Reigning In Life As A King (2 page)

I WILL REIGN AS A KING IN THIS LIFE!

God is preparing His kings. He is giving them intensive training. He is supplying and making them conscious of the weapons of their warfare.

In God's great kingdom, every king is not ready for battle. Everyone is not fully developed, but God is preparing us. He is teaching us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. (II Corinthians 10:4)

God allows us a training period. When we take hold of the weapons that He has provided, we will surprise ourselves by what we can do. We will not need another Christian. We will not have to find someone else in the middle of the night. We can defeat the devil ourselves.

When you are in the midst of a battle, God will not automatically remove you from the fight just because you cry for help.

Suppose a bully at school had been threatening my son, Joel. What if I had taken time to teach him how to fight and defend himself. Then one day the bully picked on him and Joel began to yell, "Daddy, why don't you help me?"

Joel could win that battle. I had taught him how; but instead, he kept calling for help. Of course, I could walk in and stop the fight, but everything would remain the same. The bully would pick on him again.

On the other hand, if I just waited and let Joel realize I was not going to fight his battle, he would begin to remember his weapons. He would remember his training, and when he defeated that bully, things would change. He would know his own strength. He would know that he was the victor.

Many of us find ourselves in the battles of life and we say, "God will not hear me. Oh God, help, help, help!" We expect God to do something the very minute we get in trouble. If God did that, we would never become strong. God is not going to rescue us from every battle. He does not want us to remain baby Christians.

Several years ago I was believing God for two cows to supply the beef for our annual Thanksgiving Convention, but I gave up. I stopped believing for them. Later, God gave me a dream and I saw a field full of mammoth snakes. Two of those snakes had swallowed something, and as I looked closely, I saw the outline of a cow on the inside of each of them.

God said to me, "You let the devil swallow your two cows." I had lost that battle.

Another time I was going through a great battle. The devil attacked my mind, and fear came against me. This battle went on for months. It looked as if I were going to die. I thought, "Why doesn't God get me out of this?"

After nearly a year of suffering, I decided to spend time in the Word of God. I could hardly read the Bible because I was so nervous and tense, but I started. I stood up in my spirit, I read the Word, and I finally drove the enemy away from me.

God left me in that situation until I made up my mind to get into the Word of God and find out who I was, what I could do, and the power I had in the Name of Jesus.

I came out of the battle a much stronger individual. I will never be the same.

You say, "God does not hear me!"

Yes, He does! But, He is not going to instantly deliver you. He wants you to develop in your spirit. He has made you a king!

We have to understand that if God delivered us instantly, every time we asked, we would never develop an understanding of the authority He has given us.

We have had some attacks. So what!

Things are falling to pieces. So what!

Everything is going wrong. So what!

God wants us to know who we are. He wants us to learn to use the Name of Jesus. He desires that we know the Word of God.

God wants us to defeat the enemy, to destroy his plans, and to come into the fullness of the knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus. Yes, God wants us to stand up and change our situations and the circumstances of those around us.

In these last days, we must KNOW:

We are not facing light skirmishes with foes that can be easily defeated.

We are not fighting flesh and blood, or matching wits with men.

We are being ambushed by spiritual forces. We are in open combat, facing Satan himself.

The devil is not just out to torment us. He is out to destroy us!

When we realize this, we will be eager to gain Biblical knowledge. We will rise early in the morning, take God's Word, and feed our spirits. When we realize the issues at stake, Bible study will become a must.

We will find God's people and begin to work together with them to fulfill the Great Commission before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord of lords and King of kings!

Satan, knowing that he has but a short time, has great fury! He is trying to crush us! Unless we know who we are and what we can do by the power of Jesus Christ, Satan will have continuous victories in our lives.

I boldly declare:

Satan has no part of me!

The enemy has no power over me!

I trample on serpents and scorpions!

I am more than a conqueror!

I reign in life as a king!

Without an understanding of the great redemptive truths of the Bible, we are no match for the devil. Alone, we cannot win. But by the power of what Jesus has done for us, every person reading this book can.

REIGN IN LIFE AS A KING!

We do not have to be afraid of the devil! He trembles at the very sound of our footsteps.

Satan knows the spiritual hunger in people today. He trembles at the thought of men and women gaining a knowledge of who they are in Christ Jesus!

We cannot expect God to continue to instantly rescue us when we cry out in distress. We must learn to take God's Word and fight our way out! God wants us to stay in the arena until we defeat the devil.

The Father will say, "Jesus, there is one of Your kings!"

Then we will be prepared to be sent by the Lord Jesus on strategic missions. When we are reigning as kings in life, He knows that we will be faithful. God is looking for a people He can trust. He wants to use us to bring millions of souls to Himself.

The Apostle Paul reigned in life by One, Jesus Christ. When he was on board a ship, headed for Rome, he was a prisoner in chains, but he had a divine revelation from God. The other men on that ship did not know they had a king on board. Even though they could bind Paul's hands, they could not bind the power of God in his life.

I can imagine the devil and his demons saying, "Look! I thought he was a powerful Christian!" They did not recognize who he was or what he could do.

However, Paul knew who he was. Getting on board the ship, he said, "You should not sail!", but they sailed anyway.

Soon they were in a terrible storm. They were driven night and day by the winds, and could see neither the sun nor stars for many days. All hope was gone. Here was one of God's great kings in chains. His outward circumstances were bad. Nothing can be worse than to have all hope gone.

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Acts 27:21-25

They thought Paul was sailing with THEM. They thought he was a prisoner, but he was a king. Paul was an ambassador, and in God's eyes, they were sailing with HIM. Everything revolved around the king!

If it looks like all hope is gone, take heart!

Do not give up!

Do not write off your child!

Do not write off your mate!

Do not write off your family!

If you have chosen to be a king, all hope is NOT gone.

I want you to say:

I AM A KING!

I REIGN IN LIFE BY ONE, JESUS CHRIST!

And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

Acts 27:30-31

Paul went on board a slave in their eyes. They refused to listen to him, but he knew who he was, and now he was in charge. When those crew members started to jump overboard, he said, "No, do not let them jump!" He gave the orders and they did exactly as he said.

God's king may have been chained, but in the end all could see that he was reigning!

Do you know why Paul reigned? He said, "For I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."

God has told us in His Word that we are healed by the stripes of Jesus. (I Peter 2:24)

God also said that He would supply all our needs. (Philippians 4:19)

Kings stand up in the face of every storm and declare: "The Bible says it, therefore, it must come to pass!" Kings go by what is told them in the Book of the kings!

God wants us to stay in the fight until we know that we can defeat the devil!

We must know the power in the Name of Jesus so that we can drive the enemy forces from the field of battle!

God wants us to stand as more than conquerors:

undaunted,

unflinching,

unshaken,

unafraid!

God wants us to stand as kings in the powerful Name of Jesus!

WE REIGN IN LIFE AS KINGS BY ONE,
JESUS CHRIST.

Chapter Two
Reigning In Life Through Our
Exalted Position In Christ

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:5-6

Thank God, the Apostle John did not say that Jesus was trying to make us, hoped to make us, or was in the process of making us kings and priests.

He said, "Jesus HATH made us kings and priests unto God and His Father."

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:17

Have you received an abundance of grace? Have you received the gift of righteousness? If you have, God declares in His Word that YOU SHALL REIGN IN LIFE.

Make it a priority in your life to remember each day:

GOD HAS MADE YOU A KING.

We are to reign even if:

we have battles,

we go through many hard places,

and problems come against us.

God intended for us to be overcomers in all of these things. He wants to train us to reign over every circumstance IN THIS PRESENT LIFE.

Most of us understand and believe that we will reign in the next life.

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Matthew 19:28

Jesus was speaking to His twelve disciples. He said that they were going to reign and judge as kings. You may be thinking, "That does not say I am going to reign!" Let's read the words of Paul.

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

I Corinthians 6:1-3

Our court system has its basis in the Old Testament. It is an integral part of our society in settling disputes. In dealing with the world, Christians may have to use the courts that God ordained, but we should not have to go to court with another Christian. We have the Word of God to help judge our situations. God even instructs us to lose something for the sake of another brother.

Christian couples who are facing a divorce should sit down with a brother or sister who understands repentance and forgiveness, and by the Word of God judge the situation. Instead of divorce, there can be victory; love and harmony can be gained, and the marriage restored.

There is no question about the fact that we will reign in heaven. We will also have a part in the judgment. Therefore, there is no reason for God's children to fear the judgment.

The Word of God also says that we can REIGN IN THIS PRESENT LIFE. God does not want us to see ourselves as slaves.

Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all.

Galatians 4:1

It is not enough to be an heir. We must KNOW and UNDERSTAND what it means to be an heir.

Make this confession:

I AM AN HEIR OF GOD.

I AM A JOINT-HEIR WITH JESUS CHRIST.

Even though we are heirs and lords over all things, as long as we remain children, we will continue to walk and act like servants.

Many people will live, die, and meet Jesus, never having entered into what their Heavenly Father intended for them to have because they are:

worldly,

carnal,

babies,

unspiritual,

undeveloped in their spirits.

You should not remain a baby Christian. You can grow up. You can mature. You can come to the realization of what it means to be an heir of God. You do not have to walk through life as a servant. You do not have to be overcome by circumstances and demonic powers!

YOU CAN BE LORD IN THIS LIFE
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!