The Kingdom.

The Kingdom is in me.

God's Kingdom, in a weak, sometimes faulty child.

Jesus in me, the hope of glory.

It blows my mind.  It's glorious-- I don't have to, in fact shouldn't sit around trying to live a good life until I get to heaven.  That would make my life pretty close to worthless, and I know it would break my Father's heart.  But God's purpose for me, for you, for His kids, is that we would be carriers of His presence and His Kingdom, depositing it everywhere we go.

That's why I'm not afraid of being contaminated or tainted when I hang out in red light districts or at a porn show.  I leak the Kingdom of Jesus into those atmospheres.  I influence those places, and they don't have the power to influence me.  (In Mark 7:15, Jesus says that it's not the outward circumstances that defile a person, but what comes out from his heart.)  I carry the very Kingdom and power of Jesus Christ inside me, so everywhere I go He is free to bring His manifest presence, just because I'm there.  My job- for as long as I'm on this earth- is not to wait around for heaven, but to bring heaven to earth!  To bring the attributes of Jesus (because He is heaven!) to earth now- healing, love, deliverance, peace, joy...to hang out with Jesus and understand what is on His heart, hear and see from the perspective of heaven then call it forth right here, right now.  (Hey look, this is even in the Lord's Prayer: Matt. 6:10 "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.")  This is also why I have no fear of the end of the world...because I firmly believe the end times will be the most glorious moments for the Church; a corporate Body stepping out in faith and bringing the fragrance of heaven to earth!

He's (patiently) showing me that it's no longer about my waiting to hear a word of knowledge before offering to pray for someone to be healed.  It's no longer only when I "feel led" to step out and act with compassion.

It's my mandate.

I am called to release the Kingdom everywhere I go, to every person I come in contact with.  I can't pick or choose who will receive, or act only when it's convenient for me. He is asking me to not ignore "natural" words of knowledge-- any visible sign of sickness or pain or hurt in a person, but step out in faith in all those circumstances.  I'm His servant; His friend yes, but also His servant, and He wants my life to be His.  

(Believe me, He's still working all of this into me. And I tend to come up with the lamest excuses as to why I can't pray for someone or speak Truth or serve.  But He's so patient, so kind, and He's changing my heart and attitudes.)

So whether I'm in a red light district, or a home with trafficking survivors, or a grocery store, my goal is to be the baby mustard seed that grows into a giant tree and the tiny bit of yeast that makes a whole batch of dough fluffy...to infiltrate the powers of darkness with the Kingdom of heaven that I carry inside me.