I’ve Been Seeking the Kingdom All Wrong

For ages I’ve struggled with what it means to seek the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). I thought it meant denying self, denying the flesh, denying my heart’s desires. But I was all wrong.

What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God?

Prov. 18:21 NKJV says, “as a he thinks in his heart, so is he,” and shows us our thoughts shape us. If you believe you can’t do something, you don’t try. Do you believe you are unworthy? Then you behave as such, even if it is unconsciously. If you focus on thoughts of lack, then you will experience lack in your life.

If you question this, then consider Philippians 4:8 KJV, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Why would the apostle Paul tell us what to keep our mind focused on if it made no difference in our lives?

Recently, I read something that illuminated what it really means to seek the kingdom of God: “We must shape our thoughts, desires, and aspirations to the Divine Pattern.”*

What is the divine pattern?

Is there sickness in God’s kingdom? Lack? Fear? No! The divine pattern is more life to all. Look at nature as proof. Does it struggle to grow? Does it strive to find what it needs (be it plant or animal)? My personal development coach, David Neagle, asks “do you see the squirrels lined up at the therapist’s office worried about where their next acorn will come from?” As long as man doesn’t interfere, nature abounds.

So we must center our thoughts around the abundance of God’s kingdom, which isn’t measured in terms of possessions and money, but in “achievement, contentment, confidence…abounding health and energy…in harmonious relations with others, love and devotion of friends, guidance in times of uncertainty, courage in the presence of fear, protection in the midst of danger, and peace of mind”* and more.

Many think that having a big bank balance will solve all their problems. No, it doesn’t.

You’ll still have problems, just a different set of them.

Living the Truth that God Is the Source of All

When we have God, we have everything we need because He is the source for all things.

Unfortunately, we’ve believed the lie the world touts that we are being selfish when we ask for things. Is it selfish to ask for healing when we’re sick? Selfish to ask for peace of mind or protection from danger? Or selfish to ask for the means to stay warm and fed? A profound NO.

But there again, the world would have us believe that when we ask, we must ask only for the bare minimum; otherwise, we’re being greedy. Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (NLT, my emphasis).

God is a generous God, and there are plenty of verses in the Bible to prove that.

Let me end with something from the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The father in that parable represents God, and he tells the elder brother (that’s us, though we are also the prodigal), “All that I have is yours” (Luke 15:31 NKJV).

All that God’s kingdom has is ours for the asking. “Ask, and it well be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matt. 7:7–8 NKJV).

When we truly seek the kingdom of God, we’re not begging God to move. Instead we’re aligning our thoughts and desires with what’s already true: God’s divine pattern of abundance. His kingdom isn’t a faraway promise fulfilled when we reach heaven. It lives within us as rivers of living water ready to spring forth.

Turn your back on the lie that we must earn it.

All that He has is already ours; we have only to ask, believe, receive, and live from that truth.

*You Too Can Be Prosperous by Robert Russell