For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלוהים) says:
I describe My Kingdom as not one of rules and rituals based on what you consume as food or drink, abstinence from certain foods, fasting, and the like are for physical benefit and are forms of holiness but have no real power to change your heart or your mind. It is not what you intake, whether you eat meat or not, whether you fast or not, that defiles a person but what comes out of the thoughts of his heart into the actions of his life. It is all about your heart, not the appearance of your rituals.
Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” Matthew 7:18-23.
Things like gluttony, alcoholism, and drug addiction are a different matter, they are sinful and show a condition of the heart and are not outward rituals attempting to save by works.
So if My Kingdom is not about ritual rules, what is it about? Righteousness, peace (shalom), and joy in the Holy Spirit. So there you see the plan, first righteousness, then peace, and then joy. And in Jesus I give you all three. I gave you His righteousness, His peace, and His joy. You have all you need for life and godliness. All My many magnificent promises are “yes” to you in Him, making you a partaker of the divine nature through Him.
To have eternal life and to prepare for your eternal rewards, the first thing that must be dealt with is sin. Sin is lawlessness and makes you unrighteous. To have eternal life instead of eternal death you must get out from under the condemnation of sin, for the wages of sin is death, eternal death apart from Me. There can be no sin in My Kingdom for My eyes are too pure to look upon it and it can find no place to abide in an atmosphere of pure love. The dwelling places in My Kingdom cannot receive those that are in their sins, they are foreign to it and are not recognized by Love.
A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:18-23.
But I have provided you the way out of sin into righteousness. I AM the LORD your righteousness and in Jesus, I have fulfilled that Covenant promise Name.
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’” Jeremiah 23:5-6.
After Adam sinned and was born from below by the perishable seed of a lie, man was incapable of attaining righteousness on his own, that is, by his own works of righteousness, because Adam had deadened his spirit to Me and made it alive to the devil’s influences, which are sin, and sin is lawlessness. Living by your flesh you will always fall back into sin and be unable to get that sin removed. But I have taken care of that in Jesus. I accounted all your sins to Him and He gave His eternal life in the flesh in your place and satisfied divine justice for you, and in exchange for your sins He gave you His righteousness.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
With the gift of righteousness you are starting at the finish line of the Law, but I did not stop there I am leading you into the life of good deeds I prepared for you as a new creation in Christ sin before the foundation of the world.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10.
I made you a new creation in Him and made Him to be wisdom to you, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30. Now you can walk in righteousness and in, through, and with Him enjoy the abundant life He came to give you.
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17.
We have now looked at the requirement of righteousness to qualify for eternal life, now let us consider peace and joy. Just as I gave you Jesus’ righteousness, I also gave you His peace and His joy.
These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:25-27.
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:11.
Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. John 16:22.
Father, but now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:13-17.
Do you notice that both peace and joy were given to you in the context of receiving My Word? It is knowing My Word that gives you peace at all times and knowing My Word that gives you joy at all times.
You can only abide in Me when My Word remains in you and you remain in My Word, the way you join with Me is by obeying My Word. That is the way your branch stays attached to the Vine and produces fruit. Your love for Me is shown by keeping My Word.
And My love for you is shown that I have given you My Word, for it is My Word that formed everything and sustains everything. It is My Word that has My power and My faith in it and if you keep it and speak it the results are amazing. All the promises I make to you in My Word are “yes” to you in Christ Jesus. My Words are life to those who find them and health to their entire being—spirit, soul, and body. I am My Word. Jesus is My Word. My Word is Spirit breathed. In giving you My Word, I have given you Myself. Returning My Word to Me in faith so I can perform it in the earth is the highest honor you can give Me.
I have no greater joy than this: seeing that you are walking in the truth. My Word is truth. Why is that such a great joy to Me? Because you will have peace and joy. Then you prosper and have a free and beautiful life. When you abide in My Word, continue and remain in My Word without giving up or turning to other words, then you are My disciples (“follow Me”) and you will know the truth and the truth will set you FREE to be the amazing YOU that I made YOU to be.
My joy is your strength. To be an overcomer and to come to the eternal Kingdom, you must cultivate joy in your life. I have anointed you in Jesus with His same anointing which is anointing with the oil of joy. You should not be saying you are depressed or that you have no joy, Jesus gave you His joy so that your joy would be complete and overflow.
If you want to be walking in the flow of Heaven, that is the flow of joy. Focus your attention on My promises and My gifts, but above all on My love for you as manifested in Christ Jesus your Lord, and you will walk in joy. Notice ways I honor you and delight you each day and cherish those in your heart and it will give you joy.
Jesus gave you His shalom peace. He was never worried or fearful. He had complete trust in My goodness and love. Into My hands He put all that was in His hands and knew it was totally safe there. Do you do that? It is time you began. Nothing is too hard for Me. Nothing is too wonderful for Me. And nothing is impossible for Me. And all things are possible for you who believe that. Just open your heart and receive. And this will give you peace that surpasses all understanding. No storm can take you down when your life is built upon the solid rock foundation of My Word. In My Word and My Covenant Names you always have your answer, your solution, and your miracle.
I love you. And that is why I give you My righteousness, My peace, and My joy, so your life can be complete, lacking in nothing, and ready to step across into the eternal Kingdom whenever you I call you there.