God is looking for you

God is looking for you. He is looking for obedience and trust on your behalf.

He is looking for the faithful hearts, not the faint of heart. 

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is (perfect toward) loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” 2 Chronicles 16:9

Note: God is not looking for perfect people or perfect performance because there is none and that’s unattainable. God is looking for perfect hearts toward Him. Loyal ones. Like David; he was called and considered a man after Gods own heart. Was he perfect? Far from it! But his heart…. It always got him back on the right track where he belonged.

God is looking for you. What will He find?

Faithful isn’t easy. It doesn’t tuck it’s tail and hightail it out when and every time things get hard…. It endures!

Reminder: God hasn’t called us to easy! He is however taking us through…. Victory doesn’t come without a fight and only the one who endures till the end is saved. It’s not a race against you and your brethren; it’s a fight between you and the enemy of your soul. People are just used. Situations are just scenarios. The real battle is with-in. Fight till the end.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Proverbs 24:10

You are meant to cross over this thing. There’s rivers in the way, there’s mountains to cross over and there are wildernesses to walk through. Life is a journey of twist and turns that will always pop up with something new that gets in our way, but you are to not stay in the same problem. You are to conquer it; born for progress and to go through….. This takes obedience in stepping the right way.

I want to talk about Jeremiah this morning. As we read in chapters 38-40 and even on back, we see that Jeremiah was being punished for doing Gods work. Jesus was crucified for it! Do we think that we escape that easy? There’s a price for doing right but there’s also a reward and we don’t reap the harvest unless we endure….

And let us not grow weary (tired of) while doing good, for in due season (proper/right time) we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

Do not give up. Do not lose heart. Do not faint. Heart will take you all the way. A will will only get you so far. So Whatsoever you do, do it with your whole heart in it and when you put your hand to the plow, don’t look back! For the Bible says that this person isn’t fit for service in  the kingdom of God. We have a duty to do and an obligation to fulfill! God isn’t looking for quitters. He’s looking for you to win and warning you that there is two sides. What you do determines which side you’ll be and finish on. You can change your mind at anytime IF you do so before it’s too late. Don’t lose heart. Take heart. If your heart has fell out of the race, it’s time to get back in.

In the opening verse we see that GOD IS LOOKING constantly to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is (perfect toward) loyal to HIM. It goes on to say: “this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” It’s all about heart but we also see in the last part that we do foolishly by not being faithful and obedient. 

God always calls forth loyal and obedient service. He is faithful and obedient and requires us as His followers to also be. Are you loyal in that which He has called you to DO? Don’t hold back. Fear can sometimes get the best of us. That’s why we are called to only fear God or that which we fear will overtake us. It doesn’t end well unless we obey. We can use the fear of God to drive us in the right direction. In other words: “I fear God more than I fear men and the consequences that come if I do not obey.” In turn that tells me that I trust God enough to obey even that which doesn’t make sense! 

This got one man in trouble in this story of Jeremiah and even death. It got the other one saved and advanced! 

Look back at chapter 38 and you will see where the story of one of the men, Ebed-melech, began. It’s also where we find out about the true heart of Zedekiah, the king. You see Babylon was taking over their homeland. The king was scared. He dreaded defeat. We can become defeated before we ever start, and so we lose. Dread is the forerunner to fear. That’s why we are to be strong and of good courage as God commanded Joshua to be. He is with us wherever we go and yay though we walk in the shadow of what feels like it will overcome and overtake us, we must keep and continue to walk through. This isn’t the end of our story unless we let it overtake us. We must keep our head up and our eyes open, even in the darkest night. 

We will come out on top, God will anoint our heads with oil to do what we need to do to get through and He is more than able to prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. To show them up. To show out. It may look like we are surrounded but the truth is if we’d just look around and look with-in we’d see the signs all around that it’s spiritual and He is with and in us! Just open His word.

The thing is, we must seek to find. What are you looking at, thinking and focusing on? It will overtake you. Though the mountain looks big, fear not, look to the MAKER of heaven and earth. Lift up your eyes to Him.

O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” 2 chronicles 20:12

Decide in advance who you will trust and that is who you will fear, and ultimately that is who you will serve and obey. 

Does this sound like you right now? Pray this prayer: “Dear Lord, the truth is, I don’t know what to do but my eyes are on you!” 

No matter the situation or battle, or what you face! Whether with a loved one, a financial situation, court case, medical news or waiting room: HE KNOWS. And the fact is, if you believe then you know that nothing is too hard for God. Nothing! That is unless you don’t believe, you exempt YOURSELF. 

One did. One didn’t! Decide right now in this moment which ONE will be you. Zedekiah who didn’t or Ebed-melech who did? You must choose. God says to put no one before Him and you can’t serve two masters. One will overtake so you must and ultimately do choose. Indecision is decision, don’t be deceived. Which one will it be? This determines your destiny and end result. 

Not what feels good right now or the easy escape. Because let me tell you, the easy way ain’t usually the right way. In a world where everyone takes that route, don’t! If it ain’t easy, give up and move on they say. I’m here to tell You you’ll never find peace and you’ll keep moving on found void because life ain’t easy, people ain’t perfect (including you and me), and good things are worth fighting for. So be careful whose advise you listen to. 

Jeremiah was threw into a pit or a dungeon and left to die there. There was no food, there was a food shortage was in the land. A faithful man who I already named, (I’ll call him EBED from now on) the Ethiopian, came along seeing what was done to Jeremiah and knowing that it was wrong. Now Ebed had two choices right here as we often do. Speak up and defend what you believe to be truth or cower down. It’s a sin to see something wrong and ignore it. (James 4:17). Everyone thinks sin is only action but it’s also inaction. That’s why Jesus says that not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter in but he who DOES the will of His Father. 

He who knows something’s a sin and does it, it’s sin to him. There’s times where we know to do what’s right and we just don’t want to. He needs more doers. The laborers are few. It’s time to speak up against injustice. You must have courage or you’ll always be weak in the faith. Faith increases the more you use it - faith to faith. Take the leap. Let your hands be strong! 

So Ebed did what took courage and went to the king saying that what these men did was wrong. He knew Jeremiah would die if they didn’t get him out. The king let him and 30 men go to save Jeremiah. The king did the right thing too! Right? Partly. That was the easy part. 

Now the king wanted Jeremiah to tell him every thing that God would tell him, since he was a prophet you know. He told him to hold NOTHING back. So Jeremiah gave all. 

The problem is as many times, the king wanted to know the truth but not do the truth or abide in it. He wanted to “know” but didn’t want to “know.” He wanted to hear what he wanted to hear. That’s not what he heard. What he heard was to surrender to the hard king and live or don’t go forth and surrender and die; you won’t escape their hands. This was the hard part!

What did he choose? He chose to tuck tail and run. He disobeyed and didn’t listen to the clear and distinct directions of God. He was seized with fear and in turn was seized. This is why God consistently tells us to “FEAR NOT”. Because what we fear will overtake us lest we obey! It’s not the absence of fear clearly, but the presence of faith in action in our fear.

As we will see later on in chapter 42 where the people asked Jeremiah again to tell them what God wanted, so he told them. He held nothing back. “REMAIN IN THIS LAND.” The place that seems scary right now. The unknown. But they wanted quick and easy, they wanted to go back to Egypt where they had clearly been warned not to!! The same place God had hand delivered His very own people out of, defeat. 

They wanted temporary comfort and they’d die to get it/ God wants faithfulness and obedience. Not weak coward intimidated runners. He wants stayers and fighters. Those who trust Him to fight. They too said basically the same thing, “whether it is good or evil, we will obey the voice of our Lord that it may go well with us.” But they didn’t. The only way to win is to obey and not to delay. They were plainly told not to be afraid of the king but if they entered into Egypt they would die there. Do not go back to what is comfortable!  Sometimes it takes being uncomfortable to win! 

Warning: do not go back to Egypt! (Whatever that represents to you.)

Unfortunately the king was seized, his eyes poked out and he bound with shackles. 

We see where Jeremiah begged him to obey  the voice of the Lord that it would go well with him so that he would would live. A delay in your obedience is disobedience and could cost a lot. Had the king not listen to Ebed, Jeremiah could’ve died quickly. But had he obeyed and feared God more than man, he could’ve lived at the very moment that the Chaldean army saw him - IF he would’ve just surrendered to God’s will.

Your obedience will cost you something but your disobedience can and will cost you everything. Do not fear man and do not go back to what’s comfortable or you will suffer for it and it will not go well with you.

Last but not least we see in 39:15 that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was still shut up in the court of the guard regarding Ebed, the one who saved him. Sometimes and lots of times God gives us a word while we’re still in a hard place and before our next move.  

You see Ebed wasn’t forgotten. Like God did for Ebed, He will pay you back a recompense for doing hard things. Don’t fear them. Whoever that might be: do fear Him. He is your ever present helper in trouble, your strength and refuge! Don’t refuse. Don’t retreat. Surrender to His perfect will. It’s those who wait on the Lord that are renewed! He has good plans for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Trust that and you’ll obey: don’t and you’ll delay.

But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’” Jeremiah 39:17-18

Do trust God enough to listen and do what He ask of you, even and especially when it don’t make sense. These are often the major turning points in your life which determines which way you will go, and everything will hinge on your faithfulness or lack of. Obedience is key and the real tell tell to whether or not you trust God. Look at Abraham and Isaac and the alter/ lay it down. He is able! Are you willing? 

God was looking out for him. God is looking out for you. Deliverance won’t always come when we want it to but it will come. Don’t stop looking. He doesn’t. His eyes are constantly roaming the earth, running back and forth. He’s looking for you. Don’t stop doing good. Harvest time is coming but it takes time and there’s a two way for everything: Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. He tells us this early on in Deuteronomy. Don’t delay. You might never know what you missed out on and you might cause pain. 

We see again the flip side in Galatians 6:9 that we have one of two choices, give up and give in or keep on keeping on when you don’t feel like it….., for in due season (proper/right time) we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Keep doing good when everything feels wrong. 

IF is the biggest word in the dictionary in my opinion and then add you: “IF YOU”, and you see that your faithfulness and obedience can be a game changer!!! Don’t lose heart, for in the end you win.

It isn’t always easy to get there. It requires trust and you must fear God more than you’ll ever fear anything else or it’ll get the best of you. Trust requires faith because it doesn’t always make sense and faith requires trust and they both require obedience or are they at all? We know that without faith we cannot please God; it’s impossible and isn’t that who we aim to please?!

So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:7

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And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. Jeremiah 40:9

It might just be the place you’ll see the most growth. In the very place you thought you’d never be planted and the soil didn’t seem good. You never know what’s ahead so be careful who you look and listen to!!!

IF YOU STAY. IF YOU OBEY.

IF YOU WILL STILL REMAIN in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 

DO NOT BE ADRAID. of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘FOR I AM WITH YOU, TO SAVE YOU and deliver you from his hand. 

AND I WILL show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’ Jeremiah 42:10-12

V 13 But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God…… 

The rest is history…….

BE NOT AFRAID. ONLY FEAR GOD. 

In Jesus name, Amen.