The struggle of living between two kingdoms

The more I get deeper in life with Christ, the more I understand the gap that exists between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. This gap creates a tension that Paul explains well in the book of Romans saying that there are two laws at work in the life of the believer (Romans 7:21). Living a life by the spirit is counterintuitive to us humans because we are also “fleshly” creatures living in a carnal world. Christians must never think for a moment that their lives are without danger, they are to know that they are in a battle; they must watch out for the thief that comes to kill and destroy (John 10:10); they must be vigilant for the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Thankfully, our Lord Jesus has not left us without weapons to fight in this battle. However, those weapons, because they are illogical to us may never be used by us who need it. This post seeks on one hand to draw the clear difference that exists between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness and on the other hand to encourage us to use the weapons we have been given irrespective of what we go through.

There is no relationship whatsoever between the ways of God and the ways of the enemy. James says that friendship with the world is hatred towards God (James 4:4). What this simply means is that you cannot claim to love the Lord and His ways and at the same time love the world. You will end up loving one above the other. Jesus said something similar when it came to loving money (Matthew 6:24). In every aspect of life, the two worlds are in direct opposition. For example, when it comes to virtues we should be pursuing as children of light, they revolve around service and putting the other person above one’s self: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). However, when it comes to virtues that are celebrated in the world, we see that they promote the elevation of the self and destruction of others: sexual immorality, idolatry, debauchery, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, envy, pride, etc.

Another area where it is important to note the difference between the functioning of the two kingdoms is in the area of war. Every kingdom has soldiers and weapons ready and armed for the battle. Every king understands the need to fight in order to protect his kingdom from his enemies. This is true in either kingdoms. However, in the kingdom of darkness, the battle, as well as the weapons are visible and physical but in the kingdom of light they are invisible. Again, they are nonsensical to the human brain. For example, the Psalmist tells us that when we are going through trouble we should praise the Lord (see Psalms 42, 43). Instead of complaining to God about our enemies, or complaining about how miserable we are, we are commanded to praise the Lord and wait on Him for His salvation. Now, I don’t know about you but this is a struggle and it is the last thing I want to do when I am going through a difficult time or when my enemies are oppressing me. But that is the weapon of the kingdom of light. Praising God in the midst of hardships is a mighty weapon. In fact, we have seen this in the book of Joshua when the people of Israel were marching around Jericho, it is with loud shouts of praise that they conquered it (Joshua 6:16). This is mind-blowing! How do you explain this type of result? To not be fighting physically but be on the winning end? This again, is a testament to the fact that God’s ways are not our ways therefore, His kingdom cannot be like the one we are living in.

The last area I would like to mention that shows a stark difference between the two kingdoms is the area of salvation. Indeed, when we look at the concept of salvation, the simple fact that to be a child of the living God, all you need to do is to confess your sins and believe in His son is simply foolishness to the wisdom of this world but that is precisely the workings of the kingdom of God. The world tells us that you need to prove your worth before you can be accepted, you need to go through a thorough process though which you will be vetted to see whether you qualify or not but God says “come as you are, I have already made a way for you, you do not have to prove anything to me for your frame is not hidden from me” (Psalm 139:15). Moreover, when we hear that God himself came down to the earth as a lower being, died in the hands of sinful men to redeem them, it does not make sense to the world. This simply reinforces the idea that these two kingdoms cannot coexist, their values are intrinsically opposed to each other.  

As members of the kingdom of God, we have to be conscious and aware of these differences that exist between the two kingdoms. This awareness first of all makes us less ignorant of the schemes of the devil and pushes us to do what the Father expects of us as citizens of His kingdom. One such expectation is obedience to Him. God has not changed, from the time He revealed himself to Abraham until now, obedience is still what the Lord requires. To that end, we must obey and abide by the rules of His kingdom. We must first and foremost love our God with all our hearts, mind and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5); we must love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22:39); we must not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16); we must be perfect as our Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This is how we fight. It may seem insurmountable but be encouraged because our God is a loving Father and He has promised to be with us, we are not in this battle alone. He not only gives us the tools to fight but He is there to fight with and for us. Praise the Lord!