Have you noticed almost every aspect of the Christian life is counter cultural to the American culture? The America culture says it’s all about self, what you can do, and what you can acquire. Kingdom culture says it is all about Jesus. Matthew 16:24 Jesus says “”If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” The American culture says it is a dog eat dog world and remember you’re number one. Kingdom culture tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated and not to think too highly of ourselves [Luke 6:31, Romans 12:3]. Jesus is number one. It is completely counter cultural.
Psalm 112:7-8a says “They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;” The “they” this verse speaks of is the righteous, followers of Christ. It doesn’t say bad things don’t come their way. In fact, we’re promised trouble will come our way [John 16:33]. What it does say, is we will not fear what comes our way, because our trust is in the Lord.
Peter demonstrated, in Matthew 14:25-31, if we focus on our Lord rather than our circumstances, we will experience amazing things. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” It doesn’t mean we don’t experience fear because of what we can muster up on our own. It means we don’t give in to fear because we know our God is bigger than anything we fear.
The Kingdom culture mindset is “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
The American culture is known for worry, stress, and anxiety. The Kingdom culture is known for rest and peace. You decided which culture you’re going to live in…the choice is yours. Will it be the American culture or Kingdom culture? As Joshua 24:15 states, I’m choosing the LORD and Kingdom culture. What about you?