Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): This is the Power Walk Ministries broadcast, and our current series brought to you by Reverend Paul Cannings is titled Forging Ahead. Today Reverend Cannings challenges us to actively seek God. Rather than be overwhelmed, fearful, or confused about various challenges and situations in life, Reverend Cannings urges us to cry out to God for His help. Here he is now with the second message in the series titled Seeking God.

Dr. Paul Cannings: One of the things that seems so insensitive when you say it to people in the midst of difficult situations is, let us just seek the Lord and seek His will. It sounds so subjective, so non-relevant to the issues that the person is facing. I mean, some people have lost parents. Some people have lost their children. And you say seek the Lord? How could I say that? Are you just really not focused, or are you just living in a whole different world?

It seems so subjective, so insensitive. That's how it is in the days of Isaiah. To say with an army seeking to come destroy you—the Assyrian army was not something to play with. They were brutal. When they come, they kill your wife, children, they don't care. They're going to dominate you to put fear in your heart so that when they start sending people to say do this, you're running doing it in two seconds. The northern kingdom is under siege, and the southern kingdom—it's coming. And Isaiah is going to say seek the Lord? Are you serious?

Sometimes these things seem irrelevant, but I want you to see today why God would put us there. Yesterday we did the introduction to this: why is this huge? Why is this important? Why is this significant to a believer's life? Why is it something that we cannot take for granted? Why is it something that we cannot be distracted from? Why it's something that it could corrupt us and cause our walk with God to become fragile? To the point where God says I just will stop prompting you through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And the Bible says that's a dangerous road for a person to take.

They don't experience the love of God the same way. John chapter 15 and many other passages of scripture explain. So, yesterday we addressed this. Today I want us to understand that this is the passion because the only fight a believer has is not the wife or the husband or the job or health issues or any of these things, or facing death. The only fight we have is the fight of faith. Will I believe in what God says, or will I not? And the only thing He rewards in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6, is faith. So there's no way around that, and that's why we need to learn what this word means.

I don't want to rush through this. Lord willing, we will finish this by the end of the week. In verse 6 of chapter 55 of the book of Isaiah, it says this: "Seek ye the Lord." He didn't say seek ye God. He said the Lord. And you could seek Him because He has a covenant with you, so therefore He can be found. For us, the covenant is on Calvary's cross. Blood shed on Calvary's cross. Jesus rose and sits at the right hand of the Father. And once I accept Him because I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I believe Him in my heart, I'm committed to turn my life over to Him, the Holy Spirit is poured into us at the point of salvation.

So once that takes place, the Bible says I'm saved, and now I have a connection to God through Jesus Christ. With God, Ephesians chapter 2 says I'm at peace. God ain't angry with me anymore. It's Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit inside of me who is seeking to establish peace as a fruit of the Spirit because I choose to live in the Spirit. So the Holy Spirit convicts, seeking to change my life and move it in different directions with Christ making intercession for us.

So the Bible is teaching us that because of that covenant, I don't have to worry about Him being there when I seek. I don't have to worry about it. If I seek to find my way home, I don't have to worry about it moving when it's paid off. If I paid my taxes, even when it's paid off, it's not going anywhere unless, obviously, storms or whatever. But it's not going anywhere. So my job is to keep trying to find the way home because it stays there. What Isaiah is saying here, "Seek the Lord," speaking to Jews who have a covenant with God, he's saying He can be found. That's automatic.

Now, what is this seeking? Here's the first thing about it: seeking is to inquire of God. That's the first thing. And there's a sense of urgency here. This is not a something you do on Sunday morning. That's something I do in my devotions. It's not something I do when things are rough and I need to go pray. No, he's not saying that. He's saying my life always has an urgency about it in that each and every moment of the day—that's why Paul would say pray without ceasing—I am inquiring of God.

As a pastor, people walk into my office. I'm asking God, "Please give me wisdom." This couple may have high respect for me, and what I say, they may go out and do. So would You bring verses back to my mind? Would You give me wisdom so that whatever I say to this couple or this person that they go out to implement does not damage their lives in any way? So what are we doing? Seeking Him. I'm inquiring. I'm thinking. There's a sense of urgency there, that no place else is worth going to.

He's got all the answers. He says in 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 4, "I've given you everything you need for life and godliness through the word of God." Everything is everything. There's no guesswork here. There's no gray area. God has given us what the concept we must maintain, like He says go worship Me. We must do it and do not neglect the assembling of the believers together. He says that in Hebrews chapter 10. He's already said that. It's a done deal. Now, whether it's 8:00 or 11:00 service, once I come to the truth, I see the freedoms that He has given me.

And I have the freedom because I live in the power of the Holy Spirit to go do it without the interference of the flesh. So that's why He's saying it's all there, even if it's a concept. Go marry somebody that's saved. He doesn't say they have to be six-foot. He doesn't say they have to be Halle Berry. He's saying go marry somebody that is saved, period. That's it. So God has given us freedom. The issue is you'll know them by their fruit. So what the fruit looks like when a person is saved? Now I've got to go check that out in the scripture. So guess what I'm doing? Seeking. I'm inquiring of God.

I've got to make sure that they're not just saying I'm saved, because many, many say "Lord, Lord," but few enter into the kingdom of heaven. So the Bible is saying, no, listen to their confession, look at their fruit. So until I see the fruit in the person that I now go inquire of God to understand because there's an urgency there that God, I can't go make any decisions without You. Even as a pastor, I can't. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 17, he says it. He says the word of God has equipped the man of God for every good work, every good work.

It's just constantly seeking God about each thing that He places upon me to see if that's what He wants for His church, for He is the head of the church. I am His servant to make sure that that gets done the way He describes it to get done. Those are His children, and not mine. To understand, the Bible is literally providing us all of this. And he's saying the fact that I know He can be found because I have a covenant with Him, and the fact that He is always present when the Holy Spirit lives inside of me and I live in heavenly places, it's for me to find the experience of God each and every day, the power of God each and every day, the wisdom of God each and every day as I live my life.

So it's urgency. It's an inquiry into God. And this is the main thing here within this passage of scripture: you can't just take this for granted because it's huge. And I want you to see how huge it is. Turn with me to Jeremiah 29, verse 13 through verse 14 if you can. And this is what it's going to say: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord."

He says in Amos chapter 5, verse 4, he says, "This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live." What does Christ come to give us? Life and life abundantly. He didn't come to give us living: I pay the bills, I go home, I go to job, I take care of my family. No, that's living. He's talking about life and life abundantly. Then that only happens when I seek Him. So there's a sense of urgency. There's a need to inquire of Him.

The third thing is, I need to see that this is something I must do because He's the only one with the answers. And so therefore it brings up the fourth thing: it is purposeful. I'm not just going, "Okay, Lord, I'm seeking You," this aimless approach. God, why am I single for 30 years? God, I've been asking for 30 years to be married. God, why? Seek Him for that. Why does God allow that? Rather than just let my life be a waiting situation and I'm just living, not experiencing life, I'm going to God seeking Him purposefully.

God, why is my marriage—it's not getting along? The older it gets, seems like the simpler it should be. Why would we drift apart over the years rather than come together? People may ask that question. Oh, God, how do I keep my relationship with You fresh? How do I keep it from not becoming a humdrum Christianity? Oh, now I'm seeking God. Now I'm going before God. How do I keep the path that he would talk about in Hebrews 10 fresh and new?

Literally, because He's the one that has all the answers, my seeking is purposeful. I don't just go to the Bible and have devotions. I go over the issues that I face, and I seek the Lord for wisdom on them. And I stay the course until I get what He is saying. It tells me that my heart is sincere about seeing Him as my only answer. I actually learned this from my grandkids. They are so purposeful when they have something they want, and they would stay with you until they get it. Because they believe you're it. There's nobody else.

They don't go to their cousins or their brothers and sisters; they come to you. And they stay there. "Could I do this? Why can't I do this? Oh, could we do tomorrow then?" They see that as the only issue that they have to go through to get this done, and they will fix their minds on that process. When we seek the Lord this way, it drives the Holy Spirit to develop powerfully in our lives. So guess what we end up walking in? The Spirit, and not in our worries, our frustrations, our anger, our disappointments, our grief.

Therefore we don't end up distracted, so we could forge our way ahead, and then the Spirit brings us what? Peace. So in the midst of all kinds of problems, I find strength. The Spirit brings what? Joy. So in the midst of it, I could live carefree because that's why Paul, in the worst time of his life, would say be anxious for nothing, because he's approached his life pressing towards the mark. I pray to you that you stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen, Dr. Cannings. The only one with the answers. If we simply call on Him and fully entrust Him with our lives. Now, if this message has been a blessing to you and you'd like to obtain a copy for yourself or for a loved one, then please call us at 281-260-7402. Again, that's 281-260-7402. You can also visit us online at powerwalkministries.org for all of our ministry resources. Again, that's powerwalkministries.org.

Dr. Paul Cannings: I am so excited about April the 23rd through the 25th because it is a conference with lots of notes, great teachers, well-educated, well-prepared, do what they're teaching in their churches. You cannot miss this conference. Come April the 23rd through the 25th at Living Word Fellowship Church at 7350 TC Jester Boulevard. Come and be blessed. The conference is the way forward: how can we be productive despite the challenges ministries can experience? You go to powerwalkministries.org and you will get all the information you need. Get in early so you can get those special prices. Look forward to seeing you.

Guest (Male): Once again, our web address is powerwalkministries.org. Our mailing address is PO Box 920517, Houston, Texas 772092. We'd love to hear from you. And if you live in the Houston area or you're planning a visit, please join Reverend Cannings at Living Word Fellowship Church this Sunday. For church location and service times, visit lwfellowshipchurch.org. And now remember, when we seek God, we make way for the Holy Spirit to develop in our lives, and He then enables us to respond to others and to our circumstances in a Christ-like manner.