Charlie Lewis

Declaring the Gospel of the Kingdom | The Kingdom System Author, Teacher, and Speaker

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Lessons in Leadership: P.R.A.Y.

King David Leadership Lesson

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

1 Samuel 30: 1-6

There is a simple acronym that comes to mind when reading this account from 1 Samuel: PRAY!

P. Protect what you have

R. Recover all that the devil stole

A. Advance the Kingdom of God

Y. Because it is Yours

In this passage, God was teaching a lesson to David on how to be King over Israel, but He is also teaching all of us a valuable lesson on how to rule as children of the Kingdom. Before David could be an effective ruler over Israel, he had to learn how to protect his investments or (what God had already given him). Too often we try to advance God’s cause without properly protecting our anointing, our heart, our families and our possessions. God has given you stewardship over what you currently have and wants to see how you handle it.

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter into the joy of your lord.

Matthew 25:23

In ancient warfare, when a King goes out to battle, he never sends all of his resources out of the city to advance his kingdom. He always leaves skilled fighters behind so that the enemy doesn’t overthrow him. If the enemy knows that you are leaving town without protecting the fortified city, he would just simply wait for you to leave and go in and plunder without any resistance. This was a hard lesson for David to learn, but I am sure that it is one that he never forgot. He never again left what God gave him unprotected during his reign as King. Often people try to save the world without regard to their own families. It’s easy to get side-tracked in trying to do too much outside of your house. Make sure your house is in order before you try and save someone else.

8 And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

1 Samuel 30:8-10

David encouraged himself enough to ask God what to do. God may allow you to lose a battle here and there, but if you stick with Him, you won’t lose the war. In Christ, the battle has already been fought. God has given us complete victory over the enemy (the defeated Satan). Our job is to renew our minds so that we begin to think like God thinks. God wants us to recover all that was lost. Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God, and to recover all that was lost. If God told us to recover all, then we ought to have the mindset to do just that and nothing less.

Next week we will continue to explore this passage, and learn what it means to recover all that the enemy has stolen.

Charles Carrin: An Urgent Announcement About the Election!

The following was written by my friend, the wonderful author, teacher, and evangelist Charles Carrin. I think it is an important message that everyone needs to hear.

AMERICA EITHER GETS ON ITS FACE BEFORE GOD OR ON ITS KNEES BEFORE THE ENEMY

by Charles Carrin

America is now battling the enemy within. He is no long shooting arrows over the wall but is seated at our administrative tables, fighting our democracy from within, slandering our police, our President, and every other factor that has made America great. In November 2020, I will be 90 years old and have lived under the administration of 16 American Presidents–but, I have never known another national Leader to face the bitter attack as has President Trump. Since our Nation’s establishment–the Revolution in 1776 and the ratifying of the Constitution in 1787–a shift has occurred in American political attitude that is totally alien to our Founding Fathers. The noble perspective our ancestors held and which separates them from modern legislators, is this: Today’s liberal politicians are more concerned about their own short-term success than they are of the Nation’s long-term survival. In contrast, the Founders pledged their “lives, fortunes, sacred honor,” in defense of freedom; before the Revolution ended many lost everything they owned. British troops chased John Hart through the swamps of New Jersey, forcing him and others to live like animals.

Years ago I preached at Hart’s home church in Hopewell, New Jersey, stood by his grave and that of numerous other Revolutionary War Soldiers, and thank them for the sacrifice they made. Their achievement now hangs in the balance. Of the 55 framers of the Constitution, at least 50 were practicing Christians. James Madison, a guiding influence in the drafting of that amazing document, boldly declared at the conclusion of their work: “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government but upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

That same Constitution which Madison declared was dependent on the Ten Commandments for the governing of the people has now been abortively interpreted to forbid the display of those Commandments in American Courts. Beyond that, a false interpretation of the Constitution now intends to forcibly remove all references to God from National consciousness. That invasive political position is totally hostile to the intention of the Founding Fathers. Even before the Constitution, in 1776, when the last delegate put his signature to the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams exclaimed: “We have this day restored the Sovereign. He reigns in heaven, and from the rising to the setting of the sun, may His kingdom come!” Identically, President John Quincy Adams said of the Declaration: “It laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.” He spoke prophetically when he later declared, “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other”

The political crisis America now faces is living proof of Adam’s words: Presently, our Constitution is “wholly inadequate” for anyone except a morally strong, spiritually-awakened people. The true intent of that Document’s God-breathed message cannot be understood or appreciated by a spiritually-dead mind. The inadequacy rises wholly from within the people and not from the manuscript. But Madison went on to say, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: It connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” These men would be horrified to know that American public life had degenerated to the degree that homosexual marriage had become a constitutional issue.

Patrick Henry said, “America was not founded by religionists, nor on any religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” In 1892, the United States Supreme Court declared, “Our laws and institutions must necessarily be based upon the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind.” This statement by the Court was in harmony with the favorite political philosopher of the Founding Fathers, John Locke, who said, “As men, we have God for our King, and are under the Law of Reason; as Christians, we have Jesus the Messiah for our King, and are under the law revealed by Him in the Gospel.” Locke’s sentiment re-appears in the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence which says: “… We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Declaration further said: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right out to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.” The document concludes with these words:

“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, and Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

With this announcement, the Liberty Bell was rung, and was followed quickly by the “shot heard around the world.” Later, in 1787, when the Revolutionary War had ended–but disagreement threatened the Republic’s Constitutional Convention–Benjamin Franklin rose and addressed the Convention with these words: “And have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? … The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: `that God governs in the affairs of men.’ And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable than an empire can rise without His aid?” Franklin then called upon the Assembly to pray, they did so, and from that point on their efforts were wonderfully blessed.

That same year, 1787, as the world was watching the rise of America’s Republican Government, another gentleman in Scotland, Alexander Tyler, a history professor at the University of Edinborough, wrote dire warnings about our experiment in Government “Of the people, By the people, and For the people.” In comparing the fall of Greek’s Athenian Republic some 2000 years before to the American Dream, he said:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.” The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence. From “Bondage to spiritual faith: Spiritual faith to great courage; Courage to liberty; Liberty to abundance; Abundance to complacency; Complacency to apathy; Apathy to dependence; Dependence back into bondage.”

Another professor, Joseph Olson, currently of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, believes the U.S. is now somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phase of Professor Tyler’s scale of democratic failure. In the presidential election when candidate Gore lost by a margin of 16 million from a potential of 270 million, the alarming truth is that his support came from that 40 percent of the nation’s population that has already reached the “governmental dependency” phase. Need professors Tyler and Olson say more? Can we read the “handwriting on the wall?”

While this information is frightening, we are not without hope. In Derek Prince’s book, Praying For The Government, he says: “The truth is that Christians are not held responsible by God to criticize their government, but they are held responsible to pray for it. So long as they fail to pray, Christians have no right to criticize. I Timothy 2:1-4. God promises blessing to a government whose officers fulfill two great basic moral requirements. He demands that they be “just and God-fearing”. Wherever possible, Christians who respect God’s requirements should make it a principle not to vote for any man who is not just and God-fearing, no matter what party label he may wear. If Christians ignore God’s requirements and vote for men who are morally unworthy, they are actually inviting God to make those men, if elected, agents of His judgment against the very people who voted them into office.” II Samuel 23:2-4.

These facts are not new. One of the historic hymn writers describes our current American plight in these lines. His urgent words said to the Lord:

“Surely once Thy garden flourished;
every part looked gay and green.
Then Thy Word our spirits nourished,
happy seasons we have seen.
But a drought has since succeeded,
and a sad decline we see,
Lord, Thy help is greatly needed;
help can only come from Thee!
Lord Revive us!, Oh, revive us,
All our help must come from Thee!

At the same time, God has not withdrawn His offer: “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14.

Amen!
Charles Carrin

Charles Carrin Ministries and its official publication, Gentle Conquest, do not endorse any political party or candidate. Even so, in this Presidential Election and without our comment, it is apparent that the Christian lines are clearly drawn. Pray and obey! Do your national duty and vote; do your Christian duty and ask the Holy Spirit to be your guide.

Follower? Or Family?

Our Creator and our God has not called or designed us to be Christians. He has called and designed us to be Sons and Daughter. Sons and Daughters of the Most High, and He has designed us to be in the relationship of a Son and the relationship of a Daughter. When we come to our Father, we do not come to Him as a beggar who is trying to be like Him, to please Him so that we can qualify for our request, but we come to Him as His Son and/or His daughter who are His Heir and we are Joint-Heirs with His Firstborn Son, Jesus.

We have authority and we have power to use His name. We are strong and we do exploits for our God. We tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all of the Power of our enemy the Defeated Satan. What is left after “all”? Nothing! Greater is He who is living in and working through us/you than he that is in this world. No weapon formed against us/you will prosper. When our/your enemy comes at us/you from one direction, our Father sends him scattering in seven directions. If he persists in his pursuit, our/your Father will destroy him before our very eyes. We will not be running from him.

When we recognize our Creator and our God as Abba Father, everything changes. Being a “Christian” is a religious term. Being a Son or a Daughter is a relational term. The experience is completely different. One is a Follower, an imitator, while the other is Family with shared and imputed power, authority and dominion. Being a Follower is hard work. We continually are trying to measure up. Being Family is as good as it gets. We are not trying to be, we are.

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

Where are you? Are you a Follower, or are you Family? A Follower is always trying to measure up so we can be worthy. Family walks in the inheritance of the “unforced rhythms of Grace.” One is heavy, the other is not heavy or ill-fitting. We are to live freely and lightly. We choose. It is there, ready and waiting for you to accept and to engage as Family.

The Canvas of Our Lives

Our lives are the canvas given to each of us/humanity by our Creator and our Designer, on which we paint the masterpiece of our lives. To get it right and to do it correctly, we must peer through the keyhole of our eternity and our eternalness to see the complete picture of our designed plan and our created purpose. We are the Artist. The brush is in our hand. Our canvas is more a self-portrait than a landscape scene. Each stroke and every movement of the brush is our choosing and our direction.

10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), (His masterpiece creation)[a]recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] (that we may be in right relationship with Him so) that we may (know and understand and) do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) (preordained)  for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

Ephesians 2:10, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, (paraphrased)

In our lives, if we only consider and look at our here and our now, and if we do not consider our before here and our hereafter, we miss the most important components of our created design.

We did not begin here, and we will not end here.  We must know and we must consider our true identity, who we are eternally. We must be aware of where we came from, our origin. We must clearly understand why we are here, our purpose and our reason for being. We are not just here occupying time and space. We are not at rest mass without purpose and without meaning. Our lives have significance.

Knowing this provides the moral compass of how we are to live our lives and provides the assurance, the conviction, and the hope in our forever experience when our spirit leaves our body, departs time and our body ceases to live, but we continue forever and ever.

Glory to our God, our Creator and our Father. The true and the living God who reigns forever.

A Divided Kingdom

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was both blind and unable to talk, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.

23 The crowd was amazed. “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” they wondered out loud.

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied “Any Kingdom at war with itself is doomed. A city or house divided against itself is doomed.”

Matthew 12:22-25

Kingdoms are governments. Kingdoms follow plans and systems.  History has proven that the great Kingdoms of the world have crumbled from within. A most recent example was the Soviet Union. It fell without a shot being fired.  The evil and wickedness of the system so destroyed the spirits of the people that finally they could stand no more.  A friend from Russia told me recently that Putin is scheming to recreate and rebuild the Soviet Union as a dominating empire.  And we know the prophetic declaration of the march on Israel.  But we also know who wins.  Mr. Putin can be foolish if he wants to. That hook in his jaw will only lead him to death and destruction.

The Kingdom Principle: Know truth.  What is truth?  “My Word is truth,” is the Creator’s reply.  Do not judge by what is said, nor by what you see.  Both can be lies.  The defeated Satan is a liar and the Father of Lies.  He is the master deceiver.  Base everything on what God, His Word and His Spirit say. They will agree. We must know the voice of the Good Shepherd.  We must know the voice of our Father.  The voice of a stranger we must not follow. We must roll our works completely upon Him and commit and trust them totally to Him.  He will cause our thoughts to become agreeable with Him and our plans will be established and succeed.

Lanny Wolfe’s song of several decades ago speaks to our review.

There is peace and contentment in the Father’s house today,
Lots of food on the table and no one is turned away,
There is singing and laughter as the hours pass by,
But a hush calms the singing as the Father sadly cries

My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for me today?
It seems my people all want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work in my field

“My House is Full” – Lanny Wolfe Trio

Are you part of the 97%?  Less than 3% of Believers are ever credentialed or work in a ministry that is on the pulpit at Church.  100% are called.  “Go and make disciples of all nations” is the charge. Humanity is hungry.  They are desperate.  They are longing to see the followers of Christ live in a relationship that displays the power to make a difference in the outcomes of their lives.  It is there. It is now.  It is called the Kingdom of God.

We must — EVERYONE must — be prepared to present what the Kingdom of God is, how it works in experience and to provide personal proof, to inform everyone what the dynamics of conduct are – values and principles, and how that is shared in the marketplace, (a proven method) and to provide the method of delivery to every sector of society. 

Josephs arise. His plans for us are for good.  For hope and a future.  Not for disaster. His plans have not and they will not change.  No matter what the Kingdom of Darkness may say or do. “Be of good cheer.  I have overcome the world.”