Are You Following Jesus, or Just Trying to Get to Heaven?

Are we seeking Jesus because we love Him, or are we simply seeking what He has promised us?

There is a question I believe every Christian needs to ask themselves: Am I following Jesus because I want Him to be Lord of my life, or am I simply following Him because I want to go to heaven?

Now, don't misunderstand me. Heaven is a wonderful promise from God. Romans 10:9 tells us:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (KJV)

But notice something important in that verse. It doesn't simply tell us to believe Jesus existed or that heaven is waiting for us. It speaks of confessing the Lord Jesus.

Jesus is not simply our ticket to eternity. He is our Lord, our Savior, and the One we are called to follow.

And when we make heaven our only focus while neglecting His Lordship in our lives, we have missed something incredibly important.

Stop Chasing the Destination and Start Walking With the Savior

Imagine spending your entire life searching for water, desperately trying to satisfy your thirst, while standing beside a spring that never runs dry.

That is what we can do spiritually.

We spend our lives chasing peace, fulfillment, security, and even the promise of heaven, while overlooking the One who offers us living water today.

Jesus said in John 4:14:

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (KJV)

Look closely at what Jesus is saying.

He isn't simply promising something waiting for us after we die. He is offering something that begins within us when we come to Him.

A well that springs up into everlasting life.

When we surrender to Jesus, we no longer have to live desperately searching for our next spiritual drink. We have been brought into a relationship with the very source of living water.

That doesn't mean we stop seeking Him, praying, reading Scripture, or growing in our faith. It means we stop looking to the world to satisfy what only Jesus can fulfill.

We don't follow Jesus simply because of where He can take us. We follow Him because of who He is.

Walking in the Light Changes How We Live

Jesus said in John 8:12:

"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (KJV)

Notice again that Jesus speaks about following Him.

He doesn't tell us that we must figure out every step of our lives before we begin walking. He tells us to follow Him.

When we walk in His light, we begin seeing things differently.

Our priorities change. Our desires change. Even the way we understand the spiritual gifts God has given us begins to change.

This doesn't mean we will never experience hardship, confusion, or uncertainty. But it does mean we have someone guiding us through those things.

The goal isn't simply to reach heaven someday. The goal is to walk with Jesus today, allowing Him to transform us as we follow Him toward eternity.

Are We Using Spiritual Gifts for the Spirit or the Flesh?

This is where I believe we need to examine ourselves carefully.

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers. We see this throughout 1 Corinthians 12, including gifts of healing, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and others.

But why are these gifts given?

First Corinthians 12:7 tells us:

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." (KJV)

These gifts are not given to make us famous, powerful, or important. They are given for the benefit of the body of Christ and to glorify God.

Yet how easily can our flesh begin to interfere?

We can become more interested in demonstrating spiritual power than demonstrating the character of Christ.

We can become more concerned about what people think of our gifts than whether we are actually following the Holy Spirit.

We can even begin measuring spiritual maturity by supernatural experiences rather than by obedience, humility, love, and the fruit of the Spirit.

And that is dangerous.

Spiritual gifts are not the problem. The problem begins when we try to use what belongs to the Spirit to satisfy the desires of the flesh.

There is an important difference between allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us and attempting to use spiritual power for our own purposes.

Scripture repeatedly condemns witchcraft, divination, and attempts to manipulate spiritual power. These practices seek supernatural influence apart from submission to God.

Now, I am not saying that every believer who misuses a spiritual gift is practicing witchcraft. But I am saying that we need to recognize the danger of adopting the same self-centered desire for power and control.

The Holy Spirit does not exist to serve our flesh.

We are called to surrender our flesh so that we may walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 says:

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (KJV)

Philippians 3: Where Is Our Mind Focused?

Paul gives us a serious warning in Philippians 3:18–20:

"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:" (KJV)

Paul is describing people whose desires are centered on earthly things.

Their appetites have become their god.

Their attention is fixed on what satisfies the flesh rather than what glorifies God.

And I believe this is something we must examine in our own lives.

Are we seeking God because we want Him to transform us, or because we want Him to give us what we desire?

Are we asking the Holy Spirit to lead us, or are we asking Him to bless the direction we have already decided to take?

Are we seeking spiritual gifts so that others may encounter Jesus, or because we want others to recognize something special about us?

These are not comfortable questions.

But they are necessary questions.

Because it is possible to become so focused on the blessings of God that we begin overlooking God Himself.

Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven. Our lives should reflect the kingdom to which we belong, even while we are still living in this world.

Seek the Giver, Not Just the Gifts

There is nothing wrong with desiring heaven.

There is nothing wrong with praying for healing, provision, spiritual gifts, or blessings.

God is a loving Father who cares for His children.

But there is something wrong when those things become more important to us than knowing Him.

Think about this.

If God never gave you another earthly blessing, would Jesus still be enough?

If nobody ever recognized your spiritual gifts, would you still serve Him?

If following Jesus meant walking through hardship instead of receiving comfort, would you still follow?

Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy.

In Luke 9:23, He said:

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (KJV)

That is a very different message from simply believing so we can avoid hell.

It is a call to surrender.

A call to obedience.

A call to let go of our own desires and allow Jesus to become the Lord of every part of our lives.

And here is the beautiful thing about that surrender.

When we stop chasing everything the world tells us we need and begin seeking Jesus above everything else, we discover that what our souls have been searching for was found in Him all along.

Eternity Is the Promise, but Jesus Is the Treasure

I look forward to eternity with God.

I look forward to the day when suffering, death, and sin will be no more.

But I don't want to spend my entire life simply waiting to arrive somewhere while missing the relationship Jesus has called me into today.

He is the living water.

He is the light that guides our path.

He is the One who fills us with His Spirit and equips us to serve others.

And He is worthy of our surrender, not merely because of what He promises to give us, but because of who He is.

So perhaps we need to change the question we have been asking.

Instead of simply asking, "Am I going to heaven when I die?"

Maybe we should also be asking:

"Is Jesus truly Lord of my life while I am living?"

Because when we seek Him, surrender to Him, and walk in His Spirit, we begin living with an eternal perspective right now.

Heaven is not something we earn through our works or spiritual accomplishments. Salvation is a gift of God's grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ.

But genuine faith is not meant to remain an empty confession. It produces a life that increasingly reflects the One we claim to follow.

We are not called to chase heaven while leaving Jesus behind.

We are called to follow Jesus, and He is the One who leads us into everlasting life.

Don't become so focused on reaching the destination that you forget to walk with the One who is leading you there.

Pastor Scott AcklinNew Fire Ministries

A Question for Reflection:

If heaven were not your primary motivation, would your relationship with Jesus look any different today?

Take some time to examine what you are truly seeking. Not just what you say you believe, but what your daily life reveals about whom you follow.

Pastor Scott