Everlasting Starts Now

Duane Vander Klok

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14

What does the gift of everlasting life mean? It is often defined incorrectly to mean life after death, but when you receive Jesus as the Lord of your life, your everlasting life begins right then. In that moment, you are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God!

Acceptance into a new Kingdom and a new way of life will require something of you. In Matthew 14:17 Jesus said, “Rethink your life, God’s Kingdom is here.” You are no longer living in the dark, in the ways of the world, or even under the authority of the enemy. You are a joint heir with Christ in God’s Kingdom. See, the enemy took over the authority of the world when Adam and Eve surrendered it in the Garden. But through His death and resurrection, Jesus won back the dominion and offered it to you!

In the Kingdom of God, the enemy has no power. When you realize the authority that you have, he cannot hold you down with fear, shame, bitterness, pain, or heartache. Know that you have a responsibility as an inheritor of the Kingdom of God. Too often we condemn ourselves or continue to live in shame, but the truth is that Jesus has made you righteous and qualified you to inherit the Kingdom of God.

When the enemy tries to hold you back from the inheritance that God has for you, you need to reassure your heart that you have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. Say to your heart, “I do not qualify because of what I have done, but because of what He has done for me!” There is no need to earn or beg for God’s love, forgiveness, or healing in your life because Jesus already qualified you.

Everlasting life does not start when you die. You can live free, healed, and joyful in the Kingdom of God! As a joint heir, you have the power to stomp on the enemy and build the Kingdom of God everywhere you go. Your workplace, neighborhood, and your children desire to know the freedom that you carry as a child of God. And you are the ambassador of God’s Kingdom that can show them the way!