GOD’S KEY??
May the PEACE OF GOD, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds, and be with you.
My dear friend,
I would like to start with the prayer of Matthew 6: 9 to 13.
“Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever.
Amen.”
This prayer was given to us by Jesus as the model prayer and I believe that God measures all prayers against this prayer. Let us therefore look at what we pray for when we pray the words of this prayer.
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Let us now look at the Kingdom of God about which Jesus speaks in this paragraph. As I have already stated, God’s kingdom is His reign or authority in my life, here on earth.
What is this authority? It is the display of His power in my life.
This is a real mouthful for me to say, but what is actually the meaning thereof?
Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3) Jesus also talks about this kingdom on various other places and in Matthew 3: 2, John, the Baptist says: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
My dear friend, How many of us grew up with the belief that this kingdom and heaven is the same place? This again, is a lie from Satan.
God’s kingdom is His authority that He gave to us in Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.”
Jesus gave the following command: Matthew 10:7- 8 “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils…”
How can we possibly do this without the power and authority of God in us? So, now it becomes clear to us why Satan wants us to believe that the kingdom of God and the heaven, is the same place.
If we understand the kingdom of God and we want to live and operate in and by it, we become a real threat to Satan for we then have the Godly power to free people from the lies by which Satan has bound them.
What else does Jesus say in His prayer? Let us have a look:
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Care for us today and supply all our demands. God wants to care for us and to supply in our needs just as He has supplied to the Israelites in the desert of Sinai. I do not read one word about tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:31- 32 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.”
Does this now mean that we can sit back hoping that God will supply?
NO, definitely not!!
Let me ask you: When the angel of God came to Gideon, what was Gideon busy doing? Was he not busy threshing wheat? Was he not working?
Let us also look at King David. God sent the prophet Samuel to go and anoint a king after Saul disappointed Him as is written in 1Samuel 16.
God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to go and anoint the king. After Samuel had looked at all the sons of Jesse, he asked in 1 Samuel 16:11: ‘ And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.”
David, the future king, was also busy working.
Is it by pure chance that the greatest of all the judges, the greatest of all earthly kings, was busy working when God called him?
Definitely not. Here Jesus gives us a key as to how the provision of God works.
“And forgive us our debts,”
God sincerely loves you and me, but God hates sin with everything that is in Him. Sin brings separation between Him and us.
God’s love for us and also the love of Jesus for us, was the cause that Jesus paid the full price for our sins when He died on the cross so that we can one day stand before God as clean and free of sin and thus enter into our heavenly home.
What do we have to do? What does God expect from us? Jesus answered by saying: “Go and sin no more.” That is what we should daily strive for – and He will help us to do it.
But is there perhaps something more? Do we perhaps have our own demands about how God has to forgive us? Let us look further:
“as we forgive our debtors.”
What are we actually praying here? In common language it means: “Father, please do not forgive my sin before I have forgiven, absolved and forgotten everything that others did to me? Jesus, I know that you died for me, but I choose not to accept You as my saviour and redeemer. I choose to keep this unforgiveness as the barrier between us. I choose not to partake in You and Your promises. I choose to declare Your word nil and void. Jesus I choose to renounce You. I choose the hell above the heaven!”
Not to forgive your debtors, is sin. Hate, in whatever form it may appear, is a sign of unforgiveness and is sin. Bitterness is sin. An attitude of: “I will forgive but I will never forget”, is sin.
How many times do we say that we forgive, but the next wrong step of someone, brings everything that we have forgiven, back in full force for us to use in our arguments.
Have you really forgiven that person if you will not or cannot forget what he or she did? Jesus says in Matt 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
Many of us are quick to deny that we judge others. Are you genuine, my dear friend, or is it hypocrisy? If you still judge, you have not forgiven!
Remember that God sees your heart open and exposed before Him and therefore you cannot bluff him. Only you and God will know whether you have really forgiven or not. I beg you, scrutinise yourself and find out whether you have forgiven everyone. Ask your Heavenly Father to let the Holy Spirit help you to forgive and to put it behind you.
We ourselves bring about a separation between God and ourselves with the spirit of unforgiveness.
“And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:”
If you walk in God’s light, you will clearly see God’s will and way for your life. You will see with the eyes of Jesus and will recognise temptations while they are still on their way to you. His kingdom (Authority) in your life will immediately let you rule over the threatening temptation and you will overcome it. Jesus has already conquered Satan and he (Satan) is bound in darkness where he walks about like a roaring lion looking for someone that he can devour. When you walk in God’s light, Satan cannot devour you. You, however has the power to choose where you want to walk.
“For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever.”
The kingdom belongs to God. If we stand clean before God, we are part of this kingdom. He says in Revelation. 1: 6: “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.”
The authority by which we do things, belongs to God.
Paul says that, out of his own, he can do nothing but in Phillipians 4:13 states”: “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
One day when I was in a conversation with God, I asked: “Father I read in Revelations about the 24 elders before You who fell down on their faces. It is written: Revelations 4:10 “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives forever and ever when the four beasts called: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
I said: “Father, do they not become tired of doing this?
My friend, do you know what Father replied? (certainly with a smile on his face) “My son, every time the elders rise, they look at another facet of Me and My holiness that is so awesome, that they again fall down on their faces. My Holiness satisfies all their needs.” That is why it is also written: God will satisfy all your wants, according to the richness of his glory.
“Amen.”
So is it and so it will be.
That is what the word ‘amen’ means. Let the full implication of the prayer be applicable on me. Not only the blessings, but also the choices that I make in the prayer. That is what I accept.
I ask you: do not only pray and only say beautiful and religious words.
Jesus says in Matthew 12:36- 37 “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned.”
It is therefore no wonder that Solomon says in Proverbs 18:21 that the power over life and death, lies in the tongue!!! False words (attitudes) bring about condemnation.
My dear friend, please do a thorough self analysis. Get rid of everything that brings about separation between God and you.
Confess your sin and accept God’s forgiveness. The key that Jesus gives us in His prayer, is unconditional forgiveness. You have to forgive unconditionally to be forgiven unconditionally.
Jesus died 100% for you and you have to forgive 100%.
100% is 100%. Not negotiable!! That is what is written on the cheque with which He bought you. What is written on your cheque to Him?
I would like to pray the following prayer with you. Be convinced that God loves you dearly and really wants to forgive you. Let us pray:
“Father, I now come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I want to honour You as my Lord and my God. Thank You for the privilege to be Your child and thank You, Jesus that You have died on the cross for my sin. Thank You also for teaching me how to pray so that I can now pray for my friend who now reads this article.
Father, I now bring my friend to You. I ask you, Lord to show him/her everything that brings separation between You and him/her. O, Lord, if he/she is not yet 100% sure that he/she is Your child, I now ask in the name of Jesus that You now accept him/her as Your child. I ask You Lord to forgive his/her sin and wash him/her with the blood of Jesus so that he/she will stand before You entirely clean and pure.
O, Lord, You say in your Word that we have to forgive them that have trespassed against us. Lord, we are unable to do it without the help of the Holy Spirit. Therefore I ask You, Holy Spirit, to help us to forgive them.
I know that others have hurt, saddened or harmed my friend deeply. Also that he/she has been hurt by loved ones and that is why it is so very sore.
Holy Spirit, Jesus calls You the comforter and therefore I ask you now, to provide Your comfort to my friend.
So many times have we blamed someone who died at a time that we needed them badly or when we did not have time to clear up wrongs between us.
Lord, I ask You that You will help everyone to forgive and absolve for it is the key that Jesus gave to us. Dear Lord, please show him/her who there is that have to be forgiven and help him/her to forgive and absolve them. Amen.”
I now ask you to read the following prayer aloud for everyone to hear.
“Father, I now come to You in the name of Jesus Christ. I once again declare that Jesus is my Saviour and my Redeemer and I accept His blood as my purifier. I now confess as sin everything wrong that I have done towards You and my fellowmen, and I ask in the name of Jesus that You forgive me and wash me clean in the blood of Jesus.
Thank you dear Father, that I now know that I am Your child.
You say that I have to forgive them that have trespassed against me and so I now bring to You everyone that did anything that harmed me and I now forgive them and absolve them in the Name of Jesus. I also want to forgive them that I have forgotten and I ask You, o Lord, to show them to me and also anything harmful that might still be between us.
Please put a guard before my mouth. Please also forgive me for wrong words that I have spoken in rage or hate or whatever circumstances. Forgive me for that and thank You Lord that I know that You do not hold anything against me anymore.
Lord, I now choose to give my life to You, my body, soul and spirit. I ask You now to manifest in my life, my thoughts, deeds, reasoning, arguments, etc. So that the world can see that I am Your child.
Thank you Jesus, for Your love that saved me and also that You will guide me on my way ahead. O, Lord, I now take onto myself the responsibility for all aspects of my life, as the king that You have made me. Thank You that You will now help me to rule over myself and the circumstances around me. Thank you that I can now be more than a conqueror in You. Amen.”
I thank you for the privilege of sharing these moments with you. I pray that the Lord has spoken to you through these words that we have shared.
Go ahead with joy. Your life and your outlook on life shall reflect your image towards God and everyone around you.
I greet you with the words of Isaiah 62:3: “Thou shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.”
Blessings and love in the Name of Jesus.
Cobus van Heerden