Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
I want to share with you how to break free from the bondage of sin. In this article, I will cover the definition of "sin" and how it prevents the "Kingdom of God" from affecting our lives, here on earth. I'll also discuss how the "Kingdom of God" is spiritual presence or aura that gives us divine enlightenment, freedom, wisdom and peace (just to name a few characteristics of the "Kingdom of God"). I will also distinguish between "Heaven", a place of eternity with God, and the "Kingdom of God".
First of all, what is "sin" anyway. The bible tells us that it is anything that is not of faith (Rom 14:23). That's quite a broad net to cast, but true. Another way to define sin is to say what it is not - it is NOT the fruits of the spirit. The fruits of the spirit are:
- love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22,23)
So things like anger, rage, anxiety, unbridled-emotions, yelling, accusation, judgement would fall into this category of sin.
Other things that seem more obvious to me, because they seem much worse of a violation would be things like physically hurting someone else, lying, sexual-sin (adultery, lbgtq+, pornography), drunkenness, misleading a child into sin, stealing, child-molestation, rape, murder, ..etc.
Interestingly enough, God doesn't distinguish between the severities of "sin", but puts them all in the same category. See how Gal 5:19-21 spells this out very clearly:
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Why does God care about us not engaging in sin? He doesn't want you to partner with evil spirits and commit acts of sin, which causes a spiritual death (and eventually physical death). He wants you and me to be free from this pain/death sentence. He even wants us free from the mind-set of sin, that leads to sinful acts. Consider moments (mind-sets) when we are in fear, anxiety, or depression (all sinful states). Have you ever tried to pray while you are in these states of mind? It's impossible. You have to first come to your right mind and then pray. You have to slow down, and get free from these states of mind. In these moments we are in an "active" state of sin, and the "Kingdom of God" is not with us. Yes, even (or should I say especially) as Christians. I'm not talking about "salvation". I merely pointing out that the "Kingdom of God" is not with you at that moment in time. Galations 5, from above says:
"(you) will not inherit the kingdom of God".
What does this mean? This could mean that you will not get to be with God in Heaven (saved). But I don't think so. I think it has more to do with missing out on the presence of God - which would provide you a spiritual and physical blessing - it's a supernatural spiritual presence or awareness that we can gain. Imagine if Jesus were sitting right next to you? I'm sure you'd feel peace and protection against anything in the world...right?
This supernatural phenomenon is depicted in other parts of the bible - Let's see how the "kingdom of God" is a spiritual realm or aura.
When it is near us, we experience light, peace, joy, happiness, creativity and an enlightenment to the mind of Christ. We all know that we, as Christians, should all be in a state of "growing", "learning" and "refining" ourselves - It's a process that starts with humility and leads to greater self-awareness. Our minds become submitted to Jesus. We learn the ways of Jesus. We want our minds lined up with God's thoughts (His will). We no longer live in darkness, but the light of God.
This process of sanctification helps the believer become self-aware, so that when we find ourselves in moments of sin, that we can rebuke that sin, confess that sin, and repent from that sin. We take every (sinful) thought captive to Jesus (2 Cor 10:5). These actions then enable the "Kingdom of God" to be with us ("inherit").
We need to be enlightened by Gods will and not our own. See Luke 9:54,55 for how Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to call down fire upon the Samaritans or where Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!..." in Matt 16:23 - (In both situations the disciples thoughts were not lined up with Jesus/God).
The temporal nature, power and spiritual realm of the "Kingdom of God/Heaven" can easily be seen in these bible references:
- The Lords prayer..."your kingdom come...on earth, as it is in Heaven". Matt 6:10
This suggests that the kingdom comes to an earthly realm, and is "with" you. - Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" - Matt 3:2 - referring to Jesus's spiritual & physical presence with you.
Imagine standing there with John the Baptist as he says this - he telling us that in this very moment the "Kingdom of God" is here present with you, represented by Jesus himself. - From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”- Matt 4:17
This quote from Jesus tells us that it is with you here and now, and the repent in order to be with it. - For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. Col 1:13
This tells me that I'm free here and now from my sinful (darkness) state, and into the "Kingdom of God" - the light & truth of God. - To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matt 13:11
Jesus, tells us that the "Kingdom of God" is used to decern spiritual principles and truth through the "parables" that Jesus spoke. -
Jesus said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand. Luke 8:10
Again, this is a description of the here and now to receive enlightenment from God. -
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom 14:17
The "Kingdom of God" is not of earthly things like eating and drinking, but rather of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, that you can experience in present time. Jesus says a little later in verse 20 "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall". This is clearly stating that we should not fall into sin or lead others into sin, or you will not "inherit the Kingdom of God" (back to Gal 5 reference above). - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.” Matt 16:19.
At present time, Jesus says he will give us the "keys" (divine understanding), and whatever you do with that knowledge here on earth will also be applied when you go to Heaven. - do not be anxious...But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,... Matt 6:25-33
This means don't worry or be anxious about things - instead seek the "Kingdom of God" and you will be enlighted.
"The Kingdom" is a very special place (affecting our current mindset). The old testament talks of Zion (perfect place of joy, peace, happiness. See this article for Zion) - I wonder if this is the same as the "Kingdom of God" (another discussion...).
If you are submitted to God, Jesus & Holy Spirit, then every bad thought you have, you take it captive to Jesus. (2 Cor 10:5). You earnestly seek The Kingdom of God's presence/influence/guidance in you. The Kingdom of God is a special spiritual place of peace. A place where your mind can be at ease from sinful spiritual forces. Recall that our struggles/battles are not of the flesh and blood, but of the spiritual realm. Eph 6:12
Going back to Gal 5, we see that our sin or "FLESH" will prohibit us from having this "Kingdom of God" upon us. We can deduce, that if we don't have freedom from our sins, then we won't have true peace, joy, happiness, contentment in our mind. We will always be tormented and in bondage to our sins. Your mind needs to be free from evil influence, and submitted to the authority realm of the Kingdom of God.
At this point, you should be asking, how do I get rid of my sins in order to have the "Kingdom of God" upon me (spiritually presence with you at all times). The answer is:
- Acknowledge your sin and confess it to Jesus in your prayer time. Confession is a common part of the Catholic Church. I understand why, but some don't feel comfortable with this. Refer to 1 John 1:9-10 and James 5:13-16, and then you decide what's best.
- Repent (in your mind and actions) - turn away 180 degrees from the sin (or thoughts).
- Put to death your sin. A spiritual fasting is good here. Setup a specific time frame. Whatever timeframe you think you can be successful at. Let's just say 1 week. Commit to God and yourself to "fast" (intentionally deny & avoid all thoughts or actions of the nature that you feel is sinful. Each time you think the thought, cast it down in the name of Jesus. This is a way of spiritual cleansing. Gal 5:24
- Similar to #3 - Take every sinful thought and pray in that very moment to Jesus to take that thought away. 2 Cor 10:5
- Call on the name of Jesus to rescue (save) you in that moment of sinful thought or action. Romans 10:13
- Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
- Remove yourself (mind or physical presence) from the sinful situation. Do anything else. I like to do some physical exercise.
- Meditate on Gods word. Read the bible daily. Through prayers, and daily meditation God will speak to your subconscious and give you divine insight into the problem, and provide you a solution. Psalm 1:2, and Reference Article.
- Declare to yourself, that you are free from that "bondage of sin" (name the specific problem in your declaration) - do this daily as a morning bible-study routine.
- Inner healing - sometimes you need to address the root cause of the sinful thoughts and/or behavior. Sozo sessions, or other inner healing techniques are very affective. You can nail that sin to the cross, and ask Jesus for the truth on the matter. He is faithful to give you a fish if you ask for one, not a snake. Matt 7:9,10
Once free, make sure you never go back.
- Once you clean your house, 7 other spirits more evil than the first may return to your house. Matt 12:43-45 and 2 Peter 2:19,20
- A dog always returns to his vomit. 2 Peter 22
- Who cut in on you you, and influenced you to return to your past ways? Old friends? Gal 5
With God's truth, and your self-awareness, humility, discipline, hard work, and dedication to Jesus, you can be free from your sin. 1 John tells us:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:9-10
By the way, don't feel bad about your sin - everyone sins. Just do something about it! Romans 3:23
Please read all of 1 John, Gal 5 and Romans 8 for a solid biblical understanding of this teaching:
God bless you and may peace be upon you (or more to the point, "The Kingdom of God")
p.s. there are 473 references to "Kingdom" in the bible. Not all of them have this meaning above, but it's worth a little research to see the above concept is true. See all 473 references here: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Kingdom