Kingdom's Keys Fellowship
Where God's Kingdom Meets Man's Heart.
Lent 14 When the World Turns Against You
Lent 14 Matt.5;10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Righteousness, being right with God, self and others, will lead to some kind of persecution be it open or subtly disguised. Faith that makes one peaceful within can be a threat because it defies being controlled by the usual secular forces. Faith builds integrity and integrity builds confidence in spite of circumstance. This progression is part of the heart restoration process that Jesus came to offer. Questions arise, ‘ What is persecution, how is it discerned and dealt with?’
First, the source of persecution is spiritual. Persecution is an attack from the spiritual realm. It is a battle for power. It is funded by the devil who seeks to replicate himself by isolating people from God. He invests his spirits to aggravate interpersonal behavior to accomplish his goal.
Second, it is discernible. Persecution occurs when fear is aroused due to pride and power being threatened. These are the fruit of sin. Sin does three things, it takes a defensive posture, it uses reason apart from God to justify attacking faith and faithful people and it gathers spirits that will support its security.
The persecutor is very much like an unjust attorney. He is out to win at any cost. He uses a rationale constructed apart from God to gain advantage and power over those he believes a threat to his position. He is out to undermine their credibility.
Third, it can be dealt with. It begins with recognizing it as a battle of wills. Not between two adversaries who are coming out of their personal sense of right. It is a battle of the persecutor’s fear-driven will against the rightness and will of God. God is the One who is right. So the believer yields to the One who is right according to what the Word of God instructs. That is why a believer stays in the Word. Following the Word is being faithful to the will of God. When a persecutor attacks a believer the believer relies on his faith. This is the righteousness that is being attacked. It is through faith that the Holy Spirit exerts His power, which is always greater than that of the persecutor. “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.”
The persecuted are blessed because of their faith and therefore, ‘…theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ The Kingdom of Heaven is the rule of Jesus, the reign of faith in the heart, the relationship between God and His people and the eternal community of hearts relating in the atmosphere of a loving King. This is what the devil is fighting so hard to destroy but Jesus promises the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
One sterling reminder, the Kingdom of Heaven is not ‘pie in the sky by and by.’ When we are faithful in our heart, when we allow Jesus to be our Lord, it is at that moment of faith the Kingdom has already come. That is why the Lord tells us to pray, ‘Thy Kingdom come, ON EARTH, as it is in Heaven.’ When we are persecuted for being faithful we are blessed. That is, we are being touched by God. The Kingdom has come to the heart and, again, Jesus’ words ring true, “The kingdom of God is within.” Stay tuned.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Righteousness, being right with God, self and others, will lead to some kind of persecution be it open or subtly disguised. Faith that makes one peaceful within can be a threat because it defies being controlled by the usual secular forces. Faith builds integrity and integrity builds confidence in spite of circumstance. This progression is part of the heart restoration process that Jesus came to offer. Questions arise, ‘ What is persecution, how is it discerned and dealt with?’
First, the source of persecution is spiritual. Persecution is an attack from the spiritual realm. It is a battle for power. It is funded by the devil who seeks to replicate himself by isolating people from God. He invests his spirits to aggravate interpersonal behavior to accomplish his goal.
Second, it is discernible. Persecution occurs when fear is aroused due to pride and power being threatened. These are the fruit of sin. Sin does three things, it takes a defensive posture, it uses reason apart from God to justify attacking faith and faithful people and it gathers spirits that will support its security.
The persecutor is very much like an unjust attorney. He is out to win at any cost. He uses a rationale constructed apart from God to gain advantage and power over those he believes a threat to his position. He is out to undermine their credibility.
Third, it can be dealt with. It begins with recognizing it as a battle of wills. Not between two adversaries who are coming out of their personal sense of right. It is a battle of the persecutor’s fear-driven will against the rightness and will of God. God is the One who is right. So the believer yields to the One who is right according to what the Word of God instructs. That is why a believer stays in the Word. Following the Word is being faithful to the will of God. When a persecutor attacks a believer the believer relies on his faith. This is the righteousness that is being attacked. It is through faith that the Holy Spirit exerts His power, which is always greater than that of the persecutor. “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.”
The persecuted are blessed because of their faith and therefore, ‘…theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ The Kingdom of Heaven is the rule of Jesus, the reign of faith in the heart, the relationship between God and His people and the eternal community of hearts relating in the atmosphere of a loving King. This is what the devil is fighting so hard to destroy but Jesus promises the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
One sterling reminder, the Kingdom of Heaven is not ‘pie in the sky by and by.’ When we are faithful in our heart, when we allow Jesus to be our Lord, it is at that moment of faith the Kingdom has already come. That is why the Lord tells us to pray, ‘Thy Kingdom come, ON EARTH, as it is in Heaven.’ When we are persecuted for being faithful we are blessed. That is, we are being touched by God. The Kingdom has come to the heart and, again, Jesus’ words ring true, “The kingdom of God is within.” Stay tuned.
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Comment by Martha H. McGinnis on April 3, 2009 at 9:48am
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Whitey, Thank you for this timely message. On Wed in a precept study on 1st Peter Ray Martin was discussing the very teaching and I was so touched how God tells us over and over His Truths so it will be written on our hearts. I emailed this post to Ray and she sent it the class...God is useing this web site to bless many...Peace be with you..martha
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