We read in the Lord’s Prayer in Mathew 6:10, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven“. God’s Kingdom can come, here on earth. How?
Well, we can see that:
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19
We can NOT inherit the Kingdom if we live like that. Paul tells us what the key is though:
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Galatians 5:16
Good. But what does it mean live by the Spirit?
First of all, to live by the Spirit means you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God and can be given directly by God (Acts 2:2-4) or by another Spirit-filled Christian who lays hands on you and prays for you to receive the Holy Spirit (see Acts 9:17).
Secondly, live by, is in the present tense i.e “go on living”, and refers to habitual conduct. Habitually living by the promptings and power of the Holy Spirit is the key to conquering sinful desires.
So what will we see as the end result?
Think of a tree. Does it try to grow faster, does it fight against the soil or the seasons, or envy the other trees around it. No. That’s just silly. It draws naturally from the ground the water and nutrients, it’s roots spread deep into the soil and we know, when it has done that, it produces great fruit. A healthy tree is known by it’s fruit.
So it is with us as Christians. As we draw from the Holy Spirit, we will be known by the fruit (virtues) produced by the Spirit.
…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22,23
So how are you going with that? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Has God’s Kingdom come into you neck of the woods yet?