This may come as a shock, but you are not your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, your pastor, or your best friend. The mold that is you won’t fit another person’s mold. Stop trying to be someone else.

The you that God made is unique. Your personality and gifts are unique. They won’t work with another template. But the only way they will work according to the great plan that God designed for you is if you stop looking back. You are a  new creation in Christ. The old you is dead. Stop digging him up to look at all the stuff he did. That’s ancient history now. You’re not a kingdom archaeologist, you’re a kingdom trailblazer.

You connect with your unique plan when you turn your heart to God. Let Him walk you through the steps of your life. Listen to His voice in the quiet places. Let His word soak into your spirit  and affect your thoughts. Ask Him for revelation on what that plan looks like. It’s probably not as bizarre and wild as you think. It’s probably got a lot to do with what you already love.

Be the you you were meant to be, not the person you admire that you will  never be. You are blessed by God in a way that only you can live. If you don’t, there will be people who will never see God because you weren’t there to show them. That’s how important it is for you to be real.

When you are filled with the presence of God, you become a portal to heaven for everyone around you. How many people do you work with, go to school with, hang out with? Do they all know Jesus? No, but you do. You may be the only connection those people have with heaven.

You carry the kingdom of God with you where ever you go. You’re not just an ambassador, you’re a connection to the eternal, living God. Walk worthy of this calling. If you refuse to honor Christ is your life, He has no obligation to honor you. Your response to stress and pressure should show others that there is another way to live that they can have.  You’re life should be so different that it’s obvious that you march to a different drummer, and the sound of that drum should make people want it for themselves.

When you live in an attitude of constant praise and worship, you extend the atmosphere of heaven everywhere you go. It may not be obvious, but others will feel it in their spirit. The more you praise, the wider your portal becomes. Imagine walking into a room and changing the atmosphere by your presence, and Who you bring with you. It’s time to have some fun.

We need to be very careful about what we think God expects of us. I used to think that all I needed to do was believe that Jesus died for me so I could go to heaven. That’s it. I had no interest in ministry. That was for other people. I had job and it was enough that I went to church and believed in God.

But God had other plans for me. I began to read the Bible to understand exactly how I was supposed to live. I wanted to hear from God myself. What I learned startled me. The scriptures that I knew from childhood began to convict me for not believing what I already knew. We’re called to live like Jesus lived. That’s why He called Himself the Son of Man, not the Son of God. That’s why He showed us how to pray and said that we would do greater works than He did, because we’re supposed to live like Him.

And He warned us to not live complacently. Just look at the parable of the talents. (Matt 25:14-30) We know that talents were a form of money, but what if we consider that they may also mean talents we are gifted with — music, business, invention, creativity. The one who did nothing whatsoever with what he’d been given was cast into outer darkness. What we do or don’t do for the kingdom matters.

Are you thinking like I used to — He doesn’t really mean it? Or, that’s not about me? You’re wrong. It’s about you, and one day you’ll stand before Him and there will be an accounting of your life. I understand that we don’t go to heaven because of our works, but we’ve been commissioned to be a city on a hill, a light to a dark world. Are we living like Jesus lived? Is the kingdom of God real to us. Do we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind? Do we love others as much as we love ourselves?

Be honest. Be gut-wrenchingly honest. You have to lose your life to Jesus or you lose everything. There’s no compromise. Jesus said, My sheep know My voice,  and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27) Do you hear His voice? Are you following where He is leading. If you are not challenged in your faith, you’re probably not following Him. God will shake up what you think you know so you will have to rely on Him and Him alone.

Don’t be lulled into a passive faith that you think is safe. Jesus said He would spit that lukewarm mindset out of His mouth. He wants a vital, dynamic faith that understands that obedience is better than sacrifice. Read the scriptures for yourself and see where you stand. Many are called, but few are chosen. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, because there is everything to be gained and everything to lose.

The church in America has turned entering the kingdom of God into a prayer to go to heaven. I don’t think that’s what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God at all, at least not entirely. Every time He healed someone or performed a miracle, He told them, “The kingdom of God has come near you.” It’s not a far off place, it’s a lifestyle for us here and now.

Jesus described the kingdom in so many ways, it sounds like the blind men describing an elephant. And because of that, we pick and choose what parts we want to believe and hold onto that truth as if it’s the only truth. But the reality is, the kingdom is amazing and dynamic and unfathomable. It  crosses boarders and joins hearts all over the world, transforming them into a magnificent bride. And yet, despite its narrow gate, it’s simple enough for the smallest child to enter.

The kingdom allows us to live like Jesus lived. That means we heal people. We raise loved ones from the dead. We go off alone and commune with our God to hear His voice and receive His great pleasure. We shine the light of this gospel from the mountain top, unashamed of who we are in Christ. We are known by our love.

We have to be transformed to live like that. We have to allow our old attitudes to be shaken and undone. We have to learn to love like Jesus loves, to believe that He is exactly who He says He is. When we can do that, the kingdom of God will not only be in us, it will all but burst to get out, and that will change the world.

We become bondservants out of love.

Love is not for the faint of heart. Love takes guts and determination. Why? Because we need to love people we don’t even like. We need to love our enemies — you know, the ones who hate us back.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:4-7)

Love does not take offense. That means that you can’t get your feelings hurt, no matter what happens. Forgive, and let it go. That doesn’t mean that you have to agree with everyone, but you are not allowed to hold a grudge or have a bad attitude. You are called to represent Jesus, and Jesus loves everyone.

Check your heart. If you are holding onto bad attitudes toward anyone, repent and give it to God. Ask Him to fill you with His love so you have love to give out. See the best in people. Love them. Bless them. Let God change your heart to be all that you are called to be. You are loved greatly by God, now give it away.