What, are the Kings and Kingdoms in Your Life?
Years ago, our Masters IV Quartet sang a song by the Lanny Wolfe Trio that the chorus went like this:
“Jesus, be the Lord of all. Jesus, be the Lord of all. Jesus, be the Lord of all the kingdoms of my heart.” The verses went like this:
VERSE 1
In my heart are kingdoms of a world that’s all my own.
Kingdoms that are only seen by myself and God alone.
In the past when I tried to rule my world, it just seemed to fall apart.
So please, Jesus, be the Lord of all the kingdoms of my heart.
VERSE 2
I guess I only fooled myself, for I said I have yielded all.
But in a secret corner of my heart was a kingdom that didn’t fall.
I surrender now, make my heart Your throne.
Rule its kingdoms, great and small, for if you’re not Lord of everything, then You’re not Lord at all.
Kings, kingdoms — all those little vices, flaws and inner conflicts that keep us from peace and the abundant life Christ promised us. We may be well on our way of living a care-free, overcoming and victorious life, but discouragement, insignificance, disappointment, jealousy, bitterness, low self esteem, depression, anger issues, temptations, feelings of inadequacy, and so many other “kings and kingdoms” are around that we are still in the process of conquering. The point is….there will always be opposing forces to our successes and victories. That’s why we hear in Ephesians 6:10-18, God’s wisdom for how we conquer those kings and kingdoms:
”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (My note: all those KINGS!) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
I believe God is equipping us ALL, as He did with Queen Esther “for such a time as this”. Often we encounter “kings” in order for God to get our attention. He is raising up an army of FULLY DEVOTED followers of Christ, who are committed to being in a “preparation season” because He needs us to be His hands extended to a very hurting world.
We ALL should realize that we are here for specifically designed purposes by Father God, at THIS TIME. He has given us ABILITIES and the AUTHORITY, and like the little shepherd boy, David, and Moses and Joshua, He wants to ANOINT us to complete the ASSIGNMENTS He has given us. But before we head out into this day….into the battlefield, we need to be sure we put on the whole ARMOR of God. Then we’ll be in on the offensive side…. conquering king after king after king.