When Jesus walked the earth declaring the kingdom of God was here, many missed the message, not because they did not see the signs, wonders and miracles; not because He was not a prolific orator; not because He did not highly value people; but because they wanted Him to come with a sword.
Moses was not allowed into the promised land, not because he was not an effective shepherd; not because he missed spelled a word of the 10 Commandments; not because he didn’t know the way to the promised land; but because he struck the rock, he loved his sword.
David was not allowed the build a house for the Lord, not because of his sin with killing Uriah; not because he took many wives and concubines; not because he slept with Bathsheba; but because he was a man of war and blood was on his hands.
Just as in the days of Jesus, the kingdom of God is here. We are in the middle of a major transition. That is why there is so much uncertainty among people, so many opposing viewpoints and so much confusion in the media and the church. We are living in the transition from one age to another, from one land to another, from one system to another. Many are confused. Many are revealing what is in their hearts. Many are not sure why what worked in the past is not working now. It is because we are in transition from one age to another age. There will be more ages and more transitions in the future; this is not the last transition, but this is a major transition.
The greatest challenge people of different generations are facing is the fact that this new system, new era and new move we are stepping into is a sword-less system. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus told his disciples to bring their swords as they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. While in the garden, Judas and the religious police came to arrest Jesus, so the disciples, who were fiercely loyal and protective of Jesus, grabbed their swords and said, “Do you want us to use our swords now?” But before Jesus could answer, one of the disciples lopped the ear off of a man. Jesus said to his disciples, “Put your sword away; this is not how my system works” (paraphrased from Luke 22).
Many are going to miss the kingdom of God, because they want to use their sword. But the kingdom of God has always been a sword-less kingdom, so until you put your sword away, you will not enter the kingdom. I know the enemy is using a sword, but this is a different war; we are in transition from Moses to Joshua, from David to Solomon, from John the Baptist to Jesus. It’s a new day and there is a new way. If you want to know how to fight in this war, it is with a fierce love for Jesus and His kingdom, a fierce love for people and words that penetrate atmospheres. We are leaving a sword-driven system and entering a voice-activated kingdom. The first battle Joshua and Israel fought in the promised land was won with their voice, not their sword. Welcome to a sword-less system.
Lisa Great is an author, speaker and blogger with Mouthpiece Ministries International. She has been in ministry for over 25 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in youth and family studies and a master’s degree in education. She can be reached at mouthpieceministries.net,
