I am very pleased to host a guest post by Heather Rae Hutzel on Living in the Reign.

After publishing her Amazon Bestselling novel, The Book of Life: The Greatest Story Ever Told, Heather Rae Hutzel began a journey of discovering what it truly means to live in the radical story that God designed for us. What that meant for Heather was quitting her job in the marketing research industry to pursue a God-given dream to unite and prepare the Bride of Christ for the return of her King. Heather inspires and challenges the Church to abandon the status quo of watered-down, Americanized Christianity to pursue a radical, sold-out Kingdom life.

Heather lives with her husband in Northern Kentucky where they enjoy spending time in their garden, taking photographs, and playing with their beloved dog. You can find out more at HeatherRaeHutzel.com.

You will enjoy what Heather Rae has to say…

Stop “Building” the Kingdom and Do THIS Instead

It is common in the Church to hear talk about “building” the Kingdom of God, but here’s the thing: Jesus never told us to build His Kingdom; He told us to “seek” it. (Matthew 6:33)

This denotation might not seem significant, but it is. Here’s why. We don’t need to build the Kingdom, because it already exists. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Mark 1:15) The Kingdom of God is here and now, and here are the 4 steps for finding it.

1. Remember God’s Story

Remembering God’s Story is the first step in seeking the Kingdom, because when we understand that God’s Story is the story for which we were designed, it changes the way we view the world, influences our decisions, and shapes our character.

This transformation happens when we grasp these two key themes:

God’s Story is a love story

God’s Story speaks of His love from the very beginning, because “the beginning,” as the Bible calls it, is not God’s beginning. It is our beginning! God could choose any point in time to start recording history, but He chose the moment we walked onto the scene. It’s as if He is saying, “There is no story worth telling before I met you.” From the beginning to the end, this love story tells of the greatest lover who ever lived and the object of His adoration–you.

God’s Story is a Story of War

We know from scripture that sometime before God created humans, He created a heavenly realm filled with angelic beings. One of these, Lucifer, became proud; he decided that he wanted the honor that was given to God, so he rebelled, and he became Satan.

As the story goes, Satan deceived and tempted Adam and Eve, and they sinned, bringing a curse upon creation and ultimately upon the image of God.

By implanting two little lies—one about us and one about God—the enemy was able to create a domino effect that toppled the entire structure of God’s story. Satan succeeded in his mission to corrupt, taint, and ultimately destroy the foundation of the Kingdom so that nothing could stand upon it.

But thankfully, God had a plan.

2. Renew our Foundation

The foundation of God’s story was originally built upon the relationship of two key pieces—God’s character and our identity. God’s character is understood like this: God is love (1 John 4:8), and our identity is to be the image bearers of God, a people who reflect His love to the world (Genesis 1:27). The love relationship between these two pieces—us and God—was not just the foundation of God’s Story but also His Kingdom.

After the enemy destroyed our foundation, God made His move. He sent Jesus Christ, the Rock. He renewed our foundation in this: Jesus revealed not only the true character of God, and how we should relate to Him, He also unveiled our true identity as the sons of God!

3. Rebuild the Temple

Once we understand our identity as a part of God’s Story, we can begin to identify the unique role we play. The truth is this: each of us who bears the image of God and His Spirit within us are like chiseled pieces of marble, foundational stones, hand-carved by God, made for a noble purpose.

The problem is, the stones for the Temple are scattered across the earth like a pile of rubble strewn about a desert floor. We the church are not united. We are living a lie, a work of fiction. We have settled for a life of mediocrity. We are living far below the greatness for which we have been called.

But we are in the final chapter of God’s story. We have a role to play. We are made for more. It’s time that we, as the Church body, unite. It’s time for us to rise up from the ashes, emerge from the rubble, pick up the pieces, and carry them back to the cornerstone, the Foundation. It’s time to rebuild the Temple!

4. Revive the Kingdom!

In ancient times, in any kingdom, the temple was the center and hub for all people. Everything revolved around the temple and temple life. So my question to the Church is this: “If we are not united as the Temple, the body of Christ, how can we expect there to be a Kingdom of God?” It all starts with the Church.

The Kingdom begins with the Temple.

The Church is the means by which the Kingdom of God expands. The Kingdom of God is here and now, but it is hidden and in need of excavation. Like our precious Temple, the Kingdom is buried among the rubble of deception and a fictional, worldly story.

It is only when the Church, the Temple of God, is united and operating according to God’s story that we can transform the world, bring all of creation back under God’s reign, and revive His Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is not some day in the sky when we die by and by. No, the Kingdom of God is here and now! We simply need to seek it.

This article is based on Heather’s FREE ebook, RE for REvolution: A Manifesto for Living a Revolutionary Kingdom Life. Download your FREE copy at HeatherRaeHutzel.com/revolution.

She Gets It

This girl gets it! She is one of those God has raised up to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom in this hour.

I really hope you will visit her blog often. Her material will greatly equip you for living in the Reign.

M