The Kingdom Doesn't Stop

Matthew 11 : 12, From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. NIV

 Do you have goals set for your life? Well, we all need them to help us see where we are in life. When you drive down some roads, you will notice that there are mile markers along the side of the highway; these are indicators of how you are progressing in your travels. As God was creating in Genesis 1, He would stop at the end of each day and celebrate that day's accomplishments. Setting realistic goals and obtaining them is a healthy way to measure the progress we have made during a certain period of time. When someone is seriously injured, the doctors will set goals and timelines for a person's recovery. It gives that person something to look forward to during their recovery process. If a person doesn't set goals, then there is no gauge to monitor their progress. This can allow complacency and frustration to arise in their heart, because there's no vision in their life to compel them to strive for anything.

God wants us to set goals for ourselves and to accomplish them with His help. Then, just like He did in the beginning, He desires for us to celebrate those milestones in our lives... so we know that actual progression has been made. The kingdom of heaven works in much the same way; it doesn't stop progressing just because men on earth aren't willing to seek after it. If anything, just the opposite takes place. God loves a big challenge. Men who oppose Him or His will in the earth don't intimidate Him in the least. As Christians in this world, we will find times of great opposition to God's will being fulfilled through us. The major key to overcoming spiritual opposition is resisting fear.

I have watched several economists, C.E.O's, business owners, bankers, etc. talk about what is going on in the nation's economy and why it isn't progressing as prognosticators had hoped. A vast array of influential leaders attributes the stagnancy of our lagging economy to "fear of the unknown". Now let's put this into a spiritual perspective. Has God ever stopped a move that He had orchestrated because of fear? If you will remember, many times the Jews were in fear over their enemies, but God always had a plan that required them to move forward in faith and in spite of their fears. Each time that they obeyed God and moved forward in the face of great opposition and even greater fear, God always met them on the other side with tremendous blessings and greater authority. God never stops nor does the kingdom of God come to a screeching halt, because it doesn't run based on fear. God is love and the kingdom of God is based on God; therefore love is the driving force behind the expansion of the kingdom of God.

Here's where you come in; you're a human, but you're also a Christian... if Christ dwells in your heart. This economy isn't moving forward, according to analysts who know what they're talking about. The fear is based on the uncertainty of the future. As Christians, we know our future is secure because God holds our future in His hands. Therefore, when fear tries to stop our forward progression, we step over into faith in what God is saying and not what man is telling us about the future. If we should listen to the world, we would stop giving into the kingdom and begin to hoard. Isn't that just the opposite of God's will? "Give and it shall be given unto you." So we see that this fear comes from the enemy that opposes the blessings of God being released upon obedient people. If Satan can get people to stop their giving and stop their investing because of uncertainty, then progress stops.

What we need to do is keep believing and obeying the Word of God. Also, we need to pray for God to reveal the plans and methods that need to be implemented to overcome the uncertainty in people's lives. Once people begin to see light or hope in the future, they will release what is in their possession and this will allow the flow to begin again. Money is called currency, and that is derived from current. Money flows like a current until fear (or man) tries to stop the flow. We all must make a decision much like the widow of Zarephath, who was sure that she and her son were going to die because of the famine. Though she resisted obeying (the Lord) at first, she later obeyed, and they had food until the famine ended. We too must decide to obey God's Word and Spirit and give into the Kingdom of God knowing that He will bless us, and the current will continue to flow from heaven to us. If it were easy, everyone would do it, but the just shall live by faith. If you know someone who is facing financial struggles, please forward this email to them. If the body of Christ will take a stand against the fear and begin to progress forward, we will be able to see God move the obstacles out of the way. Then we can celebrate the dawning of a new day, financially.

Ecclesiastes 11: 1, Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. NKJV

Sowing into Your Life the Word,
Pastor Asa