Death hasn’t been defeated yet. There is crying, sin, brokenness, the curse over the earth, and nobody has achieved perfection.

However, the Holy Spirit has been poured out, so there is conviction of sin and transformation of hearts, proliferation of spiritual gifts, healings, conversions, exorcisms and God’s will being done on earth just as it is in heaven.

So where are we then? We exist before God’s kingdom has been fully established, but after Christ has overthrown the enemy at the resurrection, as firstfruits and thus guarantee of that final victory.

In World War II victory was assured when the Allies successfully landed their troops on the shores of Europe. But the celebration of complete victory would only come when they finally pushed the enemy back to inside Germany. There were still a great many battles to be had until that point.

Our reality is somewhere between the landing and the final victory. Between Jesus’ first coming and second coming. It has been described as the 'now but not yet', but is often used in a way which diminishes what Jesus achieved at the resurrection, thereby becoming 'not yet'.

The Pentecostal is foolish to claim complete victory now, before Jesus returns, before he brings a new heaven and new earth, and wipes away every tear, and defeats sin and death entirely. Some of these things are certainly seen today—but much goes unhealed, unconvicted, and undone. But the Conservative is foolish to trust in his own strength, despite the miracles of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the necessary provision of the Holy Spirit (if it were necessary then, why not now?).

It's like a cliff walk where some think that with a few techniques they know a shortcut, a way to guarantee victory: just learn this way to scale the rocks, and you'll get there much quicker (this way of praying; saying these things; using this process). Alternatively, others say the whole thing is bogus and argue going back to find a more solid, well-travelled path below is the tried and true way (tradition, religion, culture). Instead, the way forward is a gutsy but full-hearted trust in God's Word and Spirit, even though you can't see around the bend, and even though it may be well out of your comfort zone.

Mature believers need to perceive God is breaking through now, but will not completely show his kingdom until Jesus’ second coming.

There are at least 7 guide-rails that will keep us away from both excessive heavenly mindedness, and excessive earthly mindedness—and in our world of the ‘now but not yet’.

The above is a summary only, and should be properly understood from the context from which it is taken (the biblical reference).

1. Praying God’s will
   
   Jesus modelled to us, in part, to pray that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). He wants to break through and show himself, his glory, his righteousness, his goodness—something of him through us. And if he wants to break through, then we have to pray more boldly and fervently, but not to the point where we presume we’ve found some secret which Jesus didn’t teach in this prayer that would supercharge your prayers. If you're copying others hoping to experience what they experienced, you're no longer looking to Jesus. And if you're no longer looking to Jesus, you're off track.

2. Doing God’s will
   
   When the Israelites got to the Promised Land they could have presumed that every battle would be their victory, since it was already promised. However, they achieved victory when they sought God’s specific will for each occasion (e.g. Joshua 6 by marching around the walls and blowing trumpets; Joshua 8:1-29 by ambush; Joshua 10 by force, where God then caused confusion and stopping of the sun!; Joshua 11 by hamstringing their horses; Judges 1:1-7; 3:15-30 through assassination; Judges 4 by way of a specific route; Judges 7 by just 300 trumpeters; Judges 20)—and failure when they did not (e.g. Joshua 9, deceived into making a treaty with the Gibeonites; Judges 2 in not breaking the inhabitants' idols. Similarly, they failed when they did seek God but they did not follow his directions, e.g. Joshua 7 taking that which was devoted to destruction).

3. Seek God’s will
   
   When we look for answers, who or what do we turn to? Do we turn to the Bible and ask God, as we should? Or do we let others dominate and drown out what God has written, like when listening to a preacher and forgetting to take that back to the Word (as opposed to a noble Berean, Acts 17:11)? Or do we trust in our techniques of hermeneutics and study to work out God’s will, only to ignore the Spirit's subjective promptings as it relates to you? This latter group is like the Pharisees who walked past the hurt man in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), too busy with trying to get the right doctrine to humble themselves under that Word and genuinely surrender.

4. Finding God’s will
   
   Having sought God’s will, do we presume it’s the same as before? "We've always done it this way." But the problem with this is that we become used to this practice and then trust in that practice, rather than God. It's also just natural that times change, and different things need to be done to continue in love to others. It's notable that Jesus rarely healed the same way twice: he healed by a word, by touch, by mud, by washing, by fasting, and other means and ways. The power is not in the technique, but in following God. In the late 1700's, William Carey was led by God to challenge the church to send overseas missionaries--and was stiffly rebukedSee 'William Carey' under Christian History, Christianity Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/missionaries/william-carey.html. Today, we have to wrestle against the comfort of sending missionaries overseas and thinking our evangelistic job is done! Instead, we need to be missional in our local neighbourhoods and workplaces, as they've become utterly secular.

5. God’s will and ours
   
   It can seem pretty straightforward that God loves us and wants the best for us, and if we pray for bread, even an earthly sinful father will not give their son a rock instead (Matthew 7:7-12). Whatever we pray for, we will get (Mark 11:24-25), right? On the other hand, Jesus eagerly desired a different way than the cross, but humbly submitted to the Father’s will (Mark 14:36). Paul eagerly desired the thorn to be removed, but was told God’s grace was sufficient (2 Corinthians 12). Job eagerly prayed for justice to be restored, but had to endure. So wisdom understands that there is a time when you've had enough bread, and there is a time to endure discipline to produce righteousness (Hebrews 12:10-11). Thus we ought to eagerly run to God, but be quick to submit to his loving will.

6. Relative importance of relationship with God to God’s power
   
   Jesus sent 72 out with power over demons, and when they came back ecstatic that “even the demons submit to us in your name”, he challenged them to instead rejoice that their “names stand written in heaven” (Luke 10:1-20). Your relationship with God is much more important than the power he might give you.

7. Relative importance of godly character to God’s gifts
   
   Paul emphatically places godly love over charismatic gifts (1 Corinthians 13). This is not to say, as some churches do, that being secondary, we neglect the gifts altogether. No, the gifts have their place: in fact, “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:1, NIV). Yet the use of gifts with bad character negates their good use. Instead, lovingly using spiritual gifts in service of others, with patience, kindness, hope and perseverance will produce an abundance of fruit.

In sum, that place between full victory at Jesus’ second coming and Jesus’ first coming requires wisdom to see. It's not 100% health, wealth, prosperity and happiness, but neither is it just death, sin and the curse. We’re asked to pray for God’s kingdom now, continuously, passionately, first. To long for him to add his ‘super’ to your ‘natural’. But, equally to remember He is absolutely sovereign in His will, which we therefore need to eagerly submit to, realising he has not chosen to bring about full victory right now. This submission includes seeking after a relationship with Him first, and pursuing godly character, before eagerly desiring his gifts.