Live in the Kingdom
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20-21
The Holy Spirit is the Kingdom within us and if our soul merges with the Spirit, then we are living in the Kingdom. The more our thoughts are on things above, the more our soul is in the Kingdom.
We move into the Kingdom whenever our thoughts are on things above, on the Word, or on the Lord. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2) Our thoughts can direct our soul into the Kingdom or into the world. But we can keep our soul in the Kingdom by interfacing to the world through the Spirit. Everything we hear, see, or read, is first processed by the Spirit and everything we think, say or do is processed first by the Spirit. I picture this process by visualizing my soul fully emerged in the Holy Spirit, meaning nothing enters or leaves my soul without first being filtered by the Holy Spirit.
We can never be prefect in living in the Kingdom, but we can strive and pray that the Lord will help us to live as much as possible in the Kingdom, because in the Kingdom we are close to the Lord. In the Kingdom we are living in the Spirit, where we find love, peace, and joy and all the blessings from the Lord. We can view living in the Kingdom as our permanent home, while our temporary flesh lives in the world. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) We pray for the Lord’s power to keep us living in our Kingdom home.
Ministering to the world is the main reason we exist, guided by the Spirit to be a Light for Christ in the darkening world. When ministering becomes the reason we exist, then our thoughts are going to be more on the Lord for his guidance, keeping us connected to the Lord both in our conscious mind and in our subconscious mind. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. (John 17:16) This world is not our home therefore we live in the Kingdom within us while living our short, earthly life. We minister to the world from the Kingdom, and we don’t mix into the turmoil of the world, but we minister to the turmoil from the Kingdom. We live in the Kingdom forever, and, after our last breath, Heaven is the Kingdom where we live, both body and soul.
Today, enjoy the blessings of being in the Kingdom. Seek to keep your thoughts on things above, communing with the Lord. Live today guided by the Spirit fulfilling the main reason you exist, to minister to the world; your family, your Christian brothers and sisters, your friends, and to anyone the Spirit leads you to.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live in the Spirit where I can always be in your presence. Thank you for giving a place to live and escape the turmoil of the world. Guide me to live more in the Kingdom and less in the world, but to minister to the world from the Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen