Kingdom

In my journey, I have struggled with the disconnection between my personal experience of accepting salvation as a child and accepting Jesus as the Lord over my life today. Many questioning their salvation have brought them to a place of surrender, to be transformed by accepting Christ all over again. Doing it His way,In 2005, I did just that. Today I am walking out my salvation with understanding that my life is no longer my own. This isn't news to those who understand the Gospel of Jesus, but far too long we have misunderstood Salvation. Which is indeed a mystery, but I found comfort through understanding after seeking God. I once believed, Salvation, was simply a trade- a sinner’s death to receive eternal life. It is this belief that undermines the work completed at the cross. In actuality, Salvation is the recompense for offering your life as a testament to God. In order to accomplish a truly converted spirit, we must begin by denying ourselves, forsaking the world and totally surrendering to God’s way.

I believed in God as a child, yet I didn't accept Him as my God. Many have accepted that God exists as some Be-ing that exists far away from us. As a Christ-believer, I never learned what my requirement was, only that Christ had provided me with the eternal gift of life, a gift that I was afforded by the persecution of Jesus. Somehow I see this as a set up for failure for a new believer.

Why do we feel that our job is simply to preach Christ and convince the sinner to accept God's love and His Son? Is our Salvation without any consequence or obligation to this Almighty God? Yes, God gives us a free will to accept Him or deny Him. Many of us love the idea of Salvation but never desire to become slaves. Can you accept Salvation without be subjected to Christ? And yet say the Sinner’s Prayer, accept Jesus and go along living our lives, pursuing our dreams and aspirations with no obligation to God. The folly is after we've indulged in the pleasures of this world we eventually get old but we are comforted by thoughts of the pending gift, we accepted as insurance after death. For sure there will be a glorious white robe and crown awaiting us. We'll walk on the golden path that leads to the pearly gates of Heaven, and there God will be waiting to receive us. This is a grave illusion that many of us share.

Where did we go wrong? As the blows of life come against us we begin to resent this God who promised us love and fulfillment. We begin to despise Him and before long some of us forfeit our salvation for the comfort of this world. Our lives begin to reflect the god-hate relationship of the world. We begin to see God as the oppressor. How could Christians rebel against God’s word? First, we cut off our praise, we refuse to read the Bible, before long we’ve become stiff necked, pompous. Do you know any Christians that cry, “Lord, Lord,” yet delight in abominable relationships, wicked deeds and sinful pleasures? In history the disobedience of a slave would cause him to suffer great affliction. Sometimes this penalty could even mean death. It's time to re-evaluate our lives, and will to give up our lives so that God's kingdom comes into our own hearts. Now you might know some who say, they have accepted Christ but you can see it is evident that they have not given their life to Christ. You’ll know because their lives tell the story of not one who died to sin, but still are very much alive to committing sin. Living out the will of God is accepting His son. It’s easy to see the sin in another isn’t it. Start today by giving your life to Christ. This is where salvation begins.

We must first believe in God. Once we are graced to see ourselves as God sees us; wicked, filthy rags, void of understanding and undeserving of a relationship with Him. We must acknowledge that our hearts are bent toward evil and our thoughts are continually focused on mischief. Then and only then can we appreciate Jesus and His sacrifice to reconcile us to this Almighty God. Our appreciation for God's provision -Jesus- allows us to accept His love and His will. The acceptance of our sinful conditions and the salvation Christ offers leads to true transformation in the lives of those whose hearts thirst for righteousness.

The reality is when God reveals himself to you...you will never be the same. Once you truly receive His love you are transformed. Willingly, the life of a servant becomes simple.


In the Bible, God tells us that only Christ could satisfy the debt of sin. Why, if Christ paid the price for our sin do we feel there is no obligation to Him? The gospel according to Paul, teaches, we become the bond servant. This means SLAVE. Can you name a time in any culture where a slave can go about their day without being subjected to the will, instruction and direction his or her master? Yet, we go about our lives having accepted this matchless gift, but never offering our lives up to God. I'm convinced that this is evidence that the church is not having genuine conversions. The God of Israel never reigns over the trellises of our heart.

So why do so many claim to be Christians?

Many of us are merely touting the rhetoric of a faith in a God that we never serve.

Satan is known a legalist, he understands God's word and is crafty to deceive us. I am convinced that in the church, Satan has established his beliefs and continues to propagate lies and convince many they will inherit the kingdom of God. God's kingdom is not present in the reflection of our lives thus, we are no better than the heathen, because just as the heathen we continue to live like we don’t believe in the God of the Bible. As I study scripture, it points to the fact that, the demons believe in God. At that thought, to believe is not merely enough. Yes, we must believe in order to receive salvation, but it doesn't stop here. When we pray the Lord's Prayer we pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Our Bible teaches us that we are the temple of God, if that be so- why are our lives not reflecting His kingdom? Satan threatened God that he would set His throne above God's. And so today we see Satan's kingdom influencing our lives, views and our faith. If God's kingdom is to come, Jesus must first reign over our lives. By doing so, we must allow Christ to establish God's kingdom in our hearts.

When we examine our lives...

Many refer to Christians as believers. Demons believe in God, they also fear Him, yet they continue to serve Satan, their master. Then, perhaps to believe is not enough to receive salvation. If you know you are living a life that screams [hate] to God, living contrary to God's ways just might be a signal that your soul is in grave danger. Ask God to reveal to you the sin in your life. If we earnestly desire to give up the comfort of deceit in exchange to becoming a living sacrifice, we must repent and ask God to cleanse us and seek His hand to be ruler over our lives. There is nothing more beautiful than to see a true converted sinner. What a testimony to see God’s workmanship displayed in each other’s lives. When God truly reign in our lives they reflect the manifestation of love of God. God’s children possess wisdom and they will walk in the gifts of the spirit. They exemplify the character of God and they provide the sinners with a vision of uncompromising conviction of God's hatred for sin. They reveal the essence of God's preservation in our lives.


My husband recently purchased, Radical by David Platt, which is subtitled, Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. The author forces us to take a look at the gospel of Jesus in comparison to the 21st Century Church. I am currently on disc 2 and it includes many of the things I mentioned here that challenges our lifestyles in contrast to Jesus' ministry. I believe the lukewarm lifestyle can very well be contributed to the lack of accepting Christ, which is the foundation of a true conversion, salvation. Platt points out that we must be willing to abandon the 21st Christian worldview if we intend to be effective in soul winning. Today, we are offering salvation to the masses yet after the many alter calls, people walk away and return to their sinful lives unchanged. He questions, whether we are ready for a RADICAL change. I agree, it’s time for RADICAL change of hearts, minds, spirits, thoughts, and prayers. A total transformation is needed in the lives of the self-professed Christian. This book provokes me to take a real look at Jesus' Ministry and how it contradicts the New Millennium believer's thoughts, actions and lifestyles. I warn you...this book will shake the foundations of many...It's time to WAKE UP...there are REAL battles to be fought. Souls are hanging in the balance and many are right in the church.

David Platt, author of RADICAL, implores us that there is a COST, so unless you are ready to ABANDON your mindset, the ones that have framed your faith and experience with God, there can be no progress. I think it is a must read for all Christians. Are we really having genuine conversions? WHY Do we HATE God, His Ways, His plan? This is about exchanging Christian worldviews- for Christ. Many are called - few are chosen.. I can't get these thoughts out of my head..."My fear, is that I will hear Jesus and yet still do what others did, walk away from His counsel." It's a must read for those who are fed up with the debauchery that we find ourselves accepting. Let's get back to Loving God-His way! To get it on audiobook, see the title link below.


Radical...by David Platt

May the revelation of acquiring a new perspective of unhealthy mindsets and lifestyle of the lukewarm believer motivate those who are grounded in truth to flourish in Christ and reclaim the lives of those seeking to submit to Christ in every area of their lives.

-a servant's heart

Disclaimer. A servant's utterance is copyright protected (c) 2011 a servant's heart and the information contained expresses personal views and values of a servant’s heart. The passage in its entirely may be forwarded or linked without consequence however, for any non-personal excerpt for print or publication should request consent from a servant's heart prior to use.