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Spiritual Success Seeking God Series
Contributed by Joe Hayes on Nov 25, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Where would we be without Prayer? Without God You can also listen at www.preaching.co.nr
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SEEKING GOD
The Bible and preachers often compel the people of God to ’seek the Lord’, Isaiah tells us to "seek the Lord while He may be found", King David says "we should seek the Lord always" (see Isa 55:6, lChor 16:11).
"We need not fear that in seeking God we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our ALL, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the ONE". A.W Tozer
A SEEKER OF GOD
What does it mean to be a seeker of God ? It is often reduced to ’one who prays’ but scripture reveals more about seeking God than just praying, God said His people must "seek His face and then call on Him" (see 2Chor 7:14).
Every born again Christian is a seeker of God, because God graciously sought out unbelievers, and by the Holy Spirit God drew them to Himself. In seeking and drawing unbelievers God places a desire within their hearts to seek Him (see Eph 2:1-10, Act 17:27). The Christian life begins with God, ends with God and in between cannot exist without God. Therefore it is vital for the believer to seek God. A seeker of God is consumed by a desire in his life to have more of God, he is never spiritually satisfied always hungering and thirsting for more of God, he is overwhelmed by a zeal for God (see Matt 5:6, Rom 12:2).
People should look at the Christian and see that he is seeking some thing more in this life than the temporary pleasures the world offers. Seeking power, popularity and plenty of money in this life is secondary for the seeker of God. What comes first for the seeker of God is always God (see Matt 6:33).
A SEEKER SEEKS
What do we seek when seeking God ? Most people I think would say "God" ! But there is more to seeking God than simply praying each day to God. Scripture teaches to seek God we must seek;
1 The precepts of God, they are His moral and spiritual commandments, His ways for living the Christian life while on this earth (See Ps 119:45).
2. The righteousness of God that we may be holy as He is holy and be transformed to the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ (see Hos 10:12).
3. The strength and help of God to live according to His commandments and ways (see lChor 16:11, Ps l05:4).
4. The will, counsel and direction of God for our future in Christ (see Exo 18:15).
5. The blessing, prosperity and success of God. It is not selfish to seek blessing it is obedience (see Ps 112:9).
Above all else when seeking God we must first, Jesus tells us "seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" and we must always seek His face. .
The Kingdom of God is His rule and reign. It is to God’s rule that Christians must submit their lives before all else. Christians must make God their King, that His righteousness may be experience and revealed in them (see Matt 6:33)
God’s face cannot be seen scripture tells us (see Exo 33:20). In Hebrew the face of God speaks of the presence of God so when told to seek the face of God
it is His presence we are looking for. The presence of God is not some mystical experience that is reserved for a chosen few. The presence of God has always been with His people from Adam to Abraham (see Gen 3:5, 12:1-3), from the Wilderness to the Tabernacle (see Exo 13:21-22, 40;34-38), from the Prophets to Immanuel (Matt 1:23) and today in the poured out presence of the Holy Spirit (see Jh 16:12-
15).
As sin stopped Adam and fear stopped Abraham Seeking the face of God. The demands of life such as family, friends, work and even Church can stop the people of God seeking the presence of God. Jesus said "where your treasure is there your heart will be also" is your treasure in God’s presence? That is where more of Jesus is to be found.
WHERE, HOW & WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS SEEK GOD
Where the believer seeks the presence of God comes back to the foundations of the Christian life. God can be found in His house and in His Word as the believer by faith in prayer seeks to meet with God (see Lk 10:11).
How the believer should seek God is with his whole heart, with his mind prepared and determined to find God and with his body offered as a living sacrifice. Seeking God involves our whole lives (see Ps 119:2-10).
Why the believer should seek God, because it is good, "O taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps 34:8).