The King and His Kingdom: Shifting from a Worldly Mindset to a Kingdom Mindset
Are you truly pursuing the Kingdom of God, or have you become comfortable with simply knowing about it?
There is a difference between knowing about the Kingdom of God and living as a citizen of His Kingdom. Sometimes, our greatest spiritual growth begins when we stop accepting what we've always known and start asking God to give us a deeper understanding of His Word. One statement from a recent Kingdom University teaching particularly challenged me:
"You can't change what you can't define."
That statement made me pause. How can we shift our mindset toward the Kingdom of God if we haven't taken the time to understand what the Kingdom actually represents? For those of us who have spent years in church or around religion, familiarity can sometimes become a barrier to transformation. We can become so accustomed to hearing certain words and scriptures that we overlook the depth of what God is communicating. A Kingdom mindset requires more than familiarity with scripture. It requires understanding, pursuit, obedience, and a willingness to allow God's Word to transform how we live.
Understanding the Kingdom Begins with Understanding the Word
During the teaching, we focused on Matthew 6:25–34, where Jesus addresses worry, provision, and the importance of seeking God's Kingdom first. One thing that stood out to me was how many times Jesus instructed us not to worry throughout this passage. But another word caught my attention: Therefore. I've learned that whenever we encounter the word "therefore" in scripture, it's worth stopping to ask, "What is it there for?" Therefore connects what has already been established to the response that follows. It helps us understand the relationship between God's truth and the action He expects from us. Consider these two verses:
Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
The doctrine to seek God's Kingdom comes before the instruction not to worry. In other words, when we understand who our King is, recognize His authority, and make His Kingdom our priority, our approach to life's uncertainties should change. Seeking first the Kingdom isn't simply about looking for God when we need something. It is about making Him the center of our daily decisions, priorities, thoughts, and actions.
Are You Seeking the Kingdom or Just Looking for It?
The word seek began to take on a deeper meaning for me. Seeking is more than casually looking for something. It involves pursuing, studying, exploring, learning, and becoming preoccupied with what matters most. This challenged me to examine my own pursuit. Have I allowed something as precious as my passion for Kingdom identity to become familiar? Have I replaced the pursuit of the King with the desire to be approved by people? Have I become so focused on reaching the destination that I've forgotten to appreciate what God is doing throughout the process? Sometimes, we need to search ourselves just as intentionally as we search the Scriptures. Our relationship with God should never become a routine that we simply maintain. There should be a continual desire to know Him more deeply, understand His ways, and become more aligned with His will. The question isn't just whether we are seeking God. The question is whether our pursuit reflects the value we say we place on Him.
The Kingdom of God vs. The Kingdom of This World
You cannot change what you cannot define. That statement also led me to consider the difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. Although we live in this world, we are called to operate according to a different Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God
Operates through love, service, and grace.
Values humility, surrender, and faithfulness.
Calls us to transformation from the inside out.
Finds victory through obedience and self-sacrifice.
Is rooted in God's eternal promises.
Calls us to live as citizens of Heaven, recognizing the responsibilities that come with belonging to His Kingdom.
The Kingdom of This World
Places emphasis on control, survival, and self-interest.
Prioritizes competition, personal gain, and worldly strength.
Often measures success through status, power, and recognition.
Encourages people to defend their own interests.
Is temporary and will eventually pass away.
The two kingdoms represent very different ways of thinking and living. The Kingdom of this world is often visible through what people pursue, celebrate, and prioritize. But the Kingdom of God must be recognized through spiritual understanding and revealed truth. We discover the Kingdom through repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, believing His Word, and submitting to God's authority. And we help others discover it by sharing the Gospel and allowing our lives to reflect the authority under which we live. Our lives should provide evidence that we belong to a different Kingdom.
We Were Never Called to Remain Spiritually Immature
Another thought that challenged me was the importance of growing beyond spiritual immaturity.
Yes, we must learn to hear God's voice and follow His instructions. We must remain dependent on Him. But our walk with God should also produce spiritual growth. As we mature in our relationship with Him, we learn to recognize His Word, respond to the Holy Spirit, and walk in the authority and responsibility He has entrusted to us. We shouldn't have to remain in a place where every decision requires us to start from the beginning because we haven't learned to apply what God has already taught us. The Holy Spirit is our Helper, and He works within us to guide, teach, and empower us to live according to God's will. Spiritual maturity isn't about needing God less. It's about becoming more obedient, discerning, and responsive to Him. The goal is not simply to hear the Word. It is to become doers of the Word.
Lord, Open the Eyes of My Heart: The Story of Bartimaeus
One of the most meaningful parts of this reflection came from reading about Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52. Bartimaeus was a blind man who heard that Jesus was passing by. When he realized Jesus was near, he began crying out for mercy. Even when people around him instructed him to be quiet, he refused to stop. He continued calling out to Jesus. When Jesus asked him what he wanted Him to do, Bartimaeus responded:
"Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." (Mark 10:51, NKJV)
He knew what he wanted. He wanted to see. As I reflected on his story, the words that came to my spirit were:
"Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see You."
I began thinking about how often we ask God to change our circumstances, open doors, provide opportunities, or remove obstacles. But how often do we ask Him to open our eyes so that we can recognize Him in every area of our lives? Ephesians 1:18 speaks about the eyes of our understanding being enlightened so that we may know the hope of His calling and the riches of His inheritance.
What if part of our spiritual journey is learning to see differently? What if we need God to open our eyes to recognize the areas where we've become distracted, complacent, or overly concerned with the approval of others? Bartimaeus teaches us something about persistence. He didn't allow the voices around him to silence his pursuit of Jesus. His faith moved him to keep calling, even when others wanted him to stop.
There will be times when distractions, discouragement, circumstances, and even the opinions of others attempt to interfere with our pursuit of God. But we must remain persistent. We must desire to see Jesus more than we desire the approval of people.
Make Today Count: A Daily Pursuit of the King
One of the most practical lessons from Matthew 6:34 is that we are not instructed to carry tomorrow's worries today. Our walk with God is a daily walk. We can become so consumed with what is coming next that we fail to recognize what God wants to do in us today. We spend time worrying about tomorrow's responsibilities, tomorrow's opportunities, tomorrow's challenges, and tomorrow's expectations. But what about today? What is God asking of us today? How can we be obedient today?
How can we intentionally pursue Jesus today?
Our relationship with God should be reflected in the way we approach each new day. We should wake up with an intentional desire to know Him, follow His instruction, and recognize what He is doing in our lives. We cannot control tomorrow, but we can choose how we respond to God today. This is where passion and obedience meet. Our pursuit of the King should produce a deeper intimacy with Him.
A Personal Commitment: I Want to See!
As I reflect on this teaching, my posture moving forward is to pursue the Kingdom of God with greater passion and obedience. I want to be more intentional about seeking the King rather than becoming distracted by the things competing for my attention. I want the eyes of my heart opened so I can see Jesus in every area of my life, in every person I encounter, and in every relationship I'm connected to. I want the persistence of Bartimaeus. I want the courage to keep pursuing Jesus regardless of the noise around me. I want to be so grounded in God's Word that the approval of people never becomes more important than obedience to Him. And most importantly, I want to recognize that the Kingdom is not simply something I learn about. It is something I am called to live out.
The King deserves more than our familiarity. He deserves our pursuit.
So today, I challenge you to examine your own heart. Are you pursuing the King, or have you become comfortable with simply knowing about Him? Don't allow familiarity to replace passion. Don't allow distractions to silence your pursuit. And don't become so consumed with tomorrow that you miss what God is doing in you today.
Let this be your prayer:
Lord, open the eyes of my heart. Teach me to seek Your Kingdom first. Help me recognize the areas where I have become distracted, complacent, or more concerned with the approval of others than with pleasing You. Give me the persistence of Bartimaeus, the humility to surrender, and the obedience to follow Your instruction. I don't just want to know about Your Kingdom. I want to live as a citizen of it. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Reflection Questions
Take a moment to reflect on these questions in your journal:
What does seeking the Kingdom of God first look like in my everyday life?
Have I allowed familiarity with scripture or church to replace my passion for pursuing God?
Where have I allowed the approval of people to influence my obedience to God?
What distractions are attempting to silence my pursuit of Jesus?
In what areas of my life do I need God to open the eyes of my heart?
What is one thing I can intentionally do today to demonstrate that I am living according to the Kingdom of God?
Scriptures for Further Study
Matthew 6:25–34 — Seeking God's Kingdom and refusing to worry.
Mark 10:46–52 — Bartimaeus and the persistence of faith.
Ephesians 1:15–23 — The eyes of understanding being enlightened.
Romans 12:1–2 — Transformation through the renewing of your mind.
Colossians 3:1–4 — Setting your mind on things above.
Matthew 6:10 — Praying for God's Kingdom to come and His will to be done.+
A Final Thought
You cannot walk in the fullness of what God has called you to if you never take the time to understand what He has placed before you.
Define the Kingdom. Pursue the King. Live the Word.
Don't just hear the message. Become the evidence.
Unapologetic Refining | Refining the heart, renewing the mind, and walking boldly in God's purpose.
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