SEEKING GOD

Devotions by Jason Hale

TOPIC: Pursuing God With Your Whole Heart

FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE: Psalms 63:1-4 (KJV) 1. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2. To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: One exposure to God's Presence is enough to make you hunger for more.

Psalms 63 reveals David's hunger for God's presence, power and glory. During his life, he pursued God like many of us would pursue someone we desired a relationship with. He loved God and wrote many songs and prayers to Him.

The sons of Korah yearned for God. Even in moments of distress, they wrote: As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalms 42:1-2 NKJV)

One of the ways we get God's attention is through consistent heartfelt praise and adoration. God absolutely loves praise and adoration. Praise is a response of approval, gratitude and admiration, while adoration is a deep love and respect that we express to God based on our observation and experience.

For example, being in the presence of the Lord is such a beautiful experience that many find it difficult to describe. So when we say, "Lord, You're beautiful," that's adoration based on experience. Another example is when we become aware of what the Lord has done for us. There's no way it could have worked out the way it did had it not been for the Lord. So when we lift up our hands and say, "We praise You, Lord, for You are good, You are faithful, You have made a way where there was no way," that's adoration.

Our recognition of His goodness triggers a deep appreciation in our hearts that results in praise and adoration. We want to know, "who is The One who cares so much about us - as insignificant as we are; He loves us. We have proof that He loves us. Look at what He did for us." Many of us are drawn to Him in this way and begin to pursue Him with our whole heart.  

1 Chronicles 16:11 (KJV) Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

It takes self-discipline to pursue the Lord because we have so many distractions in life. There are many things that compete for our attention, like our phones and social media, television, people and sometimes work. We must choose to make time to pursue The Lord because we love Him, and want to know Him more.

Acts 17:26-27 (NKJV), 26. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27. so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

This Scripture confirms that we were made to seek the Lord and that He is not far from us. So even if we don't know what to do, if we just feel after Him with our praise and adoration, we'll find Him, because finding God is not about seeing where He is. Finding God is about how we start taking action based on what we purpose in our hearts. If we purpose in our hearts that we will seek the Lord; if we say, "I will praise Him until He shows up. I will wait on him until He speaks to me. I will read the Bible until He shows me great and wonderful things out of His Word that I never knew before," then we will find that He was never far from us at all. He was just one decision away. Just one decision. God is that close. He is just one decision away.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (AMP), 11. For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,' says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. 12. Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Psalms 14:2 (KJV) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

In Jeremiah, we see that "seeking God" is connected to a desire and love for Him, and in Psalms, "not seeking God" is connected to a lack of understanding. We seek God because we have a desire and love for Him, and also because we have understanding. Isn't that profound? They that don't seek the Lord, don't do so because they don't understand.

Psalms 119:2-3 (KJV) Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

He says that we should keep His Word. We shall turn away every one of us from our iniquities and we shall seek God with our whole heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29 (NKJV) But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

The key to seeking the Lord is do it with all your heart. Don't go about it half-heartedly. Make a decision to seek Him with your whole heart.

I decree that you shall have the love, desire and understanding to seek the Lord with your whole heart from this day forward.

Remember this: Those that don't seek God, lack understanding.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Quiet your mind and wait on God for at least 5 minutes, then immediately write down your thoughts afterward. 
2. Go through today’s message again.
3. Make up your mind to begin seeking the Lord today.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for Your Word to me today. I ask for the grace to seek you with all of my heart and all of my soul, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, WATCH THE MESSAGE: SETTING YOUR LOVE UPON GOD by Jason Hale
LINKS:
PART 1: https://youtu.be/JDaCSW5zsmE
PART 2: https://youtu.be/UbqxjxW7GcE
PART 3: https://youtu.be/ciGss3u4zA0

QUOTE: "You don't have to seek opportunity. All you have to do is seek God. And if you seek God, opportunity will seek you." by Mark Batterson.

DAILY BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 3-5, Psalms 77, 2 Corinthians 8

PROPHETIC WORD/DECLARATION: As you choose seek the Lord and follow hard after Him, the earth shall yield her increase.

Today’s devotional was written by Jason Hale of Jason Hale Ministries.

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