Kingdom Rest

When we live under the Law, we are never at peace, because we are always doing to try to please / live up to the Law.

This way of living is never ending and futile, because it can never be fulfilled. It is because the means to live up to the Law is only attained through the ability of the Flesh. The Law was given to the flesh for the flesh. But the flesh is corrupt and self-controlling. So we try and live out the Law in the ability of the flesh (self-control). But that self-control is corrupt because of sin. The flesh wants to sin. So now the flesh is pitted against itself. It desires to sin, yet be in control over sin. It can never win. Always at conflict. And never ever at rest.

This rest that is available and needed in our life is only available and readily so by the Holy Spirit: for the Kingdom of God is Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost.

Galatians 5:16-18

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The Law always brings conflict (bondage). The Spirit always brings peace (freedom).

But the flesh wants the Law, because it does not want to relinquish control to the Spirit—the flesh being our own unique version of 'self' that is in us from what has been programmed into us by this world as opposed to the Lord.

The flesh says to us that it can live better, more holy, and without fault. But that is the deception of the flesh self-(flesh)-control. This is the guise of "morality" that many religions (including Christian religion) fall into—that if we just live morally, that is living as Christ.

But Christ never told us to be moral (hence why he openly embraced, dwelt, communed, and had relationships with "sinners" (as defined by the religious)—living a life that others deemed as being immoral / sinful. He never told us to adhere to religion—He told us to Love.

Morality is out of the flesh, Love is out of the Spirit in us. One is us doing the work "for the Lord", the other is the Lord (Spirit) doing the work for us. Why do I want the pressure and impossibility of doing that work when the Spirit in me wants to for me out of His Love. When I allow the fullness of the Lord to Love through me, I live that life that encompasses Love (regardless of "morality").

Does this mean it makes it easier when we let the Lord do the work for us?

Yes and no... Yes, that the ability to do it is easier (as we do not know all the ways / means to do it); but what is hard is putting aside (to death) the flesh desire to want to take over control of what was never our control to begin with.

Adams (humanity) lived out of their Spirit with the Lord before the Fall—just like we have the ability to do now. The Lord (Them) in us, which / whom is our strength:

Ephesians 3:16-20

...to be strengthened with might by Their Spirit in our inner being; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in Love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the Love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Them that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

Knowing we have Their Power in and through us, gives us an ability live in a grounded peace internally, as the external is so often in chaos.

We can start to let go: let go of self-control (in all the means and survival programming that it shows up in), let go of worry (a form of control - worry is the fear that we lack control), and let go of our own expectations (with which can come guilt and remorse). How do we stop worrying and start letting go of control:

Matthew 6:33

Moreover, seek / crave / meditate / demand first the Kingdom of God, and Their Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

So what then is the Kingdom of God?

It is not somewhere out there (nor a place in the future) we need to wait for, look for, find, or make externally happen—it is something we already have (right now!); carrying within us from the Lord.

One of the misconceptions with the synonymous phrase Kingdom of God / Kingdom of Heaven I had, was having contributed and misunderstood this to mean the 'Heaven' after a person leaves this earth. As such, every time I read where a person "would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" because of some "act of sin", it made me sin-conscious and fear; alongside it, also giving me an 'us-and-them' judgmental mentality.

I would think and define my belief system around a concept of "at least I wasn't committing those kinds of sins... I'm better than them". This is exactly what the Pharisees did. It showed my heart in me, and that was not God's heart in me. I had to be set free from that mindset—and this is what the Holy Spirit did in me when the truth of what that Kingdom really is became a revelation. And it set me free to Love more (not judge more - which judging is of the Law / Flesh).

There were three areas the Lord had to clarify in me to do with judgments on others and myself.

Firstly: All our fleshly sins have been forgiven at the Cross. Christ's forgiveness of the sins of the flesh is already (continually has already) been Gifted out to ALL people! This free gift is already COMPLETED for ALL peoples (irrespective of each / any sin of the flesh).

So when we judge others' sins, we are comparing ourselves to them—which is what I was doing. And then, not wanting to admit my own sins (whether different or the same), I would rationalize myself out of my own sin by reasoning that it is because of one thing or another as the cause. Not even considering the same to others.

But now me knowing that all sins—my own and everyone else's—has already been forgiven, how and why would I even compare myself to anyone else (either sinfully / morally / spiritually / righteously).

Because of the fulfilment of the Cross, everyone is on the same plane of existence. Strike one for me—I no longer had a sin argument to others nor myself.

Romans 3:20-22

Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in Their sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin. But now the Righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets; even the Righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.

Even Paul struck out on this when he admitted he could no longer see anyone after the flesh (all the flesh is forgiven), but had to see everyone as forgiven of Christ—for God is no "respecter" (shows no partiality) of persons:

2 Corinthians 5:14-16

For the Love of Christ constrains us; because we thus deem, that if One died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no person after the flesh: moreover, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we {Him or them / anyone} no more.

Secondly: I had to understand that the 'Law' that Christ commands us to live out from, is not the Ten Commandments, nor all the other Mosaic Laws—His Commandment to us was to live the Law of Love (Agape Love) that He demonstrates to us—not the Law of the Old Covenant:

John 14:15

If you Love Me, keep My {Jesus's} Commandments {Love}.

John 14:21

Those who possess My Commandments and keeps them, are those who Love Me; moreover, those who Love Me are Loved by my Father. Indeed, I will Love them and manifest Myself in/as them.

John 15:9-11;12

As the Father Loves Me, I also have Loved you; abide in My Love. If you keep My Commandments, you will abide in My Love, just as I have kept My Father’s Commandments and abide in Their Love. This is My Commandment: That you reciprocally Love one another {your selves together}, as I have Loved you.

1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us Love one another {your selves together}; for Love is of God, and everyone who Loves is born of God and knows God.

I had to re-see that the Law He wanted me to live was not the Old Covenant Laws, but Their Law of Love. To Love as They Love and Love me and all people! I tried to live the Legal Law—strike two for me.

So now, I had to see exactly what the Kingdom of God / Kingdom of Heaven really is: NOT a place we are going to, it's an existence NOW.

And not something external, it is internal in a person. Jesus and Paul (both through the Holy Spirit), tell us what the Kingdom really is: that the Kingdom is not a physical place, nor the physical things about us (this world, the animals, plants, and things). Nor is it ritualistic / religious. Nor a government / governance. No!, the Kingdom of God is His presence in us!

As Jesus says:

Luke 17:20-21

And when Jesus was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, "The Kingdom of God comes not with observation: Neither shall they say, 'Lo here! or, lo there!' for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you".

As Paul confirms:

Romans 14:17

For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink {things and objects or rituals or what 'satisfies' the body}; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

And thus for me, strike three! Now I could no longer justify my judgments on others, NOR my judgments of myself.

All sins of the flesh are once-and-for-all-time already forgiven all people (including me). God is not judging us (you / me / them / anyone) on the sins of the flesh! So, why do I judge others or myself?!

The REAL (and ONLY) Commandment is Love. And in that Unconditional Love, I am Loved by Them, all others are Loved by Them, and so I must Love myself and others as They always do. There is no judgment in and with Their Love.

The Kingdom of God / Kingdom of Heaven is NOW, not to come.

And since it is now, no longer do I have a means to compare (judge) others when I used to read how when "certain types of sin" are committed, that they / I will not "go to Heaven".

Let's tackle that last one here. What do I mean by "certain types of sin" and that they / I would not go to "Heaven"?

Previously, when I did believe that the Kingdom was a yet-to-come place, there were Bible verses like these that would make me judgmental towards others (and sin-conscience towards myself); as it would say that they "shall not inherit the Kingdom" (not "go to heaven" because of these sins):

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, men who engage in illicit sex, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So I saw a 'list' of sins and said to myself (consciously and unconsciously) that if I do any of those, I'm not going to Heaven. And then when I actually then fell and committed one of them, then I was stuck... what was I to do?

My "solution" was to punish myself before God would punish me:

I put on figurative sackcloth and ashes and went about humbling and punishing myself in an attempt to "please" the Lord and appeal His Wrath towards me. I further tried to "rationalize" my sin in any means I could to create some loophole in that I really didn't commit it (just came close to it)... justifying my sin in my own eyes (not in the Lord's eyes—which is actually a mute point since the sin was already forgiven before I committed it). I was a mess. I never had peace.

I never had peace. This is the key to it all: Peace... For the Kingdom is Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

When I was sin-focused, I was not resting in His Righteousness. My identity was my sin, not the Lord (Jesus) as me, in me. My "faith" in Him was actually my self-reliance in me not sinning, not the knowing-belief that He already forgave my sin. So, since my trust was in me and my ability, it always failed. And when my identity wasn’t Him, I was not experiencing His Peace and Joy. Why? I (my flesh) was always fighting against the Holy Spirit.

Thus, for me, when I look at what Paul listed out in Galatians and Corinthians, I look at those "sins" and things that were forcefully (or unintentionally) causing harm to a person's self and/or another person.

When we harm others and harm ourself—even when we do not realize we are doing so—it causes internal conflict within our own self. Thus, if our internal self is "crying out in agony" because of something I am doing, or what someone is doing against me, then I will not have that internal Righteousness, Peace, and Joy.

Of note: however these terms are interpreted, this list only applies as causing harm to one's own self or another person (people).

The Holy Spirit knows what is best for us and how to live, and if these on this list (or any other list) is causing you or another harm, then the Holy Spirit is seeking to end that so as to bring that internal Kingdom of Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

I have unintentionally done harm to others—whether out of religion (such as prejudices or discriminations toward others), or out of survival (such as fawning and keeping quiet under abuse toward my own self).

The sin is what has happened to us that cause the things of harm we do to our own self and others. The sin is not the action of harm, but what is the root of why the acts / actions of harm exist. This "list" of Paul's that is of harm to self and others is not the sin itself, but what is evidence to a sin committed against the person for them to be doing these things.

And when that underlying sin exists in one's self, then there will be an internal (often deep-rooted) feeling of not being at rest (an internal Kingdom Rest).

Our Holy Spirit power within us has that overcoming power to dismantle (heal) all that happened to us that causes the harms we do. The Holy Spirit will always lead us in our Righteousness. But often, we do not fully understand or interpret what the Holy Spirit is doing—as such, we can (unintentionally) chose opposite Their leading which disrupts that internal Peace and Joy.

There is no rest in opposing the Holy Spirit.

Times of unrest, or agitation, or frustration can actually be something my unhealed self has always done that the Holy Spirit is renewing my flesh-programming on.

My flesh does not like to give up control of anything, nor does it like to admit that what it has always known and has always done has been wrong. So it resists—often from a stance that it feels "right / natural"... but only because it is all we have ever known (as programmed in us from childhood). And when it resists the Holy Spirit, it is in a losing match. And thus, my flesh gets angry, agitated, and frustrated—sending my emotions on a chaotic roller-coaster ride.

This is where I just put my hands up [thank you for speaking these words to us Wendy] and go "weeeeeeeee"! Because even though it feels scary, the roller-coaster will come to an end in that area of renewal in my life. And when it comes to that end, I know the Holy Spirit has changed my programming to be as They intend and have given me internally. And when that happens, I experience the Kingdom in me: Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

So now, when I look back at that list of fleshly "sins" Paul talks about, I can see how I or anyone else cannot inherit (experience) the Kingdom—because that person (me) is not aligned with the Holy Spirit, and I am in an internal fight of the flesh against the Spirit. This is no longer about going / not going to Heaven, but experiencing that Kingdom of Heaven in me or others which is now.

When that conflict happens in an area of my life, I let go and let Him work that out of me; however long that needs to take—through scripture, through experience, through others (wife, pastor, counselor, meme, etc.), or directly through His revelation in me.

For the "Healing is Greater Than How You Got Healed".

All of Heaven rejoices when I face that internal persecution and allow His renewing in me. I will rejoice as well.

Praise the Lord.