John 15:8 (KJV) - Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Abundance is the nature of God. All you have to do is look around at this marvelous earth He has given us (Psa. 115:16), and His abundant nature becomes exceedingly evident. Consider the natural resources in the earth, so much of which remains untapped and even undiscovered. Or who can count the grains of sand on the beach or the number of drops of water in the ocean. To this day, scientists are still discovering diversities of plant life and ocean dwelling creatures. Apostle Paul said it best in Romans 1:20: "For the invisible of things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead."

Yes, God's nature is indeed abundance, but that's not all. Abundance is not just His nature, but it is also His desire for all people. God's plan has always been the blessing (Prov. 10:22). It is and has always been His heart's desire that all men be blessed: abundantly supplied, possessing more than enough. Jesus said that He came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly (the Amplified Bible even says we should have overflow!) ( Jn. 10:10) Apostle Paul lets us know that God's desire is that we have more than enough so that we can even help meet the needs of others (2 Cor. 9:8). This is part of what God was talking about when He preached the gospel to Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed." (Gal. 3:8).

But the abundant life is not just God's desire. It's not just his plan for all mankind. It's His expectation. God fully expects His people to prosper and live life abundantly. He expects us to bear much fruit! It is, in fact, one of the reasons Jesus went to the cross.

2 Cor. 8:9 - For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Jesus died so that we could live abundantly. It is His expected end (Jer. 29:11).

Look at what Jesus said in Jn. 15:8, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." It brings our Heavenly Father glory when we bear fruit. But not just fruit, much fruit! God doesn't just want your needs met. He wants you to go far beyond that. Look at what the Bible says in Gen. 13.

Gen. 13:2 (Amp.) - Now Abram was extremely rich...

The blessing that made Abram extremely rich is ours also according to Gal. 3:14.

Now look at Matt. 6:28-30:

Matt. 6:28-30 - And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

God wants His people arrayed greater than the lilies of the field, which are arrayed greater than Solomon, Israel's wealthiest king! God wants us to get into that exceeding abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think place! (Eph. 3:20) Shout hallelujah!!!

So it is very evident that God's will is prosperity and abundance. So what of poverty and lack? What is God's attitude where these conditions are concerned?

Lk. 3:9 - And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Matt. 7:19 - Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mk. 11:12-14, 20 - And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

Where there is supposed to be fruit, but none is being produced, this displeases our Father. The parable of the talents gives us an even more enlightening revelation.

In Matt. 25:14-30, we see a man traveling into a far country, calling his servants unto himself to deliver to them his goods. His expectation is that they will take what they have been given, put it to work and bring forth increase. Upon his return, he finds that two of his servants have indeed put what they had to work and produced increase. But the third servant did not produce any increase. In fact, he hadn't even put to work what he was given. Now look at what the man said to this servant in verses 26-29:

Matt. 25:26-29 - His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

The man rebuked his servant for not putting what he had been given to work, calling him wicked and lazy. Then he took from him what little he had and gave it to the servant who did put what he had been given to work and produced increase.

Did you notice who was taken from and who was given to? This socialist idea that wealth should be taken from those who have (who have because they have worked for it) and given to those who have not, is not of God. Jesus makes that very clear. Now look at verse 30:

Matt. 25:30 - And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus said that the "unprofitable servant" shall be cast into outer darkness. "... there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The notion that "God helps those who help themselves" is apparently more than a notion.

Bearing much fruit brings glory to God. It is a display of God's goodness to His people before the entire world.

Financial resources are necessary if the gospel is going to be preached. We must have the wealth to seek and save the lost. Wealth in the hands of believers is a requirement if God is going to establish His covenant in the earth (Deut. 8:18), but if we don't have it, then He doesn't have it (Matt. 21:2-3). So let's get to work, believe God and BEAR MUCH FRUIT!

Mark 1:31 (KJV) - And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

When God touches your life, it's time to serve!

When you got saved, all of heaven rejoiced. The greatest miracle of all had just taken place; you were born from death to life. You threw off the bondage that held you and you were made free by the blood of Jesus. You were delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. You came into the family of God. You became a member of the body of Christ. You were no longer a stranger, but you were made a fellow citizen in the kingdom of heaven. Your sins were forgiven and you came into right standing with God. You became His child and a joint heir with Jesus, having an equal share in His inheritance.

How glorious! How wonderful! How absolutely awesome it is to be free from the bondage, the death and the destruction of this world. How marvelous it is to know that the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of everything, is on your side. What an amazing discovery it is to realize that God is for you, so no one can successfully stand against you. To know that the Greater One now lives on the inside of you, making you more than a conqueror, the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, and the lender and not the borrower. All the power of heaven is now available to you!

So now what? Now that you're saved, are you supposed to just resume your regular life, just adding church attendance to your Sunday schedule - and maybe an occasional Bible study? Do you sit back now and wait for God to magically make your life better, just because you're saved now? Do you just wait for the heavenly announcer to call your number so you can get out of here and go on to heaven? The answer, of course, is none of the above.

Jesus didn't die on the cross to save you so that you would go to church. He didn't do it just so that God could make your life better. He didn't do it just so that you would make heaven and miss hell. He saved you because God has a plan for your life. He saved you because He has the good life already laid out for you. He saved you to do great works in the earth. He saved you to serve!

"He saved me to serve? Well, what's so good about that? What's so great about serving?" Well, Jesus said that serving is the way to greatness (Matt. 23:11). He said whosoever would be chiefest among you shall be the servant of all (Mk. 10:44). He said if you were going to come after Him, then you would have to take up your cross, come after Him, and follow him. To follow Him means to imitate Him and He said that even He came to serve and not to be served. So if you're going to follow Jesus - if you're going to be His disciple - then you're going to serve.

In Jn. 15:13, Jesus said that the greatest love is shown when a man will lay down his life for his friends. He's not talking about literally dying for your friends. He's talking about putting yourself aside as your priority and serving others. He's talking about putting the needs of others before your own.

Giving your life, in service to others, is the greatest display of God's love. It is that giving that displays your discipleship to the world and is a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said the world would know that you are His disciple because of the love you have for your brothers (Jn. 13:35). What greater way to show that love than to serve? Look at these scriptures:

Did you notice what Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:33? He said, "...that they may be saved." Here we see the great reward of being a servant to others. It is the heart of God: "...that they may be saved." Paul said in another place that it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance (Rom. 2:4). Well, that goodness can only be seen through the body of Christ in action in the earth. It is in our serving others that men will see His goodness and turn to Him.

So don't just sit there, get moving! Get to work serving God and serving others. Jesus said in the book of Acts that when the Holy Ghost comes upon you, you will be a witness unto Him.

Ac. 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

"...in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." What's He saying? He's saying your witnessing starts at home. Your serving starts at home. Husbands serve your wife. Wives serve your husband. Parents serve your children. Children serve your parents. Everyone put your hands to the plow in your church and get to work serving. Go to God with a heart to serve and find out what your part is in the church to which you belong and then get busy!

God didn't put you in that church just so you could sit there every Sunday and get fat on the Word. He put you there because you have gifts and talents that are designed specifically to help fulfill the vision that He has placed in the heart of your Pastor! Allow Him to bring them out. He knows where you fit. He knows what you can do better than you do and he knows your purpose. So get to work serving in your church. Put your hands to the plow and watch God use you for greatness! When you do, prepare yourself for increase and promotion! Glory to God!

You can't come up short serving God. You can't come up short by serving others. Just like a hose that's always pumping out water is always full of water, so you will always be full when you are always serving God and serving others.

Mark 4:19-20 (KJV) - And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Good ground is required to produce a good, strong crop. Without it, the seeds you sow won't have strong roots because they won't be properly nourished. The harvest you get (if you get any at all) will be weak and feeble and incomplete, at best. It won't be worth the time you spent sowing it. In fact, you will have essentially wasted your time and your seed.

As Christians, it is imperative that we recognize the power of the seed and the importance of maintaining good ground. Understanding this relationship is of the utmost importance if we are to function successfully in the kingdom of God. It is a key to the kingdom (Matt. 16:19).

In the beginning, God blessed Adam. He told him to be fruitful and multiply, to replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over it (Gen. 1:28). The very next thing He did was give Adam seed and tell him what it was for. God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed (seeding seed)... to you it shall be for meat (provision)." (Gen. 1:29) So we see Adam having the blessing on his life (Prov. 10:22) and the seed necessary to cause that blessing to be manifested. Then God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden. Now we see the man, blessed, possessing seed, and in the midst of the richest, most fertile soil on the earth. He has good ground to put his seed into to manifest the blessing of the Lord.

Now, in Mk. 4:26-32, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is to be compared to a man that would cast seed into the ground. Its seedtime and harvest - sowing and reaping (Gen. 8:22). This is God's way of doing things (Matt. 6:33, AMP). It has always been His method of operation. It is how the kingdom of God functions and God is setting Adam on that path from the very beginning, revealing to us His will for man to prosper and increase and the system by which that prosperity and increase was to manifest.

So how does this work for the believer today? How do we get in on this system of sowing and reaping to receive our provision and increase? Surely God doesn't expect us to plant seeds in the earth and produce the clothes, the cars, the houses we need. These things don't just grow out of the ground, no matter how fertile the soil is. No, He doesn't expect us to produce those things out of the earth, but He does expect us to function according to the principle. In fact, He requires it.

Look at Matthew 6:33 and notice the language Jesus uses:

Matt. 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Did you notice He said seek? Did you notice that this isn't a request or a suggestion? It's a direct order from the Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Advocate General of the church, Jesus Christ Himself. He's letting us know that if God is truly our source, then we're going to have to trust Him and operate according to His system. That's why Jesus said you can't serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Either you're going to serve and trust God and operate according to His system (the kingdom of God) or you're going to serve and trust some other god (namely money) and operate some other way.

In the kingdom of God, the Word is the seed and your heart is the ground, and the seed will meet every need. So that means you can go to the Word of God and get a seed (a Word) for whatever you need and sow that Word into the soil of your heart and receive what you need. The seed knows what to do and the ground knows what to do. Jesus said that the seed would spring and grow up, but the sower doesn't know how (Mk. 4:26-27). You don't need to know how. You need only to sow the seed. But if that seed is going to produce, it must be sown in good ground. Your heart must be good ground if you're going to receive the harvest on the seed sown. That means keeping your heart pure and your conscience clear. That's not always an easy job in this world that is constantly bombarding us with impurity and unrighteousness, but in Mk 4:19, Jesus gives you the key to a pure heart and a clear conscience.

Mk. 4:19 - And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Perhaps the most important word in the statement is the word allowing. The only way the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches or the lust for other things can get into your heart is that you allow them to do so. If you do, then they will choke the Word and cause it to become unfruitful. That means the Word you've been working so diligently to sow into your heart won't produce in your life. Worldly and fleshly influences and temptations that you allow to have place in your heart will keep the Word from manifesting in your life.

Thoughts and behaviors that are indicative of the world or the flesh should not be allowed to stay with you. Cast down those thoughts immediately (2 Cor. 10:5), and do not allow yourself to participate in worldly behaviors. Recognize that you are dead to sin (Rom. 6:3-7). Recognize that you have control over the thoughts you dwell on (Col. 3:2). Recognize that you don't owe it to your flesh to give in to any of its lustful desires (Rom. 8:12).

Good ground is ground that is free from any hindrances to the growth of the seed. It is ground that is cultivated and protected so that the harvest can come forth in due season. It takes work to keep the ground free from hindrances, as the enemy is always trying to sow contentious seed into your ground. He's always trying to draw you away from the Word and away from your faith through lustful thoughts and temptation, but if you will do the work to maintain your heart as good ground, then your sown seed will always produce a bountiful harvest.

Matthew 6:24-33 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

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 knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are living in the last days. All around the world we are seeing the end times signs that Jesus spoke about in the book of Matthew (Matt. 24:3-8). We are seeing famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places. We are seeing devastating floods and fast moving wild fires. It seems as though the earth itself is groaning and travailing in pain under the weight of sin and iniquity (Rom. 8:22).

For many people these are perilous times. 2 Tim. 3:1 says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." The Amplified Bible goes on the say that these days will be days of "...great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]." The rash of foreclosures, rising unemployment, worldwide political unrest and global economic turmoil have definitely served to prove Paul's words to be true. What's happening in the world? What's going on and why?

The world system is collapsing. Why? Well, let's first recognize that God said it would. This is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24. Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. He said there would be famines and pestilences and earthquakes. He also said that iniquity would abound and the love of many would grow wax cold (Matt. 24:3-12). The word of God is very clear about this end times collapse of the world system. And we know that God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2), so if He said it, then it's coming to pass. However, if we look more closely at what the Word says about these times, we can begin to see the evidences of what men are doing in the world.

Let's understand that this collapsing world system was established by men, not by God. Prov. 14:12 says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Men think they know what to do. They think they know what's right, but the truth is that the end of their ways are the ways of death. The Bible also says that it is not in man to direct his own steps (Jer. 10:23). So men really don't know the way to go. They only think they do. And why do they think they know? Well, because they have been deceived by Satan.

Man in not sovereign. God created him to have a spiritual overlord. We were created to be connected to God, but Adam's sin severed that connection and immediately connected us to the devil. Jesus came to re-establish our connection to God, but without Him, that connection to the devil remains. So either a person is connected to God, receiving their instruction and direction from Him or they are connected to the devil, receiving their instruction and direction from him. If your instruction and direction is coming from the devil, then it is coming from the deceiver, therefore, you are being deceived. That's why men think they know the answers and have the solutions, when they really don't.

Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4) and he only has one mode of operation. He comes to steal, kill and destroy (Jn. 10:10). That's all he does. So any system that he sets up is ultimately going to lead to loss, death and destruction. That's what's going on in the world in every arena: naturally, socially, politically, and economically. Satan, the god of this world system, has set up his kingdom in the earth (Matt. 12:26) and his kingdom is crumbling.

So how do we escape it? How do we get out of this collapsing system and get ourselves to a safe place? Well, for the believer, God has provided a way out. Jesus prayed for us that God would not take us out of the world, but that He would keep us from its evil. He said that we are not of the world, just like He is not (Jn. 17:15-16). God has given us a system. He has given us a way to rise above this world system, and it's called the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is the system of God. It's the realm of God. It's the government of God. It's the rule and reign and authority of God in the earth. It's the anointing of God and the power of God inside the believer. It is designed to provide for you everything you need in this earth, independent of whatever is going on around you. The kingdom of God has been set up inside the believer (Lk. 17:20-21) to give us dominion and authority over everything in the earth. Psa. 103 says that God's kingdom rules over all (Psa. 103:19). It is through the kingdom of God that you shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17).

So you need to learn how to function in the kingdom of God. It's up to you to learn how that system works. In Lk. 16, Jesus tells His disciples a story about an unjust steward (Lk. 16:1-8). In verse 8 He says, "...for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." What was He talking about? He was saying that the children of this world know how to work their unjust system and get increase. It's time for the children of the kingdom (the children of light) to learn how to work their system - God's system - and get increase! God's system reigns over the system of this world. It will strip the world system of everything it has and bring it into the kingdom!

So how do we function in the kingdom of God? How does it work? Well, let's remember that the kingdom is within us and it is designed to provide for us everything we have need of in the earth. It will provide for us and it is within us. That means that it will provide for us from within us.

God has designed us to produce everything we need out of our spirit. We were created to produce from within ourselves. You can look at Prov. 4:23 and see that you are supposed to guard your heart, for out of it come the issues of your life. The situations and circumstances of your life come out of your heart. How do they come out of your heart? According to Matt. 12 they come out of your heart by way of your mouth. Matt. 12:34-35 says, "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." So you're going to produce in your life according to what's in your heart and the way you're going to produce it is by speaking it out. So you are going to produce these things in your life from within you. Matt. 6:33 says that when you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then everything that you need will be added unto you. Well, where are these additions to your life going to come from? They are going to come from in your heart. They are coming from within you.

So how does the kingdom of God operate? The Amplified Bible says in Matt. 6:33 that the kingdom of God is God's way of doing things. That way is clearly laid out in Mark 4. There Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a man casting seed into the ground (Mk. 4:26-32). The kingdom of God - God's way of doing things - is seedtime and harvest (Gen. 8:22). The way God does things is by sowing a seed and reaping a harvest. Since that's how He does things, that's also how we should do things (Eph. 5:1; Amplified Bible).

So what is the seed that we need to sow? 1 Pet. 1:23 says that we are born again by the incorruptible seed of the word of God. God's word is the Master Seed. It is the seed that can and will produce whatever we need in this earth realm. John 1 says that Jesus is the Word and nothing was created without Him (Jn. 1:1, 3). Everything that God made came forth from The Seed. In the parable of the sower (Mk. 4:3-8, 14-20), Jesus says that the sower sows the word, and it is the word that produced the thirty, sixty and hundredfold. So the word is the seed that you must sow. The word is your source and your supply.

So what is there for you to do to get the kingdom of God to operate? First, get seed. Find seed in the word of God for your situation. Next, sow that seed. Where do you sow it? Into your spirit. How do you sow that seed into your spirit? Meditate the word day and night (Josh. 1:8). It is through meditation that the word gets down into your heart. Meditation produces revelation which produces actualization which produces manifestation! When you meditate the word you will receive revelation from heaven. Revelation is the ability to see by the Spirit of God. God told Joshua to meditate day and night "...that thou mayest observe..." Meditate so that you may see or get a revelation. He said to meditate "...that thou mayest observe to do..." So what's happening now? That meditation is becoming actualization. It's becoming action in your life. So revelation will move you to action. God will give you a step of faith. Now it's up to you to take that step, but when you do, what's the next thing that will happen? Meditate that you may "...observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then [you will] make your way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Your manifestation is going to come out of your spirit based on your acting in faith on the revelation you received from meditating in the word. That is how the kingdom of God operates in the life of the believer.

How do you get out of this collapsing world system and get to a place of safety? How do you rise above this world system to your place of peace and prosperity, regardless of what's going on around you? How do you escape Satan's Babylonian system? You do it by getting over into the system of sowing and reaping. When you get out of the devil's system and into God's system, then you will rule and reign over the devil's system, by Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6:7 (KJV)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Imagine an opulent white mansion with crystalline windows reflecting a clear blue sky. Forty foot Roman columns surround the magnificent structure on all sides. Grand staircases extend from porches at the sides and back of the mansion to exquisitely kept gardens and beautifully manicured lawns. The large circular driveway to the front of the mansion displays the very symbols of wealth and luxury: Cadillac, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Bentley. The entire property is enclosed by a very high (and very well guarded) white fence.

As you gaze at this glorious sight, the sound of a car horn suddenly snaps you back into the reality of your surroundings. You look down at the broken asphalt street, littered with trash and broken glass. You look around and see buildings boarded up and condemned. You notice residential properties with overgrown and uneven lawns and trees that droop from overgrowth. You notice abandoned and wrecked vehicles in driveways and alleys. And you see the people, battered and defeated. The wretched refuse of a society in despair.

As you stand there taking it all in, you can't help but wonder who lives in that majestic house behind the fence. You stand, pondering, when suddenly the gates open and out drive three limousines, each bearing official government flags. As they drive off and the gate closes behind them, you ask a passerby, "Excuse me. Who lives in that mansion?" "Oh. That's the embassy building there," the citizen responds.

As you continue to look upon that embassy mansion, you slowly become aware of some surprising realities. You realize that the person living there is living by a different set of rules. He's not subject to the same influences that have so adversely impacted things around him. The forces that created this squalor have had no affect on him whatsoever. In fact, he has gone so far as to create his own environment right there in the midst of the muck and the mire.

How is this possible? How can anyone live in such grandeur in the midst of such wretchedness? The answer lies in one word: citizenship. The person living in that mansion is the ambassador. He is not a citizen of that country, though it is his current place of residence. He has been sent to that country by another government. As an ambassador, he represents the government that sent him. He is also there on an official assignment. He has been sent there to take care of official government business on behalf of his king or ruling authority. All of his life is sustained by that government, that is, the government of his citizenship. Not the government of his current place of residence. All of his needs are met by the government that sent him; the government that he represents. He never looks anywhere else for his supply. All he does, whenever there is a need, is call home and receive what he needs.

The Bible lets us know very clearly that we are ambassadors for Christ. That means that we are Christ's representatives here in the earth. But not only that, it also means that we have been sent here by another government to take care of official government business on behalf of our King. Our King is Jesus and the government that sent us is called the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is the government of God. It is the rule and reign of God coming into the earth. It is the realm of God operating by the laws of heaven under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the dominion of God functioning in the life of the believer. It is a new reality with new provision. In this new reality, our lives are no longer sustained by the world around us. We are no longer subject to the conditions that affect this world. We have come under a new authority, the authority of the Kingdom of God. We have been delivered from the power of darkness (the authority and rule of this evil world) and we have been translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son. We are ambassadors for Christ, and as such, all we need to do is call home and receive whatever we need. Jesus said, ask and you shall receive!

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we must renew our minds to this truth. It must become our reality. We must recognize and understand that this new reality, the Kingdom of God (the government of God), is our place of citizenship. We are in this world, but we are not of it.

How many of you remember the punching clown? You know that plastic/rubber clown you used to punch when you were a kid. It was that clown that you'd punch and it would fall over then bounce right back up again. You'd punch it again and it would bounce back up again. And if you thought you were really something, you'd kick it! (That's what I did!) But you know, no matter how much abuse that thing took it would always bounce right back up again (with that dumb grin on its face). Even with hour after hour and day after day of punishing blows, it just kept on bouncing back up again. Why was that? How is it that something can endure that kind of punishment and still bounce right back up? The answer is really very simple. It's because it was weighted at the bottom. That weight ensured that no matter how hard you hit it, it wouldn't move from its position and it would always bounce back up again.

In the book of Micah we find a man who had that same "bounce back" in his spirit. Micah 7:8 says, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise." What was Micah saying? He was saying, "Hey enemy, no matter how many times you hit me and knock me down, I will always get back up again and I'll be right here standing with God!" He goes on to say in verse 10, "...now shall she [Micah's enemy] be trodden down as the mire of the streets." What's Micah saying here? He's saying, "When the dust settles, I'll be standing here with God in my victory!"

Here in Micah we find a great key to living the victorious Christian life. Micah knew something about his God. That knowledge was his weight at the bottom. It was the foundation in his life that would cause him to bounce back up whenever the enemy knocked him down.

As Christians, God admonishes us to build our lives on the solid foundation.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a FOUNDATION a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a SURE FOUNDATION: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are BUILT upon the FOUNDATION of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In whom all the BUILDING fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom ye also are BUILDED together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

So what is the foundation that we are to build our lives upon? For the answer to this question let's listen to the words of the Master Himself. This is what Jesus said in Matthew.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

First, notice that Jesus said the one whose house is built upon a rock is the one who hears his sayings. To hear His saying is another way of saying hear what He says or hear His word. Therefore, it is God's Word that is our rock. The Word of God is our foundation. The Word is our weight at the bottom. But, wait just a minute. Jesus didn't say that just hearing His words would be equal to building your house on the rock. He said you also have to do His word.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, AND (the word "and" means He's not done yet. His statement isn't complete yet!) DOETH them...

This is where so many Christians miss it. Look at verse 26.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and DOETH THEM NOT...

The foolish man is the man without a solid foundation. He has no weight at the bottom to cause him to bounce back up when punishing blows come his way. This unfortunately is the condition of far too many believers. Too many times believers hear the Word, but fail to do it. Hearing and not doing puts you in the same boat with those who have never heard at all. You end up building on a foundation of sand. But God said that we should be built on the solid foundation, of which Jesus (the Word Himself; see John 1:1, 14) is the chief corner stone.

Now let's look at one more thing about being weighted at the bottom. The Bible lets us know that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant which was established upon better promises (Heb. 8:6). That means that our covenant as Christians is stronger than the covenant under which Micah lived. Now, Micah said, "...when I fall, I shall arise." But look at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:25. There He said that the house built upon the rock of hearing and doing His Word did not fall. So while getting back up when you fall is good, God's will is that His people never fall!

Look at what the Word says in 2 Peter.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, YE SHALL NEVER FALL.

God's Word often compares the living of our lives with the running of a race (1 Cor. 9:24-27; Heb. 12:1). Well let me ask you this: who ever won a race by falling down? God's Word is very clear that His will for His people is victory at every turn (1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14).

So build your life on the solid rock of God's Word by hearing and doing the Word, just like Jesus said. Be weighted at the bottom, just like that plastic/rubber clown and when the enemy comes against you, just stand in his face and say, "Is that all you've got!" Then laugh out loud as you go on in great victory.

Errick Clements is a pre-school teacher, a carpenter, and a musician. He is also a charter member of Spirit Food Christian Center, along with his lovely wife, Kathy. Together they have three children: one son, Duncan (8), and two daughters, Hayley (6) and Rhema (3).

Errick is currently serving as the teacher for the teen Sunday school class (ages 13-19) at SFCC, as well as teaching the youth Bible study (ages 10-19). He also plays the saxophone and flute in the music ministry.