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 (NKJV)
Did you know you can be born-again, with Heaven secured as your eternal home, yet not experience God’s kingdom on earth?
When we see passages in the Bible referring to the “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of Heaven”(Mark 9:1, Matthew 3:1–2, Acts 1:3), we often think it’s talking about the place called Heaven, but it’s not. The Jews in Jesus’ time misunderstood as well. They were living under Roman tyranny and expected Jesus to raise up an army and take over. Imagine their reaction when He said His kingdom was not visible but was within them! That means, we can experience His kingdom at work inside of us here on Earth. Best of all, we’re able to we get to know Jesus! But if we don’t spend time in God’s Word, we miss out on growing a relationship with Him and fully experiencing His kingdom.
Now, maybe you’ve given your life to Christ, yet you still struggle to change unhealthy emotions, addictions or desires. Maybe you wonder whether you’re really in the kingdom. Let me tell you this, a relationship with Jesus is not about the external. A relationship with Jesus is an internal experience within our hearts. That is where He said His kingdom is.
If you’ve given your life to Christ, you’re Heaven-bound, but, spending quality time with God is how you discover your identity and authority in Him and learn to full experience His kingdom.