Tag: identity

Experience The Kingdom Here and Now

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

Experience the Kingdom Here and Now — Don’t Wait for Heaven

Introduction

Many people think of the Kingdom of God as something you enter after death.
Scripture teaches something far more urgent—and far more powerful:

The Kingdom of God is meant to be experienced now.
Not someday. Not only in heaven.
Here. In you. Through you.

Jesus did not preach, “Wait for heaven.”
He preached, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15)

If the Kingdom is available now, the real question becomes:
Are you living in it—or merely believing it exists?

What Is the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God is God’s rule, authority, and order actively governing life.

It is not a location.
It is not a denomination.
It is not merely moral behavior.

The Kingdom is present where God is recognized as God and obeyed as King.

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
— Romans 14:17

Where God reigns:

    • Truth governs thinking
    • Love governs action
    • The Spirit governs desires

This is why Jesus could say:

“The kingdom of God does not come with observation… For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
— Luke 17:20–21

Where Is the Kingdom?

The Kingdom of God is not a place, it forms In You.

The Kingdom does not start with changing the world.
It starts with changing who rules the heart.

Scripture describes this as Christ being formed in us:

“My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.”
— Galatians 4:19

This formation happens when:

    • Self-rule is surrendered
    • Jesus is acknowledged as Lord (not just Savior)
    • The Spirit renews the mind and reshapes desires

The Kingdom advances internally first, then externally.

Why the Kingdom Matters Now

The Kingdom you live from drives your entire life:

    • How you think
    • How you respond to pressure
    • How you treat people
    • How you interpret pain
    • What fruit you produce in the world

Everyone lives from a kingdom. There are only two options:

The fallen world system (Self at the center)

The Kingdom of God (God at the center)

Each produces very different fruit.

The Practical Difference: Life in the Fallen World vs Life in the Kingdom of God

Every person lives from a governing system, whether they realize it or not.

Scripture presents only two: the fallen world system, where life is ordered around self, and the Kingdom of God, where life is ordered around God as King and Christ formed within us. These two systems produce fundamentally different ways of thinking, deciding, relating, and responding to life.

The table below is not about religious labels or outward behavior—it reveals who is actually ruling the heart and therefore shaping the fruit of a person’s life. As you read, do not ask which column you agree with more; ask which one most accurately describes how you are living today.

 

Aspect

 Fallen World
(Self-Centered)		 Kingdom of God
(Christ-Centered)		 Scripture
Decision Center Self God Prov 16:25; Matt 6:33
Identity Source Performance / Approval Sonship in Christ Gal 2:20; Rom 8:15
Primary Love Love of self Love of God 2 Tim 3:2; Matt 22:37
Operating Nature Flesh (What We See/Feel) Spirit (Where God Leads) Gal 5:16–17
Internal Driver Fear / Pride Faith / Humility Prov 29:25; Heb 11:6
Authority Self-rule Lordship of Christ Judg 21:25; Rom 10:9
Mindset Worldly thinking Renewed mind Rom 12:2
Source of Wisdom Human reasoning God’s Word / Revelation 1 Cor 2:14; Ps 119:105
Motivation Gain, control Love, obedience Phil 2:21; John 14:15
View of Truth Relative Absolute John 8:44; John 14:6
View of Sin Ignorance / Justified Exposed / repented Isa 5:20; 1 John 1:7
Power Source Self-effort Grace / Spirit power Gal 3:3; Acts 1:8
Fruit Produced Works of flesh Fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:19–23
Relationships Transactional Sacrificial Luke 6:32–36; Eph 5:2
Response to Trials Anxiety / bitterness Trust / Refinement / Growth Matt 6:34; James 1:2–4
Direction of Life Temporary / Earthly Life Eternal 2 Cor 4:18; John 17:3
Outcome Death Life and Peace Rom 8:6
Final End Separation Union with God Matt 7:23; Rev 21:3

This table reveals a critical truth:

You do not drift into the Kingdom.
You live there intentionally—or not at all.

The world system forms people into:

    • Fear-based decision makers
    • Self-protectors
    • Image managers
    • Control seekers

The Kingdom forms people into:

    • Truth-governed thinkers
    • Trust-filled responders
    • Servants
    • Stewards

This difference shows up daily, not just spiritually.

How Life Is Actually Run Differently in the Kingdom

Belief alone does not change life. Operating systems do.

Below is a diagnostic version of the practical table, modified specifically to help readers identify how they are currently living.

Kingdom Diagnostic: How Am I Actually Living?

Daily Area World Pattern Kingdom Pattern Scripture
Decision Filter Comfort, fear, gain Truth, obedience Prov 14:12; John 14:21
Thinking Problem-centered Truth-centered Phil 4:6–8
Emotional Response Anxiety, offense Peace, humility Rom 8:6; James 4:6
Handling Conflict Defend self Seek peace & truth Matt 5:9; Prov 18:19
Response to Pressure Control Trust God Matt 6:33
Authority Resist Submit as unto God Rom 13:1
Correction Justify Repent & grow Prov 12:1
Work Source of Identity Stewardship Col 3:23–24
Relationships Transactional Sacrificial Luke 6:32–36
Outcome Striving & exhaustion Life & peace Rom 8:6

This table is not for condemnation.
It is for clarity.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.”— 2 Corinthians 13:5

How Do I Live in the Kingdom Now?

Living in the Kingdom involves two simultaneous actions:

1. Submitting to God

Submission is not weakness—it is alignment with reality.

Submission looks like:

      • Trusting God’s definition of good and evil
      • Yielding your right to be right
      • Obeying even when it costs comfort

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.”
— James 4:7

You cannot experience Kingdom power while insisting on self-rule.

2. Resisting the Devil, The World, The Flesh

Submission alone is incomplete without resistance.

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
— James 4:7

Resistance means:

      • Taking thoughts captive
      • Rejecting self-centered loves
      • Saying no to lies even when they feel true
      • Refusing to let emotions lead

The Kingdom advances where truth is obeyed and we resist distraction.

Best Practices for Living in the Kingdom Here and Now

The Kingdom of God is sustained by truth received, believed, practiced, and spoken.

Jesus made this explicit:

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
— John 8:31–32

Kingdom living requires intentional immersion in God’s Word, coupled with daily practices that shape thinking, attitude, and response.

1. Immerse Yourself in the Word of God

The Word is not supplemental to Kingdom life—it is foundational.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4

Without consistent exposure to God’s Word:

      • Thinking reverts to the world
      • Emotions regain control
      • Self-rule quietly reasserts itself

Practical practices:

Daily Scripture intake (even brief, but consistent)

Verse of the day with intentional reflection

Reading Scripture as instruction, not inspiration

Ask while reading:

What does this reveal about God’s rule?

What response or obedience does this require of me?

2. Meditate on Truth, Not Problems

Biblical meditation is not emptying the mind—it is filling it with truth.

The world trains the mind to rehearse fear, offense, and worry.
The Kingdom retrains the mind to dwell on what God has said.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night.”
— Joshua 1:8

Practical practices:

Choose a single theme for a week (trust, obedience, identity, humility)

Collect 3–5 verses on that theme

Revisit them throughout the day

Replace anxious or accusatory thoughts with those truths

Meditation is how truth moves from information to formation.

3. Build Kingdom Vocabulary (Truth Shapes Thought)

Your internal language shapes your reality.

The world’s vocabulary:

“I deserve”

“That’s just who I am”

“I can’t help it”

The Kingdom’s vocabulary:

“God is faithful”

“I submit to truth”

“I am being transformed”

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” — Proverbs 18:21

Practical practices:

Learn Scripture-based language for identity, authority, and purpose

Replace vague spirituality with specific biblical truth

Speak what God says, not what circumstances suggest

4. Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude is not emotional—it is governmental.

It shifts focus from lack to provision, from fear to trust, from self to God.

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Practical practices:

Keep a gratitude journal

Write down daily evidences of God’s provision, protection, or guidance

Thank God before outcomes change

Gratitude strengthens faith because it trains the heart to recognize God’s hand.

5. Maintain a Prayer Journal to Track God’s Faithfulness

Prayer becomes powerful when it is remembered and reviewed.

Israel repeatedly forgot God’s works—and drifted.
Remembering builds confidence and trust.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
— Psalm 103:2

Practical practices:

Record prayers and requests

Note dates and outcomes

Write reflections on how God answered—or redirected

Over time, this builds a personal testimony of God’s faithfulness, reinforcing Kingdom trust.

6. Practice Declarations of Faith

Declarations are not about forcing outcomes; they are about aligning your heart, will, and mouth with God’s truth.

Jesus modeled this by speaking truth under pressure.

“It is written…”— Matthew 4

Core Kingdom declarations (examples):

Submission

“Father, You are God. I submit my will, thoughts, and desires to You.”

Resistance

“I resist the devil and every lie opposed to God’s truth.”

Denying Self

“I deny my flesh and choose obedience over comfort.”

Crucifying the Flesh

“I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.”

Putting Off / Putting On

“I put off the old self and put on the new, created in righteousness.”

New Identity

“I am a child of God, led by His Spirit.”

New Purpose

“I was created for God’s purposes and good works.”

Being Led

“The Lord directs my steps and orders my path.”

Speaking to Your Mountain

“I speak to this obstacle in faith, trusting God’s authority and timing.”

“Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”
— Joel 3:10

Declarations reinforce who is ruling—your emotions or God’s truth.

7. Live from Identity, Not Effort

The Kingdom is not sustained by striving but by abiding.

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
— Colossians 2:6

All practices above serve one goal:
Christ formed in you—not self-improvement, but transformation.

Summary: How Kingdom Life Is Built

Kingdom living is cultivated through:

    • Immersion in the Word
    • Meditation on truth
    • Gratitude and remembrance
    • Prayerful awareness of God’s activity
    • Spoken alignment with truth
    • Daily submission and resistance

None of these earn the Kingdom.
They position you to live in it.

Final Encouragement

Heaven is real.
Eternity matters.

Jesus did not tell us to wait to live in the kingdom.

The Kingdom is available now.
It forms within.
It transforms how you live.
And it impacts everyone around you.

The question is not:
Does the Kingdom exist?

The real question is:
Is it governing your life today?

Who are you? Who, Who?.. Who Who?

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

Who are you?  Who,Who?.. Who, Who?

 

Who are you?

There are some deep questions in life worth pondering. One of the most important questions is “Who are you?”. How you answer that question profoundly affects both how you choose to live your life, and it how and where you will spend eternity.

What defines who you are?

If someone walked up to you right now and asked “Who are you?”  how would you answer? The short answer comes quickly.  ex: Hi I’m John, I’m a retired Aeospace engineer based in Florida and we are traveling in this RV during summers. The deeper answer is more complicated and is more revealing.

Most people build a story line in their head using elements from a historic timeline? Who are your parents? Where did they come from? What was your childhood like? Where did you live? What was your family like? Was there a lot of love? Where did you go to school?  What did you do well at? What were your struggles? How do you spend your time? What do you enjoy doing? How do you make money? How do you choose to spend your money?  What kind of relationships do you have? What did you inherit from your parents? What will you give to your kids?

Along with this historical timeline, they also build a self-image based on how they believe others view them:  Pretty/Handsome or plain/homely, Smart or dumb, Fit or fat, Coordinated or awkward, Hardworking or lazy, Capable or useless, Successful or unsuccessful, Worthy or worthless, Victor or Victim.

This story line of “who you are” shapes your outlook on life and has a great influence on how you approach things.  If you view yourself as worthless or a victim, it will be unlikely you will ever recognize an opportunity in front of you, take the initiative to pursue it,  and rise above whatever obstacle you are currently facing.

So far, we have focused on the physical and mental aspects of your story line, lets add the spiritual.  How do you view your spiritual self? Do you accept there is a higher authority? What will happen when you die? Do you have a soul that might live on if you say or do the right things?  Will your life be judged? How will you make out with that? Where will you spend eternity? Given that. .how should I spend my remaining time in this life? 

How you view yourself spiritually has a great influence on how you live your life and what choices you make.  Just recognizing a couple of spiritual aspects could shift the behavior of an entire society: 1) God is everywhere and knows everything, and 2) You will pay the price in judgement for whatever you say or do in this life.  That is the threat/punitive side,  but there is also the promise/incentive side: God is love, He loves you, He wants you to prosper, and He will help you if you let Him.

You must invest some time and energy if you want to develop the spiritual aspects of life as they cannot be discerned through observation in the world. Spiritual laws are counter intuitive, they work the opposite of physical laws.  The physical world teaches you to take to get ahead, the spirit world teaches you to give;  the physical world teaches you live until you die, the spirit world teaches you to die so you can live.

You are composed of mind, body and spirit. If you define yourself only in physical / earthly terms,  I  encourage you to spend some time on the spiritual side, it will change the course of your life, now and for eternity.

If you already include a spiritual aspect in your self-image, I encourage you to explore the following extension or evolution:   

  • God loves you unconditionally
    • “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
  • When you invite Him as your lord and savior, You are born again.
    • “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • You are now a child of God, HE is your father.
    • “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)
  • Everything from your past is wiped away, you are free from it.
    • “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6)
  • He helps you transform, from being self-centered to becoming love in action like him.
    • “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”(Romans 12:3)
    • “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
    • “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” (Philippians 2:3)
  • You are part of the body of Christ…He is the Head, You are his “arms and legs”.
    • “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”(1 Corinthians 12:27)
  • He wants you to: be like him, Think like Him, and Act like him
    • “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)
    • “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29)
    • The Holy Spirit is in us and teaches us ” ..we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
  • He wants you to continue His work
    • “Jesus said… As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
    • “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14-12)

Why is this important? Why should you care? It is all about perspective, and faith.  If you view yourself as anything less than a child of God, striving to be Christ-like in thought and actions, forgiven of sins, and standing righteous In front of the father,  you will be vulnerable to attack in this world.  The things people say about you will matter more than God’s love for you, The things that happen day to day will matter more than your purpose for being on this earth…to become love in action.    

In a prior blog post i described the power of positive confirmtion, where you turn your understanding and beliefs into a positive statement of declaration. It is a very effective approavh to building confidence and growing your faith into actions. 

So if you have a spiritual identity and believe the scriptual statements above, consider the following answer to the question of who you are – it can be powerful and liberating

  • I am a born-again son of God,
  • I am not be defined by things of this earth,
  • I am defined by my creator, my heavenly father, who loves me deeply.
  • He loves me so much he sent His son to Die for me.
  • He created me for a reason, and He has never given up on me
  • He forgives my past so I can focus on going forward
  • I have the Holy Spirit inside me, guiding me, and helping me transform
  • I am a member of the body of Christ – his arms and legs on this earth
  • As the Father sent Him, He sends Me, I will do His work.
  • My father is pure love, I feel His love in me
  • I am His love in action, His love flows through me into every situation.
  • I view others as He views them – as his children needing love
  • My inheritance is the kingdom of God and I am proud member

My favorite speaker on this topic is Dan Mohler.  Here is a video where he explores the topic of Your Identity

I hope you find this discussion helpful. Leave me a comment.

 

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