Seek God for a Lifetime

When we truly look for God, we will find Him. Luke 11: 9, 10 says, “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks finds and the door is opened to everyone who knocks”.

If anyone is questioning God’s existence, scripture tells us to come to Him seeking. God will honor a sincere searching heart. As we ask Him to make himself known to us, the Holy Spirit will draw us unto himself and into all understanding.

Jeremiah 29: 11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you”, says the Lord.

As seen in these verses, everyone who seeks God will find Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal” (John 3:16). When we find Him, we will experience changes in our lives but our seeking cannot stop at that point in our Christian walk. 1Chronicles 16:11 tells us to “Search for the Lord and for His strength, and keep on searching”. When we seek and acknowledge God, He will bless and reward us. We must continue seeking God throughout our faith journey.

First, we seek to find Him; to have a personal relationship with God through Christ.
Second, we seek to learn more about Him as we study the Word and travel our Christian journey. Our Faith will grow and so will our knowledge and understanding.
Third, we seek him to be sanctified; to be made holy and more like Christ.

Proverbs 2:1-8 instructs us to “tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of justice and protects those who are faithful to Him”. We learn of God’s ways, His promises, and His instructions for our lives as we read, discover, and study His Word.

Seeking God is a vital necessity as we journey through life. We experience His peace and presence when we seek and acknowledge Him. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we do, God will take care of helping us with all of our other needs and concerns. Put God first and He will help you with the rest.

When we find God, He will give us His peace, His presence, His strength, and His power; the abundant life. We must not stop seeking and must not forget what He has already done for us. As we seek God, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).

Spiritual Anemia

I have been suffering from Spiritual Anemia. I have been depriving my spirit of the spiritual food which it needs to grow and be healthy. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”. If we don’t feed our physical bodies daily, we can get physically sick. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia. I wasn’t eating enough iron rich foods such as beef and spinach etc. My fatigue and weakness was diagnosed and my doctor put me on a high dose iron supplement. It was what my body needed to elevate my red blood count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and serum iron count. One thing does affect another and because my body couldn’t circulate enough oxygen to my system, due to the low red blood count, the platelets in my blood started overproducing to compensate. It resulted in an abnormally high platelet count. I was feeling horrible and couldn’t even participate in minimal exertion before I had to sit down to rest. After proper diagnosis and treatment I am feeling so much better and my stamina has returned.

I have just described a true physical scenario which resulted from an unbalanced physical diet. What happens if we don’t feed our spirits? If we don’t give our spirits their daily bread, spiritual food, our spirits become stagnant and are unable to mature. Our beings are made up of our physical body, our mind, and our spirit. All three components of the whole have to be fed. Our mind has to be kept active; constantly learning or being fed new information, so it can remain sharp.

Spiritual anemia is when we don’t grow up in our faith or when we have a dry period in our Christian walk. As Christians, we have to ask ourselves, “Am I chronically spiritually anemic or am I just going through a low calorie dry period in my Christian growth and walk?” We can’t just be fed for one hour a week on Sunday. That single meal can’t be expected to carry us through the week. As a believer, I have accepted Christ as my savior. I have a desire to learn more about God, and the desire for Him to reveal His purpose in my life. I feel His presence and He satisfies my spiritual hunger when I spend time with Him. I want to be His vessel, to be used by Him. This can only happen if my spirit is nourished.

I have been in a dry spiritual place. When my spirit is underfed, I don’t have enough nourishment to spiritually extend myself to others. The busyness of life overtakes the quiet time which I need and desire to learn, grow, read the word, and be filled with God’s Spirit. I have been attending a number of churches to find one where my spirit can be fed. My spirit was fed yesterday as the pastor did a study on Psalm 34:1-10. I was reminded that “They that seek the Lord shall not want”. In the Psalm, David praised the Lord at all times. We are to praise God even in the hard times, or the dry times when we can’t feel His presence. David was the youngest and ‘least’ of his brothers. God choose David, the smallest and weakest, so that He would be glorified. When we are weak, then God becomes our strength. Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through God who strengthens us. David sought God, and cried out to Him. God heard David’s cry. God answered, delivered, and rescued David. David had an encounter with God. When we encounter God as David did, we will never be the same. David knew that God was his strength and that God was ever present in his life. David wasn’t afraid when he faced Goliath. God had been David’s strength when he protected his sheep from wild animals. God would be his strength against the giant, Goliath. I was reminded that God is my strength against all of the Goliath’s in my life. David said “don’t fear anything”. When we know that God is with us, we don’t have to depend on our own strength or ingenuity. It is not who we are; it is who’s we are. We are a child of The King. He is our strength.

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We must feed on God’s Word. As we read, listen, and are fed, our faith will grow. We become more open to the things of God and are able to experience his presence. When we encounter his presence, as David did, we will live in anticipation of what God will do in our lives. When we encounter His light we become lit. He will shine through us so that He can touch the lives of others. They see Him in us. “The Angel of the Lord dwells in those who reverence the Lord”.

I will feed on the word. I will not be spiritually anemic.