Many professing Christian believe they are not “of” the world as the scriptures say.  The difference may “seem” obvious to them.  Believing “sinful” people live in the kingdom of this world and the “good” Christians live in The Kingdom of God.  But the reality is EVERYONE naturally lives out from in the kingdom of this world.  We think our good behaviour and kind acts, even praying and going to church is a sure sign that we are walking in the “Kingdom of God”. 

    Religion makes people believe the lie that God wants “our” “best life now” and if something goes wrong with that picture, they turn to God to “fix it”, or believe that God is somehow going to give them something even better.  We want God to turn our “bad” situation into something good.  But still, at the cord....it is “our” will and “our” life we want God to fix and make better.  After all, God loves us and we believe in Him and love Him, why wouldn’t He do good for us, isn’t that what His plan is?   And in the end, no matter how “good” our intentions are, life still revolves around “us” and not God.   We don’t even realize what we have really been asking God for.  We are asking God to “fix” the “kingdom of this world” (that He has condemned) so our lives can be better, but we had no idea, nor did we know what the true Kingdom Of God is. 

    Those that are in the world’s kingdom, live according to their own natural desires that we are born with. Preconceived ideas of what our needs are and how things “should” be is a natural thing to us.  It doesn’t matter what our desires are, it could be to “live the American dream” or have some other even more “noble” ideas of what a “good” life is.  But in the end, it is still “our” idea and in the process of perusing these goals or just living our lives, we have opened ourselves up to a life that is naturally living by the course of this “natural” world and its “whims” where “things happen”.   So called “good” things and “bad” things happen there….  In response, in one way or another, we will try to have things work out the way we believe they should.  We have our ideas of what is “right” and “wrong”.  But, this is what is called walking according to the “course of this world”...the kingdom of this world.  It is living according to the “Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil”.   It is self-ruled and not God ruled life which defines the difference between the two Kingdoms. 

    People want to believe that God is in “control” of it all, when in reality, “we” have continued to control our own lives and do what seems right to us, but we want God to step in when we need Him.   Many times people even blame God for the things that go on in this world.  It is not that God doesn’t maintain control, but that “control” is according to HIS purposes.  It is simple, if we want our will, we don’t want God’s, and He allows things to happen as a result of what we have set in motion by living from what seems right in our own eyes.  This may be an overly simplification of what the Kingdom of the World is, but it shows enough to see what the opposite is...what the Kingdom of God looks like.     

    When we have entered into The Kingdom of God, His rule is now over us...  We have been bought with a price; we are no longer our own (period).  We are no longer to be led by our own natural thoughts and desires, but we are to be led by the Spirit.   We now get our life from “above”, we live in the Kingdom of God where He rules.  Ours desires are to seek out the Lord's desires and follow Him. 

    These two Kingdoms still seem to be part of our daily reality to some extent or another, I believe that is why it is said, we are in the world, but not part of it, but we have to choose daily to pick up our cross and die daily to our own kingdom and actively choose to live in the Kingdom of God...obeying Him.   

    Seeing the reality of the Kingdom of God within you changes you forever, you will have a desire for His Kingdom’s rule above all else.  It will bring righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.   But the cares of the world will try to draw us out of that reality and back into the realm of the temporal, so we must be aware and watchful.   When we are living in His “rule” (walking in the spirit) and walking in all the light He has given us, He is sovereign over every aspect of our lives and not left to the “whims” of the world.   Everything in His Kingdom is done for HIS purposes, and whatever that looks like is ok and good with us.  We don’t even have to understand His dealings, we just KNOW that He is Good, not according to what the world would see as good, but what is TRULY good.  We just want HIM.   

    There is nothing this world can offer that can compare to Living in the Kingdom of God.  I have tasted and have seen that it is good beyond words, let us be willing to give up all to follow Him in His Kingdom.   

B. Hayes

12/2014