Seeking and Finding God

 

Only by coming to God can we experience His true light within us. It is impossible to have a relationship with God without first repenting of our sins and asking Jesus Christ to be our Savior and King.

If we seek God, we shall find Him. If we knock, He will open a door for us. If we ask Him to abide within us, He will answer us.

If we are convicted of our sin and pray a prayer, it is valid only if we are truly converted. Otherwise, we simply said a prayer with no lasting spiritual fruit.

We know we are converted if we experience a hunger for holiness and God's truth. There is a change in our life that leads to repentance and gradual spiritual maturity.

Justification transfers our sin onto the cross of Christ and the righteousness of Christ into our spirit. God's Spirit begins His sanctifying process in our soul and teaches us that we are a new creation (Romans 8:29).

God sets us free from the destructiveness of sin (Romans 6:22) and calls us to walk worthy of our new name and the calling into His family that we receive (Ephesians 4:1).

 

He implores us to take the narrow road and to forsake the broad road in life (Matthew 7:13-14). We submit to God's will as a living sacrifice and a spiritual act of worship, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1).

Prayer:

Father God, as we mature in Christ, we trust You more and completely surrender to Your call on each moment. Remind us to listen when we pray, as well as to praise and make our requests known to You. We do not reap the full benefit of prayer if we do not sit still and contemplate You as the God of our life (Psalm 46:10).

Prevent us from being pulled from Your presence by the lies and temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil. We love You with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). We draw near to You, knowing that You will also draw near to us (James 4:7).

Thought for the Day:

All the riches in the world, which are desirable and sought after, are not even close to comparing to the gift of Christ in our life. - Job 28:15; Psalm 19:10, 119:127

 

A License to Sin

Since Paul’s time, there is a rash of Believers that think that grace gives us a license to sin. The question in most hearts is, “How much sin can I get away with and still be a Christian?” Actually, Paul pointed out that no Christian can live in habitual sin (Romans 6:2). It is impossible, because the Holy Spirit convicts us of our need for holiness. We died to sin through Christ; therefore, sin no longer makes us happy or fulfilled (Romans 6:2).

There is no sin in Christ, and we are in Him; therefore, there is no desire to sin left in true Born Again Believers (1 John 3:5). If we live in sin, it is because we do not know the true Lord Jesus Christ. We may have repented because of conviction, but we are not truly converted (1 John 3:6). There is no real change in us. Our spirit is still dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Those who are born of God cannot willfully live in the practice of sin, because our spirit is Born Again (1 John 3:9).

There is a spiritual realm, which most people never see. We are like Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, who focused on the natural armies about to annihilate them. He was a nervous wreck and could not understand why Elisha was so cool, calm and collected. Then, Elisha prayed that Gehazi’s eyes would be open to the spiritual world around then. Gehazi’s fear of the armies surrounding them melted at the sight of the entire host of heavenly horses and chariots of fire that surrounded the enemy army (2 Kings 5:14-17).

God desires people who will fix our focus and passion on Him (Psalm 57:7, 108:1, 112:7), those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). We can have the faith and courage to believe that the impossible is possible, once we look at life from the eternal perspective rather than the earthly, carnal one (Matthew 19:26; Colossians 3:2). However, this is only achievable when we are branches connected to the Vine of Christ (John 15:5).

Then, the life of God’s Spirit flows through us. We are slaves of righteousness now, instead of slaves to sin (Romans 8:2, 6:18). We please God by walking in faith in His faithfulness (Hebrews 11:6). We do not strive to keep the law, because we are set free from the law of sin and death by the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Hebrews 8:2). We abide in Christ as a way of life and we have no other desire, goal or focus (1 John 2:28). We enter into God’s rest now and throughout eternity (Hebrews 4:1, 10-11).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are already dead to sin and the flesh, and our life is now hidden with You in God (Colossians 3:3). You are our whole life (Colossians 3:4). We desire nothing more in this life than to live it in You. We want to serve You as a vessel for Your honor. Thank You for setting us free from sin and death (Romans 6:23). Now, raise us up to walk in the regenerated life, which comes only from You (Romans 6:4).

Thought for the Day:

Walk in the Light, even as Jesus is in the Light. – 1 John 1:7

A Double Portion

Read: 2 Kings 2:6-12

"The thorny ground represents the hearts of people who listen to the Good News and receive it, but all too quickly the attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things come in and crowd out God's message from their hearts, so that no crop is produced.” - Mark 4:18-19

After Elijah’s struggle with Jezebel, God gave him a friend and cohort, a man who longed to follow in Elijah’s footsteps. Elisha humbly served Elijah through many of Elijah’s 25 years of ministry, faithfully watching as Elijah performed miraculous deeds to further God’s Kingdom in the earth. Elisha never allowed worldly cares to distract him from following Elijah, even when Elijah advised him to do so. As a reward, God gave Elisha an inheritance of a double portion of Elijah’s spirit through which he served God for over 50 years.

God will also reward us if we serve Him with our whole body, soul – our mind, will and emotions - and spirit. He gives us His joy as our strength as we unwaveringly focus on Him, free of the worldly distractions, which tend to choke the spiritual life from us (Mark 4:18-19). God’s only desire of us is that we serve Him with “a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). We are saved to serve; not to be served. My husband is fond of quoting the question, “If every member was just like me, what kind of church would my church be?”

Is God calling you to holiness? If you are Born Again, He is. Is God calling you to serve Him? If you are part of His Body, just ask Him where He wants you to minister. Is God calling you to further His Kingdom in the earth? If you are truly converted, then your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers are just waiting for you to tell them about Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord, help us not to get tangled again by the yoke of the world that so easily hinders us from serving You wholeheartedly. Help us to keep our focus singularly centered on You. Give us our daily bread and deliver us from the evil that threatens to overtake us. Let Your light so shine within us that men will see our good works and glorify You (Matthew 5:16).

Thought for the Day:

We can inherit all that God has promised, as we glorify His name and boldly ask, like Elisha did, to be blessed with a double portion of His anointing.