Command 14 : Seek God's Kingdom | Day 96

Do a Kingdom Inspection!

Every kingdom has a territorial jurisdiction. In Christ's future kingdom, He will exercise His authority over all the nations of the earth. In His present kingdom, He wants to have jurisdiction over all the areas of our hearts.

We will seek Christ's kingdom in vain until we seek Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Scripture makes this truth clear by stating, “Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). Many Christians think they are fulfilling this requirement, but they fail the tests that God uses to confirm His Lordship.

These tests are described in a powerful little booklet that I was given when I was a teenager. It is titled My Heart—Christ's Home.¹ The author uses the illustration of a house to symbolize the compartments of our hearts and suggests an examination of each room.

The recreation room symbolizes the types of friends we have and the activities in which we choose to participate. The study represents the types of books, magazines, and other input we take into our minds. The dining room reveals our appetites and desires. The bedroom exposes the level of our moral purity. The closets indicate unconfessed sin that we are holding on to. We may put a sign on our hearts stating, "God is the head of this home," but does He have control of all of the rooms?

We must understand that God wants to be Lord of every part of our lives. Many Christians will sing about Christ being "Lord of all," but in practice they reserve the right to make their own decisions in areas such as clothing, movies, television, the use of time, friends, and music. However, God wants us to honor Him in all the areas of our lives and to base our decisions on His Word.

For the Christian, there should be no division between the sacred and secular parts of life. We must honor God in all areas.

As a teenager, one of my first jobs was working as a stock boy in a grocery store. I had not worked there very long before the owner decided to play a certain type of music in the store. By today's standards the music would be considered mild, but the longer I listened to it, the more my spirit and conscience affirmed that this was not the kind of music that God wanted me to take into my mind.

I made an appeal to the owner, but he assured me that the music would not change. So, I chose to resign rather than damage my spirit. God honored that decision by not only giving me a better job but also by increasing the sensitivity of my spirit to the Holy Spirit. This became a great help to me in discerning the Lord's will in future decisions. I urge you to do a thorough "house check" to make sure that God is in control of every "room" in your heart and life.

--

1. My Heart—Christ's Home is available for purchase from our Online Store.