Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The presence of God changes everything; it ruins us for this world brothers and sisters. It drives us deeper into the Father’s arms, it drives us deeper into the word of God, and it causes us to walk in holiness and to walk the narrow path. In the presence of God we can shout and rejoice even in the midst of great tribulation, this is the test of the presence of God and of those who walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.I believe that the Kingdom of God is our true reality which exists outside of time and space. We uniquely walk in both worlds, our spirit in the world of the Spirit and our flesh in this world. Each world has a draw. Since in this body we are dominated by the five senses, it has a tremendous ability to distract us make demands upon we men and women of the Spirit. Resist this world with its demands and distractions and we are drawn further into the Kingdom of God which was and is and is to come, meaning it exists in the now.

Indeed, we are always called to look away from this world and come away with the Lord to walk with Him, not according to the flesh, this world, but according to the Spirit, His Kingdom. It is from this place that we posses all victory and all the promises. Only from there can we sing the praises of Jesus despite being in a dungeon. Emptying ourselves of all worldly ambition and desires we are making room to be filled. Surrender, emptying, obedience are all stepping-stones that allow us to cross over the river Jordan and enter into His promised land to us, His rest, His Kingdom. The great saints down though the ages understood this well. They left the world behind and with eyes that could see the glory of God walked on into the glory, a place of no condemnation and a place of great purpose, the Kingdom of God.

Can I suggest to you that those who genuinely seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness are not driven from God by circumstances but are actually propelled deeper into His arms when trouble comes. They experience Him and all His beauty and majesty all the more deeply. Surely nothing can separate us from the love of the Lord? What a magnificent plan and majestic wisdom that causes the trials and the tribulations of this life to drive us deeper into the heart of God. It confounds the enemy of our souls. It is paradoxical to this world and to the flesh. The flesh cries out, the spirit bows down. The flesh demands attention and satisfaction, the spirit says not my will but thine be done. Those who are ruled by their flesh are taken up with the things of the flesh but those who seek out first and foremost the Kingdom of God mind the things of the Spirit. One is life, the other is death. One rejoices in all things, the other can only rejoice in the good things. One has a spirit of bondage to fear and anxiety and the other has the spirit of adoption whereby we can cry out to our Father in heaven and discover that no matter what our circumstances are, His grace is more than sufficient for us. Those after the Spirit revel in His grace, those who walk according to the flesh are taken captive by fear and can only find relief in alleviation from their circumstances.

What kind of saint do you desire to be this day brothers and sisters? In order to walk in the Spirit we must pass through walls of fire and bodies of water. Yet the Lord says in His word that He would be with us when we pass through the waters and when we walk through the walls of fire. Come brothers and sisters, let us enter into His Kingdom by way of entering into His sufferings, they will not destroy us, they will refine us. Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.