Day 7: I am dependent

Welcome to the last day of Seek Week!

No matter how this week has gone for you, I am incredibly proud of you! However your seek doesn't end here, it only intensifies. The great thing about God is that he doesn't ask us to seek him with our strength. He allows us to be completely dependent on him. Many times, we tend to develop a level of independence that makes us not need God as much. Ironically, culture supports this independence. More hustle, more grind. The more you work, the more you get.

At first glance, the idea of independence sounds good but if we are not careful, we can allow our desire to be independent and figure everything out on our, counteract God's instruction to humble ourselves so that God can give us the grace that we need to obey Him and live our lives according to purpose.

We need God to serve God. Seek week would have been a waste of time if your seek ends here. However, to continuously seek God, we must submit our desire to be independent under the authority of God. Humility requires you to have self-awareness about the areas in your life that God needs to expose. Once we are aware of them we can surrender and submit them to the will of God. God, in return, gives us the grace that we need to serve Him. You cannot seek God beyond the grace that he has given you. It takes Grace to fast, it takes Grace to pray, it takes Grace to love people using the fruits of the spirit, and it takes grace to obey. Everything that God requires of us requires a level of grace and all we have to do is ask God for the grace and he will give it in abundance.

So, how do we keep the fire of SEEK WEEK burning? we humble ourselves, acknowledge our weakness, and tap into the grace God so freely provides daily. Never leave your house or start your day without asking God for the grace that you need to get through the day.

Every day God is calling you to surrender.

Every day God is calling you to greater sick than you had yesterday.

Every day God desires for you to come closer.

Day 6: weighty words

Your words carry power so you cannot speak anyhow. James 3:3-12 summarized says that we cannot cuss people out with the same lips that we use to praise God. It is a contradiction. To make it even more personal, you cannot put yourself down with the same lips that you use to praise God. Watch how you address yourself. Be mindful of even the thoughts that are in your head because they will one day be the words that come out of your mouth. Our words have the ability to start a fire that travels far and causes damage.

To prove this, I want you to think about some words that were said to you by your parents or in grade school as a child. We may not remember much from our childhood but there may be some words that were spoken to us or over us that may have ignited a destructive fire that is still burning in our lives today.

However, the good news is that the right words also have the power to heal. The right word spoken in love can result in life. Even when you don't feel your best speak the best even in uncertainty speak the word of God. We must learn to control our tongues at all costs. Just because we can say it doesn't mean we should say it. How you use your tongue is your decision. The way you speak to yourself ladders. The way you speak to others matters. Even when you don't feel your best speak the best even in uncertainty speak the word of God over yourself. Say it until you believe in what you are saying. This is what it means to renew your mind through the word of God (Romans 12:2)

Jesus died on the cross so that you can have the authority to degree things and see that come to pass.

Don't use your authority against yourself.

Watch your words.

Day 5: prayer is a lifestyle

Prayer is one of the most overlooked weapons that we have as believers. If we understood what prayer does in the spiritual realm we would never stop praying. In James 5-13 God's word is empowering us to pray about everything. Pray about the struggle, pray about the success. Pray when you feel like it and pray even harder when you don't feel like it. A life without prayer is pride. A life without prayer is a life that is not surrendered to God. Even if you haven't prayed in a while, it's never too late to develop a lifestyle of prayer. It is hard to get close to a God that you don't communicate. Here are some helpful tips that can help you start praying more.

1. Designate a specific place for prayer. So this means you have to get out of bed sisssss! Your bed is designated for sleep so you need a new location for prayer. It can be in your car, in a closet, in a specific chair, with a specific blanket, or taking walk. The point is that sometimes you must leave your comfort zone to prepare your heart to receive whatever God is saying. In scripture, we see people like Habakkuk, Daniel, and even Jesus go to secluded places to pray and seek the face of God

2. Just talk. There are times when your prayer is organized and clear. There are other times when you just need to get whatever is bothering you off of your chest before you can say anything else to God and that is ok. Just talk. Tell Him what is wrong. Let Him know that you feel rejected and betrayed. Let Him know that you are fighting jealousy in your heart. You know the feeling is wrong but at that moment you cannot help but be jealous and you want Him to teach you how to let the comparison spirit go. God is not your boss at work or your professor that you have to come to proper with all these introductions. He wants to hear your heart, not your prayer script.

3. Put Prayer First. Many times the reason we don't pray is that we have turned prayer into an option that we will get to eventually. When we don't get to it we just reallocate it for another time. either way, we know that it may or may not get done. Prayer must be a priority if it's ever going to get done. Just like we wouldn't leave our house without brushing our teeth, we should allow a day to go back with submitting our lives to the hands of God. The prayer of yesterday cannot sustain you for the rest of the week. You need fresh grace, revelation, and strength for the journey. All of that is found in the place of prayer.

There is power in prayer.
So, make prayer a lifestyle today.

Question: In your life which one of the 3 tips for prayer could help you develop a more consistent prayer pattern?

Day 4: Faith is a Verb

FOCUS SCRIPTURE: JAMES 2:14-26

As believers, we do not have to work for Salvation. We receive Salvation for free through faith. However, Faith is seen in your action. Let me say this again. You don't have to work for salvation because it is a gift that is given freely. However, a gift must be accepted. The evidence that you have accepted salvation is that God is seen in your actions aka the fruits of the spirit. Your faith in God is seen in how you love others. It is seen in how you refuse to gossip about others. It is seen when you are walking in the fruit of the Spirit.

To be honest, walking in the Spirit can be hard because we live in a society that is driven by culture, not the Holy Spirit. The problem is that culture is constantly changing. What is in today will be out of style tomorrow. The person that is canceled today is going to be loved tomorrow, Living according to culture is exhausting. However, living according to God's word brings peace. Our faith in God is not just something we wear as a badge. Our faith in God is a lifestyle.

If I have faith that a chair will hold me up, I sit on it. If I have faith that my car will not break down on me, I drive it. We cannot say we have faith in God without obeying His word

Even without ever opening your mouth, people should see that you have faith in something that is so much bigger than you. That faith must be seen in your actions because faith is a verb

Question: Do you believe you can have faith while you are afraid? why or why not?

Day 3: One Egg Only

FOCUS SCRIPTURE: JAMES 1:5

God is a Jealous God.

He will never be satisfied with a portion of you. He wants all of you.

Unfortunately, what we do many times is make God an option instead of trusting Him with all our heart soul, and mind. We have a "don't put all your eggs in one basket" mentality and believe that we can put our faith in

God,
our degree,
our professor or boss if you work,
and our connections.

We hope that one out of the many options that you have chosen to rely on should work right????? In this scripture, God lets us know that He wants all of your faith because when He shows up as your provider, he doesn't want to share the glory. If you decide to make God one of the eggs in your basket, God will go ahead and take Himself out of the multiple options that you have because He is jealous, and having only a portion of you is simply not enough.

God wants all of your time,
all of your heart,
all of your devotion.

God can use people, places, and things to provide for you but at the end of the day, He wants to be your ONLY source.

He gave His entire self to you on the cross so that you could have everything that you needed to fully serve Him.

Will you give Him everything you have and make Him the ONLY egg in your basket.

Will you allow Him to prove to you that if you make Him the only egg, you will not crack?

He is faithful and He will guide you in the right direction

If you are trusting God for the wisdom to make a decision, Be sure that your faith is in God alone. I promise He will not disappoint you!

Question: What is the difference between using the resources that God has provided and trusting in those resources.

Day 2: Lose Control

FOCUS SCRIPTURE: JAMES 4:13-16

Getting closer to God can be scary because of what we feel we may need to give up. What if God doesn't show up as He promised? What if I give Him my situation and things get worse? I want you to know that God is for you. He is interceding for you even when you mess up.

He wants to see you win.

He can be trusted.

You must be willing to lose control to follow God. In January 2018 after I had gotten into a car accident I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me clearly that the reason that the accident was as bad as it was had to do with me not giving up control.

When you start learning how to drive, one of the first things they tell you is when you start to skid don't apply force to the break. Doing so could result in an accident. Allow the car to slide until it comes to a safe stop on its own. You trying to control a situation that's already in the hands of God will cause an accident.

It leads to frustration

It leads to burnout

It leads to disappointment

John 12: 25 says Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

Losing control doesn't mean you are scattered or unorganized. It simply means you have to surrender your will to God. You are simply a passenger in the car. Some of us need to be in the back seat with our eyes closed because we don't have the discipline to be in the front seat. We would try to give God directions and when He doesn't listen to us we would get upset and possibly even try to take over the wheel again.

In the presence of God, you get the opportunity to be a passenger princess.

When God is in control, you have permission to lose control. James 4:13-16 lets us know that God is in control of everything that is going on in your life.

Surrender your will to be in control and surrender the wheel to God.

He will never lead you in the wrong direction

Question: Practically speaking, what does it look like for you personally to lose control

For example - for me, losing control of my relationship status is not engaging in dating apps not because there is anything wrong with dating apps. But because God has told me specifically that my husband is not there.

Day 1: Come Closer

FOCUS SCRIPTURE: JAMES 4:8

Over 2000 years ago, God sent His son Jesus to live on the earth in order to understand the human condition. and then He sent Jesus to die a gruesome death all because He desires a relationship with you. Jesus has to die before He could come close to you. Now He is waiting for you come close to Him.
God wants to talk to you, reveal Himself to you, and speak with you.
In Jeremiah 1:5 God says “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” God wants to introduce you to the person that He knew before you were formed in your mother’s womb. But in order to do that, He needs you to come closer.
The closer you get to God the more He reveals about Himself and the more you discover about yourself.

Have you ever considered the fact that Your relationship with God through Jesus Christ is essential to your self-discovery?
You will never know your purpose outside of the one who created you.

He is knocking at the door of your heart, waiting for you to let Him in. He wants to laugh with you, cry with you, and love on you.
He understands your pain and wants to hold your hand through the valley the question is WILL YOU GET CLOSE?

At a distance, only so much can take place.
But, when you get close, you see things that were initially hidden.
You discover things that used to seem irrelevant.
You learn at a deeper level.
Your proximity to God impacts your relationship with Him.
The closer you are to Him the more you recognize His voice.
The closer you are to Him the clearer you hear Him when He speaks.
The closer you are to Him the more you can distinguish His hand from the hand of a counterfeit.

God is calling you closer.
God is calling you deeper.
Will you say yes to the call?

Question: What stops you from getting closer to God? Do you feel like you will miss out on something if you say yes to the call?