Kingdom Key: Forgiveness

Today’s Focus: Kingdom Key #1 – The Power of Forgiveness
Scripture: Matthew 6:14-15

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Throughout the Gospels we will bring to light what God has shown me as a Key of the Kingdom of God. In order to explore the Kingdom, you have to know the keys and I have been blessed to have found a couple of the keys in my seeking the Kingdom over the past couple of months. So today we will discuss one of them.

Now how unique after the prayer, Jesus goes to re-emphasize forgiveness. But what He said is not to be taken lightly at all because if you want what is yours and you want your prayers to be heard by the King then this must happen. It is not an option but a divine directive. Look at verse 14! He starts off by stating if you do forgive men their trespasses. So, it is important that you forgive your sisters or brothers that you have done wrong or they have done you wrong because that messes with your right-positioning or righteousness with God. And if you are not aligned with God, forget about Heaven being a open door with blessings flowing down. Heaven is a cold door if you cannot forgive your brother or sister. Now as bad as that seems the second half of that scripture is even more important. It states “your Heavenly Father will also forgive you”. Now I do not know about you but I want the Father to forgive me of the sins I have committed. How about this for a thought! What do you think would happen is God did not forgive you about the thoughts you had just today? Good, you got the point! We should always be in a position to ask for forgiveness because God is always in a position to give forgiveness.

In closing, in order to open up some of those Kingdom doors in Heaven, you must forgive. Whether it be peace, healing, prosperity, victory..etc. It will not happen if you do not forgive.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Instructions on Prayer pt 2

Today’s Focus: Instructions on Prayer pt 2
Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
If you are here today and able to read this! Get ready because your prayer list and prayer life is about to change. We pray this prayer everyday and teach our children this prayer and what is sad is do we fully know the meaning of each of these verses. Today we will discuss each of these scriptures to understand exactly what you are praying for.

Verse 9 – Acknowledgement of God the Father
When you enter a throne room you always first acknowledge the King so you acknowledge God the Father first. He is the Creator and the reason for your very existence. We were just a lump of clay until He breathed the breath of life into us and made us a living soul. Next you greet the King and say: Hallowed be thy name. This is to acknowledge that He is the Holy of Holies. His name is Holy and by that name no other person should be called God. We loosely call people the god of rap, hip-hop, t.v., shoe polish. This is disrespectful to God and he considers it an abomination to do so. Only He is worthy to be called the Almighty God and Heavenly Father.

Verse 10 – The Kingdom and His Will
The Kingdom of Heaven was lost in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. In other words, the garden was God’s perfect order and exactly what God had intended for His children. But His children messed that up. That is why when Jesus came to Earth, He said repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Now we are waiting for the Kingdom to return so we pray that His Kingdom come and His Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. The same things He has done in Heaven we should want for Earth. So many times we do what we want to do and try to justify it by saying well God told me so and He did not say anything. His Will for us is paramount over our will for what we want to do. That is why so many of us are spiritually displaced (Hallelujah!). Line up with God’s Will and pray that He does for you on Earth what He has already done in Heaven.

Verse 11 – Another Day
Thank God for this ministry, because everyday I get up to get the Word from God to give to everyone and He blesses and grants me that request everyday. He has blessed all of us with the ability to wake up and breathe another day. In addition, everyday you have looked in your email, the Word of God is there. Everyday you walk around your home, the Word of God is there. It is your choice to read it or not. Our daily bread is not physical food, it is the Word of God. We should eat the Word everyday just like we eat natural food and feed our spirit. So many of us are spiritually anorexic and our spirit is starving for the Word of God. Feed your spirit the Bread of Life, The Word of God!

Verse 12 – Forgiveness
This is a beautiful statement because we are asking God to forgive our debts and sins, but a lot of us run through this scripture and miss the most important part “As we forgive our debtors”. Yes, you are asking God to forgive you just like you forgave others. You must ask forgiveness of people you have wronged and forgive people who have done you wrong. If you do so, your Father in Heaven will also forgive you.

Verse 13 – Deliverance from Temptation
First, let’s establish temptation is all around. The temptation is not the sin, it is the yielding to the temptation that is the sin. That is why satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, but Jesus did not yield to the temptation. In this verse, we say deliver us from evil. You are asking God to deliver us from the sin we have committed and also the evil we can not see. Finally, the last part is the acknowledgement that God is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven and He possesses all the Power and the Glory Forever. What a wonderful acknowledgement to a King who is truly worthy of all the praise.

When we pray, Jesus said do not use vain repetitions! He said this because you know not what you truly are asking. We need to know what the Lord’s prayer means and we need to teach our children what it means. So many of us were taught the prayer and never understood it’s full meaning. God wants your prayers to be sincere and from the heart and not some vain repetition you just keep saying because you think you are supposed to. Pray what you ask of the Father and if it is in His Will He will grant it in His Time! The Kingdom of God is coming back soon, are you ready?

At Our Father’s Service,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Instructions on Prayer pt 1

The Good News (Gospel) According to Matthew
Today’s Focus: Instructions on Prayer pt 1
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-8

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The next 2 messages will be the most important aspect of Kingdom life on Earth. Communication with the government in Heaven and that is called prayer. Prayer is the way you give God permission to intervene on Earth from Heaven. I know that last statement may have confused you but very quickly let’s explain. The entire universe (Heaven and Earth) belong to God. He owns it! Now, the Earth he leased to His children to maintain it and uphold the standards He has set. So because He gave authority over Earth to His children and He is Holy, then He must have permission from His children to intervene on Earth. That is why the scripture says man should pray without ceasing because prayer is giving God permission to intervene. So if you want God to keep intervening you better keep on praying. Now about prayer!

First order! We are instructed not to be like the hypocrites and pray for a show to the world. Ok! Praying in a worship service is not what Jesus is talking about if it is done sincerely and from the heart. But what He is saying is not to pray for a show! See when you do it for a show then your prayer is null and void and the reward you were seeking from men is given to you. But look at how Jesus says we should communicate with the government. In secret! Because the Father is in secret then you should come to Him in secret and He will bless you openly. When you are at work, you do not have to go hide and pray! You can go into the closet of your mind and pray and no one ever has to know and then when God makes things happen then you know who it made it happen! Now the next statement is going to send you for a loop!
You should never pray for things!

I will go into more detail about this statement in the next email but look at verses 7 and 8. See we think if we hold a long prayer with many words, we think that we will be heard and God will answer but look at what Jesus calls that “vain repetitions”. The reason why you do not pray for things is because of verse 8. God knows what things you have need of before you ask Him. So it is pointless to pray for things when He knows what you need. You are wasting your time and His. So in the next message we are going to see what are we to exactly pray for. See when you know how to pray then you can get God to work for you in the exact place that you are in. Lord give me a house or a car or a man or a woman is a wasted prayer!

So what are you supposed to ask for? Stay Tuned

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Deeds

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-4

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

When you do a deed or do something for God, it should be done with a cheerful heart but also with a silent mouth. Many people want you to know what they do so they can get recognition and all they will get from God is the recognition from men. That is their reward. But when you do it in secret without blowing the trumpet and sounding the alarms then God blesses you openly. Question!What good does it do you to broadcast that you help one of your sisters or brothers? When you broadcast it, you are looking for approval from men. We have stated this before in this ministry that giving is what we should do freely because it is what we naturally do as citizens of the Kingdom of God. We do not do it because we look for recognition, but we do it because we are supposed to and that helps keep us in right position with God to help us keep our pipe clear to receive blessings from the Father. When we send these messages out, I do not look for approval from men. I do not even preach for hand claps or hooping and hollering. I give the Word of God freely and pray that someone else gets blessed just like I did when I received it. This ministry has been blessed by God because we do and speak what God has given us. We do not sugar-coat it or try to make people feel good. We let the Word of God do that! The Word convicts and confirms God’s promises to us. That which you do in secret, God bless openly!

Abba’s Ambassador, Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Love Your Enemies

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
I know this is hard but like the last e-mail it is not impossible. Jesus tells us why we should love our enemies. Look at verse 45! That you may be the children of the Father in heaven. Now if you do not love your enemies then clearly Jesus is saying that you are not a child of God! Now the next statement by Jesus! He (God) makes the sun rise and the rain fall on the just and unjust. Ok! This may seem unfair but we know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. So yes we will have some time period where it seems like we may struggle but we know through the power of the Holy Spirit we will overcome. Struggles are there to strengthen you and your faith. When you love your enemies, you develop a patience and when your enemies see you not responding and see you controlling the circumstance through love and patience and that heaps coals of fire on their head and you stay cool as a cucumber. What a picture! But you have to practice it and learn how to do it. One thing we have a problem as a group of believers is that we are so quick to speak and not quick to listen and that will, many times, prevent a situation from escalating.Jesus then goes on to say what good is it to love those which love you because even the publicans and sinners do that. In addition, what good is it to only salute those who you know only because the publicans and sinners do that. Now this is a funny situation. Question! Do you speak to those who you do not even know? Whether it be hello or ask how are you doing? The point is, is to speak to those who you do not know because you never know if it will lend itself to a ministry time and a time to witness. Finally, Jesus ends with be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father….. Now Jesus knows that you will not be perfect, but you should strive with your heart to be that way. See, God cares about the heart! The perfection comes from the desire of the heart to do the right thing.

Abba’s Ambassador, Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Ambassador

Today’s Focus: Who Are You Really? Part 3 - Ambassador
Scripture: John 8:28, 29; John 12:44-50; 2 Corinthians 5:20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
I love this title because this title destroys all the need for debate about God’s Word. Jesus when he was on Earth was The Kingdom of God’s Ambassador. He was the only Ambassador when He was on Earth. Why do you ask? Because He was the only one who had the connection to the government which is the Holy Spirit. Remember when Jesus was baptized, they saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon Him. Now when Jesus made His first public statement, Matthew 4:17, He said Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. So, the government of God is back on Earth. Now that is the true good news (Gospel). Let’s look at the title Ambassador. Now of course Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are Ambassadors of Christ. But Jesus defined the role of Ambassador in the above scriptures. But to understand that you must know the role of an Ambassador. Let’s look!

In the United States, we have a President and in his cabinet is the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is responsible for the Ambassadors to the Foreign Nations. So the commands flow from the President to the Secretary of State to the Ambassadors. Now an Ambassador never states their opinion. Their messages are always prescribed or pre-written. They always say this, “My government’s position is”. So and Ambassador speaks the mind of the President to the nations. An ambassador represents the nation when they are in a foreign country. The President represents the people’s vote. So that is why you are an Ambassador, because you represent the Kingdom of God in a foreign land, Earth. When you speak, your opinion should never come out. You should only speak what the government tells you and that is found in the Constitution of the Kingdom of God, The Bible! This is so practical I pray somebody is getting it. So when it comes to political issues, you as an Ambassador do not think, you only speak what the Kingdom of God says. And if someone has a problem with it, they need to take it up with the King. See, no need to debate, just speak the Word of God and leave it alone. Funny when Ambassadors fail to do their job, they are recalled and all of their powers are stripped from them. Hmm! So are you truly an Ambassador of the Kingdom or an imposter?

Jesus in the above scriptures defines for us in His own words how He was an Ambassador for the Kingdom of God on Earth. And if you are saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, are you? Or are you parading around like you have power and your life says otherwise?

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Sons Not Servants

Today’s Focus: Who Are You Really? Son of God, Not a Servant
Scripture: John 1:12,13; John 15:13-15

Greetings Citizens:
The next title God gave you is son of God. Now the religious Christians calls us servants of the Lord and that is not what Jesus nor the Father called you. But let’s look at these scriptures and get some clarification. Let’s get a foundation.

We are all born from God the Father. So in actuality you are a spirit in a fleshly mold so that you can operate on Earth. Second, if God gave birth to you then you are His sons. Spirits have no gender so that is why we are all called sons. Now let’s look at the scripture for some in depth revelation:

John 1:12-13 – Sons of God
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So we see here that those who receive Jesus and accept them He will give them power (Holy Spirit) to become the sons of God. In other words, to come back to who God originally made you to be. And as you read further you see even though you are flesh and blood on Earth, you were not born that way! I know it is loaded but hang on. You were born from God, so you are spiritual first, flesh second. Here is a revelation, your flesh is your legal house to live in on Earth so that you can administrate the Kingdom’s Will on Earth. That is why God had to get into a body in order to reconcile us back to Him. By the way His name was Jesus! See you have to have the basics down in order to understand how things work between the natural and the spiritual. This is deep but needs to be understood by the saints

John 15:13-15 – Sons and not Servants
Now I do not know about you but whatever Jesus says, that’s it so look at this scripture. Jesus says Himself, I call you NOT servants but friends. Ok! Here is a revelation if you did not know this. Jesus is your Big Brother as well as your Lord and Savior. You reverence Him as Lord and Savior but He still is your Big Brother. Here’s a question, Who is His Heavenly Father? So, who is your Heavenly Father? Enough said. Jesus calls Himself Son and God, Father. So, God does not want religion, He wants relationship. Now look at what Jesus said about the servant. The servant knoweth NOT what the Lord does. So how many of us are servants instead of sons? You must ask yourself which one are you? Do you know the mind of the Father?

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Who Are Your Really - Kings and Priests

Today’s Focus: Who Are You Really? Pt 1: Kings and Priests
Scripture: Exodus 19:5; 1 Peter 2:9; Genesis 1:26

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
This might be the most important foundation you will need to understand how to operate in the Kingdom of God. You must first have an identity. Many of us are living up to what man calls you and not who God called you to be. So if you know who you are and think that way, then you become that way. Here is what God called you. So one of titles you have is King and Priest. Now the important thing is not to separate the two and you will see later why. Now let’s look at these two sets of scriptures:

Exodus 19:5 – Kingdom of Priests
First you have to break them apart to see how they work together. A Kingdom is the governing influence of a KING over DOMain impacting it with His Will. So, the Lord said if you keep my covenant you will be a KINGDOM of Priests. So your job is the set the standard (King) for the Earth (Domain) and impact it with God’s Will. Now a King has dominion or royal power over the territory. God gave Earth to His children to have dominion over it (Genesis 1:26). So in turn we should set the standard (King) and have royal power (Dominion) to subdue it and control it. Now for the Priests. A priest is the spiritual representative of God on Earth. Are we not all spiritual representatives of God on Earth. Now Here is the connection!

Look back at Adam in the Garden. Adam had no man to rule over him on Earth, so Adam was a King on Earth. Adam was also the spiritual representative of God on Earth, so Adam was a priest. Now does it make sense! That is why God said, I will make you a Kingdom of Priest and a Holy Nation! Let’s look at the second scripture!

1 Peter 2:9 – Royal Priesthood
Now this is new testament of course and God still calls you a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation! Look at the words! Royal is King! Priesthood is Priest or spiritual. Need I say any more!

In closing this is how God wants His Kingdom of Priests to work! Please pay attention:

God wants you (Priests) to set the standard (King) on Earth (Domain) by impacting (Dominion) it with God’s Will.

Next Message: God called you a Son of God

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Special: Truth Behind the Title: Christian

Special Focus: The Truth behind the Title Christian
Scripture: Within the Text

Greetings:
This might raise a lot of eye brows and if you do not read your Bible, then I expect you to have a problem with this message. Religious people are going to fight this message but that is alright. Let them stay with their religion, I am welcoming you to Kingdom thinking and living. I preached a sermon last Saturday “Who is the Real You?” at a youth prayer breakfast and at the end I noticed that the Holy Spirit never said you were a Christian. I asked God why is that the case? And His answer was so clear and it is in the scriptures. First, the word Christian appears 3 times in the entire Bible! So for us to call each other that and for it to only appear 3 times should raise some questions in your mind. Second, the first time it appears is in Acts after Jesus ascended back to the Father! So from Genesis to Acts, Christian was not mentioned. So Jesus did not call you that and God did not call you that so who did?
Well let’s investigate and look!

First Occurrence of the Word Christian – Acts 11:22-26
So the first time the disciples were called Christians was at Antioch. So they were called that by man. Jesus did not call the disciples Christians. So man gave us the title of Christian. Now I preached Saturday about what God did call you and that email will follow this one. The problem with the church is that the church has lost it’s identity and the church is conforming to what man has perceived them to be and not what God has called them to be. So man developed what they thought a Christian was based off of what they saw in the disciples. That is all well in good but like men as time progress, things change and we change to fit the times. And this is exactly where your identity gets messed up as it relates to the word Christian. Can we safely say this is where denominations come into play? I believe this and I believe that. Now some will say that is why I go to a non-denominational church! But if your church is a Kingdom preaching, Lord Jesus Teaching, Bible believing church then we are all the same. So do not let the devil divide us where we all are the same.

Second Occurrence of the Word Christian – Acts 26:28
Here we see Paul and King Agrippa discussing about the doctrine of Jesus Christ. And we see King Agrippa tell Paul that he almost persuaded Him to become a Christian. Now please keep in mind that from Antioch to now the term Christian had spread throughout the Empire and I am sure that King Agrippa had heard the term by the time of His encounter with Paul.

Third Occurrence of the Word Christian – 1 Peter 4:16
Now Peter writes a letter to the believers in Asia Minor and in His first letter here we see if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God on this behalf. Now we will have to understand when this statement was made in order to understand why it is located here. Paul was arrested by the Roman government for spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom and teaching the Lord Jesus to the people. While under house arrest, under the leadership and guide of the Holy Spirit we get the letters like Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon. So when the disciples were first called Christians, Paul was not under house arrest yet so the title carried throughout the Roman Empire and the land. So that is why you see it mentioned in the letter from Peter, but you only see it once. So, Christian was a title given to you by man and not by God.

So, the question is, Who are you really? Stay tuned to the next email!

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Rendering Good

Today’s Focus: Rendering Good
Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now I know many of us have problems with this scripture right here. Now we have heard of an eye for an eye but look how Jesus wants us to respond.
1. When someone smites you, turn the other cheek
2. When someone sues you, give them what they want
3. When someone asks you to go a mile, go two
4. When someone asks you or borrow something from you, do not turn them away

Kingdom Key #2 - Give

To live in the Kingdom of Heaven you must do the opposite of what you naturally would do in those situations. You do not render evil with evil! You render good instead of evil. See the power of God can always overcome the power of darkness and Satan. So many times we want to react to situations instead of letting God give us direction. The problem we have is we are so quick to say “that could not be me”. But if you are a Kingdom Citizen and you claim to be a son of God, then that is what you should do. Jesus did things that we may consider unreasonable but not impossible!

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Oaths

Today’s Focus: Jesus on Oaths
Scripture: Matthew 5:33-37

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now before you read this pray……Amen. Ok, this subject can become very opinionated but we know that we are Ambassadors so we will stay away from opinions. Jesus is very clear about this subject of oaths and swearing! He says, do not do it! Now, I will speak for myself and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in this issue. Here is my situation!

I was a member of the Florida A&M University Marching 100 Band when I was in college and it was a dream of mine to do so! Ever since I was a child I dreamed of marching in the band and when the time came, I wanted to do it all. Now I had a choice to cross-over or pledge one of the organizations in the band and I did so that I can say I did. In the midst of pledging, I took an oath to uphold the secrets of the organization. When I became part of that organization, I changed and I blame no one but myself. I became someone who God did not inspire me to be. It took ten years for me to realize what I did back then was wrong and I denounced my ties to that organization. The band itself did not make me take an oath, but the organization within the band did, let me make that very clear! I made a choice to do something against the will of God and because of my ignorance I sinned against Him. Now I know better!

The point here is, if you took an oath or sweared to some organization and you know who you are, you must denounce that tie. Now, as severe as that sounds, Jesus says do not take oaths nor forswear yourself. Fraternities, Sororities, Secret Societies and Organizations..etc falls in that category. Now, please keep in mind, Jesus did not keep secrets and exclude people from His ministry. He ministered to all and we can’t do that effectively if every couple of days you have to go to you meetings (frat, soror or society), but you will not attend Bible study or even read the Bible. Who are you truly serving? You can only serve one! I serve the Father, God Almighty and He has tested my serving many times. He forced me to make decisions between ministry and football games. He forced me to make decisions about ministry and riding my motorcycle with friends. He forced me to make decisions between ministry and band. If you are spending more time with the organization than with God, you are not serving God! If everything about you is frat this and soror that and lodge this and lodge that and I will only do for my frat brother or my soror sister or my lodge brother then you are not about serving God first. He made you in His image and likeness and you are His child and He does not want His child dividing themselves off from His other children. I know many of these organizations do service work in the community. Some even do it better than some churches, but the secrets and the oaths that are performed, is that right? With God it is either right or wrong? Here is a question only you can answer.

If someone came up to you and asked you a question about your organization would you tell them a lie to keep the secret of the organization or would you tell the whole truth about it and answer as a child of God?

Your allegiance should be to only one person and that is King Jesus and the Kingdom of God!

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Adultery

Today’s Focus: Adultery
Scripture: Matthew 5:27-32

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now, Jesus as we can see is not leaving any stone unturned. He is covering the Mosaic law (the laws that were given to Moses by God) and re-enforcing them but Jesus says something I think we need to clear up in the body of Christ. This is a common statement:
It is ok to look, but not ok to touch!
Now, the word look in this statement is another word for lust because you know that is what you are doing. And we all know that we should not touch anything that is not ours. But Jesus deals with lusting. So you actually sin when you do the above statement. Now further in the scripture Jesus says to pluck your eye out and cut your hand off. He was not meaning to do that literally! Let’s not be crazy! Let me show you this and God just revealed it to me at this moment of typing. Back in the Garden, it was the lusting of power and of the eyes and touching of the hands that lead to the fall in the Garden. As a result we were condemned to death because of their actions. Jesus is saying do not let your lusts cause you to condemn yourself to death and hell! It is better for you to avoid those things that are causing or tempting you to go against God! Now, let’s look at adultery

This is a very sad situation but all throughout television our children, as well as our adults are being shown marriage as just a fad and marriage is a sacred institution God ordained from the beginning. Adultery is when a husband or a wife lusts after another person. Noticed I did not say touch. Why? Because under lust, looking and touching are the same according to Jesus. Adultery is one of the leading causes with finances of divorce. Did you know from the beginning there was no divorce but because of the hardness of man’s heart God made a provision for divorce, but this should be our last option. If you look at the divorce rates in the U.S., it is over 50% which is devastating because many of our children are being raised in single family homes and our men are becoming effeminate (more like women). Not all are but most are. Marriage is between a man and a woman (Genesis 1:26-28) and that’s it! I do not care what man thinks or says, our King says marriage is between man and woman and I, and neither should none of you, ever debate that! Be very careful who you hang around because if they are lusting after the world, they will try to suck you in and get you to commit the very sin Jesus does not want us to commit!

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Judgment and Forgiveness

Today’s Focus: Judgment and Forgiveness
Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Today we will discuss one of the “Keys of the Kingdom”. Now when we look at these scriptures we see that Jesus is quoting law from the Old Testament and stating the result of such actions. So before we do anything we need to think about the consequences of what is going to be done. Judgment is real and will happen because God promised us that. But look at verse 23! Before you bring your gift to the altar before God, you need to line up first. So if there is any offense you have committed against your brother or sister then you need to clear that up first! So the first step in petitioning God for anything, you must first line up and make sure all offenses or grudges against your fellow brother or sister is cleared up!

Kingdom Key #1 – Forgiveness

If you do not clear up those offenses then you stand under judgment and you know who runs the prison, warden satan. That is why Jesus says you will be able to come out once that is cleared up! I like verse 25! Jesus says agree quickly lest your adversary delivers you to the judge then the officer then to prison. So clear those little spats that you have up quickly so it does not mess with your righteousness with God!

At His Service,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Law and Righteousness

Today’s Focus: The Law and Righteousness
Scripture: Matthew 5:17-20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
This is a two-part scripture and we will break it down in its respective parts. First let’s look at what Jesus says about the law.

The Law
So many “religious Christians”, not you because you are a citizen, consistently say we are not under the law but under grace. But look at what Jesus says about the law in verse 17 and 18. So based off of our Lord and Savior’s words the law still has power. Now, in every kingdom there are laws and rules. So what makes God’s kingdom so different? He judges you based off of the law and that is what he uses to establish whether you are in right-position (righteous) with Him. He grants His blessings based off of His laws and promises. So do not think that you can just live anyway and think you can just come to God casually and ask for forgiveness and go back to doing the same. So the only way you can live righteous in God’s Kingdom is that you know His laws and commandments which are found in the scriptures.

Righteousness verses Religion (verses 19-20)
The Pharisees and scribes were the religious leaders of that time. They knew the law but yet because of they thought they knew everything they could not spiritually discern the Messiah standing right in front of them. Throughout Jesus ministry you will see these guys trying to trick and trip Jesus up, but we all know what happened and if not, you will see. Now Jesus says something very important. If you break the commandments or the law and teach people to, then you are called least into the Kingdom. On the other hand, if you obey the commandments and teach others to do so, then you will be called great into the Kingdom. Now Jesus says unless your righteousness exceeds those of the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I am going to explain this very carefully! Because of the teachings of the Pharisees, they were preventing people from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Be careful who you learn from! Do not get your impression of God from anyone. You get your impression of God from God Himself. Now here is another way to look at verse 20! Unless your righteousness exceeds those of the Pharisees then you will not be able to “explore” the Kingdom of Heaven. For those of us who are saved, this is directed right at you. If your righteousness does not line up with God, then you will not be able to explore the benefits of Kingdom life. You may wonder why your life is so hard and it seems like God does not answer any of my prayers. You need to check your righteousness with God.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Elite of the Earth: Church

Today’s Focus: The Elite of the Earth: The Church
Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
In this email dealing with being the Elite of the Earth we will deal with how we are to be the Elite on the Earth in the Church. Now we have discussed that learning how to be elite starts at home first, then how we continue to learn in God’s House and now we can take our status to the world to impact and have dominion on the Earth. Now, remember being Elite means being righteous and living under the government of the Kingdom of God and King Jesus. When you understand who you are you begin to think the same way and then you are able to bring the impact of God’s government on the Earth. Being a leader and a example of a Kingdom citizen is the most important thing you can do to further the Kingdom of God. See, when the lost see you living a life of love, peace, meekness, temperance (fruits of the Spirit) then they want to know how and then that is your chance to introduce them to the Kingdom first and the King second!

When you sin, you lose the flavor that makes you elite. Thank God for Jesus, so that we can now connect back to the Government and ask for forgiveness. You should be a vessel of light for those who are in darkness about the Kingdom. Their souls are crying out for the power they lost from the Garden and all you have to be is a vessel and live the Kingdom life and the Spirit of God will shine through and draw people to Christ.

Do not think that you are just a sinner saved by grace. You are more than that and Jesus said you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. So be that! You can’t be that being a heathen Monday thru Saturday and thinking you can turn it on and off on Sunday.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Elite of the Earth: Home

Today’s Focus: The Elite of the Earth: Home First
Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
This will be a 2-part email. This is an inspiring statement but none the less very challenging for Abba’s children to follow and understand. In order to be elite or salt of the earth, it starts at home. Let’s get right to the problem and how do we solve it. Here are the questions you need to answer if you are a parent who wants their child to represent Christ and all that He stands for.

1. Have you taught your children how to pray?
2. Do you pray with your children morning and night?
3. Do you read Bible stories to your child?
4. Do you sit down and read the Bible yourself?
5. Do you make your child explain Bible scriptures and stories to you?
6. Do you go with your children to Sunday School? (Not drop off and leave)
7. Do you go with your children to Bible Study? (Not drop off and leave)
8. Do you go with your child to Worship Services? (Not drop off and leave)
9. Do you use the Bible to discipline your children when they do wrong?
10. If you look at your life now, can you say that my children see Christ in me?

Now we all have fallen short, but we have to establish a foundation for our children and ourselves. How can we expect our children to get anything out of Sunday School if we are not there neither. How can we expect our children to change their life over to God and we have not. We are teaching our children to be spiritually bi-polar. Be one-way on Sunday and be like the world on Monday thru Saturday. Sad many of us are like the world even on Sunday in church. So the question I pose to all the parents is:
What are your Priorities and are you setting a Christ-like example for your children to follow?

To our youth, I know you may have liked the above part but all of us are accountable for our own actions. When you know better you do better. So if you are the salt or elite of the Earth then you should be able to answer these questions.
1. Do I read my Bible at least 2 times a week? (Really it should be everyday)
2. Do I pray daily to God?
3. Do I obey my elders regardless if they are my family?
4. Do I go to church and try to learn something about God?
5. When I go to school, the same way I act in church and “praise the Lord”, I do at school?
6. Do I spend more time listening to music and t.v. than I do reading my Bible?
7. Do I dress appropriately for church or am I a distraction by the way I dress?
8. Are the words that come out of my mouth acceptable to Christ?
Now you have to answer the question: What are your priorities?

So in our 1st part in this email series about being the Elite we have to get it right at home, first. The church can not fix all of your problems, it starts at home with the family. If you can not answer those questions with a resounding yes then you need to re-evaluate your priorities. Who is first? God or Man?


Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Peacemakers and Persecution

Today’s Focus: Peacemakers and Persecution
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Verse 9 is a very significant verse to the Kingdom of God. Look at who the peacemakers are: The Children of God. Now last time I checked, I was a child of God so I am a peacemaker. If you are someone who keeps up confusion and mischief then are you a child of God? Based off of Jesus words in verse 9 the answer is no. Now, for many years we have been told that we are the army of the Lord. I have said it once and will say it again: Citizens do not fight! How can you be a peacemaker and be a fighter. Funny, many religious Christians are both! They claim to be peacemakers and fight in the army of the Lord. That is schizophrenia. Now the church has confused Ephesians 6. We always read this set of scriptures and never read the entire text. After Paul describes the armour of God, he gives instructions on what to do next. I can promise you this, He did not say fight! He said PRAY. See we do not fight against flesh and blood. So you do not fight against your brothers and sisters, but against wicked spirits and principalities in high places. But now I am confused brother Calvin you just said we do not fight but then you just said we fight against wicked spirits. Let me explain: You can not fight a spirit as flesh. The way you defend yourself against the enemy is with truth, the gospel, the Word of God and faith. So the armour will protect you in the fight. But you have to at least have it on and the only way you can have it on is you have a relationship with the owner. The owner if you did not know is our Heavenly Father.

Persecution
There is no doubt that the righteous of God will suffer persecution. Funny when the disciples suffered persecution they rejoiced because they knew and remembered what Jesus told them would happen if they followed him. When you choose to follow Christ, people will lie on you, persecute you for mentioning the name of Jesus. But, remember you are a citizen protected by the angels. Does that mean that some will still die because of the name of Jesus? Yes. But, do not fear death because the Bible says absent from the body, is present with the Lord!

Finally, look at verse 12 and see the blessing for being persecuted. Your reward is in Heaven where no man can corrupt it or even steal it. So stay strong my brother and sister in Christ. One thing I can tell you when you start to make the change for the Kingdom, some of the first people to turn on you is your family. Do not be discouraged but stay the course and be strong in the power of His might.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Pure in Heart

Today’s Focus: Pure in Heart
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Today we will be looking at verse 8. What does pure in heart mean? Pure in heart means pure in motive. How about in one word, Holy! So, only to Holy shall see God. Now many of you may think well that means I will not see Him and that is far from the truth. If you want to see God then you must have a pure motive or be holy. Now that requires you to change the lifestyle you live and get under the governmental influence and rule of God and His Kingdom.

So, in other words in order to find God or seek God you must be pure in motive. Now believe this, God is going to test your seeking to see whether you really want to find Him. Let me give you an example! When I want to desperately know about the Kingdom of God, I asked God to show me the secrets and give me the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom. So when I first started reading it did not come right away and I did not hear God tell me anything. It was as if I was reading a regular book. Then, I went back to God, prayed and asked for forgiveness and asked the Father to show me what He would have me to know. Then when I read, God spoke to me and it was in clear dictation. See, only the prayers of a righteous man availeth much. So the prayers of a person in right position with God availeth much.

So the only way you will see God is with a pure heart and a pure motive. You must be in right positioning and have a heart-felt desire to know Him and understand what is His Will.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Mercy

Today’s Focus: Mercy
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
When we look at verse 7 which states “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Now this seems straight-forward, however many of us seem to unintentionally ignore this rule. Ok, let me give you an example:

You owe me 500 dollars and you come to me and beg that I forgive you because you do not have the money on-time and can we work some arrangements out to pay the debt another way. I say ok (Mercy) how do you propose we get the debt paid.

Now I had mercy on you because I could have asked for my money back immediately and sent you to court and took you through hell, but because God has commanded us to have mercy on others, if I did not have mercy on you then He would not have mercy on me. Got it!

Here is a more vivid picture, take the time to look back over your life. Then look back and see all of the things that you did that were disobedient to God and His laws. Now, mercy is God sustaining you to this point because He could at any point taken you out, but He did not because He loves you and we should take the time to thank our Father for mercy. He has given you another chance, everyday you wake up to get it right! Do not think that our Father does not mean business!

So, citizens we should show mercy to others so that we should obtain mercy from our Father. Do not take our Father’s mercy for granted!

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Righteousness

Today’s Focus: Righteousness
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
This is a very important scripture, especially for those of us who are saved. First, hunger and thirst are natural situations in our life. We naturally get hungry and naturally get thirsty. Did you know that the spirit is the exact same way. Many citizens are malnourished and anoxeric and their spirit is starving for the Word of God. The sad thing is and God just revealed this to me and you know if I am talking to you. You sit in church and wonder how can I learn or know like my pastor? Or how can I learn or know what my deacon or even my brother or sister knows? How can I become knowledgeable about the Word and God and put it into action? That is your spirit desiring what you need. But what happens is that satan and his fiery darts of doubt come into your mind and doubt that you can do it and when you become discouraged, you lose interest then satan wins. Now, satan knows that knowledge of the Kingdom will destroy him and he will have no power over you, but the key to that power is knowledge. So the Word of God is knowledge and the only way that you get understanding of how to make it work for you is that God reveals it to you. See everything we have discussed over the past month has been about establishing a relationship and not a religion with God. God is more impressed with the relationship than the religion. He wants to be known more as Father or Abba then Lord and God. See as a child we already know our parents rule over us, but it is that intimate relationship with your parents that reveal the understanding and reasoning into why they do the things they do.

I hear the terms living holy all the time and for those of us we try to define what it is and when God revealed to me what it means to be holy, it was very simple. Here it is:

When you live righteously or live to be in right position with God then holiness is a by-product or a result of righteous living!

Let me tell you this and I have been asked this question: Do you type every e-mail everyday? I responded yes and the only reason I can do this is because I seek the Kingdom daily and I am still learning and I have a natural hunger and thirst for wisdom, knowledge and understanding from God. This requires me to do it daily but when I do not read, I feel I have cheated God. Never take for granted everyday God gives you on this earth. Hunger and thirst for the knowledge of the Kingdom and God has promised you will be filled and trust me I know for a fact He will fulfill His promise. There is so much I can talk about, but I am committed to showing you what God showed me through the Gospels to understand about our Lord and Savior and Our Big Brother, Jesus.

Abba’s Son,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Meek

Today’s Focus: The Meek
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16
Supp. Scripture: Genesis 1:26; Revelation 21:1,2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The definition of meek is humble in spirit or manner. Now we see that Jesus says “Blessed are the meek..” so blessed are the humble in spirit. But look at the next part: “for they shall inherit the earth”. Please understand this is where religion and Kingdom divides itself. Inheritance is something that is yours. Do you see anywhere in this scripture where Jesus says you will inherit Heaven? No! That is what religion has told you. Religion has told you that Heaven is where I want to go to and that’s it and God is saying no it is not. So who are you going to believe, people or God. Ok, let me show you something! Why do you think that Jesus is saying only the meek shall inherit the earth? Let’s look back at the beginning and see what got us where we are today. The desire of the flesh, the pride of life and disobedience. That about sums up what happened in the Garden and God is saying never again. So, if you are humble in spirit and that means you must submit your spirit from your ways to His ways and impact the Earth with His will and not yours. You must become submissive to the Will of God. This is a very hard thing for religious “Christians” to do because the world has shaped their view and decisions about the world that they operate under emotion and not righteousness. It is so easy for us to get caught up in man exalting us when we do something that they think is good. But approval for us comes from Heaven and headquarters, The Kingdom of God.

God gave Earth to His children to have dominion and bring the governing influence or rulership of the Kingdom of God in Heaven to Earth. Is it good to go to Heaven after you die? Yes, of course, but you can’t rule anything there because God has that all taken care of. You ultimate assignment was to have dominion and rule on Earth (Genesis 1:26). So, you can’t do it in Heaven! God has guaranteed you will not stay in Heaven! Is that a shock to you, because if it is this is why! Because there will be a Resurrection! God has made provisions for your body! Here is another beautiful revelation, look at Revelation 21:1,2! Now if we are to stay in Heaven, why did John see a New Heaven and a New Earth coming down. Funny, everything that we need and desire comes down from Heaven and religious people want to consistently go up! God is trying to get His children to impact Earth, not get His children to impact Heaven.

So only those who are going to submit themselves to the Will of God will inherit the Earth. Are you meek and willing?

Abba’s Minister,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Poor in Spirit and the Mourners

The Good News (Gospel) According to Matthew
Today’s Focus: The Poor in Spirit and the Mourners
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16;
Supplemental Scripture: Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 61:1,2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
They way we will be doing this section is covering the Beatitudes separately to get an understanding of what Jesus was trying to explain to the multitude about the Kingdom of Heaven. I know we have all read the Beatitudes, but in this series we will dissect what Jesus said and get some spiritual insight.

3 – Poor in Spirit
Jesus opens up His sermon with a beautiful statement and sad to say many of us, even those who are saved, are spiritually poor. So, Jesus says I know what you need if you are spiritually poor, The Kingdom. Noticed, Jesus did not say money, food or clothing, but the Kingdom. Understand that the Kingdom makes you spiritually rich and prosperous. God is not poor! So if God is not poor, neither should His children be. So the ONLY thing that will restore someone who is spiritually poor is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a very powerful statement! So, if you are not under the governing influence of God’s rulership on Earth you are spiritually poor. Hard to swallow but true. Going to church just to feel better through an emotionally high service will not do it. Someone making you feel good by buying you things will not do it. Only the Kingdom of Heaven can bring you out of spiritual poorness. So that means, restoring your rights and connection to the Kingdom, obeying all of God’s laws and seeking His Kingdom is the only way!

Mourners
When we look at this scripture about those who mourn we view it as those who are sad for they shall be comforted. The question is who is doing the comforting and why are they mourning.
If you were in prison, 9 times out of 10 you would be sad. You would be sad because you are a slave and a servant to judgment and the warden of the prison. But it is not until you come out of the prison are you happy and free. The mourning we are talking about today is a spiritual sadness. Ok! Your natural spirit is to rule and dominate and here you are a slave to sin and a servant of satan. Of, course your spirit should be sad if this is the case but thank God for His comforting. Let me show you something you may not have seen. Look at Isaiah 61:1 and 2!
This scripture is talking about Jesus and what He is coming to do:
1. Preach good tidings (Gospel of the Kingdom)
2. Bind the broken-hearted
3. Proclaim Liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Free from the Kingdom of Darkness and satan and freed into the Kingdom of Light and God.
A Prayer for Comforting
Our Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your Spirit. We thank you for your love, grace and mercy. We come right now petitioning you to intervene on this Earth for your children, our brothers and sisters, and comfort them in their times of mourning. We know that we all are going to need some comforting and we know you are a comforter and the comfort you provide is one that no man can provide. We call on your Spirit to touch and comfort those who need you. Let them know that you have them in your hands and everything will be alright because you are the joy and peace of our lives. These blessings we ask in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen!

Our Father’s Son,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The One and True Gospel

The Good News (Gospel) According to Matthew
Today’s Focus: The One True Gospel: The Kingdom
Scripture: Matthew 4:23-25

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Ok, We established that Jesus preached one message and that was the message of the Kingdom. Now in verse 23 we see what the gospel is. Now we know that Gospel means good news. So, Jesus was preaching the good news (gospel) of the Kingdom. Let’s break this down real quickly:

So, the Gospel or good news is not:
· Faith
· Prosperity
· Baptism
· Calvary
· Born Again
· Healing
· Miracles

So the Gospel or the good news is the Kingdom of Heaven is on Earth. Now that is some good news! In a more detail meaning:

Change your mind (Repent) for the governing influence of God’s (King) rulership or royal power (Dominion) from Heaven is on Earth. (Matthew 4:17 in detail)

Jesus came to restore the connection back to Heaven for us because we lost it in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned. So remember the Gospel of the Kingdom is the one true gospel. Keep this email around because later on Jesus Himself will re-enforce this email for us and show us if we do not get the message right then the coming of Jesus will be delayed again.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Calling

Today’s Focus: The Calling
Scripture: Matthew 4:18-20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
I know in this world of mega-ministries and churches popping up all over the place there is a great chance you will run into someone who is not teaching and preaching sound doctrine nor preaching anything about the Kingdom of God. Now one thing we will not do is question someone’s calling, however if there is a message that is not scripturally sound we will let you know and bring it to light. Now, I will tell you that everyone who is in “ministry” was not called into ministry. See, here is a fundamental picture. When Jesus saw Simon and Andrew, they were busy doing their regular job as fishermen. Jesus then came unto them and said “Follow me and I will make you fisher’s of men”. Now were the disciples looking for Him or was He looking for them? What has happened to God calling you to do something? Many people go into ministry and God did not call them to do anything. Look at the next statement, “I will make you..” So Jesus will teach you how to fish for men. So many of these ministers, preachers and bishops have gone out into ministry based on what man thinks and not what God assigned. Yes, they may be naturally profitable to have a mega-ministry but what is the message they are sending into the world. Is it God’s message from the Bible. If they do not talk or use the word sin, and we were called sinners by God, what are they talking about. If they accept homosexuality and gay marriage, what are they talking about. If all they talk about is being prosperous by teaching you how to get a car, house and money, what are they talking about! They are wasting your time and time is the one currency you can’t get back. Their lives should mimic the lifestyle Jesus lived. Yes, all of us have come short, but there should be a level of dedication and love for the people of God and their lives mimic their words. Let me leave you with this thought:

“One of the devil’s greatest plans is not to get you to do something that is bad, but to get you to do something that is good but not right” You can do something good but if it is not right then you are wasting your time and energy. Get you assignment from God and not from man.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Jesus' Mission Statement

Today’s Focus: Jesus’ Mission Statement
Scripture: Matthew 4:17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
We have discussed this scripture in detail a number of times. Here Jesus states His mission and assignment on Earth. Can I say that His assignment is our assignment also! We will discuss this and reinforce this statement throughout the Gospels. Jesus mission was 2-parts:

1. Repent – to get you to change your mind
2. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand – Re-introduce to Kingdom of Heaven back on Earth.

Jesus came to change our mindset from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. He came to re-introduce a government that the people could live in and everything that they need would be supplied if they obeyed the laws and commandments of the King. Jesus came to Earth to set the standard of living and show us how to live in this Kingdom. This ministry has said it a hundred times and we will not change it. Jesus did not bring a religion to Earth.

Finally, when you read the scripture it says that “from that time Jesus began to preach, and to say…” This is important because Jesus is declaring what His message was that he was bringing to Earth. Jesus preached the Kingdom of Heaven all-day everyday. So Jesus was a boring preacher according to our standards. We need some emotional hollering and screaming, jumping around. But, Jesus was a calm but stern teacher. He told the good, the bad and the ugly. The question you should be asking yourself. When you go to worship service, what are you searching for? If it is not the Kingdom of God, you need to re-evaluate yourself and your motives.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Beginning of Jesus Ministry

Today’s Focus: The Beginning of Jesus Ministry
Scripture: Matthew 4:12-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The ministry of Jesus began after John the Baptist was put in prison and out of the way. See, John was the last prophet to prophesy the coming of Christ and now that He was here, John had to get out of the way. That is why Jesus did not stop Herod from cutting John the Baptist head off. Just to give you a heads up, when John was in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether he was the Messiah and Jesus sent back word that He was. So now Jesus goes out of Nazareth and heads to Nabulon to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. This was a very important prophecy because Jesus is stating who He is coming to save. Let’s look at Isaiah 42:6-7:

If you read verse 6, you see that Jesus was sent to be a light unto the Gentiles. Now look at verse 7. To open blinded eyes and bring out of prison the prisoners that sit in darkness. Hold up right here! Do you remember I sent an email about get out of prison about 1 month ago. So Jesus came to set you free from the prison of darkness and warden satan. So, Jesus came to save all of mankind!

Finally, lets look at Matthew 4:16. It is important for us to live in the light and not in the darkness of satan. Nothing good happens in darkness! So in order to get out of darkness, you must have some knowledge of light. Here is a quick example. If you are at home sitting in utter darkness and you know you want to turn on the light to see, you must first have knowledge of how to turn on the light. So in order to get out of darkness you have to have knowledge. So the knowledge you need is the Word of God and the light is Jesus Christ. See how simple it is! Get out of darkness today!

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Temptations of Jesus Christ

Today’s Focus: The Temptation of Jesus Christ
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
I know many of you have read this story, but in seeking God for wisdom and understanding, He opened up this set of scriptures to me like never before. First, let’s understand that Jesus endured temptation just like us. The sin is not the temptation, but yielding to it. Temptation will come throughout your life, but you have been given power from on High to overcome all temptation because that is what Jesus did. Now Satan knew who Jesus truly was. He knew that He was the Son of God. He knew that if he could just get him to succumb to one of the temptations then God’s program to re-instate us would be over. Let’s look at the scriptures:

1. The Temptation of the Bread –Deuteronomy 8:3
Because Jesus was fasting, Satan figured well I will get Him with what He may want the most right now, food! So, he tempts Jesus to use His power to turn the stones to bread. But look at how Jesus replies! He uses the law to fight back against Satan. So, knowledge of God’s Word is paramount in fighting temptation. Jesus knew that His food which was spiritual was the Word of God. Is that your food today? Or are you spiritually malnourished and anorexic? Check you spiritual diet today!

2. The Temptation of Jesus concerning the Angels
This is a very unique temptation because if you do not read this carefully, you will fall into the trap. Satan asked Jesus to cast himself down. Now look at what satan says next! “For it is written”. Satan is quoting scriptures to Jesus. Now if you read the rest you see that satan is quoting that the angels have been given charge concerning thee. Here is the trick!
1. Satan can quote this because He was in the Army of the Kingdom of God. He was an Angel.
2. Satan knows scriptures.
Here is the part if you did not read it carefully. Satan asked Jesus to jump. So the act of jumping is an intentional act. If you should fall the angels have been given charge to keep you. Not if you jump! There is an intentional act and an unintentional act. See how subtle the change was but it made all the difference. Now Jesus in His response, quotes Kingdom law to satan. Are you seeing a picture yet about how to deal with satan.

3. The Temptation of Jesus Concerning the Kingdoms of the World
Now this was also unique where Satan actually used the truth to try make Jesus fall. Satan knew that the authority over earth had been given unto him by Adam when He sinned in the Garden. So now Satan goes after the obvious. He tempts Jesus to worship and bow down to him and he will give him the kingdoms of the world. Now look at Jesus response! He quotes Kingdom law again and then tell satan to get behind Him. What a powerful statement. Sad that many of us do not realize we have the power to cast the devil out of the earth because he is actually not legal here on Earth (We will visit this later, stay tuned).

Now look at the last verse which is verse 11. After fasting and praying and casting satan away, angels came and ministered to him. Now if you look at all of the temptations, it was very consistent from both ends. Satan used knowledge and scripture to try to get Jesus to fall, but Jesus knew scripture and had knowledge of the truth and all He did was quote the law back to satan. So is it safe to say that, the most important weapon you can have against satan is the Word of God. The Word of God and the Knowledge of the Kingdom is the one thing that satan fears. So I suggest we start getting wise and understanding God’s Word so we can be prepared for the attacks of the enemy.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.