Determine To Seek The Lord

It is necessary for us as believers to determine to set our mind to seek the Lord. It is faith in Jesus Christ that has opened this door to us. As we journey through this bible teaching, we will learn what seek the Lord means. Let’s begin.

Determine means = To fix the boundaries of; to mark off and separate.
[God] hath determined the times before appointed.
– Acts 17:26.
To set bounds to; to fix the determination of; to limit; to bound; to bring to an end; to finish.
To resolve on, to come to an end. by Websters Dictionary

Colossians 3:1-2 NASB 1. Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.

What Does Determine To Seek The Lord Mean?

Determine to seek the Lord, is to set the focus of our mind and the affection of our heart on God. This is done by reading the Word of God daily and putting Him in the correct position. By having God placed correctly, then the Word of God will renew our mind, activate our will, and determine our behavior.

Seek means = To go in search of;
To inquire for; to ask for;
To make search or inquiry; to endeavor to make discovery.
Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.
– Isaiah 34:16
To seek
needing to seek or search; hence, unprepared.
To seek after
to make pursuit of; to attempt to find or take. by Websters Dictionary

What position does God have your heart and mind? We hope His position is first above all else! Know, that this will be a challenge and struggle each day. We learn to put Him in the position of being first through determination and perseverance. However, one must choose to set their mind and heart on the Lord, despite all the obstacles that will come. When we decide to seek the Lord first, then we will understand what the Kingdom of God is.

What is the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God has nothing to do with us and what we want. It is about His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 KJV For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Now we know the kingdom of God is seeking God’s righteousness, peace, and joy. We will look at each one of these components that make up the kingdom of God.

Where and What is God’s Righteousness?

God’s righteousness can only be found in Christ Jesus, not ourselves or our works.

1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

The righteousness of Christ is, we have been made right with God. Which means, through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have moved from the condemnation and wrath of God to being divinely approved of God. The out showing is, we do not brag about anything we have done. Instead, we have full understanding that everything good, profitable, and eternal is Christ Jesus in us.

An example of this is: You have a blackboard and all your sins are written on it. When you come to the Cross of Christ all your sins are erased from the board. Not by our works but by the Blood and the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

To Obtain God’s Peace, we Must Have Faith

We have peace through faith in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ gives us His peace through the Holy Spirit, whose fruit is peace. When your peace is gone, then your faith has moved. Because you have set your mind and heart in the wrong place and on the wrong things.

Peter is a great example of someone who lost his peace in the midst of the storm, Matthew 14:22-33.

Peter lived this out. In the midst of his storm, Jesus came walking on the water. Peter sees Him as his only hope. So, He commands him to step out of the boat and walk on top of this storm. Jesus said, come. At first, Peter’s eyes were focused on Christ, but then the storm and the waves kept hitting him until eventually, they got his attention. Then the fear overwhelmed him. He took his eyes from Christ, he put his eyes on the storm. Then he went under, and he said, Lord, save me.

We walk this same pattern. There will be times walking in our faith where it will be smooth, and we will think our faith is strong. However, storms are always raging around us to test our faith. This is when we find ourselves in the middle of a massive storm, and we can’t touch the ground. We know Jesus is the one we go to for help in our times of tribulation. As the boat continues to fill with water, our faith is severely tested. We lose our peace, and we lose our joy and find out our faith is not as strong as we thought it was.

This is an example of our life. We go through times in smooth water, but most of our life we are in the storm. So, our faith needs to mature, grow and know in whom we believe. As we mature, we look only to Christ and not at the storm. This is how we keep our peace.

Back to Peter —
Once Christ got in the boat, the storm was calmed and the disciples worshipped Him and said, This truly is the Son of God.

These are all interrelated. When the storms come, is your faith strong enough to continue to believe that Christ is the Son of God? He knows what you need, and he will give you everything you need to walk on the storm that you’re in. This is how to keep God’s peace in your heart and mind.

Righteousness, Peace which Gives us Joy (Gladness)

Having righteousness brings peace, and peace gives us Joy. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was anointed with the oil of joy. Therefore, the joy of Christ is our joy. What is the joy of Christ? The joy of Christ is, He loves righteousness and hates evil. To partake in the joy of Christ, we must love righteousness and hate evil.

Psalm 45:7 KJV Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Hebrews 1:8 KJV But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Righteousness, Peace and Joy all Work Together

We have righteousness through faith in Christ. Christ righteousness gives us peace with God. Because we are no longer under his wrath, which gives us JOY!

So, in conclusion, living in the Kingdom of God we resolve or determine in our heart and mind to seek the Lord only Who is righteousness, peace and joy.

Psalm 27:4-5 One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. 5 For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; He will hide me in the secret place of His tent; He will lift me up on a rock.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

The determination and walk of our faith is to personally experience and know the living true God and His Son.

“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org”