LAM Newsletter, February 2004

King Jesus

I have sung songs about Jesus for 25 years now, as a believer. I sang songs like, "King Jesus", "You are My King", "Majesty", "Lord of Lords", and the like. But it wasn't until the beginning of this year that a revelation of King Jesus came to me. I share this with you because of the impact it made on my life and relationship with Jesus, hoping it will enhance your relationship as well. We all have room for improvement I am sure.

I had attended a movie, it was an action packed movie, but the story was based around a kingdom. They had a king, captains, princes, princesses, spiritual advisors, servants, an army and allies, and of course the people of which the king was to take care of and protect. Along with the kingdom there were evil men and seducers, but that’s not what I’ll talk about in this newsletter.

During this movie it displayed honor, and obedience to the king. Even if the thing requested of them was not what they thought they should do, they did it anyway, because they trusted and believed in the king; even if it was unto their death! The king's decision was made for the good of the people he was protecting. The kings kids even reverenced him by calling him Lord. It didn't matter if they were kin or not, they still reverenced and honored the king, paying obeisance to him. His kids and relations were given tasks to do, some were captains of armies, and some were simply heirs. But they were all princes and princesses. Even those who were not his children but nieces and nephews, they were of the bloodline and so received the inheritance of kingship as well. They were just as important as the king's own children! But let's not forget the people. The king was there to feed the people, help them live good and decent lives, all awhile under the safety of his rule.

The Lord used that movie to show me His Kingdom. These principals are still alive and well in His Kingdom too. The revelation received was this: We live in a modern world, however, the Kingdom of God is not modern at all, it's ancient. The Bible says He never changes, and so I believe that is true for His Kingdom. He still has kings, priests, children, captains, armies, allies, just like the olden days when kings lived upon this planet. If you read the Bible, it's at a time where kings reigned. He set up the hierarchy on this planet at the beginning, and that has never changed. Even as we talk in church, we are called "Saints", "Kings and priests unto our God," "Children of the King", and more. We are told throughout scriptures to be bold and courageous, and not to fear. This is what those in battle would say to each other. When the king’s armies were going into battle, they stayed courageous, even against all odds, knowing they may even be killed. They faced their fear and plunged ahead at the king’s command. This is how we are to live every single day, boldly, courageous, and fearless.

After God began showing me these things He showed me something I never realized in this depth before that has truly changed my life and grounded a deeper relationship with Jesus. The Bible says that that we are no longer called servants but friends (John 15:13). Jesus is the ultimate King, and the Kingdom living is still alive and well on this planet. As God began showing me that Jesus is my brother, my Captain, my Lord and King, I began to weep, bitterly. Because of all these years of living as a believer, I never understood what it meant to have relationship as this with Jesus. Not truly. As the kings of old, we too are to live as unto our King! As priests, subjects, princes and princesses, always with the wishes and commands of the King foremost in our lives! We can never be more than our King; He is greater and higher than any power on this planet. And when we live in this Kingdom we are covered by the shadow of His wings and placed in safety, provided for, and given what we need to live every day. Just as the kings did so long ago!

I've been able to separate the two worlds now, yet live in this world but not be “of” it. The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. I'll put it this way, the Kingdom of God is not of this world, but it’s invisible, a place where we live as royalty, resulting in joy knowing that we are well protected and looked after.

As I began to meditate on Jesus as my King, I saw that the relationship I had with Him was not where it needed to be. I was to be bold and courageous as one of His Captains in His army. We all have different roles in this Kingdom, but each one is very important.

That invisible Kingdom is more real than the place we now see and touch! These things are going to pass away; they are decaying as I speak! But the Kingdom of God is eternal and will last forever, that is what is real. I realized that I had been putting too much effort and importance on things that weren't important. I had been "caught up" in things that were none of my business! Spending time on things that were not even important and would be forgotten in days to come. I’ve spent far too long in conversations about things that didn’t even matter, even arguing about things to get “my point” across. It just doesn’t matter! If I don’t' agree with someone, it doesn't matter. If they don’t' agree with me, it doesn't matter. I'm not getting caught up in things that really have no value in the Kingdom. I'm learning what is important and what is not to dwell on.

Paul even says that he counts everything he has ever done or anything that he has gained in this world as dung (poop), to win the Excellency of Christ his Lord. (Phil. 3:8) Paul had a revelation on what it meant to live in the Kingdom of God, and I want to have this same revelation.

During this time of learning, I have come across many situations that could have robbed me from reality! Reality is Kingdom Living; the things on this planet are not to trouble me (Galatians 6:17). Yes, I still have to live in this world, but I'm not of this world. As Jesus said He was, so we are!

I also understand that God ordained Jesus as King. God is not the King! (Acts 10:42). If you look up the word "ordained" in the concordance, it references Jesus being ordained by God. Jesus then ordained people. (Mark 3:14). Jesus did not need to go to a college or seminary, neither did the twelve disciples; they were ordained because the King ordained them.

Since this revelation, I've had opportunity to make changes in my life. I began to weed out of my life things that gobbled up my time and took me away from what God has called me to, which is teach and help people find their freedom and live in peace. I decided to stop holding concerts and putting on big community extravaganzas! I made everything "large." What I mean is that the reason for the concert was to introduce the people to the Love of God, but somehow the event got blown out of proportion and it became more than what it was supposed to be. I also supported an event called "Help for the Holidays" where we set up a store for people to go shopping for free. I've decided, through prayer, not to hold them any longer. They too were getting way out of hand and were taking up more time and effort than needed. Not to say these weren’t good things, but I'm regrouping to find other ways to offer what was intended without taking away from the call on my life. I am taking a closer look at the things that caused me to deal in the world more than in His Kingdom.

It's not that I cannot have fun, quite the contrary, I have more joy and peace (and fun) when I'm doing what I'm meant to do that God "ordained" I do from the foundation of the world than doing my own thing.

During the movie, there was a part where the king’s niece was asked to lead the people into safety while he went out to fight the war. She was given authority! Why didn’t he give that directive to a man? Because she was his heir! The people obeyed the bloodline of the king, and she walked in that authority because she knew who she was. I understood that it doesn’t matter if we are male, female, old or children, God will use his entire household of faith!

From this new revelation of King Jesus, I've gained interest in reading about kings. I began with the books of Kings in the Bible, and the book of Chronicles, and getting my hands on anything that will teach me more about kingship. I then looked up synonymous words to King, and here are some I noted: Crowned head, emperor, monarch, ruler, supreme ruler, and throne. One of the words also was Lord. The word Lord revealed these descriptions: Master, aristocrat, baron, bishop, captain, commandant, commander count, dad, duke, governor, leader, liege, monarch, nobility, prince, ruler, sovereign, superior. I’m looking forward to referencing each of these words and studying their meanings to get a full picture of what a king is. This will give me a deeper understanding to the lordship and what my part is in all this. This has been a real joy and very insightful for me living in the Kingdom, serving my Lord in this capacity! I need to continue learning how to live in my inheritance. I am not a pauper, I am a princess.

So my journey in learning of kingship has just begun. I prayed at the first of the year, as I shared in my last newsletter, for more understanding. Boy, it's been great—I'm coming into understanding about Jesus as my King. This is so exciting, cannot tell you how this new experience with Jesus as my King and Captain and Lord has changed my life, and continues changing me daily. And I know this for a fact, that whatever our King asks of us, he also equips us to carry it out!

The Passion of the Christ

I wanted to share a personal testimonial on this movie. I watched it, and this is what I received from it. (Many of you will also see it and get your own insights and revelations. When you do, be sure to share them with me too.)

It did touch me deeply, and the following are things that were in the movie, that I related to my life today:

» Jesus wanted his friends to pray with him, but they were too sleepy. This showed me that we need to be there for each other, pray with each other, in each other's needs.

» When Jesus was carrying the cross he needed help so someone helped carry his cross. This reminded me that we need to help carry one another's burdens. I know that the bible says when we carry one another's burdens we fulfill the law of Christ. But this doesn't mean to take on their burdens, nor try to figure out their problems, but together, trust in Jesus to help.

» He forgave them, even in the midst of all their sin and accusations toward Him. This reminds me that when I'm being attacked, or accused, to have pity on them and forgive them.

» God gave His Son, which represents perfect love. This reminds me to continue gaining more of God's love in my life, so I can love others, so my life IS love as God's is. This takes time, but we can press on toward that mark.

» This movie displayed the simplicity of life. I noticed how we have so complicated everything. Everything is so noisy and distracting

Bottom line I got from this movie is that we are to love everyone, at all times, no matter what they do. To help each other and bear one another's burdens, pray with each other and forgive one another daily. That is what our Christian life is all about. Nothing else really matters. All our homes, stuff, etc., doesn't hold a candle to what is truly valuable—relationships with people. The things Jesus taught all through his ministry was about love, nothing more and nothing less, and this is how I want to live too.

Levin

The Bible talks about levin bread. That one drop of levin (yeast) can raise the whole lump. This is true with anything in our lives. There is a saying that one rotten apple can spoil the whole lot. We've seen when one person does something wrong, laws change and it affects all! We need to get the levin out of our lives.

Something happened recently to me that brought on this revelation. I had wanted to purchase an item, but it was a couple hundred dollars and wasn't something that I really needed, just wanted it to help in ministry. I knew someone who worked in a place that could get one for me, for free, because he told me that it was going to be put into the recycle bin. I figured it was OK, so I took it. As I was driving home, I started feeling uneasy about taking it. I felt the bottom line here was stealing. I knew that it didn't matter if they were going to throw it away or not, it wasn't mine to take. Now if I found it in the dumpster, that's a different story. So I brought it home. I began justifying in my mind that it was OK. I talked myself into keeping it.

That weekend was the worst weekend I've had in a long time Monday came around and I finally asked God, "God, what's up, why did I have such a bad weekend?" He said, "Levin". I asked, "What?" He then brought my attention to the item that was sitting in my living room. I only smiled and knew exactly what had happened. I knew better than to have brought that thing home. The Bible says if we do anything against our own conscience, to us it is sin! Yet there it was. It was my levin (my sin). So without further ado, I put it back in my car and took it right back. My peace was restored at the time I decided to take it back. It sat in my car for a couple of days until I could take it back, but I did as soon as I could that week! The Lord looks upon the heart, and I was restored immediately, even though the “thing” was still in my possession!

My husband told me that I don't get away with nothing, and that is a good thing!

Whatabouts?

At the beginning of the year, I made a number of prayer requests, one was that I walk in more truth in all things at all times. I was set free by truth, and have been walking in truth, but also know there is always room for improvement. I realized that when I would fear, in anything, I'm not walking in truth. A lie is what causes us to fear and I wanted all lies out of my life. Because of this God has been showing me things in my life, my thoughts, that I needed more truth in. One area was in the "Whatabouts." Let me share a story:

Tom and I have been married for 14 1/2 years now. He has been telling me for years that I don't take his side on things. I didn't really get it, not until now. For example: He would say something like, “Look at that building over there, it really is a cool building.” Then I would say, "Yeah but whatabout that crack on the side of the building, someone needs to repair it." Or he would say he was going to make something, I would say, "Whatabout doing it this way?” I always had a “Whatabout.” By doing this to my husband I have been squashing his creativity, his vision, and his joy, and by doing this, I was still controlling. Things I never intended to do, yet did them. I realized that when Tom would say something, immediately a thought would enter my head to add to, take away, or disagree. Then from that thought I would immediately blurt it out of my mouth without thinking! Without taking that thought captive and casting out all imaginations as II Corinthians 10:5 says to. Instead I would take that thought no matter what it was, and say it! I was a channel for the enemy to speak!!!!! NO LONGER! I apologized to Tom for all the times I did this. So I told him I would pay attention to my thoughts more before speaking. And I did tell him that God is working on this with me and to give me time, because you know what happens when we start working in an area, we have many opportunities to test what we just learned!!