Paradigm Shift to Kingdom Thinking

Ruby Woo

I finally completed my six-month Mentoring Aligning Process (MAP) journey. I have greatly familiarized myself with the tool to check if I am aligned with God, His Word, His will and His ways. This tool is called the Alignment Check framework.  

Before embarking on the MAP journey, I have never imagined that I could experience such impactful paradigm shifts in my walk with God. God has indeed given me more than what I had expected. It is so true that everything in my Christian life can be so different after I have acquired a kingdom perspective in studying the Word of God.  Previously, I found it so hard to actively align with God’s commands, especially when it does not make sense or goes against my wishes or preferences.  Since being equipped with the kingdom mindset, one thing that I have done differently is to follow Jesus as my King.  As it is so logical that a kingdom subject aligns with the King, I come to realize that obedience is essentially about alignment with Jesus so as to embrace the changes I do not desire or understand.  

In addition, I am now even more convicted that God made me because I have a special mission that literally cannot be fulfilled by anyone else. God has already given me a special set of abilities to do the divine assignment and He knows best how to use and deploy them according to His purpose. In essence, discovering one’s assignment is often more about alignment, refinement, and empowerment, including moving on the assignment itself. It is well said in MAP that we are to “Focus on the aligning. Let God do the assigning”. So often we are too eager to know our assignments without aligning ourselves with the Lord.  

Going where God guides is not necessarily about working harder; it can also be about trusting deeper. While I will never know every detail of my divine assignment, walking and working with God is a never-ending adventure to discover how I have already been prepared in advance for His destiny. God is not seeking to give us certainty and results alone. He is first seeking to give us connection and relationship with Him as our loving King. In order to get us into alignment with our divine assignments, God will allow different disruptions and tests into our lives. By adopting a posture of weakness and partnering with the Holy Spirit, we can be overcomers due to the completed work of Jesus at the cross. To God be glory for all He has done.

Dear Archippus…

We don’t belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to the King. Henson writes in Alignment Check, “Salvation is more than just going to heaven. It is about receiving and entering the kingdom, which is in rabbinic understanding, is to receive the rule and reign of God. And with a King like Jesus, the Son of God, that is indeed good news (Mark 1.1)!”

Kingdom faithfulness is much, much more than the Christian activities we are accustomed to in our churches. Do you seek to align yourself with the word, ways and the will of the King?

About Ruby

Ruby, who is from Hong Kong, is one of the four overseas MAPpers. By God’s grace, she has been serving as a Bible study group leader for some years. Sensing that the end time is near, she is committed to aligning with God’s vision for massive awakening and bringing kingdom influence into the marketplace.