Welcome as we gather around the table of friendship. I’m so glad you can join us. We’ve been talking about the Holy Spirit and closely intertwined with Him is getting to know God better. Are you in hot pursuit for more of God? Do you want to know the 2 vital steps to pursue God?
What does it mean to chase God anyway?
God desires that we get to know Him better. He wants us to draw close to Him, to learn of Him and enjoy being in His presence. Let’s explore through His Word, the two important steps required to pursue God. Will you join me?
The Pursuit of God
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
God puts within us a desire to know Him and His Son Jesus. God already began the process when He planned our destiny. He gave us free choice and when we receive the urge to know Him, we are beginning to fulfill our destiny to become a God-chaser.
The Psalmist, David, cried out to God saying, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; (Psalm 63:1)
Notice three things in this verse,
- he sought God early in the day
- his soul was thirsty for God
- he longed for more of God
To sum up this verse, David longed to be in the presence of God. Would you say that he was in pursuit of God?
Do you deliberately pursue God? Do you want to know Him better than you already do?
Here is a quote by A.W. Tozer that still rings true today,
“He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us, He waits so long, so very long, in vain.”
A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 1982
Doesn’t that quote just break your heart? God waits for His children to be thirsty for more of Him.
If we truly want to follow God, we must value heavenly treasures more than earthly treasures. When we follow Christ, it means we deny ourselves as we take up our cross.
Too often we think we will have time to do this in the future but we do not know when our last breath will be. The future is now. And this is the time when we should be taking the steps to pursue God because He is waiting for us.
{Related Post: What are the Treasures of Heaven that Jesus Mentioned?}
1 — Acknowledge that God is Holy
Here are the 2 important steps to pursue God:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16
The verse above is not a multiple choice statement. Did you notice that? It’s that little word “be.”
Be holy as he is holy.
Christians are called to live holy and blameless before God. God wants us to chase after Him, to desire His presence more than anything else. So, what is holiness?
As far as I’m aware, Genesis 17:1 is the first reference of His holiness, And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to
Why would God tell Abraham to be perfect before Him? It could only be because God is perfect. Let’s see what this word means via Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
Perfect – 8549 (Strong’s number) –
So, holiness is without blemish, without spot, undefiled, full and complete.
How do we become holy as He is holy?
We do this by
- keeping His commands
- not practicing sin
- separating ourselves from the world
- walking in the light and in His truth
Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy go into detail in keeping His commands. I am not saying that we are living under the Law, but by choice, we can choose to follow the 10 Commandments which are wrapped up in the command Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22:35-41.
2 — Acknowledge that Holiness is not a Choice
What is sin? How seriously do we take sin? Do we have some sins that are more tolerable than others? Do we allow ourselves to enjoy some sin while other sin require repentance?
Because we are under the law of grace, does that make sin acceptable? How does God see sin? Lots of questions that can be answered in His Word. Let’s stay tuned!
Sin is the opposite of holiness. It stains us, defiles us, and puts a barrier between God and us. God does not make allowances for sin. Sin is sin. When we are enjoying sin, we cannot have fellowship with God. The two do not mix.
Sin is sin. Let’s call it for what it is.
Can we choose whether we want to be holy or not? Of course we can. God gives us freedom of choice but that doesn’t mean that we should live life as we want.
The writer of Hebrews said it well with Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14.
Believers are to strive for holiness as Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:7. We have been made holy by Christ and we are called to be holy in our everyday lives as Paul taught the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:2.
God desires that we have fellowship with Him and since He is light, with no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5), it stands to reason that those who are walking in darkness cannot have fellowship with Him. Does this rationale make sense to you?
We need to be walking in the light in order to have fellowship with our holy God. One aspect of this fellowship is prayer. Without daily prayer with Father, we will begin to die spiritually and miss out on the close communion that accompanies bonding.
How to Get Serious about Holiness
What do we need to do to get serious about holiness?
One example is to grieve over sin, over what breaks the heart of God. Do we grieve over our own sin?
Another reason why we need to walk in holiness is to be effective in our ministry for the kingdom. We have been given help through the Holy Spirit. He enables us, convicts us and directs us in our walk. When the
Stop and think for a moment, can you recognize someone who is chasing after the holiness of God? Is their countenance different? How about their speech? What are their actions like? Would you say they are living a holy life? How would you describe what you see?
Holy Spirit Helps Us to Pursue God
The pursuit of God isn’t easy. No one said it would be, but, it is possible. We know that we are plagued with sin For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23. Be thankful that we are not left alone to struggle with defeating
Author, Jerry Bridges, says,
Holiness is not a series of do’s and don’ts but conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God.
Jerry Bridges, Pursuit of Holiness, 1978
Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen your inner being as Paul instructs in Ephesians 3:16. Paul continued his prayer by ending with Ephesians 3:20, praying that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. We need the power of God in us to succeed in living in holiness. Without His power, we will not succeed.
Begin with Repentance Followed with Worship
We cannot overcome sin completely but we can repent, even if it is daily so that we do not grieve the Spirit of God.
{Related post: 5 Things that Grieve the Holy Spirit?}
The step that follows repentance is worship accompanied in prayer as we fellowship with Father. Then as you go through your day, walk in the light of His Word, walk in holiness, striving to please Father. Do this daily, like taking a multi-vitamin.
Our dependence on Holy Spirit keeps us studying the Word as we practice humility before Him. God desires that we seek Him with all our heart and do what pleases Him. As we spend time in prayer, asking His help to be holy, we will find that God will answer that prayer as it is His desire that we walk holy before Him.
So, with obedience to Holy Spirit and dependence on Him, we will, day-by-day succeed in as we pursue God.
That’s a Wrap
To pursue God, we need to
- follow hard after Him, that is, desire Him more than anything else
- acknowledge that God is holy
- realize that holiness is not a choice
- seek help from the Holy Spirit in the daily pursuit of holiness
- repent from sins, worship and pray
While much more could be said about any of these topics, by following these steps, we will be successful as we pursue God and His holiness.
Take a moment to enjoy Don Moen’s song, 9th and 10th tracks on Don Moen’s album GIVE THANKS (1991), My Soul Follows Hard After Thee
So, what do you think about these 2 steps to pursue God? Have you already acknowledged that God is holy and that holiness is not a choice? If so, you’re are already pursuing God!
Do you have a moment? I’d love it if you would leave a comment for me about this study. I look forward to hearing from you.
This article is reprinted from my former blog as titled What Does it Mean to be in the Pursuit of God?
More posts coming in this series:
- How to Live a Holy Life that Pleases God
- Did You Know that Holiness is not a Choice?
- What is so Important about the Holiness of God?
- Does God Want me to Desire More of Him?
Before you leave, check out these posts:
Cindy Barnes has been called by God in the early 80s to be a teacher of His Word. She is a serious student of the Word, focusing on the Inductive Bible Study Method since 2007. Her passion is to teach women how to study the Bible using this method. In addition, she desires for women to develop an intense yearning to draw closer to God through reading and writing out the Bible.
Cindy teaches hundreds of women in her private online Bible Study Group who express their joy of growing deeper in their spiritual walk.
You can stay in touch with Cindy on Facebook through Women’s Tabletop Friendship.
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