OVERCOMING ADDICTION

OVERCOMING ADDICTION

Every Christian that is not in heaven still struggles with sin.  Many struggle with addictions.  Addictions to marijuana, to alcohol, to pornography, to gambling, to overeating, to shopping, and so many other sins.  Is there any hope in breaking the chains of addictions?  Since many Christians struggle with the sins of addiction they begin to doubt their own salvation. What can a believer do to escape…to overcome their sin?

The Apostle Paul Struggles with Sin

If anyone could overcome sin, surely it was the great apostle Paul.  He wrote more books in the New Testament and founded more churches than any other apostle.  Even though this great man of faith was a spiritual giant, he struggled with sin too.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you will not struggle with overcoming sin in this life after you are saved.

Romans 7:15-24:

15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”  What Christian has not battled with the flesh?  We end up doing just what we don’t want to do…but we do it anyway.  You are not alone.  You are in good company – with Paul.

16 “And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.”  Paul is saying that I agree with the Law of God…that it is good.  The Ten Commandments say we should not bear false witness, but Christians are still not fully sanctified…..it is a lifelong work of sanctification and we are still prone to lie.

17 “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” What Paul is saying is that it’s not really him anymore, but the old man or woman rearing its ugly head.  Even though we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), we are still not without sin (1 John 1:8).

18  “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”  It’s like Paul said that he knows better, yet he falls into sin.  The only thing is that he doesn’t stay there. He acknowledges it and gets back up.  He has the desire to do the right thing but guess what:  He still can not carry it out…in his own strength that is.  This takes the very power of God:  God the Holy Spirit (Rom 12:2).

19 “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” That is me in a nutshell.  A train wreck, a sinner, a wretch but the good news is that Paul realizes that the good he wants to do is what he is not doing…and he keeps on doing it!  The good news here is the fact that he understands that it’s wrong.  This is strong evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in him, convicting him of his sin.  A person who is not born-again has no true desire to do what is right nor are they convicted when they do evil things.

20 “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”  Paul is cutting himself some slack. He understands that he is battling the old nature.  The pre-conversion person.  The Saul is still in there but Paul is not settling for it now, neither is he allowing to let is slide.

21 “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”  This “although I want to do good” is because God has given him His Spirit to show him his sin and even though evil is there with him…he recognizes that he wants “to do good.”  That is hopeful because he understands that the law is at work.  The Law is a mirror, showing us our sins and he recognizes the evil being there with him (James 1:23). He wants to do good and that is a sentence full of hope, not despair.

22-23 “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” There is a battle for the mind…the battle is ultimately through Jesus Christ but it is a war nonetheless.  We might lose battles but the war has truly been won already.  The law was made clear to Paul by his conscience (Rom 2:15).

24 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Paul finally admits defeat in his own frail, feeble, human strength.  He needs rescuing.  He is subject to eternal death without a rescuer.  What can this wretched man do?!  What can we do!?

25 “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Paul falls on his face, being a wretched man and admits defeat (Rom 7:24) and gives thanks to God Almighty, our Mighty Savior, Who delivered him and Who will also deliver us.

Victory in Defeat

You can not overcome sin on your own…you can not conquer your marijuana addiction on your own…you can’t overcome the addiction to pornography by your own strength…you can’t defeat the enemy of alcohol, gambling, overeating, depression…just name it:  You just can’t do it…..but God can!  He wants to help you overcome the powerful sins of your life and your strong addictions, the mighty fortress where we have no chance at all.  God desires to help us and He is more than able and He is absolutely willing to.  Imagine the God of the universe.  He created the entire universe, all the stars, the galaxies, the sun…everything!  He knows the 100 trillion times 100 trillion number of stars all by name.  Now is anything really to hard for God?!  No!  We have no power in ourselves but the Holy Spirit is God and the very power of God working in you.   The first thing you need to do is to acknowledge to God that you can not overcome this by your own power.  That is exactly what He has been waiting to hear.   Victory will only come in defeat.  You are in over your head but God is over all things.  When we tell God “I just can’t beat this thing God”, He must say, “Finally…now, maybe I can send my power to help them.“  He will be your strong tower.

Pray day and night for the help you need.  God can deliver you…He did me!  But it took time. Don’t lose heart. You will slip and fall but get back up, pray for forgiveness and ask God to cut off all the sources of your drug addiction, if you are addicted to pornography, get rid of the Internet.  Jesus said, speaking in hyperbole, “If your hand offends you, cut it off“(Matt 5:30).   What He is saying is to cut off the source of your addiction or sin.  If you can’t get rid of the Internet, then have a friend put a password protected filter on it.  If you are addicted to drugs, turn in the illegal drug dealers.  Drastic yes, but this is what it must take.  God can do all things…He created the universe and He can help deliver you and He desires to help you overcome this addiction but you may have to make some painful decisions.  We can do nothing on our own…but we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” (Phil 4:13).  The converse of that is that we can do nothing in our own strength.

Victory in Christ

Please don’t lose heart if you are battling an addiction or some deeply entrenched sin.  Sometimes these demons are mighty strongholds of the mind. The very fact that you are grieved over your addiction or sin is evidence that the Holy Spirit is not only in you but working in you, for the Spirit convicts us of sin and sanctification is a lifelong process.  The very fact that you searched for this over the Internet is evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in you.  Can’t you see that!?  This is no coincidence. God brought you to this article today for a very specific purpose, a reason, to be a path for your feet – a light for your life.  It starts with God and ends with God.  I am a pastor today but let me tell you that I was in prison, hooked on drugs, stole, and was headed down the broad path of hell. It took me years and years to finally get over this, yet God never, ever gives up on me and He will not give up on you.  Like the Prodigal Father, He kept looking down the road for me to come to Him.  He is looking down that road today, waiting, watching, for you.

What I finally did to break the addiction was to pray that all the sources or suppliers of my drugs were removed from me or that they would move…whatever it took.  I prayed hard, “Lord, please help me, I am weak.”  You know what?  It worked.  God heard my prayer and answered it.  It took me a very long time and today I am clean and sober but I am still a train wreck, a sinner and I will never overcome all sin in this life.   Jesus’ blood covers past, present, and future sins of ours….so the very fact that you have a sin or addiction weighing heavy on you should not, I pray, make you lose heart.  The fact that you are grieved over your sin is a great sign that the Holy Spirit is trying to show you your sin.   Once a believer repents, this does not mean that they will not fall back into sin.  No, we will sin again and again…but turning from our sin we will begin to loathe it all the more.  Yes, we need to repent, but we sin every day and every day we can begin and end the day by falling on our face, hands, and knees before God to ask for forgiveness.  You too can declare as Paul did, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:25)!

RESTITUTION

RESTITUTION

Restitution

Restitution is a biblical concept, and it’s consistent throughout the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, for example, we’re told that, “A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft. If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession … he must pay back double. If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard. If a fire breaks out and spreads into thorn bushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution. . . If a man borrows an animal from his neighbour and it is injured or dies . . . he must make restitution” (Exodus 22:1-14)

It doesn’t have to be outright theft in order for restitution to be in order.

The Scripture in Leviticus 6:2-5 goes on to explain a number of scenarios regarding ill-gotten gain.  It doesn’t have to be outright theft in order for restitution to be in order.  After explaining several examples of scenarios that require restitution, it says, “… when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, or whatever it was they swore falsely about.  They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner …” (Leviticus 6:4-5)

In the passage of Exodus 22:1-14, we can see that God takes making restitution so seriously that He would even command someone to sell themselves into slavery in order to accomplish the restitution.  Mind you, God is not an advocate of slavery.  But clearly He sees needed restitution as being more important to our spiritual wholeness than our civil freedom.  That’s how God wants us to set our priorities. In many ways, restitution is about repairing our earthly relationships in order to honour our heavenly Father.

In the passage of Leviticus 6:4-5 which explains the restitution was to be made on the same day that the guilty one would bring his sacrifice before the Lord.  So it was that making amends with whomever we’ve wronged is just as important as making peace with God.  Similarly, Jesus told us in Matthew 5:23-24, “… if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift (of worship to the Lord). This “brother” could be someone you have harmed in your own family, or it could be a biblical neighbour (ie anyone you encounter) that you need to reconcile your relationship with.

We understand this passage in Matthew to have very serious implications.  It’s telling us that God doesn’t want our worship if we have any relationships in our life which need reconciling and for which we have not made our best effort to be reconciled in.  This would of course include restitution for ill-gotten financial gain.  Said differently, if you aren’t willing to make it right and haven’t put your best effort into making it right … you have no business worshipping the Lord.

In Luke 19, we have the story of Jesus visiting Zacchaeus’ home.  Now Zacchaeus was known as an evil man who cheated others, took bribes, etc.  But he had taken his stand for Christ and made a public confession right there.  And he committed to repay his ill-gotten gain by giving fully half of all his possessions to the poor.  Additionally, he committed to make specific restitution to parties he had wronged by paying them back four times the amount he’d gained from cheating them.

The same result of repentance is expected for anyone who truly knows Christ today. Genuine repentance leads to a desire to do whatever we can humanly do to right the wrongs in our past.  When someone becomes a Christian, he will have a desire born of deep conviction from the Holy Spirit to do what’s right.

How to make restitution

But restitution, like other fruits of the Spirit, is a result of our salvation.  It is never a requirement in order to gain salvation.

I’m sure some of our readers may be thinking of situations where the one doing the repenting has spent the money or for whatever other reason just doesn’t have the means to “do right” in the eyes of the Lord.  There are some crimes and sins for which there can be no adequate or sufficient restitution. But in such instances, a true Christian will demonstrate his or her repentance by giving sacrificially to accomplish as much restitution as is humanly possible.  But restitution, like other fruits of the Spirit, is a result of our salvation.  It is never a requirement in order to gain salvation.

Now you pointed out that you had taken bribes from companies and not individuals.  You need to know that the inability to identify the injured party or make restitution to them directly does not let you off the hook.  Even if you wronged someone who is now dead, you would owe them restitution in the Lord’s eyes.  In Numbers 5:7-8, God tells us that the one who has ill-gotten gain, “… must confess the sin he has committed.  He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged. But if that person (is not alive and) has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belong to the Lord and must be given to the priest …”  So if you cannot find the injured party or their heirs and successors, you owe the restitution to the Lord.  In that case, you would take it to your church and make a donation with the explanation that it is not part of your regular tithes and offerings, but rather is restitution required by the Lord.

Why make restitution?

Finally, there are two more verses that I will cite to help guide your thinking.  I believe, dear brother, as I said in the beginning, that you have a difficult choice to make here.  Certainly you as a human can choose to ignore God’s command that you make restitution.  You’ve already said the ill-gotten gain is tied up in non-cash or other illiquid assets.  Let me assure you that it will be worth your trouble to liquidate them or even donate the non-cash asset in order to accomplish your restitution.  (If you’d like, we can help you take account of your assets and decide what to do with them.)

So Maxwell, my brother in Christ, if you should choose to ignore this conviction that the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart — your children and their heirs will suffer for it.  (Job 20:10)

In the book of Job, we are told that a man who does not make amends places a curse on his own children.  It says they will beg from the poor, being worse off than the poor.  Why?  Because his own hands were required to give back the ill-gotten gain.  So Maxwell, my brother in Christ, if you should choose to ignore this conviction that the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart — your children and their heirs will suffer for it.  (Job 20:10)  Additionally Proverbs 14:9, tells us that, “Fools mock at making amends for sin, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.”  So it will be the children of a fool who suffer because he or she failed to obey the Lord and make amends for their ill-gotten gains in life.

My dear brother in Christ, I sense that you have a very tender and sincere heart.  And I realize that what I’ve just written you is not easy to hear (or read).  So let me take you back to where we started, in Galatians 6:1 which speaks of the brother who is caught in sin (that’s you, Maxwell).  It says that we who are spiritual (that’s me and other spiritual leaders God may have placed in your life) are to gently restore you.  That means that we stand with you, we pray for you, we encourage you to do right, we challenge you and we celebrate your obedience.  Said differently, you should get others who are more spiritually mature than you involved in the discussion about this repentance that you are about to undertake.  Get godly advice and seek the wisdom of the Lord from His people to help you make the decisions that need to be made.

FASTING

Prayer And Fasting

Prayer and Fasting - A Definition
Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand, but this is not always the case. You can pray without fasting, and fast without prayer. It is when these two activities are combined and dedicated to God's glory that they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom you need.

and Fasting - What the Bible Says
The Old Testament law specifically required prayer and fasting for only one occasion, which was the Day of Atonement. This custom became known as "the day of fasting" (Jeremiah 36:6) or "the Fast" (Acts 27:9). Moses fasted during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God (Exodus 34:28). King Jehoshaphat called for a fast in all Israel when they were about to be attacked by the Moabites and Ammonites (2 Chronicles 20:3). In response to Jonah's preaching, the men of Nineveh fasted and put on sackcloth (Jonah 3:5). Prayer and fasting was often done in times of distress or trouble. David fasted when he learned that Saul and Jonathan had been killed (2 Samuel 1:12). Nehemiah had a time of prayer and fasting upon learning that Jerusalem was still in ruins (Nehemiah 1:4). Darius, the king of Persia, fasted all night after he was forced to put Daniel in the den of lions (Daniel 6:18).

Prayer and fasting also occurs in the New Testament. Anna "worshipped night and day, fasting and praying" at the Temple (Luke 2:37). John the Baptist taught his disciples to fast (Mark 2:18). Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before His temptation by Satan (Matthew 4:2). The church of Antioch fasted (Acts 13:2) and sent Paul and Barnabas off on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:3). Paul and Barnabas spent time in prayer and fasting for the appointment of elders in the churches (Acts 14:23).

Prayer and Fasting - Required or Recommended?
The Word of God does not specifically command believers to spend time in prayer and fasting. At the same time, prayer and fasting is definitely something we should be doing. Far too often, though, the focus of prayer and fasting is on abstaining from food. Instead, the purpose of Christian fasting should be to take our eyes off the things of this world and focus our thoughts on God. Fasting should always be limited to a set time because not eating for extended periods can be damaging to the body. Fasting is not a method of punishing our bodies and it is not be used as a "dieting method" either. We are not to spend time in prayer and fasting in order to lose weight, but rather to gain a deeper fellowship with God.

By taking our eyes off the things of this world through prayer and biblical fasting, we can focus better on Christ. Matthew 6:16-18 declares, "When you fast, do not look sober as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Prayer and Fasting - What Does it Accomplish?
Spending time in prayer and fasting is not automatically effective in accomplishing the desires of those who fast. Fasting or no fasting, God only promises to answer our prayers when we ask according to His will. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." In the prophet Isaiah's time, the people grumbled that they had fasted, yet God did not answer in the way they wanted (Isaiah 58:3-4). Isaiah responded by proclaiming that the external show of fasting and prayer, without the proper heart attitude, was futile (Isaiah 58:5-9).

How can you know if you are praying and fasting according to God's will? Are you praying and fasting for things that honor and glorify God? Does the Bible clearly reveal that it is God's will for you? If we are asking for something that is not honouring to God or not God's will for our lives, God will not give what we ask for, whether we fast or not. How can we know God's will? God promises to give us wisdom when we ask. James 1:5 tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Learn More about Prayer!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? - We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.

What is your response?

Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus

Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus

I still have questions

RESISITING TEMPTATION

 

                       RESISITING TEMPTATION

Each one of us have certain sins that are particularly troubling to us. Every Christian faces temptation, and the devil is very good at finding our weakest points and seducing us with them, whether that be sexual sin, sins of anger, jealousy, covetousness, laziness, pride, insecurity, worry, or any others. It’s important to make a distinction between temptation and sin. Temptation can lead to sin. However, Jesus never sinned and yet experienced every temptation we do (Heb. 4:15). Therefore one of the ways to battle sin is to know how to resist temptation.

1. Pray as Jesus taught, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13).

When the disciples kept succumbing to sleep while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told them to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). Apart from God, we have no hope of resisting temptation. This is why humble prayer must be our constant companion. Praying as Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer that God would “lead us not into temptation” is praying for our deliverance from even facing temptation. Praying with others is also a great way to help you keep in the practice of prayer. Another way is to ask trusted friends and counselors for prayer for protection from specific besetting sins.

2. Know yourself well.

As the phrase from The Art of War goes, “Know your enemy.” Knowing the enemy is a crucial aspect of any battle. In the Christian life, we have many enemies, one of which is our old corrupt nature that lingers within us (Rom. 7:21-23; Eph. 4:22).

It may seem odd, but we must make a study of ourselves. Personality, circumstances, disposition, and life experiences are all factors that can make us more susceptible to certain kinds of temptations. How can we be on guard for something unless we know what we are looking for?

3. Learn to recognize temptation.

Temptation is, well, tempting. It presents something to us as pleasant, true, or both. We want to give in because it presents something to us that pulls on our desires and presents us with something that seems good.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (James 1:14-16)

The problem is that in the moment of temptation, we might not at first recognize that what is before us leads to sin. We can combat this by learning to recognize temptation when it comes along. We can also prevent it by filling ourselves with the things God tells us in his Word are good and fruitful things (1 Tim. 6:11). We need to faithfully sit under the teaching of the Word so we can get better and better at discerning when we are being tempted.

4. Take preventative action.

If you know certain situations will bring you into temptation (going to a bar, going online by yourself, watching certain movies, being around certain people, etc) take preventative action and avoid those things. Like Joseph who fled from Pother's wife when she tried to seduce him, we must sometimes simply run away or avoid the things that tempt us.

5. Quote Scripture to yourself.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil, the devil quoted the Bible to Jesus hoping to trick him by sounding good and pious. Jesus’ response was to quote Scripture right back at the devil, showing the devil’s twisted and wrongful use of God’s own words (Matt. 4:5-7). The Word is also called the “sword of the Spirit” by Paul (Eph. 6:17), and we can use it to battle those things that tempt us.

6. Rest.

We are more susceptible to temptation when we are exhausted. When we are tired we are weakened and so more vulnerable to the deceptions of the devil. Rest is very important for our spirituality, and we must be extra vigilant when are tired, asking the Lord for extra strength to resist temptation.

7. Remember there is always a way of escape.

God never allows us to be tempted beyond what we can take but always provides us with a way out.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

He also gives us himself without limit to call upon his strength for resistance and endurance. “God has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5). He also gives us his church, a community of fellow fighters, to help us in our battles. We need to take full advantage of these resources God provides so that we can effectively turn away from sin and be filled more and more with the goodness and grace of God.

KINGDOM PRINCIPLES

KINGDOM PRINCIPLES

The kingdom of God includes many principles (standards) that when carefully considered and lived out will produce the benefits of living in the kingdom. A principle is “a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour…”

The king’s responsibility is the benevolence of his subjects or his kingdom’s citizens. The level at which each citizen is taken care of is highly dependent upon their desire and ability to live out the principles of the kingdom. Living out the principles of the kingdom means putting forth some effort to seek and attain the benefits offered. These 5 principles are not an exhaustive list but are instead a sprinkling of the standards God has set in place for us to live out an abundant, kingdom-centered life on earth. They are the principles of Promise, Patience, Praise, Provision, and Power.

#1) The Principle of Promise says all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). Everything is established, created, authored, and completed through Jesus, from the beginning of time (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3). We should learn to trust God, trust His Word and trust His promises.

#2) The Principle of Patience, established and displayed at the beginning of time though God’s process of creation, is a virtue and a characteristic of God (Galatians 5:22). God carefully crafted and skillfully put everything in its place, one by one, patiently creating order from disorder. Even throughout the historic, biblical account of Israel, God displays and teaches patience and demonstrates that “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)

#3) The Principle of Praise teaches us that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). God’s promise to never abandon us is catapulted in our praise and thanksgiving to Him. The walls of the fortified city of Jericho fell down at the sound of praise (Joshua 6:20). Paul and Silas caused the walls of the jail to shake free when they committed themselves to prayer and praise (Acts 16:25) When we praise God, the burdens of life are lifted and we, who were bound, are loosed and set free.

#4) The Principle of Provision says that when we put God first in our lives, He is faithful to provide all of our needs (Philippians 4:19). It is rooted in the Law of the Harvest as defined in Luke 6:38. Our willingness to give determines our provision. If we sow the Word of God into our lives we will reap its rewards, spiritually and naturally. God loves it when we are willing to give up something for Him. And, He never uses something of yours without returning it in abundance. And, my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches I glory in Christ Jesus.

#5) The Principle of Power says the ability (power) to live and act according to God’s will for your life can only be done through the influence (power) of the Holy Spirit. It’s in Him that we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). And, God can do exceedingly abundantly above everything that we can ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20). If you want to prosper in life, get the power of God in you first.

These 5 kingdom principles and others are rooted in Matthew 6:33 — “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added.” If we’d live these 5 Principles of the Kingdom of God, we’d know the abundant life given to us by Christ. We’d live out our days as the Kings He’s called us to be. We’d be able to speak those things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17). We’d be able to manifest, in our lives, the results of the Kingdom of God.