Insecurities make us rely on others’ approval to gauge our value and worth. They also create unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others. This makes a fragile system for our sense of wellbeing because there is no room for failure, mistake, or weakness. The higher our expectations of ourselves and others, the greater chance of being let down, which in turn feeds the monster of insecurity. …
Our walk with the Lord is meant to be simple and organic. God uses us by placing his supernatural power and anointing upon our natural abilities. He chooses to use what is in our hands to be a blessing to others. We get to participate in the work of the Kingdom with what has been deposited in us spiritually as well as naturally. …
Sometimes we make our walk with the Lord complicated and wonder if we have what it takes to do what the Lord is asking us to do. Jesus told His disciples that the Kingdom belongs to those who are child-like. When we are child-like, we have less awareness of what we don’t know or what we don’t have. The Lord has placed something in our all hands that is valuable that we can use it to glorify Him and to bless others.
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The kingdom of God continues to be under attack, and the Bible gives us instructions on how God’s people can fight and advance His kingdom under adverse circumstances. …
The kingdom of God is a supernatural kingdom that is not going to be understood by natural reasoning. As a matter of fact, if we try to lean on our own understanding, we will live shallow, carnal, and frustrated lives. On the other hand, when God’s people live with a child-like faith and a surrendered lifestyle, they become instruments for bringing God’s kingdom and His will to the earth!
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Humanity is looking for “peace on earth”, but we when we look around us, we find a world full of turmoil and strife. Everyone desires peace but many don’t know how to find it. There is a famine of peace in the land! The good news is that the Kingdom of God offers a solution for this lasting peace. …
The Lord sent Jesus to declare the good news about His eternal Kingdom and the way to enter it! This hope of eternal life should make a difference in how we live our lives as believers. …
The kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom, and as believers, we have the privilege of belonging to the Lord and His kingdom. What is the significance of this kingdom and how should that change our perspective as a Christian!? …
The Lord holds the times and the seasons, and He has placed each of us on this earth at this time for His purpose and pleasure. If we are going to be effective in the Kingdom of God and have satisfaction in life, we all need to be in tune with the Lord and understand His will for the season we are in. We are also called to steward our time well and use it wisely. We cannot earn more time, but we can squander it if we are not intentional with it.
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Are you laying hold of all that Jesus laid hold of you!? Apostle Paul shows us how to do it. He is a good model of someone who continually fought the good fight! His life is a testimony of longevity and success in fighting the good fight of faith!
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
Although Paul had accomplished much in his ministry, he knew that he needed to continue to press on and lay hold of God! The above scriptures give us insight on how he persevered and continued to advance in God’s purpose!
Paul did not think that he had attained everything or had arrived spiritually. He did not see himself as a completely perfected believer. Instead, he saw himself as one who was still on his way to perfection. This reminds me of what Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 13.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
Paul likened his walk to a child and saw himself putting childish things away as he matured. Even though he had put childish ways aside, he still only saw in the mirror dimly. He did not assume that he saw everything clearly. Paul had a correct evaluation of his maturity in the Lord. He did not confuse his success in ministry with perfection in the faith. He also was not deceived with the fact that just because the Lord had given him revelation and insight in the spiritual realm, that it meant that he knew all there was about the Kingdom of God! This humility and correct evaluation of his walk allowed him to remain dependent on the Lord and keep pressing on!
Similarly, we may have impressive ministry in preaching, prophecy, or writing, but none of those should make us think that we have arrived! The Lord graciously gives us insight, revelation, and understanding, but what He shows us, is minute in comparison to the magnificence of God and His total plan for the humanity. Recognizing our dependence on the Lord will cause us to continue to press on and not get complacent or lazy.
In the above passage in Philippians, Paul continued by stating that as he pressed on, he forgot what was behind him! He did not look back! Paul’s past was a mixture of worldly success and failure since he had persecuted the church. If Paul had looked back at his life, he could have been trapped by the guilt and shame of the past and what he did to the innocent believers such as Stephen. On the other hand, he may have missed the prestige and the status he used to have among his counterparts. Looking back would not have produced any good fruit, and it would have only trapped him in the past and derailed him from pressing on and moving forward in God’s purpose.
The only benefit of looking back is when we remind ourselves of God’s loving kindness and His deliverance in our lives. Otherwise, the past can trap us. Some people stay stuck in “the good old days”, which causes them to want to be focused on the past. Others may be burdened by the pain of the past. Neither of those memories produce any good fruit.
Instead of looking at the past, we need to focus on the fact that God’s mercies are new every morning. Everyday is a fresh new day with new possibilities and new mercies. God is always at work, and He has new opportunities, new encounters, and new revelation. The Lord is never done with His work on the earth, and He chooses to use us in partnering with Him in bringing His Kingdom and His will on the earth. That requires all of us to press on and to lay hold of what Jesus laid hold of us! This is fighting the good fight of faith!
How do you perceive your spiritual maturity? Do you find yourself leaning on your laurels from past accomplishments? Are there things from the past that causes you not to press into the Kingdom of God?Do you continue to press on towards God, so you can lay hold of what Jesus laid hold of you?
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