A Life Seeking God

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

Often times when people are in danger of losing their life they may utter a prayer such as "If you get me out of this Lord I will serve you the rest of my life!" Many refer to this as the 'fox hole prayer' since soldiers in combat who face terrifying danger all around them and the threat of capture and torture or death,often utter this prayer.

The recent movie 'Unbroken', which is the true story of the life of Louis Zamperini who was an Olympic Runner in Hitler's day and later an airman whose plane went down and after many days floating in a life-raft on the Java Sea, was taken to a Japanese Prisoner of War camp. Life was brutal and the prisoners treatment was enough to make anyone give up. Do yourself a favor and go see this excellent film that is still playing currently in theaters. He did pray this prayer while a captive. He did not follow Jesus right away after being released but through a series of 'God thing' events came to know Jesus' as His savior and later took up mantle of forgiveness of his captors and all but one forgave him. Only God could bring this about. 

When you are seeking God with your whole heart you do have love and forgiveness for those who have hurt you. You realize there is more to life than just you and what you want. Your mission is to serve the Lord with gladness and be a witness for Him. Indeed up until his death this past summer Louis did just that and even became friends with evangelist Billy Graham.  Are you seeking God full steam ahead? If not, do not wait until tragedy strikes to do so. 

PRAYER: Lord I love you and I am thankful for all you have done for me. I thank you for offering the free gift of salvation to all those who call upon you. Help me to show love for all people and be aware that tomorrow is never promised to me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link for a song of worship to get your day started:

http://youtu.be/9LMQfOp9w8k

WHO IS THE FOOL NOW?

 Are you a foolish person? Do you know what pleases God but go your own way and do your "own thing"? When I think of a fool the picture of the joker in a deck of cards comes to mind. I do not know about you but I do not want to look like or be like a "joker" or a "fool".

Yesterday's devotion dealt with not being foolish. There are so many scriptures relating to this. Foolish people are easily deceived by Satan. Someone who knows the truth but compromises their values because they have let Satan infiltrate their mind could be classified as foolish. The enemy loves foolish people as they are easily led astray.

Psalms 14:1(KJV) says 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt. They have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.'
At one time or another we have all probably acted in a foolish fashion. The thing is, we recognize our error and turn from it asking God to help us be wise. Being wise in our own eyes without the Lord's help is utterly foolish.

Do not be foolish. Make time for God and the reading of the Bible each day. Don't just wait till Easter or Christmas to "get religion" but make it your lifestyle. Psalm 10:4(NIV) says 'In his pride the wicked man does not seek him, in all his thoughts there is no room for God.'

Do you have time for God? Would you rather be considered wise or foolish amongst your family and peers? I know my answer and I for one need God to help me daily lead a life pleasing to Him. Do not let your life be controlled by the "lies" of Satan but walk in wisdom letting Jesus be your Lord and savior.
PRAYER: Today Lord I seek your face. I thank you for helping me to stay on the path of wisdom and not the path of a foolish person. Help me remember to pray daily and read your word to get rid of any possibility of a foolish spirit residing inside of me. You are my Lord and I choose daily to hear your voice and walk with you.In Jesus' name. Amen.

KEEP SEEKING CHRIST!!

Are you seeking after Christ or are you just a casual "take Jesus off
the shelf on Sunday" kind of Christian? Maybe you wait till there is a
crisis then cry out to Him?

We are "in this world" but are not to be "of this world". Take a
moment and read Romans 12:2 in the New Testament. Do your thoughts
often turn to Jesus or are you consumed with worry? Do you go to
church one hour each week then sort of put Jesus
back on the shelf for 6 days?

Psalm 119:92-95(NIV) says 'If your law had not been my delight I would
have perished in my affliction. I will never forget thy precepts, for
by them you have preserved my life.Save me for I am yours;I have
sought out your precepts. The wicked are waiting to destroy me,but I
will ponder your statutes.'

I challenge you to love Jesus with all your heart. Make Him truly
first. Don't just say it.

Jeremiah 29:13(NIV) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with
all your heart.

PRAYER:Lord Jesus I truly want you to be first. I get so busy
sometimes and forget that you should always be first place. Help me
not judge others who do the Sunday one hour thing, but keep my nose in
my own business. Lord God I know it is important to combat the lies of
the world by staying in your word and spending time with you. If
people want to call me a 'Jesus freak' so be it. I will proudly wear
the title. Thanks again for hearing my prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on the link below and truly worship God in song:
http://youtu.be/vvcd0iD6SfE

DAILY SEEK HIM

What is keeping you from a closer walk with the Lord? Do you feel you have gone too far and there is just no way he is going to forgive you because of the worst sin ever? Do you think Christians are phony or 'religious' and you want nothing to do with them? Maybe you like to sleep in on Sunday or go to the lake? Perhaps you feel like you do not want to dress up and feel if you don't you will be judged? Whatever the reason that is keeping you away from Him and His house of worship he is still loving you and still waiting for you.

Humans are the ones who have made up lots of the 'religious' and 'legalistic' rules that many churches adhere too. On the other hand there are also churches out there afraid to tell the truth in God's word about sin too. Romans 3:23 reminds us "We ALL have sinned and fallen short of God's glory."  Yes that is right, all of us have been 'bad eggs' at one time or another. Jesus forgives us of our sins but then again says in John 8:11 when talking to the woman caught in adultery "....Go and sin no more."

Psalm 105:4 says " Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face continually." Jeremiah 29:13 says " You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with your heart." Matthew 7:7 further says "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you."

What is keeping you from seeking after God? May I suggest you open your Bible and read the book of John in the New Testament and try to read a chapter a day and see if you do not feel closer to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord I want to seek you each day and get into the word of God. Help me not be distracted by other things and forget until it is time for bed. I know the enemy will try to get me to make excuses Lord so give me the strength to persevere and seek you with my whole heart. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link for awesome worship song to start your day.
 http://youtu.be/GR7726x4LD4

ALL I NEED

Have you ever done a spiritual fast? This is where you give up something, most likely food, and concentrate on praying and usually for a specific reason? Fasting is about denying yourself and focusing on spiritual purposes. When we fast we are not to tell people so they will think we are 'oh so wonderful and spiritual' but we are to do it in secret. 1 Corinthians 15:31 says "I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord." To 'die daily' do not mean literal death but dying to the pleasures of this world we think we need. To die is to put off always putting  'self'  on the throne. It is also thinking of others more than yourself. Self can be a real problem for trying to get closer to God. Matthew 16:24 says "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Perhaps you are good at making excuses of why you can not do a certain thing. Is there something going on in your life that needs serious prayer right now? Perhaps a wayward child? Maybe it is being able to let go of a hurt or forgiving someone? Maybe issues at work? Perhaps a health issue? Maybe some marriage problems? Whatever it is, have you considered the discipline of fasting? I am not promising you an instant answer to prayer, but this is one way to get serious about being close to God and giving him your concerns .

When some outsiders think of 'Christians' or 'church people' they may think of people who like to go to allot of potluck suppers because you are always hearing of that. The sin of gluttony is not mentioned much in sermons now is it? But to 'fast' we need to let our stomach growl a bit and do not think we  have to eat just because it is lunch time. When you feel the urge to eat, then pray. Of course some people need to check with their doctors if they have a medical condition that would cause a problem.

In Mark 9:29 it says "He told them, "This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting." This means you may need to get serious about the praying to the point of denying yourself the pleasure of keeping your tummy full. Half the time we are hungry we do not really need to eat anyway but it is out of habit. When you feel you just can not stand it and have to eat, stop a minute and do a word picture in your head of the little children you always see in Africa with bloated bellies and only mush of some sort to eat then think how much you really need that hamburger. Give it up and go pray. We are pretty blessed here in this country and many could stand to miss a few meals anyway. We are blessed to not have to eat a bowl of cornmeal each day washing it down with dirty diseased water from a polluted river .

There have been fasting movements for the country and for others reasons .You may have something going on in your life or a family members life you want to spend quality time in prayer about and fasting is a good way to do this. If you are free to get away somewhere for a couple hours and concentrate on praying for whatever the issue is that is ideal. If you work full time you may not have that luxury. If you do this at home, take your phone off the hook, turn off the TV and concentrate on worshipping God. Do not get distracted by lots of other things like your housework and such, but focus on God during this time.

Why not pray about this and consider trying a fast? The verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which is often prayed in relation to the state of our nation and it says "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." I have heard the word 'humble' means to fast. Deny yourself and your needs and truly concentrate on prayer and on God.

Matthew 6:16 reminds us concerning fasting that "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." They were basically trying to prove how wonderful they were by doing this. There is no need for this. It is between you and God.

Pray about this and seek the Lord and listen for His answer. Do you feel there is something you could fast about in your life?

PRAYER: Lord I want to be closer to you. I know there are things in my life going on that I need to be in serious prayer over. Give me the ability to do a spiritual fast if this is what you want me to do. Help me to not boast to anyone if I do decide to do this. I thank you Lord for loving me and hearing my prayers. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Click on link below to worship God through song.
http://youtu.be/a_tdG9yM93A