This weekend is Easter or Resurrection Sunday, in which we as followers of Christ commemorate His resurrection from the dead on the third day after His burial following His crucifixion, as described in the New Testament.
Because of this exciting miracle—the same power that raised Christ from the dead, now lives in the children of God. We can boldly pray for others because of the Spirit of the Living God on the inside of us.
One of the driving forces in my good friend Pastor Bill Johnson’s thought life and value system comes out of the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray (See Matthew 5). In our culture it’s commonly called The Lord’s Prayer, but it technically isn’t “the Lord’s prayer” because in it is the confession of sin and—He never sinned.
We might find the memorization of prayer helpful and it certainly is spiritually legal. But for the most part, Jesus was giving us a model for prayer. It would be possible for us to take an entire day with this prayer and just take it one verse at a time and pray that for an hour. It’s so rich and so full by its implication.
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever.
Amen.” (Matt. 6:6-13 KJV)
Notice the prayer starts with “Our Father”; it does not start with “My Father”. Oftentimes in Western culture the emphasis is on us as individuals instead of on us as a family. Anytime we remove ourselves from the subject of family we remove ourselves from the subject of Kingdom (the King’s domain).
When we see the dominion of the King of Kings come upon someone who has torment, they obtain peace of mind. When we see the dominion of the Kingdom come upon someone with cancer, we see them become cancer-free.
Matthew 6:33 says to “seek first the Kingdom”. Well, what is the Kingdom? It depends on what the problem is. If you’re ministering to someone in poverty, to seek first the Kingdom would be to break the spirit of poverty which then brings them into a place of increase and blessing.
The phrase in this prayer which states “seek first the Kingdom” is not a generic prayer of “God, someday I want to go to heaven.” It’s a specific prayer of, “I am looking for God’s dominion (His solution) to be realized in this situation.”
Jesus said in Matthew 12:28, “If I cast a demon out of you by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” He was ministering to an individual who was tormented by a demon and made the point that—if He got the demon out of that person, it is only because the Kingdom of God collided with the kingdom of darkness and—God’s Kingdom is superior.
It is vital we value what heaven values, and the supreme value of heaven is the presence of God. As followers of Christ, we are all ministers of the Kingdom. We are not just releasing a message; we are releasing His presence. We are distributors of His dominion.
So to “seek first the Kingdom” means that in any given situation we are looking for God’s solution for that problem. Which means that, on the very onset, we have to carry a hope which believes God has an answer now for every problem we face.
Sometimes we get the answer (breakthrough) immediately. Those are our favorite! Sometimes there is labor and pursuit for a long time. Those are hard but they are necessary.
As you watch and listen to the video above and its entirety on YouTube, we pray that you be blessed. We pray that you would be strengthened and healed in your spirit, soul and body. We pray that you would move forward in faith and freedom. And we pray that you would experience His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven!
In conclusion, won’t you pray this prayer with us? “Kingdom of God, come. Will of God, be done. Here, on earth, as it is in heaven. That is our cry to You, Father. Amen.”
Action Point: Soak or rest for just 25 minutes in the Lord’s presence with this “I Give You Everything” worship session with Eric Gilmour on YouTube. Allow the Holy Spirit to come upon you as you sit in stillful adoration. Acknowledge with your soul – your mind, will and emotions – that God is all you need. Afterward, record with an app of your choice an audible message and/or write down in a journal of your choice what you heard the Holy Spirit impress upon your heart. Feel free to hop on and share this experience with others in the comments below.