Command 14 : Seek God's Kingdom | Day 97

Seek "Kingdom Things"!

For many years when I read Colossians 3, I wondered what exactly it referred to as "those things which are above" which we are to seek after. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

I decided to list the things that I knew would be in heaven so that I could put my affection on them. My list included the people we lead to Christ, the treasures we lay up in heaven, and the crowns we will someday receive for faithfulness. Then I noticed an important element in the passage that I had overlooked: the throne room of heaven where Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father.

It is in the throne room of heaven that kingdom authority is exercised and victorious living is achieved.

One of the purposes for seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness first, is that through kingdom authority we are able to disable Satan and accomplish the work of God. For many years, I have followed the example of Michael the archangel in asking God to rebuke Satan in the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. (See Jude 9.) This has been effective; however, Scripture teaches that in Christ, we are seated above all principalities and powers. (See Ephesians 1:19-22, 2:6.) Based on this position in Christ, we are able to wrestle against spiritual enemies. (See Ephesians 6:12.)

Before the throne of God, we can seek to disable Satan's influence in a given situation. We are able to do this by following the example of Jesus. Three times He was tempted by Satan, and three times Jesus quoted the precise Scripture that addressed the temptation. (See Matthew 4:3-10.) Satan has no defense when faced with the Word of God, and he must flee. This weapon is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word [rhema] of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Satan may accuse believers before the throne, but Jesus is our lawyer and defender. (See Job 1:6-11, I John 2:1-2, and Revelation 12:9-10.)

By using the Scripture that applies to a given situation, we can disable Satan and enable the work of God to be carried out unhindered.

A 19-year-old Christian girl was deceived by Satan. She rejected all that she had learned about God and sought the pleasures of the world. No amount of coaxing, or even praying, changed her mind. One day, her mother read about kingdom living¹ and applied what she learned about kingdom authority. She went before the throne of God and asked the Lord to bless her daughter with righteousness and purity of heart. Then, she resisted Satan with the Scriptures stating that children are a heritage of the Lord and that which is dedicated to the Lord is holy. (See Psalm 127:3 and Romans 12:1.)

At the same time this mother interceded with kingdom authority, her daughter suddenly realized that neither she nor any of her friends were happy unless they were drunk, and she purposed to reject her destructive lifestyle. Two weeks later, she returned to the Lord in tears of repentance and surrendered her life to Him. Kingdom authority is a powerful weapon against Satan, and it is worth every effort we make to seek after it and use it.

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