Building Community of the same Faith

07/10/2023

I’m amazed when I can’t even run a mile

𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐄 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍🇺🇸
Ashland University All-American Katie Moon has captured the 2023 USATF Outdoor Women’s Pole Vault National Title!

Moon cleared a season-best and 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗-𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 4.90 Meter mark to secure her spot on Team USA at the 2023 World Athletics Championships!

𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗣🦅⬇️
bit.ly/Katie-Moon-Wins-2023-National-Title

06/16/2023

God Most High invites us to know Him. The first step to knowing God Most High is to recognize that He exists (Hebrews 11:6). The next step is to acknowledge His position in relation to everything else (Isaiah 46:9–11; Exodus 20:3). We cannot know Him while trying to place Him alongside other gods in our lives. And then we must choose to love and obey Him as Lord over our personal lives (Genesis 5:24; Isaiah 46:9; 2 Chronicles 14:2). We do this by recognizing Jesus Christ as God Most High who came in the flesh to take the punishment we deserve (John 14:6; 20:28; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Although Yahweh exists as God Most High whether we acknowledge Him or not, we can enjoy Him as God Most High in our own lives when we willingly seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

05/14/2023

What does it mean to be a godly mother?

A godly mother is a woman who represents the heart of Christ to her children. She is continually aware of her influence over their lives and futures and makes sacrifices whenever necessary for their welfare. Godly mothers are first godly women. They are not one way at home and another way in public. Even when her children do not have a godly father, a mother can have a great impact on her children’s spiritual future. The following are some characteristics of a godly mother:

1. She knows God. A godly mother wants her children to be godly, and she leads the way. A mother cannot pass on to her children values and qualities that she does not possess. So the first step in becoming a godly mother is surrendering to the lordship of Jesus. Only then is her soul restored (Psalm 23:3), her life recreated (2 Corinthians 5:17), and her mind renewed (Romans 12:2).

2. She understands her role in marriage and the family. As part of sin’s curse, women struggle with wanting to control their husbands (Genesis 3:16). But God decreed that husbands and fathers should carry the weight of responsibility for their families (1 Corinthians 11:3). A godly wife will gracefully bow to that leadership and model for her children godly submission to authority. Even when husbands and fathers are not worthy of such respect, godly mothers do not bad-mouth them to the children. Divorced or single mothers can be godly mothers as they teach their children of God’s plan for marriage and demonstrate purity and wisdom in their own dating relationships.

3. She does not neglect her own health and well-being. Often, we equate personal martyrdom with humility and service, but it need not be that way. Godly mothers model for their children healthy self-respect and boundaries. A godly mother knows that wearing herself out acting as a slave to her children is not good for anyone. She will give selflessly to her children, but she will also carve out time to rejuvenate herself because she knows that, if she is not healthy, her children will also suffer.

4. She seizes teachable moments to instill biblical truths. A godly mother is not so focused on meeting physical needs that she neglects her real calling, which is to raise future disciples of Christ (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6). Because she walks in close harmony with God, she easily directs her children’s attention to His work in their lives. She may say to the three-year-old, “See that beautiful robin? God, who loves us, made that bird for us to enjoy. Thank you, God, for your beautiful birds.” She may say to her pre-teen, “Honey, I’m sorry you didn’t make the team. I know it hurts, but remember that God has something bigger in store for you as you trust Him with even this disappointment.”

5. She models service to God and others. Children need reminders that they were created for God, and serving Him is their highest calling (Colossians 1:16). A godly mother will demonstrate this in her own life as she involves her children in serving others. “Let’s finish this so we can make dinner for the Smith family. They’re going through a hard time, and we want to remind them that Jesus has not forgotten about them.” Acts 9:36–41 gives us a glimpse into the life of Tabitha, who was known for her good deeds. When she died, many townspeople brought out the garments she had made for them as evidence of her kindness. A godly mother leaves evidence of her kindness, and her children are proud of her reputation (see Matthew 5:16).

6. She has a healthy self-image. Many women in our culture struggle with low self-worth due to childhood wounds or comparison with others. A godly mother has learned to see herself as God sees her. Because of this, she can demonstrate to her children the way a godly woman should present herself. Godly mothers see themselves as active participants in God’s work; they don’t try to gain attention or a sense of worth through dress or behavior or relational status. First Peter 3:3–4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” A godly mother acts and dresses modestly. She models proper, God-honoring behavior to her children.

The Proverbs 31 woman is a picture of a godly mother. Although she puts her children and husband first, they are not her entire world. She develops her gifts and uses them to benefit her family and her community. She is a credit to her husband and a role model for her children. She lives with integrity at home and in public, and she presents herself honorably. Verse 28 gives us the result of her years of faithful mothering. After she has poured her life into them, “her children rise up and call her blessed.”

03/30/2023

10/23/2022

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Simply stated: loving and serving go hand in hand. If God’s people love people, then God’s people serve people.
You see, love is more than a feeling, more than an idea, more than intention. Love is more than well-wishing or expressing concern. It moves. It gestures. It acts. Bob Goff explained in his book Love Does, “Love is never stationary. In the end, love doesn’t just keep thinking about it or keep planning for it. Simply put: love does.”
The depth of love we’re encouraged to show throughout Scripture moves beyond, “I’m so glad you’re in our neighborhood” and, “I’m so sorry to hear that!” Love moves to action.
Love goes to the grocery store. Love takes out the trash. It drives a meal across town.
Love vacuums and dusts. Love sweeps the porch. It runs errands on behalf of others.
“Love leans in, speaks with grace, and prays. Love opens the door. Love welcomes. And love serves.”
Love pours coffee and steeps tea. Love hosts an elderly neighbor or a gaggle of giggling girls.
Love loads the dishwasher. It sets a table or counts paper plates.
Love picks up a pizza. Love sears meat and roasts carrots. Love folds towels and washes sheets.
Love leans in, speaks with grace, and prays. Love opens the door. Love welcomes. And love serves.

10/02/2022

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.””
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:26-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.1.26-31.NIV

03/12/2022

Found on Google from lesserknownwriter.com

02/06/2022

Does the Bible say anything about making a second marriage a success?

Abraham is the only person in the Bible who is specifically described as remarrying after the death of a spouse (Genesis 25:1), but the Bible nowhere describes what Abraham’s second marriage was like. The Bible nowhere specifically describes a person getting remarried after a divorce. But, whether a second marriage is due to the previous marriage ending in divorce or the death of a spouse, there are biblical principles that definitely apply to making a second marriage a success.

Whether it is a first, second, or third marriage, husbands are to sacrificially love their wives (Ephesians 5:25) and wives are to graciously submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22). A husband and his wife are to view the marriage as permanent and inseparable aside from death (Matthew 19:6). Husbands and wives are to love one another, forgive one another, and seek to respect and understand one another (Ephesians 5:33; 1 Peter 3:7).

Second marriages often result in blended families, and that itself can produce a lot of stress. The leave and cleave principle is crucially important. The marriage is to take priority over all other familial relationships, as only in marriage are two people one flesh. The conflicts that often arise within a blended family must be dealt with in unity.

It is very important that husbands and wives in second marriages do not compare their new spouses with their prior spouses. Doing so leads to nothing but bitterness, jealousy, and unrealistic expectations. A new spouse is not the same person as the prior spouse and should not be expected to be. Whether the prior marriage was amazing or terrible, the emotions and pains should not be transferred to the second marriage.

Above all, the key to making a second marriage a success is to commit the marriage to God and rely on Him for the grace and strength that are needed. A marriage is intended to illustrate Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:29–32). Only through Christ can a marriage be all that God intends it to be. Also, in any marriage, when difficulties arise, couples should seek wise counsel from a pastor and/or Christian counselor (Proverbs 15:22). Understanding what God says about marriage and submitting the marriage to Him is the key to make any marriage a success

01/20/2022

Church Structure - Head of the church
If we were to create an organizational chart, Jesus Christ would fill the positions of Founder, President, CEO, CFO, and Chairman of the Board. In biblical language, Christ is “head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:22; cf. Colossians 1:18). The church is “his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:23). Jesus’ relationship with the church is very close and loving, for “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). He desires “to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).

12/31/2021

Rededicating your life to Christ” is a popular concept in modern Christian culture. It’s a decision made by a Christian who has fallen away from the practices of Christianity to turn back to Christ and strive to follow Him more completely. The act of suddenly returning to Christ is spoken of indirectly in Galatians 6:1, where the church is exhorted to restore sinful believers by gently confronting them. Rededication is popular among older children and young adults who grew up in the church. Christians who were saved at a young age may come to realize that their understanding of what it means to follow Jesus was incomplete. In a desire to consciously choose to adhere to a newfound, deeper understanding of the gospel, believers may “rededicate” themselves to Christ.

09/01/2021

In the New Testament, we see Jesus tearing down the walls between the “clean” and “unclean.” Those regulations served a purpose at one time, but, with His coming, the time for them was passing away. Thus, Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19). He healed lepers and in the process touched them (Matthew 8:3). He ate with tax collectors and “sinners” who were the social/spiritual pariahs of the time (Mark 2:16). He ministered to Samaritans who were also pariahs (John 4). Ultimately, believing Gentiles were brought into God’s kingdom on equal footing with the believing Jews. Heaven will be full of former pariahs.

Ephesians 2:11–18 explains: “Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

In Christ, there are no pariahs. The divisions between Jew and Gentile have been broken down. Previously, a Jew was not even permitted to eat with a Gentile (Acts 10:29). But Acts 10 clearly connects the abolition of food laws with the entrance of Gentiles into the kingdom. All those who have faith in Christ are “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6, KJV). “Through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).

Christians should have no pariahs. We are to reach out to everyone with the good news of Jesus Christ. However, God still decides who is in and who is out. Ultimately, anyone who does not come to know Christ will be rejected by God (Matthew 7:23; Revelation 20:15). In the meantime, we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27), and we are to take the gospel to all kinds of people regardless of ethnicity or status (Matthew 28:19–20) or what sins they might be involved in. When Christians forget that we are saved by grace—when we start treating other people as pariahs because of their sins—we fail to follow the example of Jesus and we have forgotten that at one time we were in the same position.

Titus 3:3–7 reminds us, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

05/21/2021

“PSALM 46 God is our c refuge and strength,
a very d present [2] help in e trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear f though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into g the heart of the sea,
3 though h its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is i a river whose streams make glad j the city of God,
the holy k habitation of the Most High.
5 l God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 m The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he n utters his voice, the earth o melts.
7 p The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 q Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 r He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he s breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
t he burns the chariots with fire.
10 u “Be still, and know that I am God.
v I will be exalted among the nations[…]”

Excerpt From
ESV Classic Reference Bible
Crossway
This material may be protected by copyright.

04/05/2021

After Jesus rose from the dead, He "presented Himself alive" (Acts 1:3) to the women near the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10), to His disciples (Luke 24:36-43), and to more than 500 others (1 Corinthians 15:6). In the days following His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

02/24/2021

What does the Bible say about a false witness?

Bearing false witness is mentioned many times in the Bible, exclusively as something bad. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” is the ninth of the Ten Commandments that Moses brought back with him from his encounter with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:16). False witness, or spreading a false report, is associated with being allied with the wicked (Exodus 23:1), willing to do violence to others (Psalm 27:12), and sowing discord among brothers (Proverbs 6:19). The Bible calls bearing false witness lying (Proverbs 14:5) and compares a man who bears false witness against his neighbor to a violent weapon (Proverbs 25:18). Lies harm people.

A false witness is one who stands up and swears before others that something untrue is true, especially with the intention of hurting someone else or ruining his reputation. This happened to David (Psalm 27:12), Jesus (Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:56), and Stephen (Acts 6:13). When the wicked Queen Jezebel wished to procure a vineyard for her sulking husband, King Ahab, she employed two false witnesses. Naboth, the rightful owner of the vineyard, was seated in an honorable place on a day of fasting, but “then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, ‘Naboth has cursed both God and the king.’ So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death” (1 Kings 21:13). What the “scoundrels” said against Naboth was absolutely untrue; they were bearing false witness with impunity and with the queen’s blessing. As a result, an innocent man was killed. When a person is righteous and his enemies can find nothing with which to blame him, bearing false witness is a common weapon.

The lies told by a false witness come from the sinful human heart—along with murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, slander, and evil thoughts (Matthew 15:19). Jesus said that man is defiled by these evil things that come from the heart. The only possible cure for an evil heart that bears false witness is to receive a new, pure heart, which can only be given by God (Ezekiel 36:26). When a person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, he will be like a fresh spring or a fruitful tree or a budding vine, bursting with good things (John 7:38; Psalm 1:1–6; John 15:4–5). The old is gone, and the new takes its place (Ephesians 4:22–24). Those who are in Christ have a new heart that speaks the truth: “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). A person who bears false witness is controlled by the flesh rather than by the Spirit of God, and he should repent of that sin and turn to Christ.

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him...a lying tongue...a false witness who breathes out lies..." (Proverbs 6:16–19).

01/14/2021

James 5:19–20 says, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” It is loving to speak truth to others regarding sin. First Corinthians 13:6 tells us that “love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

12/15/2020

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

11/26/2020

Generosity has positive effects in human relationships. When one person gives freely to another, the recipient often “passes forward” the gift. In the Christian life, the impetus is much greater. Jesus taught us that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

11/22/2020

What does the Bible say about manipulation / being manipulative?

The Bible has much to say about manipulation. Through examples, principles, and direct commands, Scripture warns us against manipulating others and against allowing ourselves to be manipulated.

At its core, manipulation is a type of lying. When someone speaks falsely for the purpose of deception, he or she is being manipulative, because to deceive is to manipulate someone into thinking or behaving a certain way. So all of the Bible’s prohibitions against lying can be applied to manipulation. Lying is a dreadful sin.

10/23/2020

WHY DOES GOD LOVES US?

First John 4:8 and 16 tell us that “God is love.” Never was a more important declaration made than this—God is love. This is a profound statement. God doesn’t just love; He is love. His nature and essence are love. Love permeates His very being and infuses all His other attributes, even His wrath and anger. Because God’s very nature is love, He must demonstrate love, just as He must demonstrate all His attributes because doing so glorifies Him. Glorifying God is the highest, the best, and the most noble of all acts, so, naturally, glorifying Himself is what He must do, because He is the highest and the best, and He deserves all glory.

10/01/2020

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JDAeYHxp_9M

For details about this sermon and for related resources, click here: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-38 To receive John MacArthur’s monthly le...

09/04/2020

How can I recognize a healthy church?

God established the church to be the primary agent for carrying out His purposes on earth. The church is the body of Christ—God’s heart, hands, feet, and voice reaching out to people in the world. Healthy churches come in every shape and size. While numerical growth may be an indicator of health (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 16:5), it does not guarantee the well-being of a church. The healthiness of a church is measured in spiritual and biblical terms rather than numerical.

While no denomination or congregation is perfect, the Bible does present several characteristics to help us recognize a church that corresponds with God’s standard:

A healthy church teaches sound doctrine based on the whole counsel of God’s Word (Titus 1:9; 2:1; 1 Timothy 6:3–4; 2 Timothy 2:2). When believers meet together, both for corporate worship and small group study, the Bible ought to be the center of the teaching. Faithful interpretation and everyday application of sound biblical doctrine will produce wholesome Christian living (1 Timothy 1:10; 4:6; 2 Timothy 3:15–17). The centrality of scriptural truth preserves the well-being of the local church as well as its leadership (2 Timothy 1:13–14; Titus 1:6–9). And when biblical truth and sound doctrine are prioritized, safeguarded, and taught without compromise, then all other traits of a healthy church will naturally follow.

Rather than embracing secular models of leadership, a healthy church recognizes the biblical qualifications of spiritual leaders. For example, godly leaders are not to be arrogant, quick-tempered, violent, greedy, or dishonest, but rather must be hospitable, wise, just, upright, disciplined, and devout (Titus 1:6–9; 1 Timothy 3:1–7).

A healthy church will produce leaders after the example of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22–23; 4:15; 5:23 Colossians 1:18). Jesus led through servanthood (Matthew 20:25–28; John 13:12–17). Jesus also spent most of His three years in ministry interacting closely with the twelve disciples, teaching and training them, and letting them observe His life. Good leaders identify and train other leaders (Acts 6:1–7).

Biblical leaders are good stewards of the ministry and the resources that have been entrusted to them by God (1 Corinthians 4:1–3; 9:17; 1 Peter 4:10). While we shouldn’t expect the overseers of a healthy church to be perfect, they ought to be servant leaders who participate in training disciples, equipping believers for ministry and helping other servants of God become mature and godly leaders (Ephesians 4:11–16).

A healthy church emphasizes discipleship, which produces faithful followers who, again, aren’t perfect, but who know and love God and seek to obey His Word (John 8:31–32; 14:15; 1 John 2:3–6). Discipleship includes getting involved in the life of the church, building authentic relationships with other believers (Acts 2:42–47; 1 Corinthians 10:17), exercising gifts of ministry and service (Romans 12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 12:7), growing in sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4; 5:23), and bearing fruit (John 15:5–8).

A healthy church does its part in obeying the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20) of spreading the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was raised from death to life, and now reigns to offer forgiveness of sins, new life in the Spirit, and eternal life to all who repent and believe. Evangelism encompasses local outreach, world missions, and simply sharing the gospel with people in our everyday lives. As ambassadors for Christ on this earth, believers are called to be “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life” (2 Corinthians 2:15–16).

Other marks of a healthy church can be observed in the newly emerging church of the book of Acts (Acts 2:42–47). The early church was devoted to biblical doctrine, meeting together for prayer, worship, and communion. These early Christians fervently dedicated themselves to one another, forming a loving, generous environment where members cared for one another. A healthy church today will exhibit similar enthusiasm for authentic Christian living and participate in the purposes and work of God’s kingdom on this earth.

08/29/2020

Psalm 27:14 (HCSB)
“14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait for the LORD. "

It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when we, the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall we do? Annoy ourselves by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply we need to wait. Wait in prayer. Call upon God, and spread the case before Him; tell Him our difficulty, and plead His promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own unreason, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express our steady confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keep us waiting even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not remain. We have to Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because we are under the distress, but blessing our God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with our whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of our covenant, God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Your will be done. We know not what to do; We are brought to the highest degree, but we will wait until He, our God shall split the floods, or drive back our foes. We will wait, if He keep us waiting for many days, for our heart is fixed upon Him, our God alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the full conviction that You will yet be our joy and our salvation, our refuge and our strong tower."

08/20/2020

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments”

07/08/2020

Why is seeking God important?

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul quotes an astonishing statement from the Psalms: "There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God" (Romans 3:11). How can Paul, and David before him, make such a sweeping declaration? Of all who have ever lived, not even one person has really sought after God? There's no question that billions of people have sought after a god, but they have not always sought after the true God.

This fact ties directly to Adam and Eve’s sin through Satan’s deception. Throughout the history of mankind, the treachery promulgated by Satan has been so thorough that the natural man can perceive only bits and pieces of the real truth about God. As a result, our conceptions about God are blurred. It’s only when God chooses to reveal Himself to us that the pieces begin to fall together as our eyes are opened to truth. Then, truly seeking God becomes possible.

Jesus tells us in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Here Jesus is telling us that our continuing to seek God, desiring to know Him more, is the essence of true life, eternal life. The most important thoughts our minds can entertain are thoughts of God, because they will determine the quality and direction of life. Seeking God, then, is an ongoing responsibility and privilege for all Christians.

But we also know that this is not always an easy thing to do, not because God is elusive, but because our minds are saturated with misconceptions and deceits planted by Satan and reinforced by the culture. But the good news is that these mistaken beliefs are done away with through the experiences of seeking God and coming to know Him. For example, 2 Chronicles 15:2-4 was written over two thousand years ago to a people like us: "He [Azariah, the prophet] went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.""

Their instructions were simple: when they sincerely sought God, things went well, but when their desire to seek Him waned and eventually ceased altogether, their world came apart. Sin increased, morality declined, contact with God ceased. The admonitions to the children of God of that time are clear to us today: "If you seek him, he will be found by you." This is such a profound principle that it is repeated throughout the Scriptures. The idea is that when we draw near to God, He reveals Himself to us. God does not hide Himself from the seeking heart.

- 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." (Deuteronomy 4:29)

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

- Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7 NIV)