By Gloria Copeland

Take Off the Limits
Jesus didn’t intend for those breakthroughs to stop at the end of His earthly ministry, either. He commissioned His disciples to continue His ministry. He told us to go about healing the sick and bringing other heavenly breakthroughs, saying, “The kingdom of God has come close to you” (Luke 10:9, Amp Bible).

Jesus commanded us to:
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel [the good news that the kingdom of God is here] to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs [or heavenly breakthroughs] shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:15-18).

It’s the responsibility of the Church to manifest the kingdom of God in this natural realm. It’s our job to exercise the dominion of that kingdom, and demonstrate it so others can experience its reality and become citizens of God’s kingdom themselves!

Until now, the Church hasn’t been getting that job done nearly as well as it should. Why is that? Primarily, it’s because most believers have become so busy with the natural affairs of life, they haven’t had time to learn much about how to operate in the kingdom of God. They’re so busy seeking the things of this world—food, clothes, houses, cars, money to pay their bills—they don’t even give much thought to the things of God’s kingdom.

Actually, that’s not very smart. Why should we invest ourselves so much in this natural world? Its systems are limited. When we face impossible situations, this natural world has no answer for us. It can’t help us with an incurable disease or an insoluble financial crisis. But with God all things are possible! There are no limitations in the kingdom of God! It knows no impossibilities! So what we need to do is obey the instructions Jesus gave in

Matthew 6:
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on…. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (verses 25, 32-33).

The Amplified Bible clarifies that last verse even more. It says, “seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right).”

In other words, if we want to operate in the dominion of God, we have to find out His way of doing things and then do things His way. We’ll have to change the way we think. We’ll have to start thinking and acting like He does instead of thinking and acting like the world.

We’ll have to seek Him and His principles, put our dependence first and foremost on Him, and then He’ll see to it that our natural needs are met.

You see, the principles of the kingdom of God always work. God has spoken and set them into motion by His Word. They will work for anyone who will put them to work. For example, one of those principles, the primary one, is the law of sowing and reaping. Galatians 6:7-8 states that law very simply: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Actually, the law of sowing and reaping works in both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. If you sow into the kingdom of darkness, you reap the harvest of that kingdom––death in all its forms. If you invest your time and money in the concerns of the world, you’ll end up on drugs, pornography and alcohol. You’ll end up sick and unhappy.

On the other hand, if you sow to the kingdom of God, you’ll reap the harvest of that kingdom––abundant life in all its forms. As Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded [to think like the world thinks] is death; but to be spiritually minded [to think like God thinks] is life and peace.”

It’s Up to You 
Of course, if you want to sow into the kingdom of God you must first be born again. You do that simply by making Jesus the Lord of your life.

You can read the Bible all day, and it won’t make sense to you if you haven’t taken that first step. The great kingdom truths it contains will be hidden from you. Why? Because, as Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

A person who hasn’t been born again simply cannot understand the way God thinks. The ways of His kingdom are beyond his grasp because he is in darkness. A person who has been born again, however, is translated into God’s kingdom. He immediately has the ability to know and walk in God’s ways. How much he does from then on is up to him. The more he seeks after God and His way of doing and being right, the more of His power and dominion he’ll enjoy. The more he renews his mind to God’s Word—which is His way of thinking—and changes his life in obedience to that Word, the more he’ll see the kingdom of heaven manifest in his life and the lives of those around him.

The wonderful thing about the kingdom of God is that you don’t have to be rich or smart or talented to walk in it. Anyone can do it. All you have to do is find out what God says and act on it. When you do, blessings—heavenly breakthroughs—will begin to happen.

So I want to encourage you to start today investing more of yourself—your time, thought and energy—into seeking the kingdom of God. Determine in your heart to change some areas in your life. Dig into the Word more deeply and find out what God says about those areas. Then start acting like He does instead of like the world. Heighten your awareness of the kingdom of God. Become more and more kingdom-of- God minded. Then get ready for the blessings of heaven—the lavish, liberal-to-excess, extravagant and over-abounding favors of the kingdom of God—to break through on you!

Prayer for Salvation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. Your Word says, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). I am calling on You. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life according to Romans 10:9-10: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” I do that now. I confess that Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I am now reborn! I am a Christian—a child of Almighty God! I am saved! You also said in Your Word, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: HOW MUCH MORE shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13). I’m also asking You to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me the utterance (Acts 2:4). In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Begin to praise God for filling you with the Holy Spirit. Speak those words and syllables you receive—not in your own language, but the language given to you by the Holy Spirit. You have to use your own voice. God will not force you to speak. Don’t be concerned with how it sounds. It is a heavenly language! Continue with the blessing God has given you and pray in the spirit every day.

You are a born-again, Spirit-filled believer. You’ll never be the same!
Find a fellowship that boldly preaches God’s Word and obeys it. Become part of a family fellowship who will love and care for you as you love and care for them. We need to be connected to each other. It increases our strength in God. It’s God’s plan for us.