Keys of the Kingdom
kingdom access and
kingdom authority
J. T. Strong
Trilogy Christian Publishers
TUSTIN, CA
Trilogy Christian Publishers
A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network
2442 Michelle Drive
Tustin, CA 92780
Copyright © 2020 by J. T. Strong
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.
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Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-64773-188-5
ISBN 978-1-64773-189-2
Contents
Dedication v
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction ix
Chapter One.
The Key of Putting God First 1
Chapter Two.
The Key of God’s Will 15
Chapter Three.
The Key of Being Led By the Spirit 31
Chapter Four.
The Key of the Word of God 51
Chapter Five.
The Key of Prayer 71
Chapter Six.
The Key of Fasting 95
Chapter Seven.
The Key of Helping the Poor 111
Chapter Eight.
The Key of Preaching the Gospel 125
Chapter Nine.
The Key of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit 145
Chapter Ten.
The Key of Praying in the Spirit 165
Chapter Eleven.
The Key of Humility 181
Chapter Twelve.
The Key of Hunger and Thirst 199
Chapter Thirteen.
The Key of Holiness 215
Chapter Fourteen.
The Key of Love 231
Epilogue 243
References 247
About the Author 251
Dedicated to my beautiful wife and closest friend, Kasey Strong. You have all of my heart and all of my love.
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge my incredible wife, Kasey Strong, for her encouragement, support, and input, as I wrote this book. God could not have given me a better wife. I love her with all of my heart. She is beautiful both inside and out.
I want to honor my loving parents, Jimmy and Marianne Strong, who taught me the importance of honoring God and believing His word. I could not have been blessed with better parents, and I am thankful for their influence and encouragement in my life.
I want to acknowledge my children, Charlie Anne and James Thomas, for helping me to experience unconditional love from a father’s perspective. This has taught me so much about the Father’s love for His children.
I want to acknowledge Mrs. Lucy Honeycutt for teaching me who the Holy Spirit is and how to pray. Everyone who knew Mrs. Lucy was impacted by her walk with God. Although she has already stepped into eternity, I am still being influenced by her today.
I want to honor one of my greatest mentors and friends, Brother Phillip Gammill. I am thankful that God has used him to teach me the importance of fasting, prayer, perseverance, and faithfulness. I owe much of what God has done in my life to this man of God. The wisdom that he has imparted to me is priceless.
I want to thank Kasey Strong (my wife), Marianne Strong (my mother), Melissa Strange, Alan Jones, and Shelley Jobe for reading and editing this manuscript. I also want to thank Mark Mingle, Kaycee Tattershall, and the entire team at both TBN and Trilogy Christian Publishers! I could not have done it without your help!
Introduction
There are some simple spiritual keys found in the Scriptures that can transform our lives and help us to fulfill everything that God has planned for us. They will work in any country, at any time, and in any situation. They are divine laws that are as tangible as the law of gravity or the law of physics, and they are eternal. I want to share these keys with you because they have blessed me so much over the years, and I know that if they have worked for me, they will also work for you.
You do not need to be a theologian or a philosopher in order to use these keys because they are very simple to understand. Even a child can comprehend them and put them to use. They are not new but are merely a return to basic Christianity. “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls…” (Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV). There are certainly other keys that I have not covered in this book, and each chapter only scratches the surface regarding each particular key. Indeed, each chapter could have easily been made into a book due to the vast amount of scriptural content available. I titled the book Keys of the Kingdom rather than The Keys of the Kingdom for this very purpose. This work is not meant to be either exhaustive or exclusive in nature. However, if applied, the principles that I have covered are enough to transform your life and relationship with God radically.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
(Matthew 16:19 KJV)
Jesus told one of His disciples, Peter, that He would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The Greek word for...