1. How do the five different words translated as “seek” in Hebrew and Greek enhance our understanding of what it means to seek God?
2. Can you share a personal testimony of how seeking God has impacted your life in a significant way?
3. Why do you think the concept of a continual, daily practice of seeking God is important, as opposed to seeking Him only in times of need?
4. How does the promise of being ‘never left nor forsaken by God’ influence your commitment to seeking Him?
5. In what ways can believers exercise their power, authority, and dominion over the enemy by seeking God and living a risen life with Christ, as suggested by the verses from Colossians and Ephesians?
6. How can a community of believers encourage each other to seek God early and throughout the day as an integral part of their daily routine?
7. What are some practical examples of how you can seek God throughout your day?
8. How has the idea of seeking God for intimacy, blessings, and glorifying His name changed or affirmed your approach to worship and praise?
9. Why do you think seeking God is linked to understanding in all things, as mentioned in Proverbs 28:5?
10. How can we ensure that our desire to see greater things in the year ahead is aligned with seeking God’s face and His will for our lives?
David [00:00:00]:
Happy New Year, everyone. Welcome to 2024. We’re seven days in the first week of the new year, and as we shared last Sunday, I taught on this is the year of seeing greater things than these. So I want to encourage you with that. Greater things are coming this year, so get up every day looking for them and expecting them. Amen.
David [00:00:36]:
Yeah, let’s all do that. And then I want to hear your testimonies of the greater things that you see, that you experience, that God does through you. Please share those with us, and you can go online to our website and do that. And so that’s emerginternationalchurch.org. I got it all in the right order there. All right, so go there and share your testimonies with us. We want to hear what God’s doing in and through you. One of the themes that we see throughout scripture is the invitation to seek the Lord.
David [00:01:17]:
And we are invited to seek him, instructed to seek him, and we were asked to seek him by inquiring of him. And so today we’re going to look at why this is important. As we look through scripture, we find five different words translated seek in the Hebrew and the Greek. Three of them are from the Hebrew and two of them are from the Greek. And as we look at the definition of each word, we find similarities in meeting. Yet each one has a nuance that brings out a uniqueness in the way that it’s expressed. So let me share with you some of the similarities. Here are the definitions of the word seek.
David [00:02:11]:
Number one, it means diligence, or with diligence or diligently. We seek diligently. It means earnestly. We seek earnestly. We require something of someone. We inquire of someone by seeking. We come with a demand. When we’re seeking, we investigate.
David [00:02:38]:
We request. We crave. We seek what we crave. It means to be sought after or to search for. God’s inviting us to do all of this with him, to seek him out. So all of these words translated seek, share those meanings. And as we move through the scriptures today and what we’re talking about, I will identify or try to identify the nuances, the difference that each word apart from the others has. And we will go there.
David [00:03:18]:
And we want to begin today as we look into this idea of seeking and look at three keys to understanding the importance of seeking God. Three keys to understanding. The first key is why should we seek God? And there are six reasons why we should seek the Lord. The second key is the blessing of seeking God. And the third key and final one is why our father God desires for us to seek him. So let’s begin with the why. Why do we seek the Lord? There are six reasons for seeking God that we find in scripture, and the first two reasons are relationship and connection. God wants a relationship with you, and he wants to connect with you.
David [00:04:13]:
Jeremiah 20 911 through 13 tells us this. And this is from the amplified translation for I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord. Thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil. To give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon me and you will come and pray to me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek me, inquire for and require me as a vital necessity. And you will find me when you search for me with all your heart. As I said just a moment ago, God wants a relationship with us.
David [00:05:00]:
He is thinking of us. He cares about us. He wants our good. He wants us to be blessed. And when we seek him and inquire of him and require him as a vital necessity, like oxygen. That’s what that means there. That vital necessity means something that sustains our life, and without it we would die. We will find him.
David [00:05:26]:
He is our vital necessity. And he says, when we seek for him, we will find him. Will you search for him with all your heart? He’s important. I come to him with all my heart to seek him. The word search there is the essence of the word seeking. It means wanting to find him. I’m wanting to find him. It means seeking his face.
David [00:05:56]:
A part of what that word there, one of the nuances there. And that word seek is a face to face encounter, a face to face connection, a face to face conversation. And so relationship and connection are birthed out of quality time together. And we know that. We know that with one another. But it’s also true of our father God, when we come seeking him, consistently desiring him, looking for him, wanting to spend time with him, there is a relationship that develops and a connection that develops with him that goes way beyond just the hey, man, how you doing today? I did my devotion. Is everything cool? God wants us to seek him with our whole heart, to know him. Proverbs 817, in the King James version, says this, I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me.
David [00:07:16]:
And so one of the things we see here, God is not limiting his time with us. He wants to be found. He’s inviting us to come early. He is always ready to connect and relate to us. Every day of our lives and throughout eternity, we will always be connected to the Lord, relating to him, coming into contact with him. And so God does not limit his time with us. So I encourage you to do this. Start the day with him early and receive his love.
David [00:07:56]:
End the day with him, thanking him for his blessings. He is always with us. Go throughout your day with him. One of my favorite things to do as I’m driving somewhere is just to spend time with the Lord. I’ll be praying in the spirit or just talking to the Lord and asking him questions, sharing thoughts and ideas with him and listening for him to share back with me. I love my drive time with the Lord and you can do that throughout the day. Seek him early, seek him earnestly. All right, in one.
David [00:08:33]:
Chronicle, 1611 this is in the king James version. Also it says, seek the Lord in his strength. Seek his face continually. When I read this verse, I think of my grandchildren. They are always asking me to sit with them, to play with them, to share my food with them, no matter what I’m eating. Hey, papa, what are you eating? Can I have a bite? They had this continually thing figured out. The great thing about this verse is that the writer lets us know that our father God does not get tired of us seeking him. He’s always ready to be there and spend time with us.
David [00:09:18]:
Even in the midst of our daily routine, we can seek him. He invites us to. Time with him is always a blessing. Recently I was reading a devotional. Here’s a quote that I want to share with you that came from that devotional. And it’s the Lord speaking and responding, saying, I am preparing you for what lies ahead. Just around the bend where you can’t see. Take time to be still in my presence so I can strengthen you.
David [00:09:55]:
One of the things I want to encourage you is create a morning routine, even if it’s only ten or 15 minutes, but where every day, consistently you’re seeking the Lord, you’re starting your day with him because he knows what’s coming in your day, that you don’t know what’s coming. And he wants to be there to strengthen you and prepare you and make you ready for what’s coming. Seeking the Lord by spending time with him strengthens us. Just coming and sitting with him, listening for him, connecting with him, you always walk away stronger and encouraged. Now this leads us to the third and fourth reason we should be in relationship with God. All right, the first two is relationship and connectivity or connection. But the third and fourth is guidance and understanding. Matthew 77 in the new King James, or the King James version says this, ask, and it shall be given you.
David [00:11:01]:
Seek and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. And then again in Luke eleven nine, same thing. And I say unto you, ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. These verses promise us that if we seek the Lord continually, he will give us guidance and understanding, he will give us the answer, he will show the way. He will open doors for us that no man can shut.
David [00:11:37]:
In fact, one translation as that goes on, the next verse says, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, don’t stop. Do this continually, every day. Ask, seek, and knock. In psalm 32 eight, he promises us this, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye, or with my eye upon you, as one translation says. And so God is telling us, he’s ready to instruct us and teach us. All we have to do is ask him, seek him, and knock every day, and he will be there to show us the way. Proverbs 28 five, in the King James version, says, evil men understand not judgment, but they that seek the Lord understand all things.
David [00:12:40]:
They that seek the Lord understand all things. As James said in chapter one of James, there he talks about, if you lack wisdom, ask God liberally, gives us wisdom. All his wisdom is available to us. We have a relationship, a connection with the omniscient one, the one who knows all. Why wouldn’t we ask him? Why wouldn’t we seek him? Why wouldn’t we knock and say, lord, I need a door open here. Can you show the way? He knows all, and he desires to give us guidance and understanding in all things. I’ve talked about this before, but our friend Bob O’Dean has a great book he wrote called two chairs. And the book is about how his mother taught him to spend time with God every morning.
David [00:13:39]:
And he goes and sits and he says, God, here’s my question for you today. And he said, this is a 2080 thing. You get 20% of the time, and you have to listen for 80% of the time and journal what the Lord says to you. But he’ll ask his question. Here’s what I’m wondering about, lord, here’s what I need, insight and revelation on. And then he will just sit and listen. It’s amazing that what comes out of that time, it can be five minutes. It can be ten minutes.
David [00:14:14]:
But what comes out of that time just sitting and listening to him. Because God wants his children to know the way. He wants you to know the way, and he wants to show you the way. And so, like he said there in proverbs, they that seek the Lord understand all things, and so he wants to give you wisdom, revelation, insight and understanding in all things. Then along with this guidance and understanding comes the fifth and 6th reason to seek the Lord, and that is knowing him and trusting him. As you all know, a part of any relationship, any healthy relationship, is knowing and trusting the person you are connecting with, that you’re building a relationship with. And this is spoken about in Hebrews eleven six. The Lord says this, but without faith, without confidence and trust and belief in him, without faith, it is impossible to please him, him.
David [00:15:27]:
For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God invites us to seek him because he wants to be in relationship with us and to connect with us. He wants to give us guidance and understanding. He wants us to know him and trust him. He wants to be close to us. He wants us to know that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that seek him. God wants to reward you when you seek him and spend time with him, just like with my grandkids. Now this isn’t a great example.
David [00:16:13]:
There’s probably better examples. But when I spend time with my grandkids, I want to bless them. I want to reward them. I want to give them things. I want to show and demonstrate my love for them. Well, God wants to do the same thing. He wants you to know him and trust him and know that he’s got your back. And this leads us to the second key to seeking God, which is what he does for us.
David [00:16:45]:
As it said in Hebrews eleven six, the rewards of seeking him, the benefits, the blessings. Matthew 633. You’re familiar with this verse, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. All these things. Well, what are all the things that this verse is speaking of? Well, Jesus gives us insight into that. In the previous verses in Matthew 631 and 32, he said this, therefore, do not worry, saying, what shall I eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For after all these things, the gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. So one of the blessings and benefits of seeking God is he meets all of our needs. As Paul said in Philippians 413 or 419, he meets all of our needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
David [00:17:56]:
And so he desires to bless us and reward us in this way. We simply have to believe and receive from him as we seek him and spend time with him. Two chronicles 31 20 through 21. The new king James version says this. Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began, in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandments to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. So it says that Hezekiah was doing what was good and right and true before the Lord, and he was seeking the Lord with all of his heart.
David [00:18:52]:
And he prospered. And that word prospered there means to advance, to make progress, to succeed, to be profitable, to prosper, to show or experience prosperity. And so it said, to seek his God. He did it with all his heart. So he advanced, so he made progress, so he succeeded, so he was profitable. He showed and experienced prosperity and prospered in all that he did before the Lord. In every work that he began. It says, in the service of the house of God, God rewarded him and prospered him because he sought him with all its heart.
David [00:19:44]:
Psalm nine, verse ten says this, and they that know thy name will put their trust in thee. For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. You have not forsaken those that seek you. One of the benefits of seeking the Lord is he is always with us. That word forsaken there means to leave, to loose or forsake, to abandon, to neglect, to be deserted. But what it’s saying there, the Lord has not left you. The Lord has not loosed you. The Lord has not abandoned you.
David [00:20:24]:
The Lord has not neglected you. The Lord has not deserted you. He is there with us at all times. Moses told Joshua this in deuteronomy 31 seven and eight. Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him, inside of all Israel, be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
David [00:21:06]:
Do not fear or be dismayed. God is with you. One of the blessings and benefits of seeking the Lord continually and consistently is God is with us. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. God’s promise that I will never leave you nor forsake you. Is found in multiple books of the Bible in the Old Testament and the New Testament. And with this promise we can be assured that he is always with us, and we are encouraged to always be with our God in faith and spirit as we seek him.
David [00:21:42]:
Psalm 34 ten says, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. They that seek the Lord pursue the Lord diligently, earnestly, passionately pursue him. Desire that face to face encounter with him, to be in his presence. They will not lack any good thing. All good things are available to you. All good things. One verse, I don’t have it right. The exact verse right here in front of.
David [00:22:21]:
But it says, all good things come from the Lord, and he desires that you enjoy them richly. So that’s a paraphrase of the verse, but I think you know what I’m talking about there. God desires for us to experience and have all good things. We shall not lack any good thing that goes back to what we just read in Matthew 633. Your father knows you have need of all these things, and he will supply, he will make a way for you. Psalm 119, verse two, says, blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with their whole heart. We seek him with our whole heart. That word blessed, when we seek him with our whole heart, it says that we are blessed.
David [00:23:15]:
That word blessed there in the Hebrew means two things. Number one, it means happiness, the agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good God’s goodness. Does it excite you? Does it make you happy? Yes, it does. It goes on to say this sappiness means that state of being in which his desires are gratified by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain. When your desires are gratified and you seek the Lord with your whole heart, you’re going to walk in that place of blessing. Hallelujah. The second thing that word blessed there means is blessedness. And blessedness is simply this.
David [00:24:05]:
It is the favor of God. God’s favor will surround you as you keep his word, as you keep his testimonies, and seek him with your whole heart, he surrounds you with your favor. Even in little know, Conia and I go sometimes and we’ll be going somewhere. We’ll just pray. Father, thank you for parking spot favor. And, guys, every time we get a parking spot right where we want it, sometimes we want it further out so we can get some steps in and walk. Sometimes we want it close up. Every time there’s a parking spot there for us.
David [00:24:47]:
Even in those parking lots where it’s always full of cars, God prepares a place for us. He is there for us. His favor surrounds us. His favor surrounds us when we seek him with our whole heart. Colossians three one. King James Version says this, if you then, being risen in Christ or with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians the first chapter, two things we can find in heavenly places. Ephesians one three tells us, the first one is this, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, in Christ.
David [00:25:39]:
So if we be risen with Christ, seek all those spiritual blessings that are in heavenly places. Pray and seek for that. The second thing he tells us in ephesians one, nine and 21 about being in heavenly places and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe. Let’s just stop there for a minute. Think about that. God’s exceeding greatness, the exceeding greatness of his power is available to us. He wants to work it through us according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead. Now, that same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you.
David [00:26:28]:
It’s working in you and through you today. And he seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. Now listen to this. Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And so what Paul is telling us here in Colossians is, hey, guys, you’re seated with Christ. You’re risen with Christ, so seek those things which are above. And we could go on into this deeper, but we are seated with Christ there at the right hand of the Father. And so we are seated with him far above all principality and power and might and dominion.
David [00:27:15]:
Satan has no power over you or in your life unless you give it to him. Now, he’ll come against you, and he’ll try to resist you, and he’ll try to convince you that his way is right or you’re thinking wrong, or that scripture doesn’t mean that or whatever. But I’m telling you guys, you have power. You have authority, you have might. You have dominion over the enemy and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come, because we are in Christ and he is in us. And I talked about this, I think it was last week I talked about it all power and authority has been given to Christ, and he has delegated it to us in his name. So every spiritual blessing, all power, authority and dominion is yours. Seek those things.
David [00:28:09]:
This leads us to the third key. We should seek the Lord. Why we should seek the Lord, and that is giving God what he desires. One chronicles, 1610 says this glory ye in his holy name. Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. God desires for us to interact with him, be intimate with him, to worship him, to praise him, to rejoice in him and with him. Hallelujah. Praise God.
David [00:28:47]:
Praise God. That word heart there means this. Well, let me read this to you first. Psalm 22 26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that seek him. So we that seek him will praise him, and your heart shall live forever. Now, so that’s a benefit, but also that comes out of our worship with him.
David [00:29:16]:
And that word heart means the inner man, the spirit and the soul. Our spirit and soul will live forever if we seek him and engage with him and worship him. Everlasting life is the gift Jesus came to give us. And as we seek him and we stay in relationship with him and connected to him, that is our gift. We have it right now. As a believer, as a Christian, you have everlasting life right now. You an eternal being, and you have everlasting life right now. Psalm 40, verse 16 says, let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee.
David [00:29:58]:
Let such as love thy salvation say continually, the Lord be magnified. Glory to God. We’re going to rejoice and be glad. That reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures, psalm 118 24. This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Praise God. He’s my lord, my father.
David [00:30:21]:
He’s my savior, my God. He’s my comforter through the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. I’m going to rejoice and be glad in that. Yeah. I may be facing something hard, going through a challenge, something that’s not fun, but I can still rejoice and be glad in my father God, because I know he’s right there with me. He has me.
David [00:30:43]:
He believes in me. He is for me. Rejoice and be glad in him. Psalm 63, one through five. O God, thou art my God. Early will I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you in a day, and thirsty in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
David [00:31:08]:
So I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory, because your lovingkindness is better than life. My lips shall praise you thus. I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with morrow and fatness. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. King David wrote that. But that is a great verse.
David [00:31:40]:
I want to live that out. David declares five key ways. He worship the Lord and seeking him early there. And so if you go back and look at those verses, psalm 63, one through five, you see those five key ways. My lips shall praise you. I will bless you. I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be satisfied.
David [00:32:05]:
My mouth will praise you with joyful lips. I will praise you. Guys. If we come into every day with that rejoicing and being glad in that way, with those five key things, it sets us up for a day that’s beyond imagination, beyond measure, blessing beyond measure. And God desires to engage with us that way. He wants to meet us in worship and praise and connect with us. Psalm 105, verses three and four says, this glory ye in his holy name. Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
David [00:32:48]:
Seek the Lord, and his strength seek his face. Evermore we are invited, we are instructed, to seek the Lord, to pursue him earnestly, diligently, and continually. Those three words summarize all the definitions of the words translated. Seek earnest diligently, continually. As we seek the Lord with our whole heart, we will experience blessing. There are amazing benefits from being in relationship with our God, and all of this leads to a level of intimacy with our Lord, where we praise him, worship him, and glorify him every day. This place of worship is demonstrated throughout our day. We have opportunities all throughout our day to worship him, to praise him, to glorify him, not just when we gather at a service to a church.
David [00:33:50]:
That’s one way we want to do that. We don’t want to forsake the gathering together with other believers, but we want to go from there energized and empowered to continue glorifying his name, testifying of him, sharing of his love and his goodness with others. I want to close with this one. Chronicles, 1610 New King James version says, this glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those rejoice who seek the Lord, seeking the Lord, coming into relationship with him, knowing and trusting him, walking in the blessing and benefits. Worship him, glorifying his name, rejoicing in the Lord. I want to encourage you guys, make this a year of seeking the Lord continually, every day and knowing the Lord more intimately, walking in his blessings and glorifying his name as you share with others. Let’s bow our heads in prayer today.
David [00:35:11]:
Father, we thank you for this opportunity. We have to come into your presence every day seeking your face, knowing you, worshipping you. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Oh yes, Lord. You want to know us. I just hear the Lord saying this in my spirit church. God wants to know us and connect with us and be with us and everything that we do, everyone we engage with, whatever we set our hand to, God wants to be there with us and he says, all you have to do is seek me.
David [00:35:48]:
Seek me early, seek me. Seek me throughout the day. Be with me and I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. Thank you for that, Father. Thank you for that. Thank you for that word. Thank you, Lord.
David [00:36:02]:
That 2024 will be a year of seeing greater things than these because we are seeking your face continually and opening our hearts to you every day. And we surrender to you today, Lord, and commit to do that in Jesus name. So be it. God bless you. We’re praying for a blessed year for you in 2024. Pastor Conia is coming right now with a closing word. Bye.
