06/09/22 Daily Devotion – What kingdom has dominion over you?

“Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133, NASB95)

Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. This statement from Jesus implies two things.  First, that there are kingdoms seeking/exercising dominion. Second, that Jesus’ kingdom is different from the ones of this world. The key question for you and me is which one has dominion over us? You see, nowhere in Jesus’ descriptions of the kingdoms does He allow there to be a kingdom in which we reign supreme. From Jesus’ perspective, we are either living in servitude to the demonic kingdom of power, or we are living in servitude to Jesus’ kingdom of grace. It is a lie of the Devil that there are people living in our world today that think that because they are free thinkers and free moral agents, they are in charge of their own existence. Nothing is further from the truth. Jesus says you are either a member of the kingdom of Heaven (of which He tells numerous parables: “The kingdom of Heaven is like…”), or you are a member of the Devil’s kingdom. So, again, we ask the question, “Which kingdom are you a member of?”

I know that you and I seek desperately to be members of the kingdom of Heaven. We have been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. We see the deadliness and deception of the Devil’s kingdom and are grateful to have been reborn into God’s kingdom. Although membership into the kingdom of Heaven is paid by the atoning blood of Jesus shed on the cross, living daily in God’s kingdom isn’t so easy. If we are honest with ourselves, there is a war going on inside of us. Because we still bear the traces of our sinful human nature, Satan uses that as a means to continuously wedge himself into our lives. We wrestle and fight Satan, the worldly kingdom we physically live in, and even our own sinful desires. What tool can we use in this battle to ensure that we always have God’s kingdom of grace in dominion over us?

We must be in the Word of God!  We must read it.  We must ponder and meditate upon it.  We must pray it and memorize it. The key to living in the kingdom of God is to live according to God’s Word. Jesus makes that point evident when His whole life is in obedience to the Word and will of God. This is why the psalmist pleads with the Lord to establish his footstep in His Word. He doesn’t want God’s Word to be a meditational tool only. He wants God’s Word to mean something when he is out living his daily life. He wants his very footsteps to be governed by the Word of God. You see, obedience to God’s Word keeps us connected to the kingdom of Heaven. It also doesn’t allow Satan’s kingdom to have a chance to have dominion over us. The Word of God protects us from the advances of the Devil’s kingdom. This is why daily devotions are so important. We must leave this world aside for a short time so that we can be reconnected to the kingdom of Heaven. The Word of God that we begin our day with will supply us the guidance and direction we need to live in God’s kingdom throughout our day.

Today, and every day, may God’s Word establish our footsteps in His kingdom of grace.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church

Let the world see Jesus in you!

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