Isaiah 8:13-14 – “The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread.  ¹⁴ He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah, He will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.  And for the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare.”

The Love of God is given freely and cannot be earned. God loves us unconditionally! That does not mean He winks at sin, but His love motivates Him to extend mercy to us whenever and wherever possible.

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, several things flooded my mind.  One question that arose was, “Who Rules and Who Gives Authority?”  I heard, in my heart, “If people make you King, who rules?”   It’s not rocket science – They do!

When the people came to Jesus with the intent of making Him King, He fled to the mountains.  That was one of the most presumptuous acts in the Bible. Imagine, mortals, trying to make Jesus King!  Jesus could not be made King; He was King.

Today, everything called Apostolic emphasizes form, but the true Apostolic offers no emphasis on Form; it is on Formation.  God is creating New Wineskins to house the New Wine of the Holy Spirit He is pouring out.  But we realize that we only need New Wineskins if we have New Wine.  The New Wine Skin does not produce the Wine.  The New Wine produces the need for the New Wineskin.

Something interesting transpired when two of John’s disciples began to follow Jesus.  He saw them and asked, “What do you seek?”  They responded with a question, “Where do you dwell?”  They didn’t ask which groups were right, which doctrine was pure, or what form of worship they should pursue. NO, they asked, “Where do you dwell?”

That is the secret to moving into Kingdom Authority and living the Kingdom Lifestyle.  The focus is Him!  We are transformed by what we Behold, and if we are focused on anything but Him, we will be molded into that image.  We need to discern between what God blesses and what He inhabits.

For example, when the Glory fills the Temple, it is not the Temple that gets our attention but the Glory that fills the Temple.  Remember Ishmael?  God made him a great nation and blessed him.  God blessed him but did not inhabit his works.  Isaiah 8:13-14, “It is the LORD of Hosts whom you should regard as Holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread, then He shall become a Sanctuary.”

God is calling His people to become the Kingdom of Priests He designed and desires us to be.  The Church Jesus is building and coming back for is a body, not a building.  It is an organism, not an organization.  It’s a life, not a set of regulations!

It is time to be who He says we are!  It is time to live like He says we can live!  It is time to sound the war cry and possess the promises!  Are you willing?

LORD, help us to accept Your rule in our lives!