Kingdom Come
·
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in
Heaven”—I have come to admire, love and rely on this line the past two months.
I have heard and recited it for years and years, but God has used it in
profound ways recently. My mindset on prayer hasn’t shifted, but because of
this line, the way I live out the prayers I pray have.
Take a second and think about His Kingdom, about the joy,
peace, comfort, and beauty that it encompasses. How the sin and brokenness of
this world are gone and replaced with fullness of His presence and the
marvelousness of His glory.
In His Kingdom there is no pain- we are filled with joy and
wonder.
In His Kingdom darkness is gone- we are in His overwhelming
light.
In His Kingdom there is no brokenness- we are made whole.
In His Kingdom there is no emptiness- we are full of Him.
In His Kingdom there is no poverty- we have an inheritance
of a King.
In His Kingdom there are no orphans- we have a Father who is
perfect.
In His Kingdom there are no red light districts- sin is
defeated and we are redeemed.
In His Kingdom there is no sickness- we are healed.
Saying “Your Kingdom come and your will be done on Earth as
it is in Heaven” is powerful.
This summer serving and loving on the people in the bars of
the red light district, slums and villages wouldn’t have been hopeful without
this prayer.
If His Kingdom isn’t coming and His will isn’t being done here is it is in Heaven; then what am I
doing in Thailand?
How could I have walked the streets of the red light
district and became friends with prostitutes and loved the men who were
purchasing them without knowing and believing His Kingdom is coming. His
Kingdom has to come, His will here has to be done, and that is how we see Him
NOW. We get to see His fullness in Heaven and finally see more than a glimpse
of His plans, for that I praise Jesus. But if He isn’t bringing Kingdom to
Earth now, how will I know Him? How will I see where His heart is for His
people? How will I walk in power and authority believing He is moving right
this very moment?
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done is a prayer for now, not to just see His Kingdom when
we finally get to Heaven. But to see, live and bring it now.
He is a living and breathing God who wants to pour Himself out on everything that is not of His Kingdom—to replace every dark thing with His light, just as it is in Heaven.
Jesus tells us to say this, and not just to say it, but declare it. We declare it over
hopelessness, brokenness and emptiness because those things have no place in
the Kingdom of God. His heart is for His children to live out a constant state
of seeing Heaven come to Earth. I began to have a joyful restlessness for
seeing His Kingdom come while in Thailand. It created an immense excitement
within me to have hope in what the fullness of Heaven will be and the day I get
to sit in the fullness of my Father. But until then, He has called me to see
more of His heart by asking to see it, by calling it down. By asking that He
bring Himself and His Kingdom here and now, I know that is a prayer He will not
deny me. I am joyfully restless to see His Kingdom come.
As we pray for His Kingdom to come, we begin to walk in
confidence over darkness; knowing full well it has no place here. I was able to
declare “Your Kingdom come” over bars, women, men buying women, lady boys,
pimps, bar moms, children on the street, children in the slums; because I know
God is loving and spreading His light in them. He is invading the darkness, He
is jealous for His Kingdom to come to the hearts of every person and He wont
rest until they are His.
I was able to see His Kingdom come when healing occurred.
I was able to see His Kingdom come when girls from my team
taught English to girls working in the bars.
I was able to see His Kingdom come as my team met with girls
and grew amazing friendships with them.
I was able to see His Kingdom come when girls smiled and
laughed with us.
I was able to see His Kingdom come when people asked us what
was so different about us.
I was able to see His Kingdom come as I shared the Gospel
with a man sitting in a bar in the red light district.
I was able to see His Kingdom come when kids selling flowers
in the red light district played games with us and were able to simply be kids.
I was able to see His Kingdom come when God blessed me with
one of the best friendships with a sweet girl from the slums; whom I was later
able to share part of my testimony with and share the love of Christ with.
The desire of His heart is to see His Kingdom come here on Earth.
His Kingdom is constantly coming—look around,
celebrate it and ask God to bring more.
Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
"Kingdom" by Will Reagan
Receive it.
·
Meet Cartoon.
She is the most adorable and loving 15 year-old I have ever
met.
I noticed her the first week of doing ministry in the slums.
She was standing off to the back not wanting to be noticed. I immediately
invited her to play volleyball with me and she lit up.
6 weeks later she is the person I have been able to pour
into the most. I love spending time with her, teaching her English, meeting her
family, getting our nails done and hearing about her heart. I love seeing her
lead the younger kids in the slums, how she looks out for her younger sisters.
Last week I was in
the slums and she called me her “older sister”, my heart was so encouraged.
Now whenever I spend time with her I love telling her who
she is, who I see her as—a beautiful and loved daughter of Jesus.
I walk to the slums with the mindset of “today I get to be
Jesus to Cartoon” and it makes me so excited.
I see her and tell her “Cartoon, you’re so pretty!” she
replies shy and humbly “No no no”.
“Cartoon, you are getting so much better with your English!”
she replies again “No no I only speak a little”.
“Cartoon, you are great at volleyball!” she replies “No I
don’t ever play”.
“Cartoon, you are loved!” she looks at me and smiles then
takes my hand to go play another game with her.
My heart hurts. I become frustrated. I ask God: Why won’t
she believe me? Why doesn’t she trust that I know her and truly believe these
things about her? Why won’t she let me just be Jesus to her and speak these
things to her heart so that she might be encouraged and loved?
He replies: This is how I feel when you don’t believe the
things I tell you, Alex.
This is who Jesus says I am:
·
I am alive in Him. (Ephesians 2:5)
·
I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians
5:17)
·
I am a friend of Jesus. (John 15:15)
·
I am a joint-heir with Christ. (Romans 8:37)
·
I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and
word of my testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
·
I am a partaker in His divine nature. (2 Peter
1:3-4)
·
I am an ambassador for Christ. (2 Corinthians
5:20)
·
I am strengthened with all might according to
His glorious power. (Colossians 1:11)
·
I am loved by God almighty. (Romans 5:8)
·
I am a daughter of the king. (John 1:12)
I read these, and even more verses like them, and think
“Really God? You believe that about me?” as if it seems too good to be true.
BUT it is true, 100%, all the time. I know that if Cartoon
walked in the truths about herself she would be more free to be herself and
love the people around her. That same thing is true for you and me. If we laid
down the lies we believed about ourselves and honestly believed the truths that
God speaks over us, even screams over us, we would walk in so much more power.
Why do we write these truths the He says about us off? We
throw them away as if they are empty and without proof. When in reality, the
cross screams these things and is enough proof for eternity that we are dearly
loved by the King of kings.
Believe these things about yourself, it feels hard and
challenging, but is vital to your identity and the power God wants you to walk
in.
Pray for Cartoon to have this realization. Until then, I get
the incredible honor to speak for Jesus into areas of her life. What a
privilege.
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