Seeking God means seeking His presence. “Presence” is a commontranslation of the Hebrew word “face.” We are to seek His face.
God is omnipresent and therefore always near to everyone and everything. His power is ever-present in sustaining and governing all things. And He is always present with His children in the sense of His covenant commitment to always stand by us and work for us to turn everything good. Matthew 28:20 tells us “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
But there is a sense in which God’s presence is not with us always. For this reason, the Bible repeatedly calls us to “seek the Lord…seek His presence continually “ -Psalm 105:4. God’s manifest, conscious, trusted presence is not our constant experience. There are seasons when we become neglectful of God and give Him no thought and do not put our trust in Him and find Him “unmanifested” which is unperceived as great and beautiful and valuable by the eyes of our heart.
His face -the brightness of His personal character is hidden behind the curtain of our carnal desires. This condition is always ready to overtake us. Which is why we are told to “seek His presence continually.” God calls us to enjoy continual consciousness of His supreme greatness and beauty and worth.
We should seek God practically. Both the Old and New Testaments say it is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God. It is conscious focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.
“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God” -1 Chronicles 22:19.
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not the things that are on earth” – Colossians 3:1-2.
This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting. It is a conscious choice to direct our hearts toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ” -2 Thessalonians 3:5. It is a conscious effort o our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God.
There is always something through or around which we must go to meet Him consciously. He is often hidden. Veiled. Jesus’s sacrifice at the cross made it possible to seek Him without priests, or teachers of God. We should all take advantage of seeking God on our own, when you do, the findings are sure to bless you.
Paul writes in Galatians 5:22-23 the nine specific behaviors – love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that result from the work of the Holy Spirit in a true believers life.
“Either make the tree good and it’s fruit good, or make the tree bad and it’s fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” – Matthew 12:33
Jesus said we are known by our fruit, so what are the good fruits we should aspire to? The apostle Paul mentions the “fruits of the Spirit” That are the outcome an indication of a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
The Fruit of the Spirit
The “Fruits of the Spirit” refers to a list of virtues and character traits outlined in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in the book of Galatians 5:22-23. The apostle Paul, write about these qualities and attributes that should be evident in the life of true believers, which should be evident in their lives.
The fruits of the spirit are often considered essential qualities for a living a Christ filled life. The list includes:
Love: This is often seen as the foundational virtue and the greatest of all. It refers to selfless, sacrificial love for others, as demonstrated by Jesus.
Joy: A believer’s joy is not dependent on circumstances but is a a deep sense of contentment and gladness that comes from a relationship with God.
Peace: :This refers to inner peace, reconciliation with God, and living in harmony with others This refers to inner peace, reconciliation with God, and living in harmony with others.
Patience: Involves being slow to anger and showing forbearance and patience toward others, even in challenging situations.
Kindness: It is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate toward others, often putting their needs before one’s own.
Goodness: Goodness signifies moral excellence and integrity in one’s character and actions goodness, signifies moral excellence and integrity in one’s character and actions.
Faithfulness: This virtue relates to loyalty, reliability, and trustworthiness in one’s commitments and relationships.
Gentleness: Involves having a gentle and humble spirit, showing meekness and compassion toward others.
Self-Control: The ability to exercise, discipline and restraint over one’s desires and behaviors, particularly in the face of temptation.
These fruits of the spirit are often seen as evidence of the transformative work of the Holy Spirit that lives in the life of believers. They serve as a guide for true believers to aspire who are virtuous, and Christlike character, promoting a life marked by love, joy, peace, and other qualities that reflect that he created of Jesus.
Those in Christ are differentiated from disbelievers, and that they have been endowed by the Holy Spirit, allowing them to bear these spiritual fruits.
The Greek word Karpos that we translate as “fruit” usually means fruit in the sense of edible fruits and vegetables, it can also be translated as offspring, deed, action, result, or profit. In agrarian society, fruit is a good thing that results from hard work and careful tending. Today, we might use the word “fruit” It’s a phrase, such as the “fruits of our labor”to communicate the results of our efforts. Even if we don’t harvest, strawberries, or apples, we can have “fruit,” something to show for our work, in a paycheck, I finished project, or even a baby.
Understanding that “fruit” in this verse, and mean deed, action, or result helps make this verse more personal. The result of the work of the spirit, and a true believers life is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.
In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul writes,
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immortality, impurity, sensuality , idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, to those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The Apostle Paul states the following nine gifts -The Fruit of the Spirit that result from true repentance,turning away from our sinful ways, towards love for God and neighbor.
“So i say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires, what is contrary to the spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not you do whatever you want” – Galatians 5:16
The spirit is the holy presence of God. The Greek word pneuma has multiple meanings, including breath, spirit, or wind. It is most commonly used to describe the holy presence of God on earth, but New Testament writers use this word to describe the wind, and their spirits, including angels and demons, and even a human soul or disposition.
In Galatians 5, Paul wants to make sure that people know how to spot the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The result of the Holy Spirit in their lives would be good things like love, joy, kindness, self-control…
Jesus didn’t use the phrase “fruits of the Spirit.” but He often mentioned fruit and his teachings. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I and you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” Fruit is evidence of being connected to Christ, just as branches of a tree or grapevine have to be connected to the trunk to bear grapes or apples.
I don’t listen to podcasts. I usually listen to a few Bible teachers or music. I listen to Rabbi Jonathan Chan, and Perry Stone. Both are great teachers.
As a student, my favorite subject was English literature. I was alway passionate about reading, so in class when the teacher would set an essay or have us do a book report. I never had any trouble writing them. I loved the class spelling B,s we use to have every Friday in class.
Reading always took my places in my mind so I wouldn’t focus on my reality. English was the one class of the day I looked forward to.
In high school other students would ask me to type their English papers for them. It was a way to make some extra money. And luckily I never got caught.
Over the years I’ve had to deal with some difficult emotions at times I had absolutely no control over them. Crying at a drop of a hat, screaming in anger at the top of my lungs. Just to try and release the flood of emotions that would build up in me.
It wasn’t until I began doing volunteer work that I understood that every one I met had problems dealing with their emotions. When I began facilitating a mental health support group one of my first goals was to help others and myself how to not let our emotions run away from us.
We can easily let our emotions dictate our choices instead of us dictating our emotions. The only reason letting our emotions rule are bad ones.
My day would usually go like this, something good would happen I would be happy, something bothered me, I would be frustrated, something bad happened I would be angry. I allowed every situation to dictate my day.
Joyce Meyers says “You can be pitiful or you can be powerful, but you can’t be both.” Without finding a way to stabilize our emotions we can find ourselves living one big pity party everyday.
In the support group I ended each group with something they could work on until the next time to improve their lives. I asked everyone to be mindful of how many pity parties they were having and to write down how many times if they needed to.
Because the group I facilitated was a state run organization, I was unable to speak to anyone about God during the hours the support group ran.
So, I took it one step further and began taking my self-pity and horrible attitude to God every night and let Him fix me up. I would go to bed happy, but wake-up sad because I knew I would let every emotion make choices for me.
After working with the support group and my prayers to God, I began to be a happier person. It’s called “the joy of the Lord.” I started trusting that if God could fix me and my emotions up every night, then why couldn’t He do it during the day time also. It’s kinda silly notion that didn’t dawn on me that it was obvious.
I began going with the support group for coffee, and having little parties at different time of the week, so that I could tell people about the Lord, but to my surprise quite a few of the people who came to the weekly support group also went to a church.
I volunteered doing that for about 2 years and then moved on to work at a addict recovery center which was faith-based. Emotions are a big part of our lives no matter what situations we find ourselves in.
But, there is not a single bit of emotional upset or instability that we have to put up with.
That means:
It doesn’t matter how to you got hurt
It doesn’t matter if someone placed a medical label on your emotions or not
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve felt like this
It doesn’t matter how easy it is to get back into a unstable thought pattern
The simple fact is that Jesus has paid for you to be free from everything that brings you pain, and He will completely stabilize your emotions if you ask Him to do so.
There are a lot of options that can help to become more in control of your emotions. It’s just that none of them were and are as effective as prayer for me.
I tried self-help stuff, I tried and tried to fix myself by reading every positive thinking book I laid my eyes on. I tried the success principles that my therapist told me about. But no amount of success principles or self help book helped me.
So, when I became desperate enough, I asked Abba – The Father. It was then and only then that things began to change for me. God answered my prayers and stabilized my emotions.
Do not trust a person’s pretty speeches, since in the heart lurk seven abominations – Proverbs 26:25.
“There are six things which the Lord hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to Him” – Proverbs 6:16
A haughty look
I lying tongue
And that shed innocent blood
A heart that weaves wicked plots
Feet that hurry to do evil
A false witness, who lies with every breath
One who sows dissension among brothers
“Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile on then. For out of the heart come, evil, thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, theft, false testimony, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but you eat with and laughing and defile not a man” -Matthew 15:17-20
We all need time to work, to eat, to sleep and to accomplish all the daily chores of living. How we ultimately spend our time determines how successful we will be in life. Time used be used wisely and efficiently. Which means making time for the important things and letting go of things that aren’t.
With time being the most powerful force in the universe. It’s a fact that no one can control time except God, and no one can stop it except God.
Without time, the concept of when would not exist. Time is an intrinsic part of how our biological systems, cognition, and social system’s function We cannot live without time.
Due time is God’s time, when God knows we are ready, not when we think we’re ready. The sooner we understand and accept this, the sooner God can work His plan in our lives. To everything there is the season, and the time for every matter or purpose under heaven.
It’s tempting to make this process more complicated than it needs to be.
C.S. Lewis said it this way, “Good things as well as bad you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: If you want to get wet, you must go into the water. If you want to joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must go close to, or even into the thing that has them. they are a great fountain of energy and beauty sporting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry.”
Don’t make it complicated
If you have a desire to build a relationship with God, you have already taken the essential first step. This desire sets your intention and focus. The rest is a matter of taking regular baby steps towards God, and being open to what happens.
If you want a relationship with God, you have to go, metaphorically, to where God is in place yourself in His presence. Only in that way you can receive the gifts He wants to give you.
God is always present, but never pushy
God is not going to knock you over to get close to you. We have the freedom to invite Him into our lives or not. you’re not going to wake up one morning with that certain feeling, you’ve become friends with God. Like human relationships, it usually takes an investment of time and attention and caring, and it’s up to you to take the initiative and moving closer to God -of placing yourself in His presence, and just abiding there. It’s rarely dramatic. You might not even feel anything at all at first. But when you do this over and over again, the emotion and belief will follow, and you begin to trust He is with you and guiding you.
Applying the KISS principle
Don’t make this hard — the KISS principle comes to mind; keep it simple, stupid. Think of building a relationship with God just as you would relationship with anyone else you might wish to know better.
6 simple steps to building a relationship with God
1. Take the time to touch bases with God, acknowledging and giving thanks for His presence.
2.Invite Him to come close. Invite him to sit with you at your hearts kitchen table and just hang out.
3. Talk. Some days this fall feel like pouring out your heart. Other days, it will be casual chit-chat occasionally, are you will be able to manage is “Here I am Lord. Please be with me.“ Between friends, it’s all good.
4. Listen. Remember to make it a two way conversation and expect to hear from God, just as you were from a trusted friend. God want you to know how much He loves you. He wants to offer support, and guidance to you. If you don’t take time to listen, you won’t hear His still small voice. For me, this communication from God comes in many various forms; thoughts, feelings, music, reading, nature, other people, or circumstances. Sometimes it’s just a feeling in the pit of my stomach being at peace with a situation or being upset let’s me know which way to go.
5. Make contact throughout your day. Being in touch with God doesn’t have to be only during times of meditation and prayer. It can be, while you’re on the run, when you are in the midst of activities, or when you have a moments break.
An Experience I had with this a few weeks ago really explains this perfectly. An acquaintance of mine had been losing her voice. She’s been to the doctor and had numerous tests. As I was having a conversation with her I audibly heard God say “Ask her if they checked her thyroid. So I told her God wants to know if you’ve had your thyroid checked. She kind of looked at me strange. And said “No, but I’ll do that. That’s what, having a relationship with God looks like.
6. Take action when you hear God’s voice. if you feel God is guiding you, or telling you, something, take action on it as soon as possible. The insight you receive may only show you where to take the next step, but once you’ve taken one step, the following ship will appear in front of you. Even though there is electrical power in your house, the light doesn’t turn on until you flip the switch to harness that power. Gods power is waiting for you to remember to flip the switch.
I believe in the Trinity – God at three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So when I go to Jesus in prayer, or when I feel the power of God‘s Holy Spirit, it is all God to me. If you identify with one form or more than another, by all means, use that form, and you are visualization of God.
If you make the six steps regular practice, expect it to take time. This is a lifelong journey, not a sprint. You will find yourself gradually learning to recognize, gods voice, and beginning to trust it. One day, you’ll realize you’re in a relationship with God that is treasured and invaluable in your life. Don’t confuse the emotion with the reality. Even with earthly friends, some days you feel closer than others. True friendships surpass the day-to-day vagaries of emotion.
According to natural law, we grow like those with whom we associate, and the strongest character always exercises the controlling influence.
“Many people say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful” – Proverbs 20:6
There are different kinds of troubles in life. Some could be personal while some could involve other people. Troubles could come because of something one has done and there could be other reasons for them.
Probably, everyone will prefer a situation where they don’t experience troubles at all. However, the reality is that everybody experiences, one trouble or the other. There nature and gravity just differ.
Psalm 27:5 says, “For he will console me there when troubles come, he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.“ And Nahum 1:7 tells us, The Lord is good, a strong hold for the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him.”
You may not know your true friends when things are going well for you. Negative situations will reveal genuine friends. In Proverbs 19 it says, Wealth makes many friends; poverty drives them away.”
Many of those some rich people called her friends, are people who are only interested in their riches, and not in them. They are not loyal to them; hard times reveal they are not true friends. My friend is always loyal. A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
Through thick and thin, real friends are glued to their friends, but fair- weather friends are not. They stop being friends with their friends are in trouble. They are just around you because of what they can get from you; they’re exploiters. In adversity, they abandon you. They don’t even mind you wanting others to keep you down in your trouble or not help you overcome it.
Proverbs 18:24 says. “A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Judas Iscariot ate with Jesus and still betrayed him with a kiss. (Matthew 26:23-25; Luke 22:48).
When trouble comes our way we find out who our real friends are. It’s important not to become a fair-weather friends.
The two best things a person can lose in life are probably fair-weather friends and some weight” – Anonymous
Let’s face it – the world is getting uglier and scarier with each passing day. It’s natural to want to protect ourselves and the people we love and keep them safe from the evil that lurks around every corner. It’s good to have a reliable source to go to ensure safety. My reliable source is God.
Here is my protection plan to ensure safety for myself and loved ones that I rely on.
Praying For Protection Against Evil
God always looks out for us, even when we may not realize it. He never leaves us or forsakes us. All we are required to do is commit our safety into God’s hands.
Set Aside A Quiet Peaceful Place
Find a calm and undisturbed space where you can focus on prayer without distractions
Begin With Revernce
Start your prayer by acknowledging and praising God’s power, goodness, and love. This helps to center your mind and spirit in a place of trust and faith.
Express Your Concerns
Share your specific concerns and fears with God. Be honest and open about the areas in your life where you feel vulnerable or threatened.
Seek God’s Protection
Ask God for His divine protection and intervention in your life. Pray for His guidance, strength, and wisdom to navigate any challenges or temptations that may come your way.
Claim God’s Promises
Draw on the promises of God’s Word. See Psalm 91. Declare these promises as you seek His protection. Declare “God is my refuge,” He will deliver me from the snare of the Fowler” “No evil will happen to me…”
Repent and Renounce
If there are any known sins or areas in your life where you have strayed from God’s ways, confess them to Him and seek His forgiveness. Renounce any connection or involvement with evil or ungodly influences.
Put On The Spiritual Armor
Invoke the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6:10-18, which includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, and prayer. Visualize yourself putting on each piece of armor and ask for God‘s protection through each peace.
Pray For Spiritual Discernment
Ask God to give you discernment to recognize and avoid evil influences, temptations, and deception. Pray for clarity and sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
End With Gratitude And Trust
End your prayer with gratitude for God’s love, protection, and faithfulness. Express your trust in His ability to guard and guide you, knowing that He is greater than any evil you may face.
In Jesus Name Amen
This is my plan, you can adapt your own plan and steps as you pray for your protection.
From Pity to Praise 