“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12)
“Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)
“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.” (John 3:3-7)
The Kingdom of God came when Jesus came the first time. Jesus said the kingdom of God is within you. When you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and you repented of your sins and He washed you in His Blood, you entered the Kingdom of God. You became a citizen of His kingdom. You were born again into the Kingdom.
What does mean to be a citizen of heaven? It is just like being a citizen of your country. For me, I’m a citizen of America. Born and raised here and will probably die here. As a citizen of America I have benefits and responsibilities. I have the benefit of being free to say what I want, go where I want and do what I want. I have that freedom as long as it is within the boundaries of the laws of the land. The only time I can disobey the law of the land is when it goes contrary to the Word of God because I’m a citizen of Heaven FIRST.
As a citizen of heaven I also have benefits and responsibilities. First, my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I am a legally registered citizen of Heaven. Unlike America, there is NO illegal immigration. You go in legally or you do not enter. Period. Second, I have a heavenly bank account or a treasury. All of the things I do to advance the Kingdom are credited into my heavenly account. Jesus said to “store up treasures in heaven.” Third, I am in a Blood Covenant with God the Father through His Son. This covenant makes all of the resources of Heaven available to me through prayer. My enemies are His enemies and His enemies are my enemies. Fourth, my name is in the Book of Remembrance which means that when that last trumpet blows, I will be caught up in the air to meet Jesus. Or should He tarry and I die, He promises “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
What are my responsibilities? I am commanded to LOVE and to OBEY His commandments. I am to love Him first and with everything in me and second I am to love the people around me with the God kind of love–AGAPE. I am responsible to work out my own salvation before God. I am responsible for putting my flesh down and living in the Spirit so I won’t give in to the lusts of the flesh.
The wonderful thing about being a citizen of Heaven is that no matter how bad things get down here, I have HOPE. I have ETERNAL HOPE. My eternity is settled with my Creator. The peace that brings me is priceless. I came too close to Hell to ever turn back now. Besides, the Kingdom of God is peace, love and joy in the Holy Spirit! Why would I trade that for the trappings of this world, which is on the fast-track to destruction.
Today is a new day. Today you can become a citizen of Heaven and begin an eternal journey that never gets ho-hum. For the past 6 years I have been pursuing God with everything I have. I can tell you that my days are full. Full of purpose, full of peace, full of joy and full of HIM! You too can find Him today–take that first step towards Him and He will meet you right there to save you.
If you feel Him tugging at your heart, don’t say no. Go to this link and pray the prayer to ask Jesus into your heart. It is the best decision you will make your entire life!
If you prayed the prayer, Welcome to the Kingdom of God!
Blessings everyone…
From the Heart of God... 