Scripture:

And looking toward His disciples, He began speaking: “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever].
(Luke 6:20 AMP)

Devotion:

In the list we commonly call the “beatitudes,” the first one is our focus this week. Jesus is teaching His twelve disciples and the crowd that has assembled around Him. He addresses the humble…those who have child-like faith.

There are many examples in both Old and New Testaments of men and women who are filled with pride. Think of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Jezebel, the Pharisees, Herod, Elymas and others who tried to thwart the will of God for His people. Each of these may have been blessed for a season, but their blessings were short-lived. And, some of them met with a terrible end.

Believers in Jesus Christ receive a double “kingdom” blessing! Their end is blessed…an eternity spent with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told such as these that the “kingdom of God is yours,” but He wasn’t speaking only about after we leave this earth, but also in our life here and now. The kingdom of God is within you, and as a citizen of that kingdom, you are blessed as you believe by faith and walk in kingdom principles. In the kingdom, you can be healed when the doctor says there’s no hope…you can become rich when you were born to poor parents…you can speak what you want and it will come to pass.

Don’t get bogged down by fear and earthly limitations you or others have put on you. Lift your sight higher—the kingdom of God is yours!

Prayer:

Lord, I pray Your blessing is upon me as I humble myself before You. Thank you that You have not made us, your children, wait until heaven to experience the blessings of Your kingdom, but they are working in my life right now. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Bill Winston’s book, The Law of Confession. To order this powerful, must-read book, click here. Discover how the words you speak produce either good or evil and will determine your destiny and affect everything around you.