Saturday, April 1, 2017

Seek His Face Continually

Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.

1 Chronicles 16:11-12

Seeking the Lord is not something that we can ever afford to grow tired of nor can we complete this journey of seeking Him while living upon this earth… There are so many things that we desire to do while we are living; however, there are quite a few things which we may never accomplish… In reading today’s focus verses I am reminded about the urgency and importance that seeking the Lord plays in our development and growth as a Christian… The bible declares that we can find the Lord when we seek Him with our whole heart; Jeremiah 29:13 says, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. This verse penned in the prophetic book of Jeremiah takes place at a point and time when the children of God were full of disobedience and rebellion… This 13thverse is preceded by the 11th verse which declares to the children of God that even though things may seem bleak; there is a plan that has been devised and will be carried about the Lord… It is in the 11th verse that we find these words, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

I recite these two verses because they speak in parallel with today’s focus verses; the Lord had a plan for the Israelites, even though they endured a lot of trials and tribulations the plan of God was a plan that would provide hope for them; however, this very plan could only be brought into existence in their desire and focus of seeking the Lord as the plan that He had for them unfolded… The times of despair in your life are the times when you need to seek Him most; these are also the times when your hurt is more vulnerable and can be given in completely… There are so many of us that have turned away from God because of the trials and obstacles that we have faced; I feel led to tell you today that your adversity is not to be seen as a hindrance but a sign which foreshadows the coming of the Lord…When you go through tings in life the enemy wants you to become fearful of the way in which things appear to be; however, in today’s verse we are reminded that these times can serve as stepping stones which will lead to your divine destiny… Don’t allow the enemy to deter you from seeking and getting to know the plans which God has for you… The enemy doesn’t want you to be what God has created you to be, so he will stop at nothing to get you to focus your attention else where… Seeking the Lord is not an easy task; however, it is the most important task that directly impacts your eternal resting place… So many of us have fallen victim to temptation and have become engulfed by snares not because we were weak, but because we became to strong within our own minds and did not put our strength and confidence in the Lord… We seek the Lord on occasion but try to handle situations on our own every now and then; we pray to God in the morning and at night; however, we neglect prayer during the day when we think we can handle the current situation on our own… These incidents provide insight into the occasional seeker and the seeker of God who utilizes his whole heart… 

I know that it’s not easy to live this Christian life in the midst of the things that we face daily… Often times we find ourselves struggling and fighting a (n) uphill battle; every mountain seems to grow as we climb and every valley seems more narrow and dark as we walk through it! Today we are encouraged to keep our faith and continue to seek the Lord! It is very easy to give up, it’s very easy to quit and forgo your spiritual destiny, but we are encouraged today to push on… How do we do that you ask… By remembering the things that God has already delivered you from… I have often heard people say that “they weren’t always saved…” and I agree with that quote because we all have fallen short, but let us keep in mind the reasons why we can say that we are saved now! It wasn’t by your doing or your hands, but by God plucking you out of your sinful ditch and placing you on the tender love of his arms… God has seen you through some trials and tribulations already; he has been your advocate when no one else believed in your ability and he has washed you and bathed you in grace and mercy! We draw our strength from God’s love and his faithfulness; we draw power from our past knowing that it was only God that saw me through and we can run this race to the end because we know that “he who hath begun a good work in us will see it through tell the end… {Philippians 1:6}” Look back and be thankful, look forward and be faithful! He has done marvellous works in your life already and he will continue to do them as long as you continue to seek Him… I believe that Isaiah says it best for those who want to find answers, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

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