We are in the midst of a battle that rages all around us. This battle is fought on two planes of existence, the visible and the invisible realms. Many kingdoms are at war, each trying to gain some upper hand against the other. But in reality, these struggles on earth are part of a more significant cosmic battle for dominion over the souls of men and women. What do we mean by the soul? We are talking about our minds, will, and emotions. The enemy of our soul wants to control each of us, the way we think and feel. In the unseen realm, there are only two kingdoms at war, and you are in one of those kingdoms—either the kingdom of God or Satan's kingdom. For several thousand years, the kingdom of Satan has used deception and ignorance and has become an expert at blinding people to the truth. The division and struggle among nations and people groups is Satan’s plan to deceive and deflect people from the real spiritual battle of who will rule you—whose side are you on? Jesus put it this way:
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Matthew 12:30).
Are you with Jesus Christ? How do you know you have crossed over to the Kingdom of God's side of this battle? How can you be sure that when you die, you will be with Him?
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (Colossians 1:13).
You may be living under communist rule or Islamic Sharia Law, but who do you listen to and obey—who controls your soul? Have you made a divine transaction with the Living God and crossed from the dominion of darkness to trusting Christ? What do I mean by a divine transaction? Jesus said that unless a man is "born again" (John 3:3), he cannot see the kingdom of God. Satan has so deceived the world that until you give your life to Christ and receive the gift of eternal life, you cannot see the things of Christ and live in the power of the Spirit of God. Being born again means receiving the gift of life from the Lord Jesus. The apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians, also speaks about this gift of life:
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In the West, we celebrate Christmas. It is a time when we remember the coming of Christ to give us the gift of eternal life. We celebrate by giving one another gifts. Even if our children do something awful the day before Christmas, we still give them a gift on Christmas Day—why? Because a gift depends not on what a person does, it depends on the giver's love and grace. God is the giver of the gift of salvation, and no matter what you have done or how severe your sin is—you can receive this gift from God. Go to Him, and with your whole heart, abandon your old life and receive the gift of eternal life from the Lord Jesus—the giver of every good gift! Keith Thomas.
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