There are many Believers who haven't yet found their purpose or assignment.  When the Lord Jesus saved you, it wasn't just to attend church and it certainly wasn't just "fire insurance", as some say.  Your salvation was just the beginning.  He has a purpose for your life that is inline with His will for your life.  Regardless of your past, He will preserve you until the appointed time when He will make your assignment known to you.

Preserve means 1. to keep safe from injury, harm or destruction; to protect and 2. to keep up and reserve for personal or special use.  ​Please know that if the King has a special purpose for your life, that purpose and assignment comes with His protection.  I can personally testify to that statement.  Another example is ambassador Paul.  He was a "bad man" but the Lord Jesus preserved him for His purpose and gave him an assignment.  His name at first was Saul.  Read a little about His past.  It was Saul who assisted in the stoning of Stephen.  The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Once again, Saul was a bad man.  He led many citizens of the Kingdom to be persecuted.  Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest.  He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. 

Keep in mind, when the Lord Jesus sent His disciples out by twos, He stated: Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans..."  That was because He had Saul, who was later to be called Paul, to become the ambassador (or apostle) to the Gentile nation.  It was while Saul was in the midst of persecuting Believers that the Lord Jesus interrupted Saul.   Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest.  He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?”

“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!  Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  First, the Lord Jesus had to get his attention.  Then He sent Saul where he would get his assignment: Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord!” he replied.

The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to Me right now.  I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!  And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take My message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.  Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. 
​
Keep in mind, when the Lord God has a purpose for you He will protect and guide you.  He will preserve you for His purpose for your life. Did you notice that when the Lord Jesus got Saul's attention, he recognized who He was and addressed Him accordingly?   As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

The Lord Jesus had preserved Saul for His purpose long before Saul was ever aware of it.  Certainly long before his name was changed from Saul to Paul.  Having said that, the Lord God has a purpose for your life as well as an assignment. First you have to submit your will to His Will through the Governor--Holy Spirit--and He will guide you to all truth.  “If you love me, obey My commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you."  He will be with us every step of the way.  No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  Saul wasn't looking for God's purpose for his life.  He thought punishing and killing Believers in Jesus was his purpose...until that fateful day on the road to Damascus when Jesus stopped him in his sin and gave him his assignment!

Remember, your faith in His Word is your greatest asset in His Kingdom.

Acts 7:54-59, 9:1-2   Matthew 10:5   Acts 9:1-6, 10-18, 9:3-5
John 14:14-17, 18   All NLT unless noted

~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you

In times of crisis, where do you stand in relation to the Lord God's Word? It is not enough to believe the Lord God exists.  Even the demons believe in God! You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! NKJV  It is very important that you also take the Lord Jesus at His Word, for He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  On His robe at His thigh was written this title:  King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

At this moment, as I sit in my office, this present world is going through a crisis. Many religious people, who even faithfully attend churches, are becoming increasingly fearful.  Their lack of faith and trust in God's Word is obvious.  They lack the ability to encourage others to trust in the King because they do not trust when trials come.  They are allowing fear to control them and fill them with anxiety and depression.  Why would this world want "our God" if we are no different than they are in a crisis? 

Keep in mind, if we have a Kingdom mindset,  we will not act as the world does in a crisis---economic, physical, medical, environmental, wars, terrorism--for example.  Remember what the Lord God's constitution states concerning our King. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.  An economic recession can cause an epidemic of depression in the citizens of a nation.  Hard times!  It makes the psyche of a nation turn into a negative spirit, one that demons manipulate for their own purposes.  It is worse than the recession, which simply reflects the impact of events on the economy.  This is why it is so important to stay in His Word.  This is a fallen world and is unstable.  It is up and down, good and bad, happy times, bad times, times of peace and times of wars and rumors of wars.  Everything I've stated has nothing whatsoever to do with the Kingdom of God.  Life in the Kingdom of God is the antithesis of this fallen world! 

When we fail to stay in the Lord God's Word and follow the leading of our Governor, the Holy Spirit, we try to work out solutions in times of crisis.  We will feel the weight of responsibility to "fix it", when in the Kingdom we are only required to trust in God's Word and follow the Holy Spirit's guidance.  Know when you can't fix it and trust the Lord God.  That's Kingdom!  Wisdom from King Solomon:  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.  When we think we can handle things ourselves, we stop depending on the Lord God.  He lets us go, confidently on our way, until one day a crisis comes and we realize we are truly nothing without Him!  The King always protects and provides for His children and citizens.  In a time of crisis, we are only filled with worry anxiety and strive when we've stopped trusting in the Lord God. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."  So, why sweat the small stuff, when we have a mighty God and King?

​Now, the essential key to thriving (I did not say surviving!) in times of crisis, is living by His Word in your everyday life.  We must walk by the Spirit of the Living God, our Governor in life.  So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 

My final words to you today are to always seek to please the King. When a crisis comes, you will be under His protection as a citizen of the Kingdom in right standing.  Walk by His Spirit and His Word and not by the works of the flesh.  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  There are benefits to walking by His Spirit!  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  Always seek His Kingdom first, above all!

Once again, remember your faith in His Word is your most valuable asset in the Kingdom of God!

James 2:19   Revelation 19:16   Proverbs 3:5-6, 7-8  Matthew 6:25-33
Galatians 5:16-17, 19-21, 22-23  All NLT unless noted

~~W.R. Luchie
​~~D. Arlene Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you

Let me be perfectly clear.  There is only one race and that is the human race.  The Lord God created mankind to resemble Himself.  So God created human beings in His own image.  In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.  Please notice that He didn't add to that statement, by even mentioning different races or skin tone.  What He did say was "in Our image, according to Our likeness".  Also note the word "Our" (plural) implying that there was someone else there at the creation of mankind.  By the way, it was the Lord Jesus.  In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.  

Keep in mind that the devil is the evil one and has deceived the world into believing there is more than one race.  He is an expert at "divide and conquer"!  This world is his territory and is under his influence.  We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.  But there are people in this world that the devil cannot touch.  We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 

Just as the evil one keeps the Lord God's people separated through religious denominations, he keeps people here on earth separated through race.  He has managed to take that one word and make it something that it isn't. 

In the Lord God's constitution, it always referred to other people as nations, tribes and different tongues, but never races.  Because there is only one race, mankind.  In the beginning, God created man in His image, period!  Even in Revelation, when referring to the tribulation, race isn't mentioned.  After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.  We have different cultures, different languages and different skin tones, but we were all created after one image...God's! Why do I get angry and continue to drive this home?  Because I hate to see the devil win!  We are very divided today and the evil one loves it!  

There was one time when the Lord God decided to separate the people.  He did it through language, not through the color of their skin.  At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.  “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!  Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.  That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way He scattered them all over the world.  

Even in the last book of the Constitution--Revelation--you will never see the word race describing mankind.  Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them.

Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language.  

What is meant by races on this earth?  The color of one's skin and culture of how they live.  It all comes down to different cultures and colors. God created the human race in His image and made them into a beautifully varied Kingdom garden...His Kingdom!

Remember, your greatest asset us your faith in the Lord God's Word in His Kingdom.

Genesis 1:27   John 1:1-5   1 John 5:19, 18   Revelation 7:9
Genesis 11:1-9   Revelation 10:11; 11:9; 17:15
All NLT unless noted.

~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you

The Lord Jesus is one with His Father and the Holy Spirit, our Governor. There is no division with them.

Listen to what King Jesus stated in His prayer to His Father concerning future believers and citizens of the Kingdom. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.  I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.

“I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are one.  I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me.  Father, I want these whom You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they can see all the glory You gave Me because You loved Me even before the world began!

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know You, but I do; and these disciples know You sent Me.  I have revealed You to them, and I will continue to do so. Then Your love for Me will be in them, and I will be in them.”  

Keep in mind, the devil is the author of confusion.  Ambassador Paul wrote this to the saints in Corinth.  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.  Now if the Lord God isn't the author of confusion, then who is?  It is the evil one, the devil.  I have always stated when you see or hear others in a state of confusion or chaos, the Lord Jesus isn't in it. His very presence bring peace.  In the Kingdom of God there is only one King and His name is Jesus in any language.  

Keep in mind, the evil one will separate the Lord God's people by any means necessary.  That is one of the reasons that there are so many religious denomination in this world.  They are all claiming to know the Lord God and yet many refuse to embrace God's Word or His Son Jesus our Lord.  If the goal is to bring division in the Kingdom of God, it is not of God.  I am certain that many reading this article are aware that those religions who hold Jesus as Lord are separated by traditions and customs that have nothing to do with the Kingdom government.  If church traditions and bylaws themselves could save people, the state of South Carolina alone could save the world!  For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me.  Satan's goal is to divide those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior so they will be ineffective to others.  He doesn't care how much church we do as long as we remain ineffective. The devil knows that his time isn't long here.  He is more focused than we are! His purpose is to deceive and distract all those on earth while he has the time.  Separate and conquer!  Remember, Satan lost the battle to overthrow the Kingdom.   Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels.  And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven.  This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

It is our responsibility to seek the Kingdom of God.   Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.  That is our first obligation in the Kingdom.  I will add this word of encouragement.  Never love your life or this present world more than the Kingdom or His Word.  Remember the devil is the accuser of the King's citizens.  Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, "It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.  And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!  And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!  But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”

To sum it up, anything that attempts to divide the people of the Kingdom of God, is a desperate devil trying to separate us and conquer us for his kingdom!

Remember, your greatest asset is your faith in His Word!

John 17:20-26   1 Corinthians 14:33   John 6:44   Revelation 12:7-9
Matthew 6:33   Revelation 12:10-12  All NLT unless noted otherwise.

~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you