If we make no real effort to find God daily our lives decay.

by David Leach
(Temecula,Ca USA)

If we make no real effort to find God daily our lives decay

To get natural food I must allocate time and make the effort to either grow something or go to the store buy the food and then prepare and cook it – to get gas I must allocate time and make the effort go to the station and fill up the car – to get clean I must carve out time and make the effort to have a shower.

But somehow we want to get God and His blessings on the fly without any daily effort or commitment of time on our part. And when as a result, we get nothing we find our spiritual condition deteriorates, which it cannot help but do. We experience a loss of peace, a loss of joy, a loss of love and a loss of trust in God, and instead increasing doubt, irritability, confusion, anger, criticism of others, worries, we make poor decisions and pride starts to grow which means a fall is coming. Also we become totally unable to bear the fruit of living words into other people’s lives.

When this happens we are prone to complain about our lot – and indirectly we are complaining against God, which is music to the ears of our enemy. All this because we would not invest adequate time and spiritual effort (work) to seek and find God and to be fed by Him our essential daily spiritual food. This is the only spiritual nourishment that will sustain and grow our re-born spirits - the real us that will survive our natural bodies.

2 Thess 3:10 …If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat (naturally or spiritually)

The joy the blessing and the necessity of diligence when it comes to connecting with God

Heb 11:6 …He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder (by revealing more of Himself) of those who diligently seek Him.

Ps 77:6 …My spirit makes diligent search.

Pro 12:27 …Diligence is man's precious possession.

To constantly find God requires constantly searching for Him with my heart and not quitting.

Jer 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart .

1 Chr 28:9 …If you seek Him, He will be found by you; God wants to be found

Acts 17:27 So we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find Him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; He's near. THE MESSAGE

The earlier I seek Him, and find Him the sooner I will start my day in the blessing of trust.

Psa 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You;

Isa 26:9 …Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;

But I thought works weren’t needed and that God sustains me without any effort by me?

Heb 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest (of God)…, KJV

Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest of God…(How do I do that?) AMP

Pro 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; (consider all of these action words God uses that all imply some effort on my part) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

If I am hungry for God I will always find Him and He will always feed me with Himself.

Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

Jer 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart…

Ps 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

Matt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Prov 27:7 The full soul loaths an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet (every word brought by God is a delight even His reproach).

Ps 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness (His word is His faithfulness and His lovingkindness too).

Job 23:12 I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food

The Holy Spirit guiding my spirit will always lead me to today’s necessary spiritual food.

If I give God adequate quality time and with diligence seek Him with all my heart- by getting quiet in my thought life, by ceasing from all other activities, and by believing that, just as He promises, I will hear his voice – then I can expect to find Him and to be fed.

Jo 16:13 When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;

Matt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread (Father by your Spirit breathe life into some of your words – so giving us our daily spiritual bread) .

Jo 16:15 (Jesus – who is the Word of God speaking about The Holy Spirit says)He will take of Mine (The Word) and declare it to you (and make known to you it’s meaning - one line or one verse at a time).

Jo 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.