John 4:34 ESV

Jesus said to them, “MY FOOD IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME AND TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WORK.”

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK HEARTILY, AS FOR THE LORD AND NOT FOR MEN, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. YOU ARE SERVING THE LORD CHRIST.

2 Corinthians 5:5–10 NET

Now the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord— FOR WE LIVE BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT. Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. SO THEN WHETHER WE ARE ALIVE OR AWAY, WE MAKE IT OUR AMBITION TO PLEASE HIM. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

John 2:13–17 NKJV

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “TAKE THESE THINGS AWAY! DO NOT MAKE MY FATHER’S HOUSE A HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE HAS EATEN ME UP.”

Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB

“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Philippians 3:12–14 HCSB

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, BUT I MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO TAKE HOLD OF IT BECAUSE I ALSO HAVE BEEN TAKEN HOLD OF BY CHRIST JESUS. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. BUT ONE THING I DO: FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND AND REACHING FORWARD TO WHAT IS AHEAD, I PURSUE AS MY GOAL THE PRIZE PROMISED BY GOD’S HEAVENLY CALL IN CHRIST JESUS.

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.

Matthew 6:31–33 ESV

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU.

Proverbs 29:18 KJV

WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Acts 13:36 ESV

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.

Exhortation: Kingdom Ambition To Do God’s Will and Finish His Work

From the beginning, God placed a desire within the human heart to create, build, heal, and transform the world to bring Him glory. Ambition is not the enemy of faith—misdirected ambition is. Ambition itself is not evil—it is God-given. Kingdom ambition is not about self-advancement, but divine assignment. It is about being driven by God’s calling, not a selfish agenda.

One of the enemy’s most subtle strategies is not merely to tempt us into sin, but to keep believers ignorant of the potency, effectiveness, and power of godly ambition, leaving them either uncertain of their passion or reckless with it. The enemy would rather see us squander our hearts’ fire—dimming it through passivity or misdirecting it toward self—than see it fully surrendered to the purposes of God.

Many believers wrestle deeply with ambition, unsure whether their desire to build, lead, create, and influence is spiritual or selfish. Some suppress their drive altogether, fearing pride, visibility, or failure. Others chase success without discernment, confusing momentum with obedience. This tension leaves the Church divided between exhaustion and inactivity—full of gifted people unsure whether their passions belong in God’s kingdom or if they belong at all.

During the first part of this year, we focused on prioritizing God’s presence and reestablishing the lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. Like Peter, who boldly declared in Matthew 16:16 ESV, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” we are reminded that the Church Jesus is building is not advancing an earthly empire but participating in a heavenly kingdom. What was lost in the Garden of Eden through sin—including humanity’s dominion and purpose—has been fully restored through the finished work of Jesus Christ. God is not calling us to ambitionless faith, but to redeemed ambition—a fire refined by surrender and aligned with His reign.

Understanding Kingdom Ambition

The kingdom Jesus proclaimed is not a political revolution, nor is it personal achievement cloaked in spirituality. It is a spiritual transformation that reorders desire itself from being self-focused to God-centered. The kingdom of God speaks of God’s sovereign reign—His active rule over all creation—and the realm where His will is joyfully accomplished. When ambition is detached from God’s kingdom, it becomes carnal, destructive and without eternal value. But when ambition is submitted to Christ, it becomes a holy fuel—driving discipleship, justice, creativity, and mission. The kingdom is not inherited by the self-made, but by those who recognize their spiritual poverty and dependence on God. It is received “like a little child” (Mark 10:15)—with trust, humility, and obedience.

God’s heartbeat is for all His people to be set on fire by godly ambition and zeal to serve Him. Kingdom ambition is focused more on a person—Jesus Christ—not a task.

You are consumed with Jesus; you are consumed with what He wants you to do. In kingdom ambition, we are not the drivers; God is. We are followers of God, pursuing what He pursues, doing what He wants done, and obeying what He commands. It is not self or flesh-driven; it is God-driven. It is marked by Christ’s virtues, passion, and purpose. It is a devotion, commitment, and an all-consuming love and passion for Jesus Christ first, not to a task, ministry, position, or program. Because of being possessed by an all-consuming passion for Jesus, one becomes consumed by the zeal and passion to please Him. Then everything He says or commands becomes our driving ambition to fulfill. Kingdom ambition is more about being sensitive to God and hearing Him, and not about what we personally want to do and think we have the ability and strength to do with self-effort and self-reliance.

Where does kingdom ambition come from? The originator of kingdom ambition is the Holy Spirit when He imparts a revelation concerning the will of God or an assignment for a certain person. Ambition comes from knowing God’s call or assignment upon one’s life. It produces vision, passion, and purpose. It is a work of the Holy Spirit that conceives the vision in the heart. Kingdom ambition is to be seized completely by a holy and consecrated zeal, passion, and focus to successfully achieve to the fullest a God-given goal or objective at all costs. This passion is birthed and driven by a holy conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning God’s will, purpose, and work that will not be denied.

• Jesus went to the cross according to His Father’s will to provide salvation for the world.
• Paul went to Macedonia in obedience to the Holy Spirit despite warnings of danger.
• Noah built an ark as commanded by God.
• Elijah turned Israel back to God at Mount Carmel.
• David killed Goliath to honor God and overcame Israel’s enemy, the Philistines.
• Moses freed Israel from slavery in Egypt without compromise in obedience to God’s call.
• Joseph saved nations from famine by trusting God.
• Joshua prayed for the sun to stay up until Israel won the battle.
• Elisha refused to leave Elijah until he was assured that he had received the double portion of Elijah’s anointing.

Without this passionate and godly ambition to love, obey, and serve King Jesus, all ambitions are carnal and earthly, not kingdom ambitions. The driving force is not Jesus, but self. Ambition is good and commendable. It is not evil or carnal; only when it is selfish and not kingdom-minded is it to be rejected. Ambition describes passion, zeal, and focus. It is the source of that ambition that determines the kind of ambition one has—whether good or evil; kingdom or carnal; heavenly or earthly. The Bible speaks of both. Kingdom ambition is to be pursued and fulfilled, and selfish ambition is to be utterly rejected and destroyed.

• Paul speaks of his kingdom ambition in Romans 15:20 ESV: “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.”
• Paul also speaks of selfish ambition on different occasions:

a. “The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.” Philippians 1:17 NIV

b. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Philippians 2:3 NKJV

Jesus Christ’s Ambition for the Father’s Kingdom

The clearest declaration of being possessed with a kingdom ambition is in Jesus’ words in John 4:34 ESV, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” Jesus lived for a God-given cause that consumed His whole being. He was trained and raised as a carpenter, but He was consumed by a kingdom ambition—to fulfill His Father’s will to be the Lamb slain for the salvation of the world. He said the zeal of His Father’s house consumed Him. Kingdom ambition is fueled and driven by a holy, selfless passion to advance God’s kingdom, purpose, and glory. There is absolutely no selfish agenda for personal gain or promotion. The passion to obey God and serve others possesses those with kingdom ambition.

In John 2, during the Passover, Jesus went into the temple in Jerusalem and found it filled with people selling animals for sacrifice and money changers doing business. The temple was His Father’s house of prayer—for worshippers to come to worship and honor God and to seek Him in prayer. Jesus was filled with holy outrage because He was consumed with zeal for His Father’s house. With unrelenting indignation, He made a whip of cords and drove those people with their animals and the money changers out of the temple, and He overturned their tables. In John 2:16 NKJV, He rebuked them, saying, “TAKE THESE THINGS AWAY! DO NOT MAKE MY FATHER’S HOUSE A HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE.” He said that His Father’s house was to be a house of prayer, but they had made it a den of thieves. In verse 17, the disciples, on seeing this, remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE HAS EATEN ME UP.” Jesus’ zeal and ambition were for God and His kingdom.

Moses was raised and trained in Pharaoh’s court as a prince, but he possessed a burning passion to deliver the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Hebrews 11:24–28 NLT reveals how godly ambition directed Moses’ life choices.

It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. HE KEPT RIGHT ON GOING BECAUSE HE KEPT HIS EYES ON THE ONE WHO IS INVISIBLE. It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

Those with kingdom ambition live for the love of God and the call of God. They are not entangled in the affairs or trappings of the world. Their eyes are fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith. Their hearts are set on doing God’s will and finishing His work which is their God-given assignment. Their minds are set on things above and they live and breathe to love, obey, and please Jesus Christ. At the top of their kingdom ambition is the foremost focus of loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind. It becomes an all-consuming zeal in their lives. There are traits that are very evident in the life, walk, and character of a believer living out their kingdom ambition. They love God and not the world. They live to obey God, not doing their own thing. They are single-minded on the things of God, not double-minded because of trying to love God and yet being pulled away by the enticements of the world. They live and walk like Jesus Christ in character and deeds—a servant of others by loving them. They not only have kingdom ambition but also kingdom focus and live a kingdom lifestyle:

• to love Jesus.
• to be like Jesus.
• to obey Jesus.

The Power of Kingdom People Moving with Kingdom Ambition

The woman who broke the alabaster jar of ointment had a godly ambition to love, honor, and worship Jesus with her best and most precious. She let nothing stop her—not culture, shame, or criticism. Her heart was consumed with a love for Jesus and the zeal to honor Him. Nothing was too costly for her to offer to Jesus. No cultural or social obstacles or prejudices were too difficult or inconvenient for her to find Him. When we know and give ourselves over to live for King Jesus as His kingdom people, we will have kingdom priorities, passions, pursuits, and ambitions because we love and serve the King. Whatever vocation or profession we hold, wherever Jesus places us or whatever He gives us to do—governor, painter, doctor, teacher, business owner, housewife, postal worker, Uber driver, student, caretaker—we will shine and manifest God’s glory because our unchanging ambition is to prioritize loving and serving Him in that situation. We will prioritize His kingdom work above personal desires, successes, or goals. We will be the best employer, worker, or servant wherever we are placed, be it out in the community or at home, because we honor King Jesus. Whatever He assigns us to fulfill becomes our kingdom ambition. We will shine and manifest His glory and purpose in whatever vocation we are in just like Lydia, a kingdom woman in Acts 16, who loved Jesus Christ and used her house and personal resources to support the ministry.

Kingdom ambition is not confined to pastors, apostles, evangelists, missionaries, or full-time employees of churches or Christian organizations; it is for all believers at home, in schools, offices, and other marketplaces where careers, jobs, and places of work are all kingdom mission fields to manifest who God is, revealing His love, grace, and glory ultimately, living to demonstrate the gospel and love of God so that King Jesus is seen, and many become believers and followers of Jesus Christ. The focus of kingdom ambition is God, not self-promotion, climbing the corporate ladder, or career advancement. The kingdom ambition of taking the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world is not restricted to missionaries like Mother Teresa, Rolland and Heidi Baker (missionaries to Mozambique) or John Hyde (missionary to India); or evangelists like Billy Graham or Reinhart Bonnke, who preached to tens of thousands and potentially millions in their lifetime. It is for all followers of Jesus Christ—at home, in communities, in businesses, in hospitals and marketplaces, wherever there are people who need Jesus Christ.

Three Godly Ambitions of Kingdom People

• To Please God Above All Else

“So…we make it our ambition to please Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NET)

A holy desire to live for God’s approval rather than human applause. This ambition values obedience over outcomes and faithfulness over visibility. It anchors the heart when recognition is absent and guards against pride when success comes.

• To Advance God’s Kingdom Through Our Calling

“I make it my ambition to preach the gospel…” (Romans 15:20 ESV)

A commitment to steward our gifts, influence, and opportunities for kingdom purposes. Godly ambition asks not “How far can I go?” but “How can God be glorified through what I do?”

• To Become More Like Christ

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12 NIV)

A relentless pursuit of spiritual maturity, holiness, and inner transformation. This ambition prioritizes who we are becoming over what we are achieving.

The Church must awake and arise to the call of God and let the zeal for His house consume us just as it did Jesus Christ. We must relentlessly serve Him and fulfill all the kingdom ambitions He has imparted to our hearts in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must live as Jesus lived and be able to say as He did in John 4:34 ESV, “MY FOOD IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME AND TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WORK!”