Seek the Lord with your Whole Heart – the message

Maybe you don’t know the benefits of seeking the Lord or what it means to seek the Lord ? In this message you’ll learn how to seek him and find him and realize it’s the life you’ve been created for. We’ll look at how Asa’s dedication brought prosperity to his kingdom, and how his faith was tested. Learn valuable lessons about true commitment to faith and the dangers of relying solely on oneself. Learn more in Seek the Lord with your whole heart

Kingdom Way Church – https://KingdomWay.ca is our church in Edmonton, Alberta. Watch us live at https://KWay.live Sundays at 10:00 AM Mountain time. Watch Video on Demand at https://Kway.tv Connect and learn more at https://MyKWC.ca

Notes for Seek the Lord with your Whole Heart

Seek the Lord with Your Whole Heart

If you’ve spent any time in the church you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Seek the Lord”. Have you ever wondered what it means or how you can do it? 

Problem

I was raised in the church and while I was never taught this directly, for a long time if you asked me what it meant to “seek the Lord”, I would tell you something about praying longer or praying louder or maybe fasting if the situation was really serious. I had no idea what the Bible says. 

Does this really matter?

Yes! Because you need to: 

• seek Him and find Him (Jeremiah 29:13) 

• seek His face always  (Psalms 105:4)

• seek Him and live (Amos 5:4) 

Seeking God is not an option for us. It’s how we’re to live our lives. 

12 Reasons to Seek The Lord

1. You will more fully understand justice Proverbs 28:5 

2. You will find wisdom and discernment Proverbs 2:3-6

3. You don’t need to worry about everything everyone worries about Matthew 6:31-33

4. God’s ears will be attentive to your prayers 1 Peter 3:12   

5. You will be delivered from your fears Psalm 34:4  

6. You will be strengthened 2 Chronicles 16:9  

7. You will be filled with joy 1 Chronicles 16:10

8. You will be filled with hope Lamentation 3:21-25

9. You will live! Amos 5:4  

10. You will lack no good thing Psalm 34:10

11. You will be led to righteousness Hosea 10:12

12. You will find God 1 Chronicles 28:9

 You need to seek Him and find Him. You need to seek His face always. You need to seek Him and live!

The Story 

This week, next week then a few weeks from this week, we’re going look at three different kings of Judah- Asa, his son Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat’s great-great-grandson Uzziah. All of them had different experiences with seeking God. They all had some success. They all responded to their success in different ways. These are all ways you and I can respond to seeking God as well. 

The goal is that we’ll be encouraged to seek God and find him, seek His face always and seek Him and live. 

Can I pray?

Read

When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years.  Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God.  He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.  He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands.  Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace.  During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest from his enemies.

2 Chronicles 14:1-6

We begin the “Seek the Lord and Live” series today by looking at the life of Asa, King of Judah.

Asa had peace for his reign because the Lord gave him rest on every side.

God did this because Asa commanded the people to seek the Lord.

It’s a clear theme in 2 Chronicles that when the king and people sought God, they found Him and had peace and prosperity. 

When they didn’t all kinds of terrible things happened.

The only way we can get the life we were created for is to seek the Lord.

Asa:

built up the towns

fortified the cities

had an army of 300,000 infantry and 280,000 archers

Ethiopia came to attack with an Army of “Thousands upon thousands” – some translations translate that as “a million”. However big it was, Asa felt completely helpless with his army of over half a million.

Read

Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians  in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.  While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too. They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 14:11-15

They had a situation where they saw themselves as powerless.

They called out to God.

He did the work.

They went from being plundered to getting plunder. How many of us need that in our lives?

We need to realize what happens when we seek God. 

It’s not that we can do more. It’s not that we can do it in our strength. It’s not the size of our army. It’s not the strength of our horse. It’s God being found when we seek him. 

When they got back to Jerusalem…

 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded,  and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

2 Chronicles 15:1-2

Take note:

The Lord is with us, when we’re with him.

When we seek him we’ll find him.

If we don’t seek him…take note of that foreshadowing…

Read (continuation of prophecy)

For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them.  But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.  “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land.  Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem.  But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”

2 Chronicles 15:3-7

How did Asa respond to this prophecy? v. 8

When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet,  he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.

2 Chronicles 15:8

He “took courage”

he removed idols from the high places

he repaired the altar of the Lord

he called an assembly to seek the Lord

He even deposed his grandmother because she made an Asherah pole

Seeking the Lord can be an event, but what Asa missed is that it needs to be a lifestyle.

Make seeking the Lord your rhythm, don’t leave it as remarkable moment.

How can we have a rhythm of seeking the Lord with our whole heart?

That’s a great question.  That’s why I’ve developed the How to Seek the Lord With your Whole Heart Always Tool.

How to Seek the Lord With your Whole Heart Always Tool

Search for the Lord and for his strength;  continually seek him. 1 Chronicles 16:11

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

How do we seek with all of our heart?

Decision – 

Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Have I made the decision to seek the Lord?

Emotion – 

Psalm 119:2 Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.

Am I finding joy as I am seeking Him?

Action – 

7 ways to seek the Lord

1. Call upon Him and pray to Him. Jeremiah 29:12-14a

2. Serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind. 1 Chronicles 28:9 

3. Keep your tongue from evil, turn from evil and so good, seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:12-16

4. Forsake evil ways and thoughts. Isaiah 55:6-7

5. Have clean hands, pure heart, don’t lift your soul to idols, don’t swear by what is false. Psalm 24:4-6

6. Do what’s right and live humbly. Zephaniah 2:3 

7. Expect you’ll find Him and He’ll reward you. Hebrews 11:6 

This is working out Christ as Lord

1 Peter 3:15 In your heart set apart Christ as Lord  

It’s not a decision to make Jesus Lord of your life. It’s an acknowledgement that HE IS LORD and that has radical implications on your life. 

Do I live my life like He is Lord of my life?

Romans 14:8  If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Lordship is so key in seeking the Lord that we’ll use is to remind us how to seek the Lord.

Make seeking the Lord your rhythm, don’t leave it as remarkable moment.

LORDSHIP

L – Let him direct your steps Psalm 37:3-5

O – Obey what he says Deuteronomy 4:25-29

R – Repent whenever He tells you Isaiah 55:6-7

D – Do good Psalm 24:4-6 

S – Serve and worship Him with your whole heart and willing mind 1 Chronicles 28:9

H – Humbly walk with God Zephaniah 2:3

I – Intake the very word of God  Psalm 119:10-11

P – Pray to God always and never give up Jeremiah 29:12-14 

L – Let him direct your steps

Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Do I allow You to direct my steps?

O – Obey what he says

Deuteronomy 4:25-29 ““In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the Lord your God and will arouse his anger. Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed.  For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.  There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.  But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

Luke 6:46  “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

Am I obeying what You tell me to do?

R – Repent whenever He tells you

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Do I need to repent of any sin?

D – Do good

Psalm 24:4-6 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their saviour. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob

Am I doing the good You want me to do?

S – Serve and worship Him with your whole heart and willing mind

1 Chronicles 28:9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

Am I serving you with my whole heart?

H – Humbly walk with God

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly.

Micah 6:8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Fasting is a way to seek God, but it’s an event and not a lifestyle, although it can be a regular part of your lifestyle.  

Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 

Am I humbly walking with you? 

I – Intake the very word of God

Psalm 119:10-11 NIV I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Colossians 3:16

Am I allowing your word to dwell in me richly?

P – Pray to God always and never give up

Jeremiah 29:12-14 In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14  Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Am I praying to seek you?

Do you want to seek the Lord always? Recognize He IS Lord and that has radical implications on your life. 

Make seeking the Lord your rhythm, don’t leave it as a remarkable moment.

LORDSHIP

L – Let him direct your steps Psalm 37:3-5

Do I allow You to direct my steps?

O – Obey what he says Deuteronomy 4:25-29

Am I obeying what You tell me to do?

R – Repent whenever He tells you Isaiah 55:6-7

Do I need to repent of any sin?

D – Do good Psalm 24:4-6 

Am I doing the good You want me to do?

S – Serve and worship Him with your whole heart and willing mind 1 Chronicles 28:9

Am I serving you with my whole heart?

H – Humbly walk with God Zephaniah 2:3

Am I humbly walking with you? 

I – Intake the very word of God Psalm 119:10-11 

Am I allowing your word to dwell in me richly?

P – Pray to God always and never give up Jeremiah 29:12-14 

Am I praying to seek you?

Challenge – How Asa ended his reign…

Make seeking the Lord your rhythm, don’t leave it as a remarkable moment. 

Asa didn’t do that. He didn’t seek God always. He sought God for a season. He liked to have events. 

He saw peace for a long time. But in the 36^th year of his reign King Baasha of Israel invaded and fortified a town in Judah. And Asa didn’t ask God what to do. He had been king 36 years, he knew how to govern. He knew what other kings did. He formed an alliance with the King of Aram. He put his trust in a foreign power. The prophet Hanani stood up and called him on it:

At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.  Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians  and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers?  At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

2 Chronicles 16:7-9

God is seeking for us? I thought we are the ones seeking Him? He’s seeking hearts that are fully committed to Him. Holy Spirit empowers us to accomplish every good work prompted by faith (2 Thessalonians 1:11) Every step I’ve just outlined is good work prompted by faith.  

We know without faith it’s impossible to please Him because anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) Part of this reward is that he’ll strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. 

Remember the last time a prophet confronted Asa and how he responded? He took courage. This time when he was confronted he took offence. 

Asa had Hanani arrested and started to oppress his people.  

 Do you know what happened?

He was at war for the rest of his reign. 

More than that…Look at the last statement of his life. 

  In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians. So he died in the forty-first year of his reign.

2 Chronicles 16:12-13

What happened?

In his heart he did not set apart God as Lord. He thought seeking the Lord was an event and he had been there, done that, got the t-shirt.  He had a season of seeking God. He had events of seeking God. He saw success seeking God. 

But in the last years of his life, he would only seek the advice of doctors. He took offence at God. 

Ouch. Is that too close to home?

Let me draw you the lines. 

Have you had a season of seeking God?

Have you had events seeking God? Have you fasted? Have you gone to revivals? Have you had special times in the presence of God?

Are you not feeling that first love? Do you feel you’re lacking in zeal? Are you simply going through the motions? Are you maybe offended at God?

In your heart, have you set apart Christ as Lord? Is your heart fully committed to Him?

Don’t be like Asa. He didn’t use confession and repentance. If you have nothing to confess and nothing to repent then know The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. He will renew your strength. 

But if you thought seeking God was all about collecting remarkable moments and today you realize your heart hasn’t been fully committed to Him, agree with, that’s confession and repent by deciding  today to:

Make seeking the Lord your rhythm, don’t leave it as merely a remarkable moment.

Seek Him and find Him. Seek His face always. Seek Him and live!

Remember LORDSHIP and what it means for seeking Him:

L – Let him direct your steps

O – Obey what he says

R – Repent whenever He tells you

D – Do good

S – Serve and worship Him with your whole heart and willing mind

H – Humbly walk with God

I – Intake the very word of God

P – Pray to God always and never give up

Can I pray for you?