WE HOLD THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

If anyone gives you his keys to have access to His domain, it means that they trust you and you belong to them. A key gives access to doors. It helps you turn a lock open or to close it. Keys are doorways to freedom, enlightenment, knowledge and mysteries; they connect to gateways and portals. If you hand over a key to someone, then you are granting the person power and access according to your wish.

Reference: Matthew 16:19 New International Version (NIV) 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'

First we must observe that in the above verse, Jesus was not talking about the keys of the church, which is the body of Christ, but He was clearly talking about the Kingdom of heaven. The Church is the body of Christ, its not the same with the Kingdom of heaven, but the body of Christ belongs to the Kingdom of God. The body of Christ functions under the church which is God's programme for this present age but the Kingdom is heaven is the spiritual kingdom or realm over which Christ reigns as king, which will be inaugurated at the Second Coming of Christ. At the moment, the body of Christ carries and operates the atmosphere of the Kingdom of heaven here on earth. That's what we refer to as living the kingdom lifestyle in the earth realm and proclaiming the message of the coming of Christ.

On earth, we are constantly trained with the things of the Spirit, on how to function with the kingdom mindset and live by its set of directives and ordinances. That's the reason we need the keys of the Kingdom - Divine authority or royal power. Christ has given you authority to bind and loose things on heaven and earth. The terms translated as 'bind' expresses the sense of locking things up while 'loose' denotes the sense of 'unlocking things.' So the keys of the Kingdom are a symbol of authority, used to determine the things you can allow or disallow to happen on earth, and as we use the keys, they automatically reflect in heaven's database, prior to their manifestations or establishment in the earth realm.

When did Jesus release the keys of the Kingdom of heaven? It was after His death, burial and resurrection. This is the reason our referenced Scripture says, 'I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven', meaning that at the time of quote, Jesus had not done it yet because He had not died. After His death and resurrection, er securing that power and authority, He freely made the keys available to those who would believe on Him (see Matthew 28:18-19). Now you and I are positioned in Christ to live and function with this authority because we've been transformed by His powerful sacrifice. Simply put, once you give your life to Christ, you become a child of His Kingdom and you gain access to the authority.

With the keys of the Kingdom, you can free many from the terrible schemes of the enemy and domain of darkness - by preaching to them and leading them to their salvation. You also have the key as the ability to love and minister to others by the Spirit of God. We have been given dominion over the powers of darkness such that we can spread the truth of God's Word and subdue the works of the enemy. We can also disallow sickness, lack, and evil schemes of the enemy; with the keys, we can access all our goodly heritage in Christ.

Today and always, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh with divine authority so you can live the kingdom lifestyle effectively here on earth, execute God's will on earth, and fulfil your purpose in Christ.

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 18:18; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 5:10.

Exuberant Declaration: As new creation, I occupy a position of power and authority which has been delegated to me by God through Jesus Christ. By this authority, I have access to my inheritance in Christ Jesus. I have the authority to stand against Satan and his cohort, to resist him and to run him out of my affairs, to reign in this world, and live above evil influences. I am seated together with Christ, far above all principality and power and might and dominion. Hallelujah!