I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:21

The truth is, many of us hardly know or care to know about what the Kingdom of God is. Why would that be relevant as we live our lives, as we strive for earthly successes: the white picket fence, the Mercedes Benz, the booming career, and the walk to the altar. It appears as if these things are the pinnacles of success. Yet, as Christians our definition of success cannot be the same as the way the world defines it. The Kingdom of God is the very thing that should reign in our hearts, that should give our lives direction; and in actuality should be the very definition of success. You see, when we alter our definition to include the Kingdom of God, our life will become one with integrity, purpose, and fulfillment. So much that, even when the earthly successes land in our laps, our hearts are not transfigured by it.

So, what exactly is the Kingdom of God? According to John 3:3, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” I believe Jesus is expressing that there is a process to enter the Kingdom while we live on Earth. And this process begins with baptism. Baptism is a symbolism of the transformation we undergo in the Spirit, signifying the death of the body (the sinful part of us) and the beginning of a new life in the Spirit.

According to Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” At the completion of this process, we exchange our earthly citizenship to a heavenly one (even though we are still present on this earth). And even though we are still on earth, we are primed to inherit the kingdom of God because the process has already started in our hearts.

READ MORE: Your body is not the boss of you

According to Galatians 5:21, those who live committing acts of the flesh are not going to inherit the Kingdom of God. These acts of the flesh: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies…, have nothing to do with God’s Kingdom. In fact they are the very identifiers as to who are not part of the Kingdom of God. The good news is that the door is open to whosoever will. “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9).

The thing is, when we set our hearts on higher and more eternal things, like the kingdom of God, the less important it is to achieve earthly successes. And when we do achieve them, we are able to separate our hearts from the temporal things and keep our focus on the eternal ones. What I have noticed is that we become less anxious, less worried, less fearful, less bitter, less jealous, and so on. In other words, we get to live out our lives on earth from a new place of power, confidence, and a certainty that our lives are in God’s hands. The things we do not know right now doesn’t matter. What I am saying is that, there is a peace that comes when we inherit the Kingdom of God. We get to make a choice whether we want to be part of this Kingdom. The door is always open whenever we are ready. Although one day it will be closed (Matthew 25:10). So, rather than striving to achieve earthly successes, let’s strive to inherit the Kingdom of God. That way, our lives will become one of integrity, purpose, and fulfillment.