The Seek God Challenge Day 3

January 3, 2012 by Jules 1 Comment

READ

12 Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.'13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."

14 The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

17 And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

-Exodus 33:12-18

THINK

We see a picture here of this guy Moses who is not content with the amount of God he has experienced, if we didn’t know the point in the story we might think that God had been distant from him, but in fact he’s already met with him through a burning bush, showed His power and concern for His people through the plagues in Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, and been alone with Him on the mountain giving Moses the first set of the law. Yet, Moses appears to be begging God to be with him, to “teach me your ways so I may know you…” Why do you think that is? Have you ever hungered for more of God like this?

Do you see the progression of Moses’s requests? What are they?

We see he’s moving deeper “who are you sending with me?”, “Don’t send us without you”, “show me your glory.” Moses is pursuing God deeper and deeper. He is so consumed by his God that all he can dwell on is going deeper with Him, knowing Him better, learning more from Him. It’s a passionate pursuit of God that is fueled by an unquenchable hunger and thirst for God.

PRAY

These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.

Are you content with your current level of relationship with God? Do you desire to have the kind of relationship where you can ask God to “show me your glory”?

Pray that your life will be hungry for knowing God, that a little of Him here and there will not do!

Do you really want to know God’s ways? Are you ready to live out what His word says?

Pray that your faith will be strengthened and your knowledge of God’s desires will lead your life.

DO

Take the list you made yesterday of where your spending your time and decide on something that you can cut out or reduce the amount of time to have time to seek God deeply.

Download the guide here

Filed Under: Seek God Challenge Tagged With: Burning bush, Christianity, Egypt, Follow, God, Holiness, Holy, Israelites, Lord, Moses, Passion, Pursue, Pursuit, Religion & Spirituality, Seek

The Seek God Challenge Day 2

January 2, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

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PURSUE GOD WITH PASSION

READ

Philippians 3:7-11

“7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith int Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

THINK

How is just “accepting Christ” different from the passion pursuit that Paul talks about here?

Paul says that, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” which means that in comparison to knowing Jesus everything this world has to offer is insignificant. How is our worldly view of life and accomplishments different from this perspective? How would this type of perspective change how you go about your day?

Paul says “and “so somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” other translations have “by any means" he's telling us that the difficult things (ie. Persecution, being unpopular, even death) will be worth it, in light of the goal of sharing knowing Christ deeply and sharing in His resurrection. How is that contrary to our American Christianity and the thought that only church attendance and “good living” is required for Christians? Does the thought of giving everything up to chase God scare you or excite you? Why?

The Greek word for garbage or rubbish had one of two uses: excrement from the body, or table scraps that were fit only to be thrown to the dogs. So saying that “I consider them (his abilities/accomplishments) garbage” is strong wording. Literally, Paul considers them as excrement - as dung; not only worthless, but offensive. In order to have this type of distaste for the world you must be passionately seeking God. You have to have been close enough to see Him for the things of this word to look as garbage and be offensive to you because they stand in your way of knowing Him more. What is your image of God today? Do you hunger for Him or is He just some part of your life? How can that change?

PRAY

These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.

Has you separated faith in God from a passionate pursuit of God? Is He just part of your religion or Lord of your life? When we see the King we want to know Him deeper.

Pray that your heart will be ignited and begin to burn with passion for the King of kings

Are there things in your life that you are placing as more valuable than a pursuit of God? A good way to evaluate that is what is the majority of your time spent doing?

Pray that a passionate pursuit of God would become the main priority of your life

DO

Stop right now and grab something to write with and write down an honest assessment of what you're doing with your time. See what things jump out as obvious priorities, and which ones are causing you to seek God deeper.

Download the guide here

Filed Under: Seek God Challenge Tagged With: Christ, Christ Jesus, Christian, Epistle to the Philippians, Follow, God, Holiness, Holy, Jesus, Lord, Passion, Paul, Pursue, Pursuit, Seek

The Seek God Challenge Day 1

January 1, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

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SEEK HIM PERSONALLY, SEEK HIM CONTINUALLY

READ

“1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father,” -2 Chronicles 34:1-3a

THINK

Matt mentioned Josiah sought God both personally, and continually. What does seeking God look like in your life today? How should/could that be different?
Verse two tells us that Josiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” and he “did not turn aside to the right hand or the left”. Why do you think that was?
Verse three actually answers our last question; “For in the eighth year of his reign…he began to seek…God” How do you think that seeking God caused him to do “what was right” and “not turn aside”?
Look for a second at John 5:19
“19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” - John 5:19
We know that Jesus was fully man and yet was without sin, and I believe that he gives us the secret right here in John 5:19. Do you see it? What is it?
He was in constant communication with His Father. He didn’t choose any decision on His own. He didn’t take any job, trip, or activity without the Father’s direction. Like a life GPS it gave Jesus the exact, perfect will of God the Father. For us pressing into God is the only way to learn to hear the Father in every situation. If you have surrendered your life to Christ then He’s already equipped you to be victorious you just have to learn when and how to use what. How is your life GPS operating? When was the last time you turned it on and listened?

PRAY

These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.
The kind of passionate seeking God that changes your generation is hard, persistent, and it will bring about hardship. There will no doubt come some sort of distraction that will attempt to edge out your time seeking God over the next month, it’s the things that we place the most value on that we use our time doing.
Pray that you will have the discipline to stick with it for the whole 30 days.

As you seek God you will be drawn deeper into Him, and with that comes a greater love of His character and his love for you. In light of that we’ll quickly see sin in our lives and the decisions that put us there. Holiness is not easy. Opposition from the enemy is promised, as is persecution from the world. It’s here that we decide if it’s worth it.

Pray that you will release the boldness God has given you to be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.