How is YOUR seeking going? If you will seek Him—He WILL be found by you if you seek Him with your whole heart—your WHOLE heart. How about God’s Word? Do you spend time in God’s Word? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). If you will seek His face, God will whisper into your ear.
♪ ♪
>> I want you to see
with me in Psalms 63:
“O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You.”
David says.
“My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
in a dry and thirsty land
where there is no water.
So I have looked for You
in the sanctuary,
to see Your power
and Your glory.
Because Your loving kindness
is better than life.
God Early will I seek You.”
Listen to the words
that David uses.
He said, “My soul
thirsts for You;
My flesh is yearning,
longing for You.”
Does that describe
your relationship
with God this morning?
Does your soul long for Him?
Are you seeking Him?
I’m preaching on that
word toady, Seek.
The word Seek is found 313
times in the Bible.
To seek means
to aggressively pursuit.
It’s not laid back,
it’s not causal,
it’s not, “I’m here,
touch me if you wanna touch me,
move me if you wanna move me.”
But to seek
is to aggressively pursue.
We must seek God
in times like these.
That’s what we’re doing,
we’re setting aside 21 days
to seek God aggressively.
To pursue Him, to know Him,
to come back to Him,
to come back to where we started
out to be with Him,
to rearrange our priorities
and even say to God
with abstaining from food
and things that are
normal in life that,
“I want you to be the priority
of my life this year.”
We must seek God fervently.
We must not be laid back
about our Christianity.
We must have seasons where
we absolutely are seeking God
with all of our heart, mind,
soul and strength.
This is not unusual
New Testament Christianity,
it’s how they lived
and yet we’ve strayed so far.
When we are weak with God,
temptation is strong.
When we are strong with God,
temptation is weak.
The stronger I am with God
when I’m seeking Him
the weaker temptation is.
The weaker I am,
the less I’m seeking God
and the stronger temptation
becomes in my life
and in your life.
Sometimes we look at people who
have an awesome relationship
with the Lord,
they just radiate
with God’s presence,
it’s not a game,
it’s not a show,
it’s not something they do.
They actually walk with
the Lord and you can sense
it and you can feel it,
and they’re overcoming.
Having overcoming Spirit,
they’re overcome –
it’s not that their life
is perfect,
but they walk in victory.
And we even say to ourselves,
“Oh, they must have been
born that way.”
Or, “You know,
I’m just different.
I don’t have that kind —
that’s just not —
I don’t have that kind
of relationship with the Lord.”
Like they found something,
like they were born with it,
like it was in their DNA.
And nothing could
be further from the truth.
If you see someone with a good
powerful relationship with God
it’s because they are earnestly
seeking and pursuing God daily.
They’re doing it.
You know, there’s a great verse
in Psalm 10:4 where God said,
“I – He said,
“The wicked in his proud
countenance does not seek –
does not seek God.”
‘The wicked in his proud
countenance does not seek God.’
God’s definition
of wickedness is a person
who does not seek God.
You see —
Are you seeking Him fervently?
The difference between people
who have they touch of God,
the presence of God,
the wisdom of God,
the favor of God, that Spirit,
that very disposition
is because they’ve been
in His presence,
they’re seeking Him fervently.
They didn’t stumble upon it,
they weren’t born with it.
They’re seeking Him
through scripture reading.
They’re seeking Him
through prayer.
They’re seeking Him
through worship.
They’re seeking Him
through giving and attending
and serving.
There are two reasons why
people have powerful
relationships with God.
Number one,
they always — the people
who have powerful
relationships with God,
they always have people
pouring into their life.
They have pastor,
they have other voices,
they have maybe someone
that they’re listening
to on podcast that’s feeding
their Spirit or YouTube
or whatever,
but they’re constantly
being poured into.
And the second reason
that people have powerful
relationships with God
is through pain
and through problems.
There’s something about pain
and problems that drives you
to your knees and drives you
to such desperation that you
begin to seek God.
Psalms 9:10 said,
“And those who know Your name
will put their trust in You;
For You, LORD, have not
forsaken those who seek You.”
You may feel forsaken
but if you will seek
God He will find you.
As I said a moment ago
God’s definition of wickedness
is a person who
doesn’t seek God.
That’s astounding to me.
God says, “That’s how
I define wickedness.
It’s people who ignore me,
it’s people who have
no time for me,
it’s people who never
do anything to aggressively
pursue me.”
He said again in Psalm 10:4:
“The wicked in his proud
countenance does not seek God.”
‘The wicked in his
proud countenance does —
Says, “Listen,
I don’t need to fast,
I don’t have to pray,
I don’t have to read the Bible,
I thumb through it every
once in a while.
I can hit, skip and miss —
it doesn’t matter,
that God says is a wicked
person because they’re
not depending on me.
Their wickedness does not
take time to read the Book.
Wickedness does not get along
and have a God conscience
that says, “God, I need you.”
The first thing —
And He goes on to say
in that same verse,
“God is in none
of their thoughts.”
In other words,
the last thing that comes up
in their mind when problems
of life come is God.
He’s like way on down the list.
Here’s how you know that you’re
really out of touch with God
and you really need something
powerful and fresh to happen
to you Spiritually.
When you’re not seeking God
the first thing that you ought
to do is pray and seek God,
but when you’re not seeking God,
God is not in your thoughts.
It’s like, “I’ll handle
that problem
and I’ll do this
and let’s talk about doing this,
and let’s go to that one,
let’s do that one.”
But the first thing you ought
to do when you’re seeking God
and you will do
is think about God.
You will turn to God.
The first thing that you ought
to do when you come up against
problems and challenges with
your children, with your family,
with your marriage,
with your finances,
when you feel anxiety and fear,
when you’re seeking God
something in you will say,
“Pray!
Cry out to God.
Speak the name of Jesus.”
That’s what we do.
But when you’re far from God,
because you’re not in vital
relationship with Him
your mind is not even —
He’s not even in there.
You almost have to remember God
after you’ve gone through your
list of how to fix it.
Psalms 14:2: “The LORD looks
down from heaven upon
the children of men,
To see if there are
any who understand —
Listen to that —
who seek God.”
God is looking down from Heaven
and He’s saying from Heaven,
“Is there any who
are seeking me?
Are there any who will
seek me in 2022?
Are there any preachers
who are seeking me?
Are there any parents
who are seeking me?
Are there any young people
who are seeking me for
my plan for their life?
Act aggressively pursuing
me and seeking me?
Are there any teenagers?
Are there any college students?
Are there any people
who are seeking me?
Are there any business
people seeking me
or politicians seeking me?
Are there any doctors
or attorneys
that are seeking me?”
You have to understand
that God has said,
“I look for people who seek me.”
God will speak to you,
God will come to you.
In Psalms 27:8 he said —
David said, “When You said,
O God, “Seek My face,”
My heart said,
“Your face, will I seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your
servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me
nor forsake me.”
And then he goes on to say,
“If my father
and my mother forsake me,
if I’ll seek Him the LORD
will take care of me.”
There are so many broken
families and broken homes
but to the individual
who seeks the Lord
He’ll be a father to you,
He’ll be a mother to you,
He’ll be a provider to you.
He’ll be a door opener to you,
He’ll bless your life.
In Psalms 14:2:
“The LORD looks down from
heaven to those that seek Him.”
When you seek his face God will
absolutely whisper in your ear,
times in your walk with Jesus,
“Will you seek my face?
Will you?
I miss you.
You’re not who you
started out to be.
You’re not seeking me anymore.
I miss you.
It’s been a long time since –
I was with you.”
I know we’re saved.
I know we have our ticket
to Heaven but there’s
more to this than that.
He wants us to seek Him
and He will be with us.
Set these days aside
and go after God.
Aggressively pursue Him,
fervently.
Are you tired of being stuck?
Are you tired of being addicted?
Are you tired of being immoral?
“Let all of those who seek
you rejoice and be glad.”
One Bible verse said.
Rediscover a portion
of gladness and joy.
He says, “When you carve
out time for me,
when you seek me
I’ll look for you.
I look for people who
do that and I target them.
I bless them.”
It’s that simple.
You see, I’m asking you simply
how’s your seeking going.
I sat in my office this week
and I took a note pad
and I set it out like
I normally do and I get four
ink pens in different colors,
and I have my Bible
and I have piles of notes,
things that I’ve set aside
for this, that, and the other
and this thought
and that thought.
Everybody’s got how they do it.
And books here and there,
and this and that.
And I just stared at that blank
piece of notebook paper
in front of me, notepad.
I’ve been doing this
a long time.
I’ve been preaching
a long time, decades.
And I thought about the year
ahead and I thought about
the kind of year we had last
year and I asked myself,
“Can I do this again?
Can I do this another year?
Can I take this?
Can I fill these pieces
of paper up with somehow
hearing a word from God
for these precious people?”
The weight of it sometimes
is crushing,
if you take it serious,
this is not a profession,
this is not a career,
this is eternal stuff
right here.
And – I don’t know,
I felt such anxiety.
I just kinda put my hands
in my face
and just ran my fingers
through my hair and I said,
“God, can I do this?”
And I tell you,
I heard the voice of the Lord
come and say,
“If you’ll seek me you can.”
“If you’ll seek me you can.”
And I know one thing –
I can’t answer what
all’s coming this year
but I know one thing,
I’m gonna be seeking the Lord
because whatever comes
He will prepare us
and He will take us to gladness
and victory and joy.
Not anxiety, not fear,
not worry, not depression,
not despair, but God wants
His people filled with Joy
and happiness and faith
that overcomes the world!
Give Him a hand clap of praise
if you believe that
if we seek Him He will come.
He said, “Ask and you
shall receive.”
Matthew six.
“Seek and you shall find,
knock and it shall
be open onto you.”
And so I go to Jeremiah 29:11.
It’s a powerful seeking verse.
We know the first
part of the verse,
but it’s all anchored
and connected one thing,
you don’t just get
it automatically.
It’s a famous verse.
“For I know the plans
and the thoughts that
I think toward you,
says the LORD,
thoughts of peace
and not of evil.”
Isn’t that good to know?
That God’s not
thinking disaster,
that God’s not a mean, mad,
monster God sitting up
in Heaven planning destruction
and calamity and death
and hurt and tears and sorrow,
the rest of your life, no.
He may let you go through
seasons of that but our God
is faithful and He said,
“If you’ll hold on in due season
I’ll turn the battle
and you will come
forth victorious.”
And He said, “I know
the thoughts of peace
and not of evil,
to give you
a future and a hope.
Then – Everybody say, “Then.”
‘You will call upon Me
and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.”
And then the next verse says,
“And you will seek Me
and find Me,
when you search for Me
with all your heart.”
That hope, that future,
that purpose,
that big plans –
God’s big plan for your life,
He said, “I have it.
I have hope.
I have a plan.
I have it all figured out
but you’ll only find it when
you seek me and search
for me with all of your heart.”
And that’s why this
is so powerful,
cause you can’t fast
and play around about it.
But when you search
for me with all of your heart
you’ll find me.”
Isn’t that beautiful?
If you’ll seek me –
if you’ll seek me.
The key to finding
the will of God,
the direction of God
for the rest of your life,
the plan of God,
the plan that God has that
is for your future
and is full of hope
is all predicated
upon you seeking Him.
“I’ve got it.
I’ll do it.”
When you seek God there’s
something powerful that
is released in your life.
I’ll close with this verse.
But there is a powerful verse
in 2 Chronicles 26:5.
And I’ll never forget a man
by the name of Norville Hayes
came through many, many
years ago when we were
in the little church
on Browns Bridge Road
and he taught this message
and it changed my life.
I’d never heard this
verse like he taught it.
His name was Norville Hayes.
He’s gone on to be
with the Lord.
And he taught this message
and God burned it into my heart.
And it’s one of those
life scriptures for me.
It said, “And so —
Speaking of Uzziah.
“He sought God in the days
of Zechariah,
and he had understanding —
he sought God and God gave
him understanding
of the vision of God.”
Now watch this.
“And as long as he sought
the LORD,
God made him to prosper.”
Everybody say that with me.
“As long as he sought the LORD,
God made him to prosper.”
And let me tell
you what that like.
In verse 11 it said,
“God helped him defeat
his enemies.”
He had some powerful enemies.
But you see,
when you seek the Lord
He makes you to prosper
and prospering mean you start
defeating your enemies.
In verse eight He became
exceedingly strong.
In verse nine it said that
he began to build stuff.
One translation said,
“The dream,
began to materialize.”
He had a vision but now
it becomes real, it’s literal,
it begins to happen.
Why?
Because he sought the Lord,
God made him to prosper.
Verse 15.
He started inventing stuff.
The Bible said,
“God brought to him skillful
men who invested all kinds
of new weapons and all kinds –
and listen to what else happen.
When he sought the Lord God
made him to prosper
and his fame far and wide for
he was marvelously helped.”
And I’ll never forget Norville
teaching that lesson,
that as long as you seek
the Lord God will marvelously
help you and favor you
and bless you.
And then those last few
words of that verse:
“Until – He was marvelously
helped and blessed until
he became strong.”
As long as he sought the Lord
God made him to prosper.
But when God said to him,
“I’ve made you to prosper.”
And the Bible said,
the moment he got so strong
that he thought,
“I don’t need to fast and pray,
I don’t need the scriptures.
I don’t need the word,
I don’t need to seek God,
I don’t need
to aggressively pursue God.”
Then something happened
when he became strong.
And if you’re listening to me
today and you would say,
“I know I’m cold.
I know in my walk with
God I’m distant.
I know I’m just bumping along.
I’m a busy person.”
The most dangerous period
of our life is when
God blesses us
and we stop seeking Him.
Here me Free Chapel,
we must never stop seeking God.
And you might’ve dread
this time of the year
and it kinda gets
on your nerves.
But you don’t understand,
we were doing this 30 years ago
and it’s the reason that
everything that we have
and everything that we’ve done
God has had His tender touch
on it and we can’t stop now.
As long as we seek the Lord
He’ll make us to prosper.
There’s a voice that’s saying,
“Seek my face.”
In a brand new
year seek my face.
Isaiah 51:1:
“You who seek the LORD:
Look to the rock
from which you came.”
In other words,
go back to where you came from.
Go back to where it all started.
Go back and seek that freshness,
that sensitivity, that desire,
that tender Spirit,
that Brokenness.
Go back.
Go back to where it all
began and come back to me.”
God is saying,
“Seek me again, pursue me.
Come after me.”
♪ ♪
>> I’m praying today
that this message has
really touched your heart.
We don’t ever leave
the broadcast without giving
a chance to respond
to the voice of the Lord,
to pray with people,
to let people know that
you can call the number
on the screen
and let us agree
with you in prayer.
Just pray this prayer
with me right now.
Say, “Lord Jesus, I need you.
I cry out to You.
I’ve come to an end of myself
and what I can do
and I need your help.
I need your grace,
I need your love,
I need your forgiveness.
So Lord, I surrender
all to you today.
I give you my life,
my family, my future,
my mistakes,
the good part, the bad part,
I put it all in Your hands.
Heal me and help me and save me.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.”
And amen.
And Lord, I pray for healing.
I pray for all who
are sick right now.
I pray for those
in hospitals and those
who have loved ones
who are in bad shape –
maybe COVID,
maybe other issues –
but He is the Lord
that heals you.
And I speak healing
and health to your body,
encouragement to your soul.
Somebody’s watching me today
and its been such a long —
its been one hit
and one blow after another.
And this is not the end,
hallelujah.
In the name of Jesus
rise and be healed.
Glory!
Now, somebody’s being
healed right now.
This is your turnaround.
This is where the miracle
that Jesus bought when
His back was beaten –
by His stripes you are healed,
the prophet Isaiah declared.
Receive that healing.
And Lord, I pray for
families in Jesus’ name.
Heal broken homes.
By the power of Jesus’ name,
Satan, I rebuke you
off of that house,
off of that marriage,
off of that home,
off of those children.
I plead the blood of Jesus
over whatever homes
I’m in all over the world.
I draw a blood line
on those homes
and I rebuke the devourer,
the liar, the deceiver,
in Jesus’ name.
Now this is why we’re on TV.
Because the Lord —
I didn’t plan all that.
The Lord is healing
people right now.
I’d love to hear your story.
So let us know
what God is doing.
If He’s touched you,
you need to claim that miracle.
And I don’t have any agenda
in that except it encourages
us to hear when God has
done something great.
Thank you.
God bless you.
We’ll see you next time.
♪ ♪
[Fire Truck Sirens]
>> Fires caused by rockets
and incendiary balloons
from the Hamas terrorist
group are a constant threat
to the nation of Israel.
In 2021 alone,
over 4,425 rockets have
been fired into Israel.
When these attacks are launched,
they cause massive fires
that threaten lives,
damage homes and businesses,
and also burn through large
areas of crops and farmland.
Remote places, like Eshkol,
the region in Israel closest
to the Gaza Strip,
are often left fighting
these fires on their own.
That is why Jentezen Franklin
Media Ministries has remained
committed to provided comfort
with grace to these
Jewish people in need.
Our latest initiative
is to provide fire stations,
fire trucks, and equipment
for the volunteer fire fighters
to protect their towns
and families.
By building a local fire
station and providing
the proper equipment,
we are easing the fear
and threat of the damage
that these fires cause.
When you give your
best gift today,
there is a blessing
waiting on you found
in Genesis 12:3,
“I will bless those
who bless you,
and I will curse him
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You can be a part
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Israel is under constant attack
and your support today
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These desperate Jewish families
urgently need your help.
Call now or go online today.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
>> We hope you’ve enjoyed
this teaching
by Jentezen Franklin,
and thank you for
your continued support
of this ministry.
Your prayers
and financial support
make these programs possible.
For more information
about this message
and other ministry resources,
visit us online
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♪ ♪