The Kingdom Within

“Memories Like The Corners Of My Mind”, is a song that Barbara Streisand made famous. Most people walk around spending 90% of their time reminiscing about the past. Current every day issues are so chaotic and difficult right now, that the only way many people can find some type of relief from their present pressure, is to try to escape back into their past. The past represents a time when things were better, things were going good for you. You can remember when you enjoyed a picture-perfect family lifestyle, and now you’re in a messy divorce. Dealing with a broken family life is not the easiest thing to handle, or maybe your trying to escape from the controlling grip of an abusive relationship at this present time. These obstacles may tend to drive you into an inter-sanctum of a reflective thought process, where you find comfort and solace through escapism. You might be experiencing financial troubles right now, but can remember a time when you used to have so much money that you couldn’t even think about what to buy next. When we read 1 Chronicles 11:15 we discover that even the shepherd boy David while resting in the cave of Adullam, was having flashbacks before they anointed him king. He finds himself running around all of Israel hiding from king Saul and he has fond memories of what he used to do. He remembered the Valley of Elah, where he fought against Goliath, the hills where he watched over his sheep and now he is remembering the water from the wells of Bethlehem. He longed for a drink from the past.

Most people today long for a drink from their past, they say if I could just go back a few years ago... But that’s just escapism, because it’s impossible to turn the clock backwards and go back in time. You’ve got to face what you’re dealing with and move ahead into the future. David had men that heard him talking about the past, and risked their lives to go get him a glass of that water. When you start thinking about the past, and most of your focus is dominated by memories, you can always find some people around you that don’t mind helping you go backwards. They’ll say “yeah child, ... I remember when you used to have it going on too” They’ll talk about your past so much until you start to try and live right now, like its the past. Some people try to freeze time, and they live in a time warp. They dress like their in the past, they talk like their in the past, and do everything right now just like its the past, they refuse to change. I had a friend in the entertainment industry and all he could do was talk about when he was in the spotlight and had it going on. That memory was so powerful to him, that he was the only person that I knew in the history of entertainment that took a character name from a script and legally changed it to his real name, Rerun! You must be careful about what you name things, because the name is just a handle to signify what is already present. It also announces the nature of a thing. It’s no wonder why his whole life kept going around in circles and he couldn’t break out of the patterns of reruns in his life. Look what he named himself! These men brought David this water and, “he poured it out unto the Lord”. Water represents the flow of the Spirit, thank God David was smart enough not to drink this water, because it represented his past. If you’re going to reach your destiny, you’ve got to pour out the spirit of your past unto God, who is able to heal you from it. God is the only power that is strong enough to set you free from the grip of this spirit from your mind. He accomplishes this when you read the Word and submit to the spirit of the Word. “Let this mind be in you, that was also in Christ,...” There must be a voluntary surrender of your will. One of the main reasons that people can’t progress, or move ahead in life and deal with their present situation is because, their mind is gone with the wind of the past. You’ve got to get your mind back on track with God, and the only way to do that is by renewing your mind with God’s Word. We must learn to eat more Word so our spirit man will grow up and not be dominated by the past.

Charles E. Smith Jr. is an ordained minister, professional speaker, and successful entertainment entrepreneur. Apostle Smith takes audiences by storm with his powerful, practical and side-splitting humor in his standup comedy routines. Apostle Smith travels throughout the country and abroad proclaiming the Word of God along with his beautiful wife Colleen. His God-given calling as an apostle is his gift to the body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His natural ability as a teacher enables him to fluently communicate the principles of the Word of God with accuracy and power!