Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven!
We have all made this declaration thousands of times, and yet, there are so many insidious ways that the enemy of our souls finds to take our hearts off of God’s heavenly will for His kingdom on Earth.
When I first married my husband, I was so grateful to God to the point that I unintentionally allowed Dave to become an idol in my life. This is, I believe, not an unusual occurrence when people are deeply in love with one another; however, it never occurred to me that this had become so until my husband pointed it out one day. With great humility he sat me down and explained that I was putting way too much spiritual expectation on his meeting my needs and had begun to make my relationship with him more of a focus than my relationship with God. As he opened my eyes to this very glaring fact, I knew it instantly to be true. My love for Dave had superseded my passion for the presence of God. I was becoming more and more content in depending upon my husband to meet every need and fulfill every desire and to give me guidance and counsel.
Some of this dependence is not inherently bad, but it was growing to a point of becoming spiritually dangerous for me, as well as for my husband. Dave was, of course, flattered and happy to be my “everything,” but he began to see a lessening in how his wife was pursuing the presence of Christ in all things. How blessed I am to have married this man, for he was unpretentious enough to guide me back to the One my heart should always be fully captivated by. My kingdom life and work could have been damaged and/or delayed by the enemy’s attempt to distract me, even with something as wonderful as my new spouse! The devil is devious and underhanded to do such a thing, but he is so successful at it that many Christians, myself included, can easily fall prey to it.
Perhaps your distraction is not a person, but might be technology, a hobby or the busyness of your life doing good and valuable kingdom things. The devil knows where we are weak and most likely to be tempted. Sometimes it doesn’t take long before we are physically or mentally caught up in the presence of what is not God’s intent for us. The key is to recognize when this is beginning to happen to us and to find victory. For some of us, it will mean a greater effort, for we have already become addicted or distracted. We must help one another and encourage each other to be faithfully yoked to Jesus over all other distractions (even those that seem to be kingdom-focused).
That said, how can we pray for God’s best kingdom life each day? Here are several to get you started:
Father, help me to have a repentant heart for all the times I have placed others and other things above or before You! Give me a deeper desire to soak in Your perfect presence so that I will want nothing more than I want You! Forgive me for my inattentiveness and neglect. Forgive me for my wandering heart and thoughts. Forgive me for straying from Your kingdom in favor of my own!
Grace-filled God, help me to keep my eyes fixed upon Your face and my ears listening for Your voice today. Help me not to waver to the right or to the left but to walk in the way You guide me for Your kingdom’s sake.
Father, protect me from the temptations and roadblocks the enemy puts in my path to “cut in on” my journey to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those You put in my path. May I never be so distracted that I am not fully aware of a divine appointment or a task You place in front of me.
Holy Spirit, help me to put on Christ daily and to clothe myself in the armor of God each day so that I might be prepared for the battle. May I be continually aware of wearing the righteousness of Jesus.
Lord Jesus, give me the strength to turn away from the things that I tend to spend so much time with that they have become or have the potential to become idols in my life. Give me quick recognition right now of anything that I need to say no to in order to say yes to You! Help my everyday life to be a reflection of Your kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven!
Kim Butts is the co-founder of Harvest Prayer Ministries and the author of The Praying Family (c) 2015 Harvest Prayer Ministries.
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