In the clash of power, God always wins.

When the kingdom of this world clashes against the kingdom of God, God always wins. Always. The goodness of God is so much greater than hate, envy, fear, or deception. The power of heaven that Jesus carried never failed to save, heal, and deliver. When the spirits of the enemy saw Him coming, they panicked.

The power of God is so much greater than the power of the enemy. Of course. God is the creator, the enemy is the created one. There is no close second. And Jesus gave His name to us to use as His agents of authority. When I speak in His name, the spirits of the enemy are just as afraid as when Jesus speaks.

We have the authority to do so much through the kingdom of God. Love overpowers hate. Peace overpowers fear. Healing overpowers brokenness. Releasing the power of heaven into a chaotic situation restores peace. When people confess sin and let go of unforgiveness, the power of sickness, depression, and pain must go. Life and love and healing can come in.

Evil has never been as powerful as good. The devil has never been as powerful as God. Never. In the end, every knee will bow before Jesus. Jesus is Lord and His power is the greatest power. In the clash of kingdoms, God always wins.

The kingdom of God is about showing kindness to an unkind world.

Being saved into the kingdom of God isn’t only about our relationship with God, it’s also about our relationship with each other. We are a family, one body. We are to love each other as much as we love ourselves. We are to show kindness, mercy, and grace to each other. And that means that we don’t judge.

Being judgmental is being critical, finding fault. We make assumptions, then take an attitude of superiority. There’s no love in that. None.

The way to stop being judgmental is to stop looking at the issue and start looking at the need. You think someone is wrong about something. What is making them do that? They need God. They need healing. They need blessing.

That’s where you come in. You are God’s ambassador with all His authority. Pray. Release blessing. Love. Ask God to make you sensitive to catching yourself being judgmental. Then repent when you do. Ask God to give you a greater capacity to love everyone, no matter what.

You spread the kingdom by releasing the kingdom. Stop judging people and start loving them. That does not mean that people don’t need to be corrected, but love them anyway. Real love will overlook bad character, and people with bad character need to be loved.

Disagree with honor.

We don’t do honor very well in today’s church. That’s a problem, because God sees honor as valuable. We are told to honor God, our father and mother, our superiors, our neighbor. But what does that really mean?

Honor means to hold in high respect. But notice, God doesn’t say to honor only those people that you agree with. What if you disagree with someone like the president? What if you really, really dislike what he says and does? Doesn’t matter. Honor belongs to the role. To dishonor someone, anyone, tarnishes the goodness of God.

We are to be a people known for love, and dishonoring anyone does not show love. In fact, it shows that we are in great need of love ourselves. Honor does not bad mouth or complain about people. Honor shows respect, even in a discussion that disagrees.

Showing honor to your boss, your company, your co-workers, your spouse shows the goodness of God. When you are seen showing honor when it’s clear that you don’t agree, you’ve won merit in the kingdom.

Pay attention to how you talk about people. If you can’t honestly say that you’re showing honor, then don’t say it. Just like your mom always said, if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.

The kingdom of God is about showing kindness to an unkind world.

I saw an old episode of a tv show where a bull escaped a pen and ran at a little girl. She had her back against a fence with no where to go, so she just stood there quietly. The bull ran right up to her and stopped, then turned around and went the other way. She didn’t react, so she didn’t get hurt.

If you can choose to not react when people lose it around you, you don’t become a target for them. In fact, if you can respond in the opposite of what they are expecting, you will get their attention.

Is someone in your office always mean, grouchy, or unkind? Just show love, even when their nastiness is directed at you. You have the Holy Spirit and all His goodness to draw from. Ask Him to give you what you need: peace, patience, kindness, goodness, love. He has lots to give, so don’t stop asking.

Pray for the ones who offend you the most. Bless them. Be the one who welcomes them into the kingdom. It may take a while, but love is patient and kind. Let God show you His compassion for them. He loves them, so be His love to them.

Family will be there when you need them.

Paul said that he was all things to all people. (ICor 9:19-23) He didn’t want to exclude anyone from hearing the gospel. We are not all evangelists, but in the same way, we should be what people need us to be. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Rom 12:15)

In other words, be a friend. It’s the way we love our neighbor as ourselves. When we are going through a mess or difficult times, we need people around us who care and understand. It’s what you would need, so be that for someone else.

Not everyone needs to be told what to do. Sometimes they just need someone to care. It’s that simple. Do you care about other people? Will you show them kindness when they need it, especially when it interferes with your day? It gets hard to do sometimes, but that’s where the rubber meets the road. That’s what separates the real lovers from the pretenders.

Do unto others as you want them to do unto you. And don’t say that you don’t need anything just to get out of doing something for someone else. Be a friend to the friend who needs you. We are a family in this kingdom, and we need to show love to each other.