The Kingdom is Within You
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
How would you define the kingdom of God that is within you? How do we get to the kingdom and how is life in the kingdom? Maybe the kingdom of God within us is where we can escape the fear and sin from Satan.
The kingdom of God is in the heavenly dimension where God rules, and the kingdom within us is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit rules over our soul if we willingly surrender our life and choose to be free in Christ. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
We are free when our heart lives in the kingdom and our thoughts are toward the Lord. This may sound impossible, but over time as we worship in fellowship and follow the Spirit in ministering to others, living in the kingdom starts to become natural. We will be connected with the Lord, both in our conscious and subconscious mind, if we are aggressively seeking the Lord. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) Seeking the Lord with all our heart means serving the Lord is our number one priority. The following is a quote from The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, and it defines living in the kingdom.
“Many have found the secret of which I speak and, without giving much thought to what is going on within them, constantly practice this habit of inwardly gazing upon God. They know that something inside their hearts sees God. Even when they are compelled to withdraw their conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs there is within them a secret communion always going on. Let their attention but be released for a moment from necessary business and it flies at once to God again.”
The heart of the soul is continually connected to God which is the awareness of this “secret communion always going on.” The conscious mind is almost always in communion with God and sometimes with thoughts that are just a conscious awareness.
Tozer’s quote describes living in the kingdom, which is a continual connection to God. Living in the kingdom of God is like taking our soul into heaven, because in the kingdom is perfect love, peace, and joy and all the attributes of God are given to us through the Holy Spirit. The more we are in the kingdom, our thoughts on things above, the closer we are to the Lord, and the more love, peace, and joy we experience. There is no fear in the kingdom and God’s perfect love calms our fears and we walk with his confidence and courage. But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17) Living in the kingdom we are spiritually one with our Lord, and we are reflecting Christ.
Today seek to train yourself to commune with the Lord and live in the kingdom. Keep seeking to be close to the Lord through prayer, his Word, fellowship, following the Spirit; and never forget your divine purpose of pointing souls to Christ. This will lead to awareness of the secret communion always going on with God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live in the kingdom, by staying connected to you through my thoughts and by knowing my divine purpose. Lead me by the Spirit to fulfill my divine purpose today in a manner that is pleasing in your sight. In Jesus name, Amen.