Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Today I am in Angola, Africa. It has been a great time with leaders as well as with some of the Angolan Church family. Today I am beginning several days with training for pastors and leaders here. It is a blessing to be with the believers in this region of our world. Thank you Bengo CCVA for your hungry hearts for God and your warm welcome to me.
It is not the things that God gives us that enable us to advance the influence of God’s kingdom in our world. It is who He is in our lives and who we are because of Him in our lives. The influence of the kingdom of God in our world is directly connected to the influence of the kingdom of God upon our hearts. As Jesus said, the kingdom of God doesn’t come by external observations. The kingdom of God is within us (Lk. 17:21, 22). Only when our own kingdoms become influenced by the kingdom of God in our hearts, can we influence our world by the power of God’s kingdom. Knowing who God is empowers us to know who we are and knowing who we are enables us to influence our world as we should. Our relationship with God in our hearts gives us an experience and knowing of His love. Our relationship with Christ in us gives us evidence of heavenly things that reveals our peace with Him – our connection to Him in all things. Our partnership with God in our hearts grants us His purpose and the joy that comes from His presence with us in and though our lives in all that we are and do.
God is a giver of good gifts. What are His good gifts? As sons and daughters of God, we are light to the world of darkness around us. That light is seen in the works of our faith, but the works of our faith only happen when we are internally inspired to be givers of life to others as our heavenly Father is a giver of life to us. The purpose of our lives is to be life and to give life to others in our world. This is the way of Christ. We are the body – of Christ! As sons and daughters of God, Christ in us is the hope of glory. That glory is to become as our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ His Son in our character, nature, way, power, and authority. We are not in this world to one day become new creations. We are new creations in Christ to give life to our world. We are to shine as the light and life of Christ.
God loves the world, but the world is bound to darkness apart from knowing God. Only a relationship with God in our hearts can empower us to become as we should be in the darkness of the world around us. As sons and daughters of God, we shine to inspire others to shine also. We inspire others to know God, even as we know Him in our hearts. Our Father is the Father of lights. We are those lights! God’s sons and daughters are the perfect gifts of His light to our world.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Children of God are like the stars. We are called to know God from within. The fire of His presence burns in our hearts. It’s by knowing God within that we can shine with the light of Christ from within. As we grow in knowing our heavenly Father, Jesus His Son, and Holy Spirit, we become lights in the darkness of our world that are as stars in the night by which the lost can find their way home. Finding our right place in Christ empowers us to become as we should be in our world. Living as the family of God enables us to be hope to the lost in our world.
Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Jesus is the Light of the world, but He is also the light of every man and every woman. Each of us are meant to shine to our word revealing the life and love of our Father in heaven. When we find Jesus in our hearts, we shine to our world as a light in the darkness.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
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