A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Chris Musgrove of Future Now)
Scripture for the Day – June 11, 2019
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12) The New International Version says it like this, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
Who has been advancing the kingdom? It has been people of faith like John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, and others who obeyed God to advance the kingdom even in the face of death. (See Hebrews 11- good stuff!)
Revelation 12:11: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
We have an enemy (Satan) who hates the kingdom of God and will try to bring fear on you to stop the advancement of the kingdom. He works to prevent the saints (the saved) from advancing the Kingdom of God.
Ephesians 6:13: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
I Peter 5:8-9: Be sober, be vigilant for your adversary the devil is seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Our battle against Satan is not for victory; Jesus has already won the victory. Christians are already the victors when they come to Christ. We are fighting from the position of victory in Christ and conquering enemy territory. Satan knows our position and is trying to convince us that we must still attain victory, rather than advance forward in our victory through Christ. Therefore, we are conquerors taking territory, not warriors fighting for victory. The war is already over, the enemy is defeated. Satan has lost. His goal is to take away our victory, through deception. We need to remind Satan he is defeated, and his only power over our lives is the power we give him. We must be advancing the kingdom and taking ground, not staying in one place.
The greatest resource available to the church is not money, a great worship team, a coffee bar, nice facilities etc. It’s people that can cause the church to explode by going out every day and advancing the kingdom.
Matthew 9:35-38: Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
We need a faith mentality instead of a fear mentality to go and possess the land NOW!!! God told Joshua in Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Let’s Go!!!!
