“We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.” (Colossians 1:11-12 NLT)
“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13 NLT)
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12 ESV)
I am currently living in the midst of two kingdoms. Actually, there is one kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, and one anti – kingdom, the Kingdom of Darkness. The Kingdom of Darkness is a vacuum, void of the Manifest presence of the King and His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven consists of the presence of the King and his Kingdom and dispels or displaces all of the characteristics of the Kingdom of Darkness.
The Kingdom of Heaven, also known as the Kingdom of Light or Kingdom of God, is a kingdom that starts from within and works itself out. The Anti – Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Darkness, starts from outside and works its way in. The Kingdom of Light is a kingdom that is based in the spiritual realm. The anti-kingdom of Darkness is a kingdom based in sensory experience and based in the world.
The Anti – Kingdom of Darkness is primarily the absence of the Manifest presence of the Kingdom of Light. The absence of light leaves darkness. The absence of love leaves fear and hatred. The absence of faith leaves unbelief, doubt, and confusion. The absence of peace leaves worry, anxiety, chaos, conflict, and war. The absence of health leaves sickness, suffering, and disease. The absence of life leaves death. The best news of the day is that the opposite is also true .The Kingdom of Heaven is overflowing with benefits that are intended for me (and you).
I don’t need to make my priority fighting against the Kingdom of Darkness. That would be like going in a dark room and looking for the switch to turn off the dark. My focus is on fully experiencing the Kingdom of Light which automatically displaces and dispels the Kingdom of Darkness. When I walk into that dark room I simply turn on the light and “Poof” the darkness is gone.
As a child of the King, just like Jesus, I live from the Kingdom of Heaven into the Anti – Kingdom of Darkness. The Manifest presence of the King and his Kingdom in my life today frees me from the Anti – Kingdom of Darkness.
Come into the Light with…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 319: Kingdom and Anti-Kingdom