I’ve seen believers become angry with God because they don’t see him intervening in their lives. They pray, but see no results; they fast, but nothing changes. The reason for this is simple; they’re not following God’s plan for success.
We can find his plan for success in Mathew 6:33. Here’s what it says-
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
This verse shows us that we have to order our lives properly to activate God’s blessing – we have to put his kingdom first. If we don’t, he has no way to bless us; his hands are tied.
When we don’t put God’s business first, we don’t give him anything to work with.
Many of us live like God is our last resort, not our first choice. We’re slack in our devotion to him – we don’t tithe, we don’t “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:7), and we don’t serve in the church. We care too much about ourselves and too little about God. When we do this, we end up with less than we should. This result parallels a story found in the book of Haggai.
Kingdom Last
Haggai’s story tells of a time when the Jews had less than they thought they should. Here’s the story-
“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.'”
Haggai 2:15-19
The problem was these Jews were busy building their own ‘kingdoms’ instead of God’s. Because of this, they were cursed.
We do the same thing when we don’t put God first in our lives. We end up with less prayers answered, less blessings – less of what God has for us. We’re getting the same results the Jews of Haggai’s time got.
Getting Beat Up by the Devil?
Another way that putting God’s kingdom last affects us is in the authority we have when dealing with Satan. When we fail to put God’s business first, we’re not submitting to his will for our lives. The result is we’re defenseless. Here’s what James wrote-
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
Look at the relationship between the first sentence of this verse and the second. First, we are to submit to God, then, we can resist the devil and he will flee. Until we submit to God, we can’t resist the devil, and he won’t flee. I’ve heard it said- “We can’t walk in authority if we’re not under authority.” It’s that simple, and that important.
Where Do We Build?
So, where do we build the kingdom? I believe the kingdom of God starts internally. As we build his kingdom within us through a consistent devotional life and apply it externally to those around us, we’re building the kingdom. This occurs at home, at church, and in the community in which we live. God wants us to extend his kingdom in all directions and into all areas.
Action Plan:
If we want to turn our circumstances around and experience God’s blessing then we have to follow his plan and begin building his kingdom. Here’s a specific list of some ‘Kingdom First’ things you can do:
- Develop a ‘Kingdom First’ mentality.
- Be a giver. (Malachi 3:10)
- Find your place in the body of Christ. (Follow this link to a blog I wrote on this subject.)
- Expect to live an abundant life. (It’s one of the best witnesses we have.)
Adapted from the Book:
Enemies of God In Our Minds
Copyright © 2021 Curtis A. Guyer All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
*All scripture quotes, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Biblica®, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.