And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark, you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. (Exodus 25:21-22 ESV)     From the very beginning, this is the way I have chosen to speak to my children: above the mercy seat, on the ark of the testimony. I will always speak out of my written…

There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:25-26)     The test for Israel was not the journey through the wilderness, but their willingness to “listen carefully to the Lord and do what is right in his eyes.” This is always the greatest test for those…

“But on that day, I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people.” (Exodus 8:22-23)       It has always been my will that there be a distinction between my people and those who are not yet mine. Not because my people are more righteous or more deserving, but for the simple fact that choosing to become my people will always make you different and distinct from the society around you. This distinction is…

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:39 NLT)     Remember the paradox of my kingdom: there must be less of you to receive more of me that there may be more of you to serve others. The goal of emptying yourself is not to be empty, but to be full. The goal of dying to self is not to be dead, but to find life in its fullest. The goal of humbling yourself is not to hide, but to lead in a different way. If you are willing, I will show…

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared … the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.’” (Matthew 13:24-26, 28-30)       To be a kingdom person requires much more than just the ability to distinguish “weeds” from “wheat.”…

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24)     There are two masters battling for the identity of my church in the United States. One master is offering the same thing that he offered to Jesus in the wilderness: power over the nations of the world. The other master is offering Jesus. Not just a way of salvation but a way of life; a template that now must be followed in every aspect of a person’s life. My children must understand that you cannot serve them both,…