Practical Ways To Wear Your Kingdom Identity - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 8, 2024

As we endeavor to walk in our Kingdom Identity it is crucial to consider what the Bible outlines as practical ways to accomplish this feat.

Colossians 3 provides a road map of things the believer needs to do. In Colossians 3:2 we are instructed to focus on the things of God and not earthly things. By keeping our gaze on heaven, we can set our needs aside to pray for others, for instance.

Becoming more heaven-focused requires us to intentionally move away from certain behaviors that were once normal before we came to know Christ. These include "xesual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). These are commonplace among the people of the world but should not be common in the Body of Christ. Thus, each believer must strive to remove such attitudes and resulting actions from their lives. Colossians 3:6 tells us that such activities bring God's wrath and given what we know of the Lord's holy anger, we should do all we can to not provoke it.

​As believers, we are called to let go of "anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language" (Colossians 3:8). Plus we are not to lie to others (Colossians 3:9). Instead, we are to allow ourselves to be "renewed in knowledge in the image" of God (Colossians 3:10). Such renewal can only happen when we cooperate with the Spirit of God and submit to the building the Lord aims to complete in us.

We are to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. We are to express the forgiveness, grace, and love we have received from the Lord to others even when they make mistakes (Colossians 3:12-14). Those who believe in the Father and His Son, are to let the message and the peace of Christ rest in their hearts and be thankful (Colossians 3:15-16).

These instructions may seem very far from who you are today. And if so, that's okay. Just know this - God will never ask you to do something impossible. No matter how tough it looks. He is more than able to help you achieve everything He wants you to do. The key is to cooperate with Him and let Him transform you inside and out.

The Lord calls us to come to Him as we are. Alas, many believe that when they come to Christ they are permitted to remain the way they were. However, God is in the business of changing people for the better. As you remain mindful of who He expects you to become, you'll be able to make wise choices that align with your Kingdom Identity and the Kingdom Position He has created for you.

Wear Your Kingdom Identity - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 5, 2024

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a girl with eyes that could be bigger? A nose that could be slimmer? Lips that could be plumper? Do you look at your clothes and think they should be more expensive or that you should wear shoes from a higher tier of designers?

Whatever the case, consider that Philippians 3:20 states "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." Now, ask yourself, how often do you think about your identity as a citizen of God's kingdom? How often does it cross your mind that the kingdom you belong to has a prince and Savior called Christ?

If the answer is 'not enough' then today is the day to make a change.

It is easy to see yourself as the pieces of who you are. The world has conditioned you to see yourself according to your race, gender, or nationality. These qualifiers make it easy for the people of this earth to assess and qualify who they think you are. However, everything about you changed when you committed to Christ and declared Him your Lord. You went from being an ordinary individual to becoming an extraordinary person. You received the Holy Spirit and all the power of God became accessible to you. And, as you continue to submit to that transformation, you will grow in prayer, praise, and the studying of the Bible. The Lord will deem you trustworthy to receive insight into things hidden from the average person and your discernment shall increase.

Unfortunately, satan knows this and wants you to focus instead on how ordinary people see you. As a person who needs to make more money. Someone who needs to wear designer goods. Someone who isn't good enough. When you agree with what satan wants instead of breaking agreement with those lies, you become powerless and less of a threat to the devil's kingdom. This results in you relinquishing the gleaming robe the Lord placed on your shoulders. That, and the crown He adorned your head with. These are supposed to tell the world you are His, a diadem of pure gold, immaculately constructed for God's purposes here on earth.

Therefore, you can't afford to ignore who you are. You must not take off the beautiful garments the Lord has clothed you in, replacing them with the rags the devil wants you to wear instead. Each day, you must rise from your bed reminding yourself that you are God's ambassador. As you step out your door, fix that crown on your head and lift your chin. Walk through the world exuding the fragrance of Christ - leaving people and places better because you were around and brought the Lord's presence with you. This cannot happen in a vacuum. You will have to make God's word a constant companion. You will have to abandon yourself to praising Him as that builds union with the Lord. You'll have to learn to create quiet moments to not just speak to Him but hear what He has to say in return.

And as the years pass, your Kingdom identity will be more evident to others. This is because it will be deeply woven into every part of your being. Never forget that through Christ you are a full-fledged member of God's holy household, a citizen of His kingdom (Ephesians 2:19). That you are an ambassador for His kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20). Wear your Kingdom Identity and walk in it.

To learn more, please read the following related posts:

1. Exploring the Role of the Five-Fold Ministry in the Christian Faith: How Do You Fit In? (The Five-fold Ministry 1)

2. Unveiling the Crucial Role of the Five-Fold Ministry: How Do You Contribute to the Body of Christ (The Five-fold Ministry 2)

3. Embracing the Five-Fold Ministry: Unlocking Personal Benefits of Serving God (The Five-fold Ministry 3)

Don't Grumble & Don't Complain - Praise & Pray (for others) March 1, 2024

I once knew someone who would mumble under their breath when upset. The first time I saw this behavior in action, I was stunned. This is because I had never seen people mumble so loudly. To be honest, I couldn't get away with such things in my house. The adults would somehow know what I was thinking and knock me upside my head for it. So trying to open my mouth and complain in that way was unimaginable.

Instead, I did what many other kids did. Once out of earshot and the potentially punishing reach of an adult, I'd grumble vocally. I'd even stomp a foot from time to time. Never hard enough to catch any attention, of course. This seemed normal to me for years and many people I knew did the same.

So, imagine my surprise when the Lord warned me to stop complaining. Although I'd always seen complaining and grumbling as a normal form of expression, His word revealed how wrong I was. Philippians 2:14 tells believers, Do everything without grumbling or arguing. Nothing could be clearer than that. Yet, despite committing to obey, things would happen to push me to the limit of that commitment. God, in His faithfulness, held my hand and showed me the many ways to express my feelings to Him and others without resorting to complaints, grumbling, or mumbling.

Nothing about this is easy. I am learning it is crucial to speak plainly. God is teaching me to consistently state things as I see them without laying blame on others, speaking disrespectfully of anyone, or exaggerating the description of events to make any side look worse. To achieve this, the Lord has required me, in many cases, to set my emotions aside so the enemy doesn't take advantage by drumming up my feelings. Because when that happens, satan succeeds in weaponizing those feelings against others and thereby causes me to sin against God. I've also had to remember that those who offend me are made in the image of God, thus requiring grace and respect. Besides, as I have to apply the Royal Law, what I say or think becomes limited to the boundaries of Christ's instruction to treat others as I would like to be treated.

It may seem very difficult to do, but when we look at Christ and His sacrifice we see a true example of what it means to not complain. He went to His death without a single word of complaint or protest. He didn't even argue with those who'd accused Him falsely. Instead, like a Lamb to the slaughter, He quietly stepped up to be a sacrifice for you and me. He even prayed for His opponents in the process.

Contrast this with the Israelites when God brought them out of Egypt. They repeatedly grumbled against Moses and complained about the Lord. When things were uncomfortable, they blamed God and His servant, Moses, for the suffering and threatened Moses instead of humbly seeking God's help to change their circumstances. They forgot and/or ignored the grace and power God displayed when rescuing them from slavery and oppression.

What example do we plan to model our lives on? Are we going to mimic Christ who moved in submission to God's will, regardless of its impact on Him? Or do we want to be like those who complained in the wilderness about every discomfort, ignoring all the great things God had done and was capable of doing?

Keep in mind that God wants us to take our concerns and grievances to Him. We are to lay these issues at His feet the way Elijah did. His life was under threat and he spoke to God about it. Hezekiah did something similar. Having heard that his sickness would kill him, he turned to the Lord and spoke to him, essentially pointing out that was unfair. These individuals and others in the Bible approached God with reverence. They spoke to Him with the innate fear of the Lord. They were not rude and they did not break faith with God in the process.

If we approach God the same way, then we can express the issues we face without being rude. We can talk to the Almighty, the One who is more than capable of solving our problems, without complaining and grumbling. This requires that we cooperate, allowing Him to teach us and build us into more mature believers. Ultimately, the choice is ours.