Our key verse for this year and season of Order continues to be Matthew 6:33 - "But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (NRSV). The kingdom is key!
We said previously in one our postings titled, "The Factors of the Kingdom", that "Faith in God" was one of those factors of the kingdom. And by this we meant that, our ability to navigate properly and effectively within the kingdom of God, would be determined by our faith being grounded and anchored in God.
So, we see that faith in God is a crucial factor to our place within the kingdom (the rule, reign, and will) of God. And with that said, we now turn to the subject of today's title, "Another Lesson on the Kingdom of God."
If there is another lesson that we can learn about the kingdom of God, it would be that Satan wants to rob us of our faith (trust, confidence) in God. II Peter 1:1 describes our faith in God as "precious"; I John 5:4 describes our faith in God as "victory"; and I Timothy 6:12 describes our faith in God as "a good fight." So, Satan knows that if he can rob us of our faith in God, then he can rob us something that is precious; something that is victorious; and something that is a good fight. If he can rob us of our faith in God, then he can ultimately rob us of both our effectiveness within the kingdom of God, and the effectiveness of the kingdom of God within us. That means that the rule, reign, and will of God's righteousness, peace, and joy will not be found in us, nor we in them.
So, how does Satan rob us of our faith in God? Well, I believe he starts with the mind. Satan, through everyday trials and temptations of life (i.e. financial challenges, family challenges, health challenges, job challenges, etc...), brings things to our minds for us to think on, so that these things in turn can consequently get into our hearts, and then ultimately rob us of our faith in God.
So, how then do we keep Satan from robbing us of our faith in God? Well, we need to guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." (NRSV). The heart houses our faith. So, if we guard our hearts, then our faith in God will stay intact.
So, how then do we guard our hearts in order that our faith in God can stay intact? Well, I believe that is where the mind comes in. For if we watch what we allow our minds to think on, then we guard our hearts from evil, and consequently our faith in God remains intact. I'm reminded of what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:8 concerning our thought life, "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things." (NRSV). And in II Corinthians 10:4-5 he said, "For the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ." (NRSV).
So, we guard our faith by guarding our hearts, and we guard our hearts by guarding our minds. Let us therefore not allow Satan to rob us our faith in God, which is something that is precious; something that is victorious; and something that is a good fight. And let us not allow Satan to rob us of our faith in God, and consequently render our lives ineffective within the kingdom (the rule, reign, and will) of God, and the kingdom (the rule, reign, and will) of God within our lives. Guard the mind, guard the heart, guard the faith and be blessed in your life. "Another Lesson on the Kingdom of God."
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