Lifting Our Vision

The Kingdom Hero Show – Episode 74

-Begin Transcript –

Welcome to The Kingdom Hero Show, where CHRIST is KING and the TRUTH matters! Our mission: To advance the Kingdom of God by shining the Kingdom Light everywhere we go!

On today’s program, I wanna talk about lifting our vision higher so we can get a 30,000-foot view of the bigger picture. Often, we are so zoomed in on our current circumstances or trials that we are blinded to anything else. Such an inward focus causes tunnel vision. It not only keeps us from seeing the needs of others, but it can also damage or limit our own faith and prevent us from gaining a more Godly perspective.

But before we get into that, subscribe to my Rumble channel. You’ll find all our social media links and more by typing TheKingdomLight.com/links into your address bar – that’s TheKingdomLight.com/links.

Now you may notice on that Links page that the link for my Parler feed is no longer there. That’s because the account is kaput. Unfortunately, a company called Starboard acquired Parler earlier this month and, in their magnanimous wisdom, decided that it was simply an unsustainable “Twitter clone for conservatives only” – which is of course a lie – so they promptly shut it down. Truthfully, Parler was a free speech platform for everyone, and now it’s gone. So, thank you to the commie geniuses at Starboard for dealing yet another blow to our American liberty.

Moving on… While you’re on our website, visit the Kingdom Storehouse and get yourself some Kingdom Gear. Lots of great stuff for gifts or for yourself, so check it out.

Ready? Let’s go…

– Open Tag: Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to Let the KINGDOM HEROICS Begin! –

You know, I recall going to the store to get a few things one day. And as I went down my shopping list, I came to an item my brother wanted me to pick up, but I had no idea where it was. I went down aisle after aisle, searching for this thing, but couldn’t find it. I’m frustrated and getting more so by the minute. So, I call him on the phone. I say, “Dude, I don’t see this thing anywhere!” Right?

Then he proceeds to tell me, okay it’s on such-and-such aisle where the so-and-so is. I’m like, “yeah okay, I’m there now and I don’t see it.” He says, well do you see the so-and-so? I scan the shelf again and spot the thing and say, “Yeah.” So he says, good, now look up above that. I look at the next shelf up, but I still don’t see the item he wants. I go, “Man, I’m telling you it ain’t here!” He’s like, well what do you see? By this time, I am reaching for my anxiety meds ’cause I am tired of looking for this thing that is OBVIOUSLY not there, right?

He asks what do you see, so I start naming things – “I see the such-and-such, the so-and-so, and a few thing-a-ma-jigs.” And he says, no no, look a little higher up. My face is probably red, and people near me likely think I’m about to explode right there in the grocery store – my head’s just gonna pop off and it’ll be like, “Clean up on aisle seven,” you know? But right then, I look up a little higher and I see that very item I just KNEW wasn’t there. And so I grab it, take a breath, and I say very calmly into the phone… “Found it.” *click*

Now I know I’m not alone in this, right? I was in a hurry, and this one thing was holding me up. That was my attitude. I got impatient, angry, and all spun up with anxiety. Looking, but not seeing. When all I really needed to do was lift my vision just a little higher. I know you’ve been there.

See, a lot of times, we get so distracted by our own little bubble of circumstances that we can no longer see anything outside of it. We get tunnel vision. We look, but we don’t really see because our minds are still focused on ourselves. This is my challenge, my frustration, my time being wasted while this genius in front of me doesn’t seem to realize that the light is GREEN – hello? Come on, I can’t be the only one.

Even as believers, we do this. We get in that mindset that says, it’s all about me, when the truth is – as Christians – it’s NOT about us. Our lives are not our own, but we have been bought with a price! Amen? If we call ourselves Christians, we’d better be at least trying to live as though we represent Christ to those around us. Am I right?

Okay, man, okay. We’re only human. You hear that excuse a lot, don’t you? We’re only human. But you see, we’ve allowed sinfulness and selfishness and our own carnal nature to take a truth – we’re human – and twist it into a lie that we’re ONLY human. No, that’s not true. We’re not only human, but we are instead called – let me repeat that – we are called to be more than conquerors through Christ! I know I’ve read that somewhere in the Bible. OH! Here it is…

37 …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8

Now keep your finger there in Romans chapter 8 because it’s chock-full of good stuff, and we’re gonna refer to it in more depth as we go. But let me get back to my point regarding this “only human” nonsense. You see, saying you’re only human plays to your feelings. It makes you feel better about a wrong you committed. Well, I’m only human.

Even worse, saying that you are only human is a self-declaration of your state of imperfection with the misguided understanding that you are incapable of change. I’m only human becomes a go-to excuse for every time you fail to live according to God’s will for your life. You are effectively telling God, “I can’t help it. I’m only human.” This transfers the blame onto Him, do you realize that?

How many of you would ever dare to tell God that all your imperfections and shortcomings are His fault? He made you. Right? Yeah, He made you. But He doesn’t make junk. He doesn’t specialize in second-rate goods. The Bible says that we were fearfully and wonderfully made. God specializes in masterpieces. He made humanity in His own likeness, and He is a holy God who calls us to holiness as well.

So while we are human, and we were born in sin due to the curse of Adam, God didn’t leave us there. He broke that curse through the blood of Jesus, and we have access to power through the Holy Spirit to live free from the power of sin. Yeah, we’re flesh, but we’re also spirit, and our flesh should not rule our lives, but instead be subject to the spirit living within us.

Oh, we love to quote scripture and proclaim these truths. Some of you may have even said “Amen” during that little sermonette there. You might feel Holy Ghost chills running up and down your spine when that kind of truth is spoken, but how do you feel when it comes to living out these things we say we believe? We can shout it until Jesus comes back, but are we putting those truths into practical application? There’s a word for people who agree with the Word on Sunday but don’t live it on Monday, and it’s not a nice word…hypocrite.

-Break Transcript –

Those of you who are still around, I appreciate it. You may be saying, “Man, you’re being kinda rough on us today. What’s gotten into you? You ticked off about that whole Parler thing?” Well, maybe a little, but that’s not it. I’ll tell you what’s gotten into me: conviction. I hear the truth preached on Sunday morning and I claim to believe it, but I still feel a righteous conviction of the Holy Spirit.

You see, God is faithful to let us know when we mess up. He’s not rude about it. He’s kind and loving. The Holy Spirit comes like a gentleman and says in a kind but firm way, “My child, you’re falling short. You aren’t being all I created you to be. And worse yet, there are lots of times when you’re not even trying.”

God loves us enough to be real with us and correct us. If you really listen, you’ll hear His correction. You’ll hear it and know it in your heart that you aren’t living up to your potential – and let me assure you, that ain’t God’s fault. So let’s work for a bit on making some corrections ourselves.

We have to CHOOSE to be better. How can we do that? How do we maintain a Kingdom frame of mind when it comes to lifting our vision to a more Godly perspective? Well, I hope you held your place there in Romans 8 because we’re about to take a deep dive into it.

I’ve got five steps for us here…

I. Submit to the Spirit, Not the Flesh.

This is hard because we make it hard. In our minds, we find it easier to let our fleshly desires run things. I want that new smartphone, or that big screen TV, or that car, or whatever. So my focus is on the material. But then we beat ourselves up when we can’t afford what we want. Men especially, we think that if we can’t seem to provide or obtain certain things that we aren’t real men, or not good enough. But look at it from a spiritual standpoint. When we fall short as Christians, the enemy may throw it in our faces and make us feel like failures, but that’s not what God does when He corrects us. In fact, Romans 8 starts off by saying…

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8

While it may be true that our flesh is weak, we cannot allow ourselves to fall on the lie that we’re only human. We’re not just flesh. We are also spirit, and in the spirit is where we are made strong. This passage continues…

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8

When we are living according to the flesh, all we can see or think about is what the flesh wants. And as we see here, not only is it preferable to live by the spirit, but it’s also actually deadly to live according to the flesh. In the flesh, we can’t find peace. In the flesh, we don’t submit to God’s law. And so, in our flesh, we can’t be pleasing to God.

II. Trust That Our Troubles Won’t Last.

When in the midst of our present trials and hardships, it’s really hard to see the big picture. Imagine you’re in one of those giant corn mazes. From your current ground-level position, you can’t see the solution to escape. But imagine that you are in that maze and have an overhead shot of the maze to guide you – like a map. It’s that big-picture perspective of your situation that gives you peace and confidence. Again, it’s our flesh that can’t grasp the 30,000-foot view. Only by the spirit can we do this.

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8

This puts our current troubles in a whole different light. Seen through the lens of this scripture, anything and everything we’re facing now starts to seem small in comparison to the fact that God has adopted us as His own children, making us fellow heirs with Christ. What we’re suffering through cannot compare to that which Jesus suffered for us on the cross, and we now have the promise of being glorified with Him one day. That’s HUGE! And it brings us to…

III. Know That We Have a Glorious Future.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Romans 8

The day is soon coming when glory beyond our imagination is going to be revealed. It will indeed make all of the things that have caused us great heartache in this life seem so insignificant as to be unworthy of mention. Yes, even the oppressive and corrupt governance that we often complain about will be swept away, and we’ll finally experience the true freedom and glory that comes from being God’s children.

IV. Realize God’s Love Is Bigger.

No matter what you’re going through – whether it’s pain, sickness, depression, poverty, or even an oppressive government – none of it is bigger than God or His love for you. Call on Him, and He won’t disappoint. Nothing can keep Him from lavishing His great love on you.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8

I really can’t add much here. That’s as clear as it gets. Nothing can keep us from God’s amazing love, aside from us outright rejecting it. That’s it.

V. Praise God Always.

Even in the tough times? Especially in the tough times! No matter what the situation, God is ALWAYS worthy of praise. You feeling sick? Praise Him anyway. Just lost your job? Praise God and trust His plan. Afraid you’re not gonna make this month’s rent? Give your fear over to the Lord and praise Him knowing that He still knows what He’s doing.

You may say, “Well that’s just not normal behavior.” And you’re right. It isn’t normal for your flesh, but it IS exactly what your spirit needs. When you praise God in the midst of trials, hell doesn’t know what to do. It confuses and confounds the enemy. It also fortifies your faith as you commune with the presence of God – He inhabits our praises!

So look up, my friends. Lift your vision higher and see the mighty hand of God move in your life! I’m just sayin’.

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