The kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven is the place where God lives and reigns forever and ever.  It is filled with only goodness.  It is a place where there is no evil, no sorrow, no anger, no doubt, no fear, no frustration, no anxiety.  The kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God is where you feel joy, peace, love and harmony.  Each of God’s children coming together are like the buildings that construct the City of God here on Earth where we are called to live as it is in Heaven.  In these trying times, let us build the City of God!

God cast Satan out of heaven when Satan turned against God, against goodness. Satan convinced a third of God’s angels to join him and now they are demonic forces that are trying to block the light of God and all his goodness so they can gain the souls of God’s children so that Satan can rule the earth.  

But God will never give up on his children and he sent his son Jesus Christ to teach them how to build a temple for God to reside within them and to live on earth as it is in heaven in order to unite all God’s children again to live with him eternally in heaven.  

The temple walls are fortified and strengthened by the fruits of the Holy Spirit – kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty and self control in addition to generosity, love, joy, peace, goodness and chastity. 

Jesus’s message to all of human kind was to give up all of the things that do not produce good fruits in your life and invite love into your heart instead.  

“Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:17-20)

Jesus paid the ultimate price to teach us there is nothing worth holding onto if it is holding you back from the kingdom of God.  There is nothing unforgivable and Jesus died to show us we are forgiven for all of our sins of the past, future and present.  There is nothing we need to hold onto if it does not bring us joy, peace, love and acceptance.  

Forgiveness is the first step to build God’s kingdom of heaven on earth.  

Forgive yourself and forgive others of anything you may think is an imperfection because only God can judge.  It is that fear, hatred, dread, discontentment, guilt, sorrow that will lead you to hell so let that baggage go.  Let it fall off and never touch it again.  

God gave us His only begotten son, Jesus to show us how to live and love on earth as it is in heaven.  We must love one another as we would want to be loved.  

Jesus teaches us that from the beginning, God saw everything he made as good and we must seek to be like him and find the good in everything we see.  

Jesus teaches us that we are all a part of one body.  There is nothing one of us can do that doesn’t impact everyone else.  So we are called to be mindful and intentional in our thoughts, in our words, in what we have done and what we fail to do.  

If each of us can be pure in heart, wise in mind and strong in body, we can build the foundations and eventually the towering walls of a beautiful temple of a living God…In this state, we allow the gifts of The Holy Spirit to work through us in concert with others and unite God’s children on earth to experience heaven.  

Have you ever been happy and run into someone who was sad?  It is hard to maintain your happiness.  But if you are sad and you run into someone who is happy, it is also possible their happiness will overcome your sadness.  It is in this way that we must be the beacon of light, a beacon of hope and a shower of love…we must overcome the darkness with the light, we must overcome the doubt with hope and we must pour our love out to one another to drown out the hatred and hardships Satan so wants us to use to block heaven from earth.    

Everyone of us has the free will to invite God to live within us.  Everyone of us has the free will to make choices that either bring us closer to God and his kingdom or further away from it.  

So what would bring you closer to God?  A sense of wonder at his blessings.  A sense of awe in his power and glory and design and what he has called you to do.  A sense of order in understanding the laws of the universe – what you reap you will sow, what you seek you shall find.  A sense of unity with one another – recognizing it will take us all having a part to bring God’s kingdom of heaven to earth.  And finally, a sense of duty that we are responsible for not only every action of our own, but also for leading people to the light, to God, to heaven but by doing so through example rather than coercion or force just as Jesus taught us.  

Building a temple or a holy and sacred place within your heart for you to invite God the Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit to reside will bring you closest to God.  Become the tree that bears good fruit! God is always with you and yet he desires to be in partnership with you so his power and glory are magnified when you ask for his assistance.  With God, all things are possible.  

Developing a relationship with the trinity to create a sense of love, faith and hope for each other will help you find the good in all things – to see the world through God’s eyes.  And then creating a trust that God’s plan is aligned with your best intentions for building the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven will make you an heir of his kingdom as a child of God.  

What would take you further away from God?  Fear, mistrust, anxiety, rage, judgements, and unforgiveness of it all.  What would also take you away from God is a sense of aloneness as though what you do doesn’t matter or isn’t important to anyone else.  A belief that God is out to punish you will lead you further away from God – that is what Satan wants you to believe to put doubt in your mind and your heart about God’s goodness.  A belief that you are not in control of what happens in your life or that God is playing you like a puppet on a string. God loves us so much, he gave us the free will to love him back or not.  He espouses unconditional love and would never force or coerce you to be ungenuine.  A belief that you were not made perfect in God’s eyes.   

And if you desire to build the city of God, you will invite and show others by your example the way that Jesus Christ’s showed us how to live and how to love.  The City of God is full of lights like a city skyline that is glowing from the hearts of all believers.  The City of God is a sign and a declaration on earth that Jesus Christ reigns both in heaven and on earth.  Lights are lit in the windows of every soul and buildings that tower are full of people who have come together with a similar purpose to love and serve the Lord. 

Although there may be many buildings that have different purposes to either produce or gather or provide, each building is essential to keeping the city running bright and effectively.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, the City of God contains an abundance of everything you would ever need.  It is powered by love, it is ruled by peace and it welcomes all who desire to live in God’s kingdom with a joyful heart.  Like the body of Christ which we make up, the City of God is a manifestation of heaven on earth. 

“Let us build the city of God!  May our tears be turned into dancing.  For the Lord, the Light and our Love will turn the night into day!” ~ Dan Schutte