Humble kings…

Do you like paradoxes? Two things that are equally true, even though they appear to be opposites? I do…and the things of God are full of them, for our natural understanding so often views things upside-down from how they really are. Here is one, based on two small revelations God gave me earlier this month.

When you think of Jesus as the King of Kings, what do you think that means? Me…I always thought of all the kings and presidents and dictators and prime ministers of the world as being today’s “kings.” Jesus is over all of them, therefore He is the King of kings.

But recently I was listening to a message from an anointed modern-day prophet, and he spoke these words as a word from God:

Move, saith the Lord, into power. Move, saith the Lord, into purpose. Move, saith the Lord, into purity. Move, saith the Lord, into prayer. And as you do, you will be moving into kingly authority, for I have chosen to be the King of kings.

With those words, a light bulb went off inside of me. For the first time I saw myself as one of those kings that Jesus is king over, for Revelation 1:6 says that He has made us to be kings and priests.

These positions are, of course, positions in a spiritual kingdom–a concept which used to be somewhat vague to me. But as the Lord has increasingly opened my eyes to see the world through His viewpoint, the connections between spiritual kingdoms and the activities of our natural kingdoms are more and more apparent.

In reality, spiritual kingdoms are many times more powerful than any nation on earth, for they shape the kingdoms on earth. They cause wars and annihilations and recessions and military coups. In Africa, they work through tribal kings causing destruction and famine and through everyday people spreading AIDS until its become an epidemic. In America, they work through CEOs causing the downfall of companies that many trust for employment and through the middle class causing epic levels of credit card debt, resulting in economic woes that have affected the entire world.

If you were to ask me what type of title would apply to me in a spiritual kingdom, you’d get different answers, depending on which part of my life I happened to be in at the time. Sometimes I would say my title is “Weak and Wounded.” Other times I’d say I’m “Clueless” and “Confused.” Still other times I would have said I was “Katie the Failure” or “Katie the Fruitless One.” Right now, I’d probably say my title is “Apprentice.”

Yet, Jesus did not name Himself as the King of Failures. Nor did He say He was the King of the Clueless. He didn’t even call Himself the King of Apprentices. He said He was the King of Kings!

Is He my King? Really and truly? Or do I still sometimes give higher allegiance to my own desires…to things on this temporal, untrustworthy, and ever-changing earth?

I think there is a connection here. The extent to which He becomes my King is the extent to which He is able to teach me how to operate in the kingship that He has reserved for me.

The other side of the paradox is humility. Of course humility is important. Everyone knows that, right? And yet, I am discovering depths to its importance that I never knew. I am discovering that humility is, perhaps, one of the most beautiful things in existence.

I recently read a book which was something of a parable. In it, a man climbed the mountain of God, getting to know Him and receiving revelations and a certain amount of power against the enemy. Yet, at a point still early on in the story, he was given a cloak. This cloak was humility, and he was told something profound. “Wear this always, for you will not be able to see very clearly without it.”

In the last three months, since reading that, God has opened my eyes to amazing things regarding His kingdom. And when I look back and wonder why I never saw these things before, I am easily able to discover the cause. Pride.

I see now that pride is much more subtle than the obvious “I’m better than everyone else” type. Sometimes it sneaks in through my natural desire to organize things and thoughts and people and revelations from God. Sometimes it’s as simple as undervaluing an old revelation compared to one that is new-to-me.

But I see now that pride does blind me in a devastating way. It blinds us to attacks and traps of the enemy. It keeps us from seeing reality for what it really is. It prevents us from seeing the beauty and awesome power that exist in some of the “simplest” things of God. This is why the Bible says that “pride goes before a fall.” Not because God punishes me for thinking more of myself than I ought, for in His eyes, we are kings! Rather, pride blinds me to the rope stretched across my path. That fall is as matter-of-fact as 2+2=4!

What if I were a king and my son, the heir to the throne, was blind? I knew he’d have to fight battles. I knew he’d have to know the lay of his land and be able to recognize attacks against it. In short, I knew that there was no way he could hold the kingdom as long as he was blind. Now…what if I also had the cure for his blindness? A cure that felt so worthless and rough that he didn’t want to wear it. Would I gladly pass the kingdom on to him anyway? Or would I, perhaps, choose to pass over this son in favor of another…one who was willing to wear that rough cloak. Would I, perhaps, tell them that the meek/humble son will inherit the kingdom? (Matt. 5:5 and Ps. 37:11.)

That is God, and that is us. And this is why I have a new prayer. I want God to give me the same humility Jesus walked in, for Jesus saw everything for what it truly was. I do not want this because I am desperate to be a king. Quite honestly, the prospect of being a king is somewhat intimidating…especially when I am only now beginning to understand this realm I am called to rule in.

Yet that is what He has called me to do. And the more I feel His love and His heart for those oppressed by the kingdoms of the enemy, the more willing I am to do anything to set them free…even if it means taking the responsibilities and dangers of kingship. Gladly will I wear that rough cloak, if He will show me how.