This blog was adapted from Bryan’s upcoming book, As in Heaven: Life in God’s Kingdom NOW.
In last month’s blog I shared with you just a taste of what I’ve experienced in God’s kingdom, focusing on the blessing of suffering and experiencing peace and joy above my circumstances. If you haven’t read that yet, I encourage you to do so now by clicking HERE.
Two other big areas I have experienced God’s kingdom in a big way is through the true source of wealth and the power of forgiveness. Remember, God’s kingdom is an inside-out, upside-down experience of transformation. While we may have ideas about wealth and forgiveness from the world’s perspective, God desires for us to experience wealth and forgiveness from His view.
The True Source of Wealth
The source of our hope is in our salvation, the certainty of our wonderful eternal future with Him, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God. The kingdom reality has allowed me to experience new forms of wealth that cannot be lost or stolen. There is no future in evil, only good, as our eternal hope and treasures are rooted in the ultimate justice of God and a glorious eternity. Furthermore, we must remember that while many consider themselves good, only God is truly good.
I have tasted and experienced the best the world has to offer. I have experienced the false and fleeting safety and security of money. I have experienced the emptiness, stress, and anxiety of self-reliance. I have lived apart from God and partially with God and have discovered the immense blessing of living my life all in for God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…
–Ephesians 1:3, NASB
Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; but the rich person is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
–James 1:9-10, NASB
One skilled in business discovers prosperity, but the one who trusts in God is blessed beyond belief!
–Proverbs 16:20, TPT
The longer I live in the kingdom, the more my definition of “success” changes. Money, material items, power, influence, or any other measure of earthly success can vanish at any time. But in the kingdom, everything looks different, upside-down even. For instance, in the kingdom, the last come first, the poor are rich, and the weak are strong. He uses us for His ends, not the other way around. He has a purpose and a plan for every life. True wealth or heavenly riches are spiritual. Eternal life only comes from God. When we claim nothing as our own (humbled and yielded), everything will be given to us. This is the heart position of one prepared to receive the inheritance of God.
The Power of Forgiveness
The kingdom perspective helped me discover the power of forgiveness and the grace to forgive when it seemed impossible.
I received the mercy and forgiveness of my daughter, Bryn, despite my failures as a father. I experienced the power of giving or extending forgiveness in the midst of the horrible wrongs of others against me and my daughters. This includes massive betrayal, sexual abuse, and even murder. Regardless of the positions or opinions of those who have sinned against me, practicing forgiveness releases me from the bonds of the sin of unforgiveness and releases God’s redemptive power. Giving and receiving forgiveness unites me with the Father as I submit to His authority and embrace the power of the cross.
“Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.”
–Matthew 6:12, TPT
The kingdom perspective has helped me discover God as my Redeemer and Protector.
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
–Romans 3:23-24, NASB
I was blind to my pride and rebelliousness for decades. Since turning to God after finally recognizing His relentless pursuit of me, I have experienced the gift of redemption and the transformation that occurs as a result of His grace. God has redeemed my life, and I am now His friend and son. I have been saved, forgiven, restored, and filled with hope. I get to live on earth, AS IN HEAVEN, and now I get to share it with the world!
What about you?
It’s our hope and prayer at M46 Ministries that you, too, will learn to live in the kingdom, that you will receive the blessing of suffering, experience peace and joy above your circumstances, discover the true source of wealth, and experience the power of forgiveness, along with the other countless blessings extended to kingdom citizens.
The best place to start is the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Would you like a sneak peak of Bryan’s upcoming book, As in Heaven: Life in God’s Kingdom NOW? Get a FREE copy of The Kingdom Principles of Wealth and Business — that’s over 100 pages of As in Heaven!