“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines
the course of your life.” ~ Proverbs 4:23
Are you new to this blog? If so, what is the “Matters of the Heart” blog and why will it bless you to read it?
Matters of the Heart is a weekly blog that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart, the issues we all face but sometimes don’t want to talk about. The heart is the programming center of our lives. What is programmed into our heart will affect every area of our lives. Learn how to discover what is in your heart and how to program your heart for success.
AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog via Facebook, click here. If you are not on Facebook or would prefer to subscribe via a different venue, please check the sidebar to the right for subscription options. Thank you!
And now, on to this week’s post! 🙂
_______________________________________________________________
Welcome to Week 2 in our discussion on freedom. Did you know that the Bible is the story of the violent conflict between two kingdoms? These two kingdoms–or governmental jurisdictions–are the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.
Did you also know that your whole life is a wrestling match between these two kingdoms–or, to put it in other terms, between these two governments? In fact, every decision you make will promote the rule of either the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Satan in your life. There is no neutral ground.
For example, if you make a decision in obedience to God, His Kingdom and its blessings will reign supreme in your life, but if you make a decision in rebellion to God–in other words, by giving in to your carnal nature–then Satan’s Kingdom and its curses will reign supreme in your life.
Each kingdom has its own set of laws by which it operates. Before we are born again, we operate by default in the laws of the Kingdom of Darkness because the sin nature is the default setting of humanity. We are born into this world spiritually separated from God and, consequently, in spiritual darkness. When we are born again, however, God gives us a new spirit that allows us entrance into the Kingdom of God. Holy Spirit then begins to teach us the Laws of the Kingdom and how to operate in them.
But even after we are born again, we must choose to operate by the laws of the Kingdom of God. It is critically important, therefore, that we know what those laws are and how to enforce them.
The Kingdom of God is the place where God originally intended for us to live. But sin moved us out of that place and into the Kingdom of Satan.
The Kingdom of God operates by laws that produce the Blessing. The Kingdom of Satan operates by laws that produce the Curse.
In Matthew 16: 19, Jesus made an astounding statement: “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” What exactly did He mean?
The Amplified Bible translation sheds a good deal of light on the meaning of this verse: “I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” Several important truths are revealed in this verse:
1–Keys represent authority. The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven represent the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven.
2–God has given those keys only to us who are born again. To qualify for the keys, we have to be citizens of the Kingdom.
3–The Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven are to be used for a particular purpose. That purpose is to block the curse of Satan from spreading in the Earth and to enforce the blessing of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Earth. With the keys, we bind the curse and loose the blessing.
4–The Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven lock and unlock, bind and loose. The authority (the keys) God has given to us will unlock the blessings of Heaven for us. The authority (keys) will also lock up the curses and keep them from operating in our lives. In the Kingdom of Heaven, certain things are forbidden (sin, sickness, pain, death, poverty, sorrow, etc.), and in the Kingdom of Heaven certain things are permitted (holiness, health, well-being, life, wealth, joy, etc.). As Christ-Followers, we have the authority to forbid on Planet Earth everything that is already forbidden in Heaven (e.g., sickness, disease, poverty) and to loose on Planet Earth everything that is already loosed in Heaven (health, peace, prosperity). Not only do we have the authority to do this; we have a mandate from Christ Himself to do this. It is called “the Great Commission” and is found in Mark 16: 15-18.
5–Christ-Followers are Ambassadors of Heaven temporarily assigned to Earth. We are first and foremost spirit beings who have a soul and who live in an earthly body. I like to call it our “earth suit”. 🙂 We are citizens of Heaven who temporarily live on Earth. Our job while on Earth is to enforce the Laws of the Kingdom (the Laws of Heaven) on the Earth in our given sphere of influence. We are spiritual military people on assignment at different locations (bases, posts) in the Earth.
6–That portion of Earth to which we are assigned–our circle of influence–is our spiritual domain and subject to the Laws of the Kingdom of God. Just as every US Embassy belongs to the United States and operates under its laws, so does the “embassy” where God places us belong to the Kingdom of God and operates under its laws. But we as earthly ambassadors who represent the Kingdom of Heaven must exercise and enforce that dominion–those laws–in our assigned post.
7-The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven work only by faith. And faith works only by love. In other words, we must have faith, motived by love, in order to unlock the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven and bring them to Earth and in order to block the curses of Satan from operating on Earth.
Next week, we will explore how to enforce the laws of the Kingdom in the earth. We will then touch on reasons that we Christ-Followers are not seeing more of Heaven’s blessings manifested in our lives but are still experiencing many of Satan’s curses in our lives, such as sickness, lack, and strife. Until then, meditate on today’s teaching and let it sink deep into your spirit. As you do, Holy Spirit will reveal to you who you truly are in Jesus Christ and the power and authority you possess because He lives in you and you live in Him.
To help you better understand the power and authority you have as an Ambassador of Christ in the Earth, I wrote YOU WERE MADE FOR GREATNESS!. Get your copy now!
Learn about your power and authority in the Kingdom of God! Discover who you truly are in Jesus Christ!
YOU WERE MADE FOR GREATNESS! by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio
If you missed Part 1 of this series, posted last week, you can read it HERE.
Remember this: You will be as free as you choose to be!
Please tell your family and friends about this blog series and please pass this post on to them. Thank you!
Now, it’s YOUR turn: Where are you serving as Christ’s Ambassador to Earth? Are you aware of the power and authority He has given you to carry out your duties?
TWEETABLE: How Free Do You Want to Be? – Week 2 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (CLICK TO TWEET)
If you found this post helpful, please forward it to a friend. Thank you! Check our archives in the right sidebar for older posts on a variety of topics. You may also search for a particular topic in the search box at the top right. Some of our most popular posts are:
—How Free Do You Want to Be? – Week One
—How to Recognize a Contolling Spirit
AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog if you are on Facebook, click here. If you are not on Facebook or if you prefer to subscribe via another venue, you may do so by using any one of the other subscription options listed under the Networked Blog section in the sidebar on my website: www.maryanndiorio.com/blog. Thank you!