Kingdom Seekers

Kingdom Seekers
By Don Vess

Jesus’ message was always about the Kingdom of Heaven. Everywhere he went his message was always centered around the kingdom.  In His sermon on the Mount in Matt ch. 5-7 Jesus taught about kingdom principles.

In Matt 5:25-33 NKJV Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Verse 33 is a synopsis of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a Kingdom Seeker.

In Proverbs 16 there are several verses that define a kingdom seeker:
Verse 1 We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.
This is the “Seeking part”. Waiting on God to hear from Him before we make a move is crucial if we want to have God’s blessing on our lives and experience His divine provision.

Abraham and Sarai exemplified what I means to live by faith and to seek the Kingdom of God, even though they didn’t have any other guiding principles except hearing and knowing the voice of Yahweh. Gen 12:1-2 NLT- The Lord said to Abraham, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

This is essentially what it means to be a Kingdom Seeker. Sometimes it is an exciting and thrilling journey with a multitude of miracles and divine provision. Other times it is full of pain and things that will try your patience and prove your faith. But is never dull and listless. But one thing is always certain, God always fulfills His promises!

Heb. 11:7-12 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
We may not see the promise fulfilled in natural terms, but if we are faithful, it will come to pass.

Prov. 16:9 NLT- We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

It is a good thing to have a vision for the Kingdom. But what we have in mind may not always be what the plan of God is.
If we are kingdom seekers, we must be willing to alter our course if God so leads.

Today, we are honoring a wonderful couple and their beautiful family as they launch out in the direction God is leading them. I know that this may not be the way they thought God would point them in the direction He wants them to go, but they were willing to wait on Him and to serve wherever He planted them. When Jade and Katy came to DC we had a meeting, and Jade told me that he sensed that God wanted him to pastor but that had not happened yet. I encouraged him to serve, glean, and prepare himself and when the proper time came the Father would put him where He wanted him to be. Neither one of us saw it the way God saw it. But here we are, several years later and God has opened a door for he and Katy to walk through as they become lead pastors at Northgate Church. We don’t see this as a “separation, but rather an extension of the mission of Destiny City and a partnership in Kingdom Building.

Jade will continue to be the Dean of Students of Impact School of Ministry and Katy will continue the Wednesday Night Connect Group until the Lord changes the situation, if He does. But, bottom line, it is a part of Kingdom Seeking! It is about relationship and cooperation and Unity of the Body!
We would like to lay hands on them, bless them and ask Father to pour out His divine anointing upon them as they begin this new chapter in their lives.