In the last post, we talked about how a person who is “born-again” gets a heart change. He gets a new life, a chance to “start over.” He will still make mistakes and sin in this new life, but God has wiped his slate of sin away forever. He is totally forgiven. Sin is no longer being held against him as he is now a child of God. Now he lives under God’s grace, His mercy, and eternal forgiveness. Although he still has battles in his mind ahead of him, he begins to think positively rather than negatively. He has joy in his heart because of the new life inside him. This attitude grows as He stays in relationship with Jesus and studies the word of God which reveals how God sees him. This is truth. He has been lifted out of dark thinking and has now come into God’s light, which is reality.

We said that the Kingdom of God actually comes to live in the believer through the Person of the Holy Spirit. The new person in Christ has access to the resources of Heaven now in this life. He has access to the mind of Christ, the thoughts of God and the resources of Heaven. The thoughts of God are written in God’s word. The kingdom that “came without observation” in our hearts will one day come with much observation! It will be visible to all when it is established in reality upon on the earth where everyone can see it. Truth will visibly be established.

Praying for God’s Will

Since we are instructed to pray “Thy Kingdom come on the earth as it is in Heaven” I think it is helpful to examine exactly what we are praying for. If it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom, what exactly does that do for us?  What is in this Kingdom that now lives inside of us? What is in this will of God that we pray for? Provision? Relief from debt? Deliverance from sickness? Deliverance from evil works? I want all of those things. Don’t you? According to the scripture, God is pleased to give us all of that. How do we get it out of Heaven to show up here into our lives? Let’s look at some other verses where Jesus spoke about the Kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 says “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” In the context of that chapter, it is speaking specifically of provision for one’s need of food and clothing. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Seeking the kingdom means seeking to know God and His goodness, and to understand what He offers, and what this kingdom has for you.

What’s in the “Will”?

If you had an older relative who died and left all of his earthly possessions and property to you, you would want to know what now belongs to you, wouldn’t you? I know you would want to know how rich you now are! You would want to see that will and the bank accounts and the property that are now yours! Well, that’s the same thing as reading the bible to find out how rich you have now been made in Christ! The resources of Heaven are now available to you! The New Testament is like a will. A will is a testament that only comes into effect when the person who made it died. Jesus died to give us the Kingdom of God, with all of its benefits…let’s list those benefits:

First, the new believer gets deliverance from sin and its effects, and reconciliation to God. A new life begins. Romans 5:1, Romans 8.

The believer is translated or comes out of darkness (dark negative thinking) and is brought into the light (God’s way of thinking and the ability to understand truth). Colossians 1:13

We become God’s child, an heir with Christ. We have an inheritance. Galatians 3:29, Galatians 4:7

Healing from all manner of sickness and disease, which are also found in the Old Testament. Psalms 103, Matthew 6:25-34, Luke 12:22-31.

Provision for our material needs. Matt 6:25-34, Luke 12:22-31. Everything we put our hands to can prosper. Psalm 1, Deuteronomuy 29:9.

First generation Israel did not receive God’s promise

In the book of Exodus after Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, a type of the world, the Israelites were told that God had already given them a Promised land, but they, by faith, still had to go in and take it. They had to appropriate what He assured them was theirs. The Israelites refused to do this because they did not believe they could do it. They chose to believe what they saw with their eyes rather than what God said was theirs. They did not believe their God’s promise to them. It’s the same for us. We have to believe what the “will” (the bible) says in order to receive what is ours. Many people of God have difficulty with this part because they cannot see themselves possessing what the bible promises, just like Israel did. Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness because they would not believe God’s word. Are we wandering in a wilderness because we can’t or won’t believe His promise?

All-encompassing salvation

The Greek word for salvation is “sozo.” It is used over 100 times in the New Testament. If you look the word up, sozo has a more expansive meaning besides just escaping hell and being accepted by God. But it has not been taught in most churches, or it has been taught some, but rejected by religious people.

Sozo encompasses the entirety of, not only salvation, but prosperity, health, healing, deliverance, and all the good things that God has to offer. “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.” Does God tell us to pray for something that cannot happen? No, He would not do that. God promises we can experience His will here on earth if we have faith. In the end, He will bring Heaven to earth. But His people can experience and taste of its goodness right now while they live here.

Each of us needs to establish in our own hearts what this scripture means. If he has truly given us the Kingdom as Luke 12:32 says, we must decide to find out what that Kingdom has for us. We can really have as much of God as we desire. The question is, how much of Him do we desire?

Remember what was said in the previous chapter: everywhere the Kingdom was preached in the gospels, people were healed and set free from demonic oppression. They listened to the message and received healing and deliverance because God confirmed Jesus’s teaching with a visible demonstration of His will. I would submit to you that the things we need in this life have already been provided for us in this “will” of Jesus Christ. Health and healing is included. If we want that, we need to believe it and receive it. God is always FOR our good!