The Price of Crowning Our Own King

1Sa 8:11-18 MKJV
(11) And he said, This will be the privilege of the king who shall reign over you. He shall take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and his horsemen. And they shall run before his chariots.
(12) And he will appoint commanders over thousands, and commanders over fifties, and some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and weapons for his chariots.
(13) And he will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
(14) And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive-yards, the best, and give them to his servants.
(15) And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his eunuchs and to his servants.
(16) And he will take your male slaves and your slave girls, and your finest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
(17) He will take the tenth of your sheep, and you shall be his servants.
(18) And you shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and Jehovah will not answer you in that day.

Life is a never-ending struggle. If it's not relationships, it's health. If not health, it's finances. It's work, it's school, it's growing pains, it's aging. These are the components that are seen, but behind it all is a spiritual war that continually wages. Satan hates everyone and is bent on doing what he does: stealing, killing, and destroying. In this war, there is no neutral. To claim neutrality is to rebel against God. We are instructed to choose a side. (Joshua 24:15) God cannot stand spiritual neutrality. (Rev 3:15-16)

For all of this, we cast a vote for a king; either we opt for God and He alone, or we cast our allegiance to the king of this world, the devil. There are some things we should understand about casting our vote for the enemy which we can learn from the passage above.

• Our children will be consumed by the war effort. Some will fight, and some will work, but they will be taken without a choice. (vs 11-13) Remember, they will be fighting a war that they have already lost, and they will not survive it.
• Our fields, vineyards, and orchards represent our fruitfulness. All we produce will go to the enemy, adding up to nothing in the scope of eternity. (vs 14)
• Many avoid serving God because they believe He wants a tenth of all they have. The bad news is that what could be voluntarily given will be taken by force; one tenth of what we have to sow, and one tenth of what we've already grown. (vs 15)
• Anything and everything we have that makes life easier goes to the enemy. All our resources become his. (vs 16)
• All of our livestock, which represents our 'sacrifice', goes to the enemy, while we ourselves enter servitude. (vs 17)
• By the time you realize your mistake, it will be too late. (vs 18)

We should definitely choose our king wisely.

Am I A Conquering King?

I've been dwelling on what it means to be a king and a priest. It's a subject that I don't think I'll be departing from - ever. For me to reach the destiny that Jesus purchased for me - on earth - requires me to step into this role with my whole heart. So... what is there to it?

Simply dwelling on being a king, the implications are that I change the way I operate in the flesh. A king has authority in the physical realm. God didn't make me a king to claim authority in the heavenlies because He knew that was not sufficient. But in the earthly domain (dom, or kingDOM), it's enough.

If there is something in the earth to claim for the Kingdom of God, it is up to me as a conquering king to lay claim to it. Is it my work place? Is it my home? Is it the local elementary school? And what exactly does it mean to lay claim to something?

It's my office building. God placed me there to make a difference - on earth as it is 'in Heaven'. Yes, but i'm not even a manager. That doesn't matter - I lay claim to that office as territory to glorify God. I claim the hallways, that no spirit warring against God should have free reign (this may fall more under my priestly authority). I lay claim to 'people'. What does that mean? I don't even know yet, but I believe that at some point, God will give me opportunity, grace, and audacity to witness to everyone that I claim - with all faith that salvation will come or seeds will be planted. Yes, that's far out. But it's mine - I've claimed it.

For those of you who seek the Holy Spirit and His Presence - perpetually - I know this is stirring something within you. You ARE both king and priest. That isn't a cute title, and it's not going to be on a nametag you get after the horn blows. It's for here. It's for now.

We do not war against flesh and blood, either. Therefore, we declare war on spirits by our priestly authority, but we bind and loose them according to our kingly authority. I'm not in competition with other kings in God's court. If they have claimed something for the Kingdom - I rejoice with them and move on to unclaimed or occupied lands.

Another Kingdom precept is that it's not by my power that I hold what is claimed. It's the power of the Most High. Therefore, if the enemy, or the EU, or NATO, or the UN, or Uncle Ed is upset and wishes to reclaim something that I've already declared Heaven's territory... that's fine. Come and get it, Uncle Ed.