Ron: Welcome to Live Behind the Veil. In this episode, we're asking a question that reaches into the deepest part of our walk with God. Is God enough? What does it truly mean to seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness? Is it activity? Is it effort, or is it surrender? Today we explore what kingdom alignment really looks like living under his authority.
Presenting our lives is worship and loving him regardless of circumstances. When everything is shaken, when the path is unclear, when the cost feels high, the question remains is God enough?
Debbie:
The key is seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. This is God's emphasis, and we seek first His kingdom. We seek first His righteousness. What does that mean? What does it mean to seek first His kingdom? If He's King, then He's in authority, and whatever He speaks, that we do, because we're under that authority.
If we've accepted the Lord as our Savior, then we're under His authority, seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, being righteous before Him, being without spot or wrinkle, being blameless before Him. And that's where we come through Christ into His presence, seeking what He wants to do. What does He want to do? What is He crying out for? What will He be blessed by? What will minister to Him?
Mike:
The scripture that jumps out to me is, “The kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” I think of Christ coming the first time. He introduced the Kingdom of God into this realm at that time. So it's been here all along.
It's been like this lump of leaven in a ball of dough, and it's been spreading throughout the earth, invisibly, secretly, so to speak. And now we're in the day of the Kingdom of God where it's to be manifested, no longer hidden, but it's being manifested through the Body of Christ initially, and it's up to us to go after and lay hold of the Kingdom that's already here.
We're right where we're supposed to be if we maintain a right spirit and maintain our humility before Him and continue to be the humble servants that He sent us here to be, the conduits that He can move in and through. It's gonna happen because He's gonna make it happen. He just needs a body of people that allow Him to do it.
Ken:
I think you're right on the allow part, because I really feel like the Lord has led us. And because He has led us, we are here in this place. He is constantly speaking and creating us into where we should go. What He starts, He will finish. That's a very important statement right there, because if we think we're going to bring the Kingdom, the only sense that we can bring the Kingdom is to have our spirits aligned with His purposes.
Because He will do the creating. We will be the created. This whole scenario of, will I allow my spirit to choose what You've chosen? Lord, does that mean I'm willing to die? Yes. Does that mean I'm willing to move? Yes. Whatever it is, the Lord is directing. Is this God? Is this what He's speaking? That is the major thing, and following His leading is so very, very important.
Ron:
One of the most pure things, if you're saying seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, is worship. It's all focused on the Lord. It's coming down to a very simple thing of an open heart and expressing a love to the Lord and ministering to Him. It's just giving yourself to the Lord. I just worship the Lord. I just bow before the Lord and worship Him.
Knowing that just the act of worship is His perfect will. To love Him is His perfect will. He's not asking more from me than just to love Him because He knows that everything else out of that will be worked in me. It works through worship. To me, it's such a pure avenue of connection with the Father's heart through the Holy Spirit. That's an atmosphere of change.
Debbie:
Is God enough for you? Worship Him. You'll find out He'll be enough to you if you're being enough to Him. If you're worshiping Him and you're bowing down before Him and you're honoring Him, that's seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness.
Ken:
Is God enough? If everything you're going through — all the dry spots, the high spots, the tragic spots, everything you're going through — does that take you out? Or are you believing God regardless of those things? The greatest worship you and I can give is when, in spite of everything we go through, we say, “Yes, I love You.”
Debbie:
Right?
Ken:
And I know Your purposes are beyond anything I can imagine. Paul said basically the same things, didn't he? He said, regardless of what happens, I belong to the Lord. And I think that's a commitment.
Debbie:
That's right.
Ken:
That God's looking for. Is God enough? Yes, He is everything. His purposes are beyond anything I can imagine. He is enough.
Mike:
Yeah. I think Paul said it quite well in Romans 12:1, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
When I read that, that throws a whole different perspective on worship. It's not singing and praising God; it encompasses so much more than that. We were created to be His worshipers. What is the purpose of worship? When we worship Him, He dwells in the praises of His people. That's when He writes His Word on our hearts and on our minds — when we're in His presence, He's in our presence, and we're one in this whole thing.
And He comes through with that covenant, writing His Word on our hearts and on our minds. You're set. You're in this thing of a relationship. And I don't care, come hell or high water, all of us have gone through this to some degree or another — we stand.
Ken:
There has to be that thing in your spirit that says, “I don't care what happens, I'm gonna walk with God. I'm determined to stay in this relationship with the Lord regardless if I live or die.” My favorite scripture in Revelation is chapter 12. How do we overcome? The blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and loving not my life unto death.
Debbie:
The love of the Lord is the key. It's the love of the Lord. The Lord loves us — unchanging love, unfathomable love, no matter what. He loves us.
No matter what you've done, no matter what you've been, no matter what's going on in your life, the Lord loves you. If you open your heart and receive His love, He will come into your heart and will reveal Himself to you. He will make known His love to you.
It's all about the love of the Lord, and because He loves us, He sent His Son. He was a sacrifice so He could accept us back, so that we could come back into His presence. We know without a shadow of a doubt that His love will take us through and will complete us, and that what He has begun, He will complete.
Ron: Thank you for joining us today. Seeking First. The Kingdom is not about striving. It's about surrender. It's not about bringing the kingdom ourselves, but aligning with his purposes and allowing him to work through yielded hearts. As you go forward, carry this question with you. When everything shifts, when circumstances press in, when obedience costs, everything, is God enough.
If this episode minister to you, share it with someone who needs encouragement in their walk and continues seeking first his kingdom because what he begins, he will complete. Until next time, keep living behind the veil.
