jesus and preoccupy ourselves with activities that will cause our needs to be met. However, Jesus is encouraging us to follow him (and his example) and ask (entrust) our father to meet our needs.

In Luke 18:22, the treasures of the rich young ruler prevented him from following Jesus though he voluteered to follow.

Again, we can see from this scripture that all needs to be met are the needs for a day! This is why this particular prayer demands a lot of faith. Now you ask, isn’t it wise to plan for tomorrow, invest to make sure there is a return for tomorrow?

All your questions about tomorrow are valid, but Jesus is trying to get us to PREOCCUPY ourselves with following him. The truth is this, PREOCCUPYING ourselves with tomorrow is what leads to “…laying up treasures…Matt 6:19” and prevent us from following Jesus and enjoying the governance of the Father.

When we are preoccupied with following Jesus, he gives us direction on when to invest and when not to invest; where to invest and where not to invest.

In Luke 10 verse 3-16, Jesus sent his disciples to go and minister; and he told them to take no money or anything with them. They went and did not lack anything… each day their daily bread was provided.

Later on in Luke 22:35, he asked them, “Did you lack anything when I sent you without purse and scrip and shoes, did you lack anything?” But now, he that has a purse, let him take it, and his scrip and invest in a sword!

When following Jesus, our decisions are not based on income or comfort. When you do this, you go where He wants you to go and do what He wants you to do and entrust the Father to take care of you. This is a great act of faith.

Let us learn to say this prayer, from the heart.

Father, give me the provision of my necessity, that which suffices me for each day!

Stay blessed.  

We are continuing on the Lord’s prayer and today we are dealing with the WILL of God.

The word Will is the Greek word Thelema (Strong’s No. 2307) and it means

1. what one wishes or has determined shall be done
   1. of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ
   2. of what God wishes to be done by us
      1. commands, precepts
2. will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

So in prayer, Jesus is teaching us to pray that our Father’s desires, choices, inclination, pleasure be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This means that in heaven, God’s choices, desires and inclinations work perfectly and eternally. Under his domain or governance, things work perfectly, and we are required to pray to the Father to extend that influence into the earth realm.

What is the difference between the Father’s choices and our choices? The Father’s choices are seen in His word and His counsel. This is what the bible have to say about that:

Ps 33:11
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Pr 19:21
There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Jer 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

You see, God’s plans for you are better than your plans for yourself. In fact, often it is difficult to fully know or understand God’s plans for us but as long as we desire to please God, when we pray this prayer, we pray for the grace to follow God’s word or choose God’s way instead of our way in any given situation.

This prayer is so essential because choosing God’s way sometimes (if not often) will lead you into a perceived trouble or difficulty. I use the word perceived because the immediate or logical implications of choosing God’s way (based on our carnal knowledge) IS difficulty. But God who knows beyond what we know HAS factored in things beyond our natural knowledge which will ensure we have the final victory.

Victory on earth (or in the realm of our senses) are not eternal and should not count for much to us.

Luke 10: 17
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

One thing that we often miss about what God sees as ultimate victory is NOT the results on earth but results in heaven; a realm beyond our natural senses.

Christ’s death on the cross could be seen as a temporary defeat and it was scary and painful for Him to go through it.

Mt 26:39

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mt 26:42

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

However when He made this prayer (which He taught His disciples) he not only gained the ultimate victory in heaven but he gained victory in our natural realm and transferred that power to all those who will believe in Him.

When we set our focus on earthly, natural, carnal things, it will lead to self preservation but when we are focused on heavenly gains; then can we pray this prayer honestly, mean it and choose God’s divine ways.

Stay Blessed

Matt 6: 10 Thy kingdom come…

Sometime ago, I wondered, if God should come on earth, what will he teach us or show us?

If Jesus is the son of God and He is God then we should study what he came to teach.

His teaching on prayer is what we call the Lord’s prayer in Matt 6: 9-13.

In all of Jesus’ teaching, the recurring theme is about a ‘Kingdom’. Sometimes it is he talks about the kingdom of God and in other times, he talks about the kingdom of heaven.

We know that Jesus begins His ministry (Mk. 1.14, 15 · Lk. 4.14, 15) with the message of the kingdom

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

Then when he was sending his disciples to go and preach, this is his instruction

And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt 10:7

First the word Kingdom is the Greek word Basileia (Strong’s no.932) meaning

1. royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
   1. not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
   2. of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
   3. of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom
2. a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
3. used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah

Now I have heard the validity of this prayer being questioned. It is said that, at the time Jesus was teaching this, the kingdom had not yet come because Jesus had not yet resurrected… or something to that effect.

Well this is the revelation I have on this scripture. Remember he PREACHES that the Kingdom of heaven is AT HAND but when he was teaching the disciples to pray, he taught them to pray for the kingdom to COME.

What is the difference? I believe that the kingdom at HAND meant it was NEAR or available and to pray for it to COME is to pray that you can have the knowledge (revelation) of how it works and to access it or be able to use it.

So Jesus basically taught that there are supernatural influences on men on this earth. These influences are either from God or from the Devil (John 10:10). Jesus taught that it is now possible to tap into the influence of God but we must PRAY for the revelation of HOW to tap into it; that is for the influence to affect our earthly life and to prepare for us for eternal life.

The COME is the Greek word Erchomai meaning

1.         to come

a.         of persons

1.         to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving

2.         to appear, make one’s appearance, come before the public

2.         metaph.

a.         to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence

b.         be established, become known, to come (fall)

But I like this definition… to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, become known.

So we pray… thy kingdom come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, become known.

So there are two things here, teach people that the Kingdom of God is NEAR or AVAILABLE and it is up to people to pray that it become established in their lives. Prayer and study of the word will bring revelation of the word which will cause the kingdom of heaven to be come forth, show itself, find a place or influence or become known in YOUR life.

May the understanding of God’s kingdom (the influence of a domain beyond the natural realm) come to us. May we be kingdom conscious or minded. May we grasp the concept of kingdom living. We ought to be intrigued about the kingdom. We need to enquire about the kingdom. We need to have knowledge (epignosis) of the kingdom. How does the kingdom work?

Stay Blessed

 Matt 6:9

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

In Exo 6:3, the scriptures tells us of how Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew God; God Almighty, but they did NOT know God as JEHOVAH.

Ex 6:3

And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

JEHOVAH is Strong’s number 3068 meaning “the existing One” the proper name of the one true God. The name describes God in His absolute terms; not as one thing or the other. He is “I AM WHO I AM” or ‘I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE” as revealed to Moses at the burning bush, Ex.3. This name of God, too sacred to be uttered, abbreviated ( . . . . ) or written “YHWH” without vowel points.

The name Jehovah is used directly in Ps 83:18, Isa 12:2, 26:4.

Ps 83:18

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Isa 12:2

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isa 26:4

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Now when God revealed Himself as God Almighty to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he revealed himself as  Hebrew word Shadday (Strong’s no. 7706) meaning almighty, most powerful, Shaddai, the Almighty (of God) . The scriptural references of when God appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are Ge 17:1, Ge 28:3, Ge 35:11, Ge 43:14, Ge 48:3, Ge 49:25.

If you look at the text in these references, you will realise that God appeared to them as the God who BLESSES; causes favour or favourable conditions to come to one. But there are other dimensions of God.

So the question is WHO IS GOD TO YOU. How do you HALLOW His Name? Who can God be to you today?

Whilst writing this piece, I found someone has written a nice article on the names of God in the Old Testament. Please click this link to read the article.

Some of the other Names of God are

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty)
El Elyon (The Most High God)
Adonai (Lord, Master)
Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)
Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)
Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
El Olam (The Everlasting God)
Elohim (God)
Qanna (Jealous)
Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)
Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts)  

Stay Blessed.

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Who is God to you? In what capacity or name can God make himself manifest to you today? That is why we need to pray daily! Today’s challenges or evil requires today’s manifestation of God, specific to the evil you are facing today.

God appeared to holy men in various capacities according the challenges of the day.

But first let’s look at the Greek meaning of two words; Hallowed and Name.

Hallowed is the Greek work Hagiazo (Strong’s no. 37) meaning

1. to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow
2. to separate from profane things and dedicate to God
   1. consecrate things to God
   2. dedicate people to God
3. to purify
   1. to cleanse externally
   2. to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin to purify internally by renewing of the soul

Also Name is the Greek word Onoma (Strong’s no.3686) meaning

1. name: univ. of proper names
2. the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.
3. persons reckoned up by name the cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason

In other words we must REVERENCE the NAME of God.

Exo 20:7

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;

Also the name should provoke the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.

So again, who is God to you? Jesus prefers (as we are learning from this prayer) to refer and relate to God as a father – the originator and source of everything both in heaven and on earth.

In the Old Testament, God revealed himself to different people in different ways and different people related to God in different ways mainly due to the challenges they faced in specific times.

Ex 6:3

And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Next time we will look at the different names of God and the context in which it was used and how it affected those who used it.

Stay blessed

Here, Jesus is trying to make us remind ourselves; in our daily prayers, where our father resides.
Life is a journey into eternity. We move into eternity when the body EXPIRES!
Jesus is showing us where OUR FATHER resides in eternity – HEAVEN!
Christ calls it his “Father’s house” (John 14:2).
According to the dictionary, these are two of the definitions of heaven.
 
heaven n
1: the abode of God and the angels and the souls of those who have gained salvation
2: any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

The Greek word for heaven is Ouranos strong’s no.3772 and it means among others, the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings

The believer’s heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a “place”,
A PLACE PREPARED FOR THE BELIEVER (John 14:2) -  a place of BLISS WITHOUT END!!!
 
Think about it, if God (OUR FATHER) dwells in a place of peace, delight and bliss then
“… the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ” Phil 4:7
 
This should be your confession for today
 
“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Tim 4:18

Stay Blessed