Becoming Like a Child: Eyes That See the Kingdom.

Andrea Brown

3 days ago12 min read

Updated: 6 hours ago

Reclaiming wonder, trust, and the reality of the Kingdom of God.

She tasted the Lord’s sweetness,

And her eyes beheld His glory.

With childlike faith, she trusted Him,

And the impossible became her reality.

Salvation embraced her, granting admission into

His Kingdom and an inheritance so vast that

it would take eternity to unveil.

I. Born Again to Behold.

Sometimes, we treat the Kingdom of God as if it were far off, just beyond our reach. We read His Word as though it speaks only of what has passed or what is to come rather than a present reality we are meant to walk in now.

Yet the Bible reveals a profound truth: the moment we are saved, we enter the Kingdom of God and receive an immediate and eternal inheritance. As we draw near to Jesus, our vision clears, our hearts are transformed, and our minds are renewed to the truth of who we are, who we possess, and all He died to give us. In His presence, we are refined, aligned, and invited into a deep, abiding relationship with our Heavenly Father.

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” John 3:3.

We begin today with a powerful verse—one we might be tempted to skim over, thinking we’ve already grasped its meaning. After all, if we are born again, haven’t we already received all we can from these words? Yet this truth remains as significant today as the first time we encountered it.

The implications are astounding. If Jesus says that one cannot see the Kingdom apart from being born again, then the reverse must also be true: when we are born again, we can see the Kingdom of God. Wow. Let that sink in.

I don’t know about you, but when I slow down and savor the Word, I am captivated by the treasures that rise from the page. So, let’s pause for a moment and unpack what it truly means to see the Kingdom and walk as the children of God.

In Greek, the word see is εἶδον eidon, meaning to pay attention to, learn about, consider, understand, visit, and experience. Does that change anything for you? It radically heightened my perspective.

Salvation brings us into the limitless Kingdom of God, where abundance, wholeness, peace, grace, love, joy, and much more reside. We are seated at the Father’s table, able not simply to taste but feast on Jesus and the realities of heaven and then, as conduits of His grace, enact His will on the earth. As we experience Jesus and come into revelation knowledge of Him, we can understand and share Him and the Kingdom.

I know it's a mind-bender (you’ll find a lot in this essay), but it's true.

II. On Earth as it is in Heaven.

As we surrender to Jesus, deepening our dependence on the Father, and rest solely in the Holy Spirit, we walk like Jesus, being His hands, feet, and voice on the earth. We also have the authority and power He has right now seated at the Father's right hand because our very being is found in Him, and His Spirit resides in us.

May we reawaken the prayer in us, for His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And let’s not skip this. Friends, we are walking in that very answered prayer. Do we perceive it?

Look👇🏾

“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and

forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not

into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Matthew 6:9-13.

Here is our reality:

God’s name is Holy, Holy, Holy in all the earth in His people. Jesus brought the Kingdom with Him. His will is now wholly possible through His children because His Spirit dwells in us. We pray from the standpoint of knowing we are forgiven. We are near because of the blood of Jesus.

Even David prophesied of our day. “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1. I wonder what he would say to us, that we stand amid one of the greatest miracles yet do not know it? The enemy has been put to an open shame, and we are now seated in Christ Jesus, at the right hand of God, Most High, as He brings all things under His feet! Beloved, the revelation of Him brings freedom! It is a glory that can be compared. It is happening now!

III. Elect Exiles and Ambassadors of Heaven.

I think we forget that we are dual citizens—no longer exiles. The Kingdom, our homeland, is far greater than our earthly dwelling. As citizens of heaven, we don’t just represent it from a distance; as we experience it—we have a responsibility to bring the reality it in all its power, authority, and glory to earth. We get to live this out! I wondered for the longest time this word here👇🏾

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.” Hebrews 11:13-14.

I've often thought of myself kind of as an exile “like the Israelites.” Here is what’s wrong with this perspective. It leaves me waiting for the Kingdom to come or to go to my homeland in heaven. What this does is set me up to live a subpar life now, not expecting the fullness of the finished work to be my reality because somewhere in my brain, it isn't. Read that until it sinks in. I would be akin to the saints waiting for Jesus to bring the Kingdom.

Here's the deal–He has! The revelation👉🏾 Jesus hadn't come yet for the saints in this passage. I know we know this, but we don't or wouldn't say it. We are not exiles in the since of being banished and searching for a homeland but rather ambassadors sojourning with the opportunity to bring the richness of our homeland to earth

(2 Corinthians 5:20). Completely different friends. Oh, so vastly different.

The way we appeal to the world is by living out the Gospel—letting our lives be a reflection of Jesus. People should experience Him and encounter His Kingdom when they interact with us. But here’s the thing: we must believe the truth. We can’t operate in what we don’t embrace. If we don’t believe Him, if we don't believe we indeed carry His authority, we cannot walk in it. If we doubt His power within us, we won’t allow it to work mightily through us.

IV. Divine Design—Jesus is the Pattern.

Jesus came as a Man. He did not demonstrate one miracle or sign until He was baptized and the Holy Spirit rested on Him. Why? Jesus illustrated what a life wholly surrendered to God under the power of the Spirit is like. Yes, Jesus is God. And He set aside His deity so we would know what we have been given access to—thus, we have no excuse!

I want to pause here to consider why there are tears in heaven. I don't know for sure, but I have a plausible theory. I think it is because we will see that Time is so precious that God designed it precisely so we can know Him and discover the Kingdom we reside in.

I think we will have tears because we will see the opportunities we missed with utter clarity. We will see that every word He said is absolutely true and that what we stand in—we possessed all along.

He will wipe away REGRET of constantly choosing the inferior in the presence of the Superior. Choosing hay that will be reduced to stubble vs that tested by fire and proven to be pure gold; I digress.

And I'm not saying we will walk perfectly. We won't on this side of heaven, but it is less about a perfect walk and more about a surrendered one.

It is more about believing Who He is, what He has done, and what He has said and is saying.

Can we hear Him? Do we believe Him? I keep asking this because it is my heart's lament, the cry of heaven.

Let’s Consider:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

John 14:12.

Friends, to be able to do the more significant works, we must believe that through the Spirit of the Living God in us, we can do the same works. It isn't us; it’s Him. I thought the question concerned belief, but I am beginning to question whether we even desire this: Do we desire to be conformed to His image, or have we become like the children of Israel, comfortable with Egypt, complacent in the commission? I am reminded that making disciples isn't the only thing; we are the vessels by which heaven invades the earth.

V. Bind&Loose—Power&Authority.

Let’s look at these verses:

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever

you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:18 ESV

༆

“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:18 NASB

I looked at several word-for-word translations, and they recorded the second version the same.I bring this up because we aren't binding and loosing here first and that is important. It is the opposite–what is bound in heaven and loose in heaven we are calling forth to happen here. I hope that will get you excited. If it sounds familiar—it is His will on earth as it is in heaven.

Here's the thing: it is easy to know what to bind because it is obviously that which is evil. But how do we know what to loose? We only know this by walking with and in Jesus. By His Spirit, we know what heaven is like, and as we receive the Kingdom that cannot be shaken, we shake and altar a kingdom that is fading away. We are accessing what has been placed into our account and releasing it into the earth, not vice versa.

I know another mind-blower🔥.

The implications are astronomical. Heaven has no scarcity. Heaven has no hospitals. Heaven has no problems–only solutions! Heaven contains the Answer—Jesus Christ and it is Him, all He is, that has been deposited into our account.

I wonder if we worship the temporary more than embrace the eternal. It is easier. It is what we know versus the unknown. And it doesn't require faith🤷🏾‍♀️ only our very limited recollection of the facts. You know what I mean. Sometimes, being uncomfortable

in the unknown causes us to distort the facts of our past imprisonment,

making it appear far more glorious than the captivity it was.

VI. Humanity is not a loophole.

Another tiny thing since we are here is that we are human, or, biblically speaking, cloaked with humanity. From our Lord’s point of view, we are in Him, therefore, no longer simply human—but a new creation, which is like nothing that has ever been seen before. I say this so we won’t use our humanity as a shield from walking in what Christ purchased. You know, the “I'm only human🤷🏾‍♀️.”

We must consider what we say because it reflects our hearts and beliefs. The term is not applied in every case, but in many of them, it is a means of stinking thinking or plain old disobedience (that is, choosing us over Christ).

It is said God can not heal what we don't reveal🤔. He actually can do what He wants—He is God. And yet, He is a perfect Gentleman and desires our consent, cooperation, and willingness.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Can we agree with God? The old us was buried with Christ. The new us is now!

Another stunning reality—gleanings.

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17. Don’t miss the last ten words. The Apostle John, who laid His head on Jesus' chest at the Last Supper, wrote these words. He saw the resurrected Christ and wrote about His appearance in the Book of Revelation. As the resurrected Christ is ruling, reigning, and sitting on the throne—so are we in this world, now.

Mic 🎤drop! The implications are astonishing.

Could it be that we have not allowed God's love to permeate and saturate us so that we see that we've already gained eternity with Him and that it is now? We've gained Christ, and at the same time, we are His inheritance. Let that marinade.

VII. Receive the Kingdom as a Child.

As the children of God, we were never meant to outgrow wonder, imagination, and meekness. We are meant to mature in faith and grow in grace so that our lives reflect our Abba Father. Indeed, we have God's spiritual DNA. His fingerprint now encapsulates our lives.

But somewhere along the way, we traded curiosity for caution, dependence for self-sufficiency, and wonder for worry. And yet the LORD, in His kindness, calls for us to let go and walk in Him. Will we reciprocate His advances? Will we receive the Kingdom like the children we are?

“And said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3.

There is no other way; we must abide as His children, walking by faith and embracing a limitless, abundant imagination to realize the Kingdom of infinite possibilities.

Vision of the Father’s Love

I've been pondering a lot this season. The Lord has me in the Holy Spirit witness protection program, and I delight myself here. I've fought it in the past, but now I know the uncomfortable shift and uncertainty are a divine appointment for more of Him. I've journaled a lot during this time and desire to share one entry. Upon awakening, it played out like a movie screen before me.

I saw myself as a child standing on my Father's shiny, elegant shoes. It was in the country at dusk. There was a canopy and a large dance floor. It felt like a wedding reception, with the children sliding across the floor and people in the throws of nuptial bliss. And yet I only saw my bare toes, on their tips, pressed on His shiny shoes. My tiny hands clasped in His and us steadily rocking. I couldn't hear the music; however, I did hear the snap of junbugs and the wisp of fireflies. As the sun set, many luscious colors were painted around us: blue sky, purple, orange, and yellow hues. We rocked, and I was safe, secure, and loved.

I think of how I felt in bed when this vision came. I am home! My frame, nestled in my

bed—visions of heaven. Nothing was impossible—and my thoughts delighted in the truth: nothing is impossible now for the Lord, my God, who is with me. I heard His whisper, “You are Mine.” Oh, how it makes me feel. Bold, filled with readiness and willingness to go wherever He leads. I love her! The childlike me I saw. I am her. Each time I think of that moment—her and Him—it reinforces my belief that I should embrace the unseen because eternity has begun; indeed, it is my reality.

VIII. Walk The Impossible

We won't think of the impossible or dream the inconceivable if our eyes are fixed on a world laden with problems and brokenness. We won't shift the atmosphere, pray impossible prayers, and declare the things that are not to be as though they were if we don't see the kingdom that lives within us with childlike eyes.

Friends, our conversion raised us from death to life, and this wasn't only to save us from hell but much more. We are brought into a familial relationship with God, our Father, and given access to Him through Jesus Christ. Salvation also allows us to see the Kingdom of God and, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, experience it now.

We were never meant to live bound by the limitations of earthly thinking or outgrow childlike faith. Jesus showed us the way—He walked as the Son of God, fully surrendered to the Father, moving by the Spirit, seeing the unseen, and manifesting heaven on earth. And now, we are called to do the same.

The Kingdom belongs to those who will humble themselves and receive it as a child. A child doesn’t strive to earn love—they simply abide in it. A child doesn’t have to prove their worth—they simply belong. Children don’t limit their imagination to what they see—they believe in that which is greater than themselves. And this is the posture of those who will see God’s Kingdom now.

So, beloved, let go of the lesser. Release the grip on this world’s offerings and step fully into your place as a child of God. Fix your eyes on the King, and with childlike wonder, behold the infinite possibilities of His Kingdom. See what heaven sees. Believe what He says is possible. Walk in the Spirit. And then—watch the impossible unfold before us.