“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matthew 6:9-13
We are all familiar with this prayer, for it’s part of the Lord’s Prayer. The trouble is many Christians just say it by rout and are not even sure what they are really praying about.
Do you realise that you are actually asking God to send Heaven down here to the earth? We often ask for love, joy and peace to be here on earth, especially at Christmas time for we sing carols about our desire for “Peace on earth.’ It’s also God’s will that He send victory and healing here on earth. Heaven is full of healing and victory as well as love, joy and peace.
We need to remind ourselves that it’s God’s will to heal down here on earth and that He is not the author of sickness. It says that Jesus went about healing the sick for God was with Him. It says that the Devil was the author of sickness. Look at this verse for instance.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Acts 10:38
If it is God’s will to heal, then we should be asking for it to come here on earth so that we can experience our inheritance now and not just when we get to Heaven one day. “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
This prayer is not just a nice flowery, inspiring, repetitious poem to sooth the soul in times of trouble, it’s our Apostolic Commission. It’s our assignment while here on this planet, and Heaven backs up this prayer. It’s also our obligation. If it was only God’s will that we get saved, then it would be better that God just killed us off soon after we were saved to prevent a lot of heartache and problems. This prayer also identifies who we really are, and its why we are left here on earth. He wants His will done here on earth and healing is part of that. God has plans for us, our church, our town and our country.
So many of us have a negative theology. We say things like “Everything is going to be destroyed soon, so why bother?” This can be a strange perverted sense of encouragement for some, that when disaster comes we are nearer the end – so rejoice for Jesus is coming soon.
The question is, “Who has He left in charge of this planet”? It’s His Church. How did Jesus model life while He was here? Ask yourself “How did He deal with the storms, disease and corruption that He came across?” He gave us an example to follow. He rebuked the storms, healed the sick and overthrew the money changers in the Temple. In reality we are to bring God’s world into this one, for it’s our divine assignment and all we do every day contributes to its outcome. We are to bring His world into this one. It should be a lifestyle that we live every day and not just on a Sunday.
The trouble is we confuse our destiny with our assignment. Our destiny is Heaven but our assignment is to bring Heaven down here on earth today. To bring the Kingdom – the King’s domain.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Notice that it says “ALL” authority. If He has all authority, then the Devil must have none. The Son of God left heaven and became the Son of man. He forfeited everything to become a man. As a man He conquered death and re-inherited that authority that had been stolen from mankind so that we could have an inheritance in Him. After the resurrection He defeated Satan and got the keys back. Everything that had been lost in the garden was bought back again and more. We are now back into plan A. This is a profound statement. Jesus said that ALL authority had been given unto Him on earth. He fulfilled His mission as a man by going to the cross and dying for us.
If He has ALL authority then Satan has none, so where does Satan get His authority from? He gets it the same way as He did in the garden. He got Adam and Eve to agree with Him. He got someone to agree with a lie. When you believe a lie it empowers the liar. Agreement with the lies of Satan empowers Him. When He says things like. “You no good, you’ll never amount to anything,” and you agree with that, it empowers Him. That’s why it’s so important to agree with the word of God. It’s the truth and the truth that sets you free. When you agree with the word it empowers God in your life. It says that God is able to do exceeding abundant above what you ask or think according to the power that works in you. That is the power of belief. The power of faith that is within us.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20
You can say things like “My city is so dark, and there is a closed heaven around here, so nothing much can happen.” That may be true but it’s not dark in you. You have the same Spirit in you that raised Christ from the dead. As God’s Levite you carry the presence of God.
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11
God has called us to be a people on fire, a people that burn for Him. A people who understand the will of God. Whatever is going on in Heaven is to be here on earth as well, according to the Lord’s prayer. What isn’t the same here on earth that is in Heaven, needs to stop. Whatever is in your life that isn’t heavenly also needs to stop.
Our assignment isn’t complicated. Jesus said “As the Father has sent me so do I send you.”
“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21
It also says that as He is so are we in this life.
“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17 (KJV)
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22-23
Jesus also said that what He had in His ministry you now have in this life.
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20
Pray for the release of His grace, not just in the Church but in your community as well.
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8
His purpose and destiny should be our assignment. We should be destroying the Devil’s work.
Remember that if things are not happening right away don’t give up. Wilberforce battled for 20 years to change the laws on slavery in the United Kingdom. Don’t come under condemnation and think you are a bad person because things aren’t happening straight away. The Christians in Luke 18 were not bad people for God not to grant their request straight away. He eventually did answer their request after they cried day and night unto Him.
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8
In ancient Roman times, the empire was expanding and the territory they conquered came under their influence and it wasn’t left the same anymore. Rome began to change everything in the country to be like Rome. They would change their language, culture, dress, architecture, transport and roads to be like that of Rome. All roads had to lead to Rome. When the change was complete and the kingdom of Rome had come in its fullness the Emperor would come and visit. This is what we are praying for in a sense. That the Spirit would change us to be like Jesus and that there be heaven on earth and that the King would be comfortable living in us.
Isaiah 35 it speaks of the wilderness being changed by a people who are the people of God. It is the turning of the wilderness into a garden. It speaks of a Highway being placed in the midst. A Highway to Heaven. God wants to change the world to be like heaven.
“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness;” Isaiah 35:1-8
We are called to be thermostats and not thermometers in this life. Thermometers declare the way things are, while thermostats change the atmosphere around them. He wants us to bring His Kingdom, His atmosphere and His light into this dark world. We are not to state how things are and complain about it all the time. Many shout at the darkness but we are meant to be those who turn on the lights and actively change the situation, bringing in the Kingdom. Our prayer is “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”