SEEK FIRST
"2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals." 2 Samuel 6:2-5.
The Ark was vital to worship in Israel. It was symbolic of God’s glory, power and presence among His people. The Ark was central to their lives; their worship and their relationship with God. Some years earlier, in the days of Eli the priest, the Ark had been captured by the Philistines. The account in 1 Samuel 4 describes the sons of Eli taking it into a battle against the Philistines, attempting to use the Ark like a good luck charm to secure victory. Israel loses the battle, 30,000 men perish, and the Philistines capture the Ark. When David became king and defeated the Philistines as recorded in 2 Samuel 5, he purposed in his heart to take the Ark back to Jerusalem. David was a God-seeker. The first thing he did after becoming king was to bring back the Ark
We do not have an Ark like the ancient nation of Israel; but we still need the presence of God just as much as they did then. We need His manifest power in our lives today.
"3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 1 Kings 3:3-15.
The first thing Solomon did after becoming Israel's third king was to sacrifice to God. He wanted to establish a relationship with God before he begins reigning over Israel. Solomon sacrificed to God 1000 animals. This made God to seek and to bless him.
Sacrifice has power. There is no greater power in this world than what is available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. He gave his life sacrificially. Jesus humbled himself so that we all can have unhindered access into the presence of God.
"3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper." 2 Chronicles 26:3-5.
Being a young king, Uzziah didn’t act out of his youth and lack of experience. He sought the Lord, and “…as long as He sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” As long as we seek the Lord, He will make us prosper. We don’t have to chase after the things we need; we just need to follow God and He will take care of the rest.
"In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them." 2 Chronicles 29:3.
In the years before his reign, the people of Judah had turned away from God. They had put out the lamps in the Temple, stopped offering sacrifices to God, and had closed up the doors. So the first thing Hezekiah did in the first month was to repair God’s house. He opened the doors of the temple so that the worship of God could proceed. By doing this, Hezekiah was demonstrating a desire to usher back the presence of God.
"2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, 3 for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him." 2 Chronicles 14:2-5.
The first thing Asa in the beginning of his reign was to seek God by crushing idolatry in the land. He dethroned even his own grandmother who worshiped Asherah. Asa set out to remove the foreign altars, high places, and idolatry sacred stones in the land. The early days of Asa were times of revival and renewal in the land.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33. It is not enough to just seek God, but to seek Him first above all things.
When we seek after God with a heart to know Him more, we will receive every other thing.
THE FIRST PRIORITY:
The word “first” in Matthew 6:33 means first in order of importance. It is holding the highest place. First is to be the prime. It means something is number one. The word also means first in the sense of chiefly, or most prominent. Putting first things first is about prioritising effectively. If we want the best from God, then we must give Him the first place in our lives. God must take the preeminent place in our priorities.
Life presents us with so many decisions, but one outweighs all the rest. We make hundreds of big and small decisions every day of our life. Many of these decisions are opportunities that can change our life. Hence the need to prioritize. If we don’t prioritize it above all else, nothing else matters. The fact is, it’s easy to fill your life with things other than God. They may be good things, but they are not God, and God alone can satisfy our needs. Many fill their lives with family and friends. Others try to fill their lives with possessions or with a career, or a ministry. Those things have their place, but they are not meant to satisfy our needs. Only God alone can do that. Putting God first in our life means making Him our number one priority. Every other thing will follow. Putting God first is placing kingdom matters ahead of our personal matters.
The Christian life is meant to be a pursuit of God. To walk through the door of salvation and never drawing any closer to Him, is to miss the treasures that are available in Christ Jesus. "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," Philippians 3:10. To know Christ is to live in a close relationship with Him. Seeking after God should be our most important priority. Everyone has a set of priorities. Your priorities determine how you spend your time, with whom you spend your time, and how you make decisions. It keep you from being battered around by the waves of pressure and help you to steer a clear course toward the proper destination. Those who seek Him wholeheartedly will soon discover that knowing God is the greatest reward of all. Our focus and priority in life should be the kingdom of God and his righteousness. He does not want us to place anything before Him. God's desire is that we worship Him and Him alone. He must come first in our lives. Putting God in the center of our life gives us balance, joy and strength in the times of crisis.
ARE YOU SEEKING?
The word seek means you crave something. It is to pursue or go after a thing with all of your might. To seek means you require something as a vital necessity in your life. To seek is to go in search or quest of something. It is to find or discover by searching or questioning something. To seek is to try to obtain or ask for and request a thing. It is to explore. The question is, what are you seeking? What is really vital to you? Many are seeking for wealth, honour and glory. Some are seeking for position. Some are seeking for a friend. Some are seeking a lover. Whom do you seek and why?
To seek after God means to have an intimate personal relationship with God. Seeking after God means that we're seeking to develop an intimate personal relationship with Him. It is to desire more of Him. To seek after God is to pursue Him alone to fill the vacuum in your life. It is to pursue Him alone to fill that God-shaped emptiness in us.
There is a hole in the heart of every one of us; a deep void that screams to be filled. We search for ways to fill the void—that aching, empty, vacuum inside our soul, that feeling of needing something that if we don’t find and keep leaves us incomplete. We often seek fulfilment in jobs that cannot measure our worth. We pursue pleasure from things that rob us of health. We turn to false idols that can never fill our empty spaces. We seek comfort from people who can never give us unconditional love. We look for a filler in social media and ask the world to fill the holes in our souls with whatever’s trending. We go from one relationship to the next, in an effort to fill the emptiness inside. Yet none of these things will ultimately satisfy our deepest desire. We may find a certain amount of contentment in all these things, but in the end they will leave us empty again. Therefore, the vacuum in our souls can only be quenched by God. "For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9. We seek after God by loving Him daily.
HOW TO SEEK GOD?
1. Set aside a consistent time every day to meet with God: Choose a time at which you're most alert and can block out distractions. Although many choose first thing in the morning after waking up, the afternoon or evening can also work. Try starting out with a half-hour quiet time, and after you've developed greater intimacy with God, increase the time. But don't schedule so much time that you lose your motivation.
2. Seek Him in humility: The essence of following Christ is to imitate Him. Though He was God Himself, He set aside his power and glory to become one of us. Jesus even went further and was willing to be treated like a criminal and die for us. He exemplified a humble life, which we should emulate.
3. Repentance: We all sin. Still, God loves us. He desires that all come to Him, turning from those sins. Repentance brings back divine mercy, favour, protection and the presence of God. God yearns and desires to show mercy, but often He'll only do so when He sees genuine repentance.
4. Seek God through fasting: Consider fasting occasionally to help you focus more on God. It is a spiritual vitamin that nourishes the spirit. Fasting is an expression of our dependence on God. It gives us victory over fleshly desires, and diminished the power of the flesh. Begin your day in praise and worship. Read and meditate on God’s Word. You will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed.
5. Daily prayer: Starting the day with Christ is the best way to put God first and set the day in motion. The pattern is to pray two or three set times per day. Daniel 6:10. Luke 18 shows that we are to pray night and day. Be honest with God when you pray. Tell Him how hurt you are. Tell Him how you need to be comforted. Tell God how you’re thankful for His grace.
6. Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9. The Word is a light unto our path and lamp for our feet. When we spent time with God through His Word, our relationship deepens. Meditate on the Word daily. Memorize a verse per week. Start each day in the Word. The Scriptures need to be meditated upon, read, or heard two or more times per day. Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 1:8. Spending time with the Lord, whether it is just for five minutes or an hour, can fuel you for the day.
7. Praise and Worship: Psalm 100:4 indicates that we enter His courts with praise. Psalm 22:3 also tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Let your praise open the door for God to move on your behalf. When you worship wholeheartedly, the incense from your worship rises to the altar at the throne of God in Heaven. Consider a hymn or other worship song as well.
8. Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving unlocks the supernatural. Psalm 100:4. Giving thanks is product of a life that is growing by the knowledge of God in spiritual wisdom and understanding.
9. Obedience: Obedience is daily walking in holiness and surrender to the Lord. God draws close to those who are righteous. Resolve to live a righteous life. Obey the Spirit promptly.
10. Look for ways to help others: Jesus command is to love God, but it’s also important we love others. Matthew 22:36-40. So, if you’re looking to put God first, consider finding ways to help others.
11. You must be focused: There is a difference between seeking the Lord and seeking His intervention. If your thoughts are only on what you want Him to do for you, you’ve missed the mark. To seek the Lord means our focus is on Him, not simply on our desired outcome. Refuse to be distracted.
12. Be persistent: Persistence means not giving up. Seeking after God will not always be easy, but He's faithful. Psalm 30:5. Seeking after God will lead us to new experiences of worship. Be persistent.
13. Don't forsake the assembly of the righteous: Seeking after God isn’t just an individual pursuit, but a corporate one as well. It is important that we gather with others in the faith to remain strong in God and to minister to each other.
14. Faith: Faith pleases God more than anything else. It is unyielding and unbending trust. Trust is reliance and confident expectation. Faith focuses on God and His Word. It stands out and make its boast in God. Faith commits God to action. It is trusting God and what He has promised even when we cannot see and may not experience the fulfilment of those promises.
Anyone who is seeking and searching for God and His righteousness will not be disappointed. As we draw nearer to God, He draws nearer to us. 2 Chronicles 15:2. God’s presence comes in the person of the Holy Spirit. When we seek Him, He pours out His Holy Spirit into our lives individually and corporately. Come to God. He’s trustworthy. Seek Him above all else. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and don’t forget the promise in the verse’s final portion of Matthew 23:6. Seek the Lord and prosper. Seek after God and be healed. Seek the Lord and be blessed. Seek after God and be delivered. Seek Him today!
If you are willing to start anew with Christ, then pray this prayer: LORD Jesus, I come to You right now. I know I am a sinner, please forgive me. With my mouth, I declare that Jesus, from today, I accept You as the LORD of my life. Change my heart from a disobedient heart to a heart that will obey You. With my new heart, I believe that it is because of me that You came into this world; You died for my sins, take away my problems, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, write my name in the Book of Life, and make me brand new in Jesus name.
PRAYER POINTS
1. O Lord, I praise You with all my heart.
2. I will sing of Your goodness O Lord all the days of my life, in Jesus name.
3. Lord, help me to get things right as I strive to walk with You daily in Jesus name.
4. My Father, deliver me from the sin of error, in Jesus name.
5. Father, help me to walk worthy of and pleasing to You, in Jesus name.
6. O Lord, where I am half and empty, fill me up and make me complete, in Jesus name.
7. If you can pray in tongues, pray in the Spirit for at least 10 minutes daily.
8. O Lord, increase me in the knowledge of God, in Jesus name.
9. O Lord, let me be filled with all the fullness of God, in Jesus name.
10. Father, boost my energy to run the race set before me, in Jesus name.
11. My Father, transform my life into the fragrance of Christ; empower me to radiate Your glory wherever I go, in Jesus name.
12. O Lord, empower me to spend my time wisely in Your presence, in Jesus name.
13. Father, let the same Spirit of prayer that was in Your Son Jesus be found in me; empower me to value intimacy with You more than any other thing, in Jesus name.
14. Thank God for the new spiritual height He has lifted you to.
15. Thank You Lord for answering my prayers, in Jesus name.
