𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨 𝐖𝐞 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝?⁣⁣⁣
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Some time ago, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that our desire—what we want—is the test of whether we have God’s heart.⁣⁣⁣
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Our desire indicates our salvation and status as God’s children.⁣⁣⁣
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The children of God desire God.⁣⁣⁣
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We may have many battles, but this is the war: 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝.⁣⁣⁣
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The Holy Spirit is again providing a fuller picture of what that means.⁣⁣⁣
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It began with an observation in The Parable of The Ten Talents or Minas recorded in Matthew 25 and Luke 19. The account in Luke includes a curious detail not found in Matthew: the bookends of Luke 19:14 and Luke 19:27.⁣⁣⁣
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Before and after the master charges the servants with their work, gives them the necessary resources, and evaluates them, we find these two verses:⁣⁣⁣
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Luke 19:14⁣⁣⁣
“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴.’”⁣⁣⁣
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Luke 19:27⁣⁣⁣
“‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦.’”⁣⁣⁣
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What the Holy Spirit set ablaze in my heart about both verses is the people’s rejection of the master’s kingship.⁣⁣⁣
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So what does it truly look like to desire God?⁣⁣⁣
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The true indication of whether I desire God is whether I want Jesus as King.⁣⁣⁣
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𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝.⁣⁣⁣
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The litmus test of whether I’m truly saved is whether I am eager for Jesus to be my King and want Him to rule over me.⁣⁣⁣
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1 Corinthians 12:3⁣⁣⁣
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵.”⁣⁣⁣
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The phrase “𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵” is not just about saying the words. It’s about a posture of adoration and submission.⁣⁣⁣
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The heart posture is the chief thing, and I think we would do well to take counsel from the thief on the cross that all our theology must harmonize with.⁣⁣⁣
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Luke 23:42⁣⁣⁣
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, ‘𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮.’”⁣⁣⁣
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Cultural Christianity, easy believism, and dead orthodoxy (all products of the industrial church) readily embrace a far away, father-like God to whom we can respond only emotionally. But where it gets real and contentious is when God demands the throne—even more so when He comes as a real person to assert those demands.⁣⁣⁣
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God and His kingdom are 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. He is King, represented in the person of Jesus Christ. To accept Him as Father but not as King is not to accept Him at all.⁣⁣⁣
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1 John 2:23⁣⁣⁣
“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”⁣⁣⁣
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The right posture of the heart is 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞—two sides of the same coin, such that our obedience indicates whether we have any real love at all.⁣⁣⁣
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John 14:15⁣⁣⁣
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”⁣⁣⁣
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It’s not enough to adore Him,⁣⁣⁣
Nor even to do His works (Matthew 7:22),⁣⁣⁣
But to want to—because you love Him as King.⁣⁣⁣
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If we truly see Jesus for who He is, we will want Him to reign.⁣⁣⁣
𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬.⁣⁣⁣
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If that’s you—𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝! You’re a real one.⁣⁣⁣
That’s the work of the Holy Spirit, making you God’s child through faith in Jesus Christ.⁣⁣⁣
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If that’s not you, but you’re convicted reading this—𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝!⁣⁣⁣
Being aware that you don’t have a heart that wants Jesus to reign, and 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵, is also the work of the Holy Spirit, drawing you to become God’s child through faith in Jesus Christ.⁣⁣⁣
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Even if you don’t have that heart, you can pray for it with confidence—because 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭.⁣⁣⁣
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Luke 12:32⁣⁣⁣
“𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮.”⁣⁣⁣
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𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝: 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.⁣⁣⁣
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#DoYouWantJesusAsKing #TheRealBattleIsDesire #desire #kingship #spiritualwarfare #perfectourlove