The Call to Advancement

“For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy IN the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17).  Notice that the Kingdom of God is IN the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Sprit lives in every born-again Christian and so we know that the Kingdom of God is IN every Believer. The Kingdom means the King’s domain, it is the rule and the reign of God, the government of God.  Isaiah prophesied, “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” (9:7). The point is this; the Kingdom of God is in me and that positions me for the purpose of advancement!  God desires to advance His Kingdom through my life.  I am never called to settle down or shrink back, I am called to advancement! As Believers, we should want to see the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our God.

Here are two things that can keep us from advancement…

#1.  Wrong Priorities

Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to us.  Whatever you seek first will organize every other area of your life.  For example, if you seek money first than money will impact every decision that you make and organize every other area of your life.  The Kingdom of God must be our number one priority as Believers if we want to live a life of advancement. I want to seek His rule and reign in every area of my life.

#2.  Wrong Views

Jesus said to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. Notice that we are told to seek His righteousness, not our own.  Christians have been made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  “He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21). Living a life of advancement requires us to understand our identity in Christ. We cannot afford to entertain thoughts about ourselves that God does not think about us because identity determines activity. Advancing the Kingdom gets hindered in my life when I have a wrong view of who I am.

In conclusion, I want to encourage all Followers of Christ to be intentional about seeking the Kingdom of God first.  Let us remember that we have authority in Christ to overcome all the works of the devil and that we are a powerful people called to a life of advancement.  “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (1 Cor. 4:20).