November 21, 2024

God’s Promises

July 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know Your name will trust in You
for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
Psalms 9:9-10

Indeed, those who seek the Lord will never be forsaken; that is the promise of God to us.  He also said “Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things shall be added unto You”.  God is not a man that He can lie nor the son of man that He would change his mind.  What He says…He shall do it.  Especially to His very own.

What is it to seek the Lord?  Seeking the Lord means seeking His presence…having access to Him.  The Bible repeatedly calls us to seek the Lord and to seek His presence continually.

Now set Your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.
1 Chronicles 22:19

God has made these promises to those who seek Him:
• Deuteronomy 4:29  But if from there You seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all Your heart and with all your soul.
• 2 Chronicles 7:14   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.
• Proverbs 8:17   I love those who love Me and those who seek Me find Me….
• Luke 11:9   So I say unto you, Ask and it will be given to you, seek you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

In all things when we seek the Lord we may ask anything in Jesus’ name and He will do it (John 14:14).

And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones
who cry unto Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
Luke 18:7

Let us seek the Lord where He may be found for the rewards are great. He promises and He will do it. He cannot lie.  I thank God for He has given us room to be found when we seek Him with all our hearts and souls.

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Father, we thank You for the wonderful Word at the right time.  Thank You for Your promises to Your chosen ones are YES and AMEN through Christ Jesus.  Thank You because You always stand by Your word and You perform it.  Your Word, dear Lord, does not go back to You the same.  As we seek You with all our hearts and souls in all areas of our lives, dear Lord, give us also the heart to wait to receive from You. We need grace to be patient in as much as we believe we have received whatsoever our hearts desired.  Forgive us of our unbelief in one way or the other. Be glorified always. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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Why?

May 5, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,
Keep seeking the things above,
Where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above,
Not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3

In the Bible, we are repeatedly instructed to seek the Kingdom of God, to seek Christ, and to seek His face.  As I was reading the above passage a couple of questions came to mind.

If we have died and our life is hidden with Christ then

Why do I need to keep seeking Him?
How long must I continue to seek Him?

The second question was a little easier to answer than the first.  Hosea 10:12 (HCSB) says:

It is time to seek the Lord until He comes
and sends righteousness on you like the rain.

1 Chronicles 16:11 (NKJV) tells us:

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

And Psalm 105:4 (HCSB) states:

Search for the Lord and for His strength; seek His face always.

Seeking God must be extremely important if we are to do it ‘until He comes’, ‘evermore’, and ‘always’.  To seek is to aspire to, desire, or be passionate about something.  We are to aspire to be like Christ and be passionate in doing so.  Psalm 63:1 says we are to earnestly and eagerly seek God, to thirst and long for Him.

But WHY?

Scripture tells us:

  • 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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
  • As long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.  2 Chronicles 26:5 NASB
  • …that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way…  Ezra 8:21 AMP
  • Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.  Psalm 69:32 NLT
  • Seek Me that you may live…  Amos 5:4 NASB
  • Seek the Lord that you may live…  Amos 5:6 NASB

Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31(NKJV) states that those who “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,…ALL these things shall be added to you.”  And Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) reminds us that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

I don’t know about you but, for me,
that is reason enough to continually seek Christ!

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Father, thank You for repeatedly reminding us to seek You.  I don’t want to miss out on any of the blessings You have stored up for me simply because I chose not to seek You.  While I don’t always understand, I choose to put my trust in You alone.  You are in control and You see the bigger picture.  Only You can lead me on the right path.  Thank You for being patient with me.  In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen – It is so!

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Finding Peace

January 16, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12 NIV

Ever had one of those days where all you want is for someone to listen to you and there is no one around who does not seem to have issues that far outweigh yours? I have. There are some days where I want to vent and I have no one to speak with. Sometimes when I do, and I start to describe what I believe is occuring, it all seems rather silly and unimportant. I begin to wonder why I allowed those thoughts to come in and linger as long as I did. Then I remember that I have God who can and will hear me.

God sent His son Jesus to be that perfect example of what it looks like to share His thoughts.  Ultimately, we have to put our ‘self’ to the side and wait for the Holy Spirit—the Helper—to relay the message from our Father.  When we truly seek our Lord and truly share our burdens, then God is able to use us, an empty vessel for His Kingdom.  When we choose to let go of past hurts and even current ones, God can make us clean. We have to be willing to be on our knees or on our face and have a heartfelt cry out to our Father. Without God at our center, we are nothing but a bag of bones floating along life’s way. I want to dance, I want to sway to the music of God in my soul!

As we go through our week, let’s put away—one by one—the past. Let us focus on what can be, not what could be. Let us remember what it was like when we first believed in our Father. Remember the excitement and longing to do all that God has planned for us.

Paul writes in Galatians 5,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

We have to make an effort to follow these seemingly simple instructions. Each day it can become easier with God’s help and seeking His peace in our frantic, busy lives. We just need to make time for God!

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Father, help us today to not get so caught up in our busyness that we forget to focus on You. We desire to have the relationship that brings us peace. A peace that is only accomplished by a more intimate relationship with You, putting You first in our lives. We want Your love and light to shine so brightly, that others desire to know what is creating our joy. Help us to choose joy in our everyday life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

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Seeking Him

January 6, 2014 by
SeekingHimLogo

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you.
You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 ESV

Have you ever had those times where all you do is seek God with all of your heart?  I have—so many times.  He created us to seek a relationship with Him.  When we walk away He is sad…like a lover we have left behind; yet we are always pulled back toward Him.

As the New Year begins, we want to start with a clean slate and clean hearts; yet we don’t know how or we lose our way. By making that commitment to seek out His Word we will be able to.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 KJV

I do not make New Year’s resolutions because I often do not keep them.  But what I do seek to do is to make a lifestyle change.  Something I want to have in my life day to day.  Striving for the relationship I need to have with God is my goal every day. Distraction comes in many faces.  Some seem harmless, some are just very harmful. Pray and ask God to reveal to you what your distractions are, and choose to eliminate them from your life. It may be very hard at first but you will be rewarded with a new insight into the heart of our Father.

One of the things we have experienced in the Marin household is having my mother-in-law come to live with us. She is such a joy to have around! It is just difficult for her to adjust to living here without her husband of 55 years. Plus with 2013 being the mildest summer and the winter of 2014 being the coldest in a while is not helping her either. (She moved from Florida to Tennessee). We are a busy household. Between work and exercising to keep healthy, we are not home with her a lot. She has her room, her TV, music and movies. She also sews, knits beautiful scarves, and helps us wherever she can.

Her faith has also been tested. She was angry with God for a while. Through the Holy Spirit, He is showing her why Carlos needed to go home to Him. We love her and try to keep her busy with little projects.  Our daughter,  Nikki, and I will take her out shopping, to hair appointments, and whatever else we can do to entertain her. By faith and by seeking Him, she is settling into a routine. One that I hope is satisfying and that will allow her to grow in her walk with God.  We will continue to find ways to entertain each other.  As long as we are truthful we will be able to have fun along our journey.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and Your mercy.  Thank You for giving us the ability to minister to others and to be ministered to.  Help us seek You more and to have the faith we need to love Your people as You do.  In Jesus’ precious name.  Amen.

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Interested in joining us for our next Online Bible Study that starts on January 13, 2014?   Click HERE for more details!

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Seek and Rely

October 1, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee:
my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee
in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.
Psalms 63:1-2

 

God wants us to seek Him. I try to seek Him everyday-from the time I wake to the time I go to sleep. I often fall asleep praying because I talk to God until I fall asleep. My soul thirsts for God on a daily basis. However, that human side of me still exists. When I face trials or things happen beyond my control, I still try to take control. I often feel that if I can control it then it will turn out like I want it. I am wrong every time.

 

God uses His power and glory to keep us with Him. I often find that if I just turn things over to Him, the situations I can’t really control—but try to control—will turn out the way that He has already determined.

 

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
Psalms 63:6-7

 

All I have to do is turn things over to God, and life will turn out as God has it planned. He is not leaving me and never will. It just feels like it when I try to control things that I already know that I can’t. When I do realize that God has control, life is much better. I just have to think and remember that God is in control, and that He already knows the outcome. I just have to rely on Him to deal with the pressures and things I can’t control during certain situations.

 

God wants us to rely on Him no matter what the situation is. A situation gets worse when we don’t because we as humans try to fix it ourselves. Relying on God is the only way to fix a situation—He already knows the outcome. We as humans need to seek God and thirst for Him during our times of blessings and needs. This way we get the full attention of, and relationship with, our God.

 

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Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today because we thirst for a relationship with You. We long for You, and we have seen Your power and glory. We pray that You help us through the hard times and bless us in the good.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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Children of God

August 19, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

As of this past Saturday, I officially have a five year old son.  We have tried to instill knowledge of God in his life since he was old enough to talk and attend children’s Sunday school.  My husband informed me that our son saw the Bible we used at our wedding (it is considered the family Bible), and it has our names and wedding date are on that Bible.  Our son has requested his own Bible with his name and birth date only printed on the front.  My, my!  He is only five and already asking for a Bible.  Where does the time go?

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Psalms 19:2-3

Time flies…and life flies.  We are busy with work, school, family, etc.  Yet, a five year old boy can stop and ask for a Bible.  Every Saturday night and Sunday morning, a five year old boy can stop and ask if we are going to church.  If a five year old can stop and ask if he is going to church today or for his own Bible then so should we.  We should seek the Lord so we have knowledge of Him. We should pass this knowledge on to those who do not believe.  We should help God place a yearning for Him in our kids and those around us.  Pass the word along.  It spreads the knowledge of God to the ends of the earth.

We should seek God daily.  Noah and Moses looked for His guidance during their trials.  The prophets listened to God, and spread His message upon command.  Jesus commanded his disciples to spread the word and the knowledge of Jesus to the world.  Thanks to the Internet, telephone, airplanes, cars, boats, trains, Skype, etc., we can spread the knowledge of God to every language, nation, and culture in the world.  We can use our knowledge that was passed down from the disciples to spread the knowledge of God.

But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14

My son has asked for his own Bible.  I know that is mainly because of having his own name on there, but I also know that he yearns for God.  It never fails that he asks on Saturday nights if we are going to church tomorrow.  I hope that when he gets his own Bible in four and a half months that we can continue to help his yearning grow to the point he becomes a child of Jesus.  We are not going to hinder him or his sister from becoming a child of God.

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Dear God, please give us the strength to spread Your word.  Bless us in our work for You.  Be with us as we spread Your word.  Thank You for the tools You have given us to finish the mission You have given us.   Amen.

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