GOVERNED BY THE WORD OF GOD
If Christ reigns as the supreme authority over his kingdom, and we are his subjects, then our lives must be governed by him. What does it mean, exactly, to be governed by Jesus?
According to the dictionary, to govern means "to guide, to direct, to control all actions and behavior of those under authority." In short, Jesus must be allowed to control all of our actions and behavior, including our every thought, word and deed.
Jesus also rules the nations of the world. The Bible tells us, "He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves" (Psalm 66:7). "The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all" (Psalm 103:19).
Don't be fooled—our country is not ruled by Republicans, Democrats or any human authority. It is not controlled by Wall Street or big business entities. No power, earthly or supernatural, rules America or any other nation. God alone is in control. He sits as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, ruling and reigning over all creation from his heavenly throne.
All across America we're seeing awful moral decay, the rise of the occult, rampant sexual deviations, raging "in your face" atheism. Some Christians fear that the hordes of hell are slowly taking over our nation, establishing Satan's kingdom of darkness.
We need not worry. Isaiah assures us, "The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers…. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! …Thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms" (Isaiah 14:5, 12, 15–16).
Beloved, our God is not one bit anxious about Satan. He isn't fretting over what we see as an evil takeover of our nation. With just one word from our Lord's mouth, Satan will be gone forever, tormented for eternity. Therefore, we are to fear no evil.
In no other kingdom does God rule as supremely and as powerfully as in his own kingdom—the one he has established in the hearts of his people.
Jesus said, "Behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). And it is within this kingdom—the realm of our hearts—that Christ rules supreme over his people, guiding us, healing us, governing our actions and behavior.
"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end" (Isaiah 9:7). This verse speaks of Jesus' endless rule throughout eternity. Yet it also has another significant meaning: We must always increase our submission to our King's rule.
Can you honestly say that day after day, Jesus' government over you is increasing? Are you bringing your behavior more and more under his authority?
You may wonder—If Jesus is in heaven, ruling in all authority at the right hand of the Father, how does he go about governing his kingdom here on earth? We find the answer in the book of Hebrews. The author tells us that in the Old Testament, God spoke to his people through the prophets. But today the Lord has chosen to speak through his Son (see Hebrews 1:1–2).
Jesus is God's explicit message to us—the divine Word made flesh. In turn, the Father has sent the Holy Ghost to us today to remind us of the words Jesus spoke while on earth. Thus, Jesus governs us by the written, revealed Word of God. The Bible is our ruler's scepter, by which he makes his Word known to us.
If you want to hear the testimony of a man who was governed by God's written Word, you can find it in Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (also see verses 105, 123, 133, 162).