Seeking God is Not a Chore

To My Mountain Movers,

Seeking God is not a chore, and whoever insinuated that to you lied. This post does not come from someone telling me that I had to seek God as a chore, but rather how I was lying to myself in acting like it was…and, to be 100% transparent, how I have tried to make others feel that way in the past in an attempt to help them find God. Have any of you ever felt like seeking God was a chore? Have you ever felt like you wanted more of God in your life but was not sure how to make that happen? Or maybe you felt like you did want more of God in your life, but that alone seemed somewhat scary. Not spooky scary but that, “I am not sure what will happen if I actually do that” kind of scary. I can say for myself, I have been there. We as humans often fear what we do not know or understand, and I believe this is often true when it comes to our relationship with God and trusting Him to be a part of our lives. Today, I want to challenge all of you to think about what it is that motivates you to seek God, or discourages you from seeking Him, and the thoughts that go through your head along the process.

When I started to desire a clearer understanding of what seeking God looks like, I literally wrote down the question in my journal, “how do I seek You in all things Lord?” In my head, I was really asking, “how do I seek you in all things God because I never feel like I am doing it right and sometimes it feels like I never find You but I know You are in all and through all so I know that is not true, but blah blah blah blah blah.” I know. My thoughts can get dramatic really quick, but that honestly is where my questions can run! When I stopped to listen for an answer, I felt the Holy Spirit direct me to look up the definition of the word seek. So here it is:

Seek: (verb) attempt to find (something); attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something); ask for (something) from someone.

After reading the definition, I had the immediate revelation of what seeking God really looks like. We start with seeking Him (attempt to find), continue to search for Him (to obtain Him) and then tell Him what our needs are (ask for something). Several scriptures came to my mind and I began to look for more that would confirm this revelation.

Acts 17:27 HCSB says…

27 He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

God is tangible and He wants us to seek Him.

Lamentations HCSB 3:25 says…

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

When we seek God, we will find that He only has good things He wants to give us.

Jeremiah 29:13-14 HCSB says…

13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”

When we seek and search for Him with all our hearts, God wants to restore us and give us what we are asking for and need.

Matthew 7:7-12 says…

7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! “

When we seek God, we will always find Him and when we ask of Him, He will always have an answer. He is a Father that wants to provide and give to His children that ask of Him.

Sometimes seeking God can feel like a chore, but the reality is that God just wants to be a part of everything we do. He is your best friend that wants to go on every adventure with you and your parent that wants to help direct your steps and impart wisdom to you. Every aspect of seeking God results in the caring of YOUR needs. I think I struggled with learning how to seek God for a long time because I thought it was my “duty” that I needed to fulfill or it was what I was “supposed” to do to be a good person. Not that God made me feel that way, but my own imaginations and thoughts made me believe that to be true. This only ever led to me overanalyzing every part of my seeking God process. I began to criticize my own walk because I had religious preconceptions that there was only one way to seek Him and therefore assumed I was never doing it right. I would believe the lies I told myself that no matter how I tried to seek God, I was always doing it wrong. I would think to myself, “I should pray” and then after praying, question whether I prayed correctly or if I prayed long enough. Then I would think, “maybe I need to listen to a message instead…or maybe read a Christian book…”and the questions to myself continued. What began to happen was, after feeling ineffective in seeking God one way, I would switch to another. Needless to say, I was a hot mess and definitely walking in my own understanding.

As I began reading what the word seek is defined as and looked up what the word of God (the Bible) says about seeking God, I learned that it is not just about obedience, because God does desire for me (and you) to seek Him, but also about Gods deep desire to be a part of my life so that I do not have to walk in confusion, fear, shame, sadness….and the list goes on. When I finally had this revelation, the process of seeking God no longer felt like a burden, but rather something to grow excited about because I knew that when I would seek Him in faith, and not in my own expectations or understandings, I WOULD find Him! When seeking Him, I would find peace, when seeking Him I would find joy, when seeking Him I would find wisdom to make good decisions for my life and this list goes on even further!

I want to encourage you all to not only call upon God as Lord, but also as your best friend and your Papa, Daddy, or whatever you call your father! Your mindset will quickly change from feeling like you are only God’s servant, to realizing you are also His child and His friend. The word of God says, “But to all who did receive Him (Jesus), He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Just as we are in the image of our birth parents biologically, God created man in His image biologically and spiritually, and sent His son to be sin and die for our sin for the forgiveness of sin so that nothing could separate us from our Father’s presence in our lives. The word of God also says, “I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father” (John 15:15 HCSB). Jesus shows us that we too can go to God, not just in fear and trembling, but as a friend who desires to be close to Him and seek His truth so that we may walk in it.

Abandon any thoughts of condemnation and always compare what you are thinking to the word of God. If it does not align, then you do not need to be thinking it or walking in it. This will not only prevent you from self-torment, but also prevent you from projecting this false belief to your loved ones or anyone you wish you minister to. I pray you are set free today from the idea that seeking God is a chore and instead are empowered to boldly run to Him with all of your heart.

Now go move that mountain,

-That Girl Faith