The children of Israel enjoyed great provisions and privileges from God in the land of Goshen. They were exempted from every plague the Egyptians suffered (Exodus 9:26). At some point, Goshen had the light of God while other parts of Egypt were in total darkness for three days. This depicts the two existing kingdoms – the kingdom of God (light) and the kingdom of Satan (darkness). For every child of God, the “Goshen” experience is not meant to end in Bible times; it should be a daily experience. Having an understanding of who we are and where we belong determines how we live our lives.
The Bible tells us that every child God was once a foreigner to the family or household of God. The household of God is the kingdom of God where He rules and takes responsibility over His citizens. The kingdom of God is a heavenly kingdom that is full of light and supernatural life.
The Heavenly Places
The Bible tells us that the children of God are citizens of Heaven. How is this so? Which heaven is the Bible referring to? We need to know and understand what this heavenly place is all about for us to enjoy the blessings and privileges.
“But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior..” Philippians 3:20 AMPC
In 2 Corinthians 12:2, the Bible states that there are three heavens. The first heaven is a place filled with air where birds fly and clouds gather (Lamentation 4:19). The second heaven is a place where the sun, moon and stars are positioned (Jeremiah 8:2). In Deuteronomy 10:14, the Bible tells us that the third Heaven is the ‘’The heaven of heavens’’, the invisible realm of holiness, righteousness, peace and joy where God rules as King and He and His angels dwell. This discourse will dwell on the third Heaven, the kingdom of God and Christ (Ephesians 5:5).
Heaven is a place void of sorrow, pain, crying or death, darkness, hunger, thirst, cold or heat. Heaven is a place of perfect governance and glory (Revelations 21:4; 22:4-5). So it is God’s will that His citizens enjoy all these privileges. No one wants to miss Heaven. However, the Bible says that God’s heavenly kingdom is within every child of God. So every child of God needs to be conscious of this truth and receive it by faith.
“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21
From this scripture, the glory of Heaven makes a believer to live in the supernatural (heavenly place) while enjoying all the spiritual blessings. We do not have to die and get to heaven before we begin to live in the supernatural. God is only extending His kingdom on earth through His citizens; for this reason, He blessed mankind to dominate and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3
If God the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost dwells in you, sickness and disease can never dominate you; you cannot be affected by the economy of your country and you cannot be oppressed by Satan. This is so because Satan has no place in Heaven to cause any form of destruction to your life.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” Revelation 12:7-8
The dragon in this scripture is Satan who was cast down from Heaven (Isaiah 14:12). A believer is seated with Christ in Heaven far above Satan and his cohorts. Heaven becomes real to you when you believe this truth and you begin to have a superiority mentality over Satan.
“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” Ephesians 1:20 – 22
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:5-6
Citizenship
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines “citizen” as an inhabitant of a city or town especially one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman. In his book, The Principle and Power of Kingdom Citizen, Dr. Myles Munroe of blessed memory, defines a “citizen” as someone who owes allegiance to a government and who is therefore entitled to receive protection from mistreatment and also to enjoy special rights and privileges that come with citizenship. He added that citizenship empowers an individual; citizenship provides legitimate access to all the rights and privileges of a constitution and a country.
This means that when you become a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom, you become loyal to the Lordship of Jesus and you are connected to God’s kind of life – eternal life, full of power and glory. You begin to enjoy all your inheritance in Christ as a child of God and exercise authority over all the powers of the enemy (Luke 10:19). A citizen of Heaven is no longer alien to God.
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God..” Ephesians 2:19
Strangers and foreigners in this scripture refer to those who are living with the nature of Adam – a sinful nature. Just like Adam and Eve, they have declared independence from Heaven.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..” Romans 5:12
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were no longer subject to the governorship of God’s Spirit and this trait of disobedience finds expression in the life of everyone born into the world. Do not be surprised to see a child being stubborn or telling lies; that nature is inbuilt. Most of us did that when we were children and many people are still living with this Adamic nature. Through this single act of disobedience, we became foreigners to God; losing the language, culture, values, and lifestyle of God’s heavenly kingdom. Death as used in Romans 5:12 is total separation from God’s kingdom. Just like we can no longer relate with people in the graveyard, God cannot relate with sinners or unbelievers because they belong to the kingdom of Satan.
How to Become a Citizen of Heaven
An individual becomes a citizen of a country by birth or naturalization. In God’s kingdom, citizenship is gotten by the new birth or rebirth. Although by Adam mankind lost honor and dignity in God’s kingdom, the good news is that Jesus Christ came to repatriate us to God’s kingdom in order to regain the lost dignity and those who are born again are welcomed into God’s household and they begin to enjoy all the citizenship rights and privileges.
“Therefore as by the offence of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Romans 5:18 (Emphasis mine)
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
You become born again when you accept or receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. God gives birth to a new you as you confess Jesus and your old natural man is put off.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name..” John 1:12
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The new birth ushers a believer into the supernatural realm because the power of God’s Spirit begins to manifest. The believer lives on earth but he or she is not of the world (John 17:14-16). If you are still a foreigner to God’s heavenly kingdom, I urge you to say this prayer of salvation to become one of the citizens.
Sunday Omori
HEM Int'l 