seeking God

Fire From Heaven

May 1, 2013 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. (NIV) 1 Chronicles 22:6

Over 3000 years ago, King David saw how God was working among His people and it was his desire to build a house for God to dwell in. God knew the sincerity of David’s heart. But, He denied David the privilege of building His temple (1 Chronicles 22:8). God lovingly and graciously gave David plans in writing for a dwelling to house His own presence in Jerusalem. David in turn gave the plans to his son, Solomon. After this, David gave his personal treasures of gold and silver for the building of God’s temple (1 Chronicles 29:3). The leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of the army and other officials gave willingly to the work also (1 Chronicles 29:6).

As David passed the torch of leadership to Solomon he gave him the following advice:

“. . . my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever (1 Chronicles 28:9).

Solomon himself gives the order to begin construction of the temple (2 Chronicles 2:1). He tells the people: “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods” (2 Chronicles 2:5).

It took 7 years to complete the temple. When it was completed it was noted for its lavish beauty and detail. The interior was overlaid with gold. No extravagance was spared . . . it was a dwelling for God. But, Solomon’s magnificent work was overshadowed when the glory of God filled the temple. Fire fell from Heaven (2 Chronicles 7:1). Notice it was not stoked by man, it came from above. And then God’s glory fell and filled the temple, consuming the burnt offering Solomon had laid before God. This signified that God accepted his sacrifice. The ordinary becomes holy ground when it is touched by the supernatural!

The reaction of the people? Flat out worship! They kneel on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worship and give thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 7:3)

How do you recognize the glory of God around you? And, what is your reaction? How and when do you worship God as His presence fills your life?

Prayers to Pray

October 4, 2012 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

The safest way to know that you are praying in God’s will is to pray God’s Word! Here are some prayers from God’s Word for you to pray!

Prayers for yourself:

Passage:
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. (NIV) Psalm 63:1-3
Prayer:
Father, You are my God. I want to echo what the psalmist is saying, I want seek after You. I want You to give me the desire to know You better. I have experienced Your presence in my life, I have experienced Your power. I want have everything that I do today to bring honor and glory to Your name and reputation. For I know that the love that You have extended to me is better than life itself!

Passage:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV) Ephesians 4:29
Prayer:
Father, do not allow any type of unwholesome talk or words to come out of my mouth today. Instead, have all my words be helpful to build others up according to their needs. . . and may everything that I say today benefit everyone who hears.

Praying for others:

Passage:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV) 2 Pet 1:5-8
Prayer:
Father, have my child (or loved one or friend) make every effort to add to their faith. . . add goodness and knowledge to his\her faith. . . add self-control and perseverance to his\her faith. . . and add godliness, kindness, and love in increasing measure so that he\she is effective and productive in their life for You.

Passage:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (NIV) 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Prayer:
Father, I know that You are the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Please comfort my friend in all his\her troubles and suffering. Make Your comfort so real in his\her life that he\she knows that it is coming from You. . . and in turn will be equipped to comfort others who are going through similar troubles. Your Word says that just as the suffering of Christ flows into our lives, His comfort overflows in us also.

A Prayer to Pray

June 4, 2012 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (NIV) Ephesians 1:15-16

Whether he was in Troas or Philippi or Corinth or Ephesus, Paul seized every opportunity to share share God’s Word. He invested deeply in people. And as a result, many came to know Jesus Christ and grew in their relationship with Him.

When was the last time you shared God’s Word with someone? Who around you is seeking God? How are you investing in them? When was the last time you prayed that someone’s heart and mind would be open to God’s message? Ask God to bring someone to mind right now. Then take the time to pray for him or her.

Fill in the blanks with names of people that you pray for:

I continually thank You, God for _________ and I will never give up praying for _________.

I will keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give _________ spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that (he\she) may know God better. And that _________ might grow in (his\her) knowledge of God making (him\her) intelligent and discerning in knowing God personally.

I pray also that the eyes of (his\her) heart may be enlightened in order that (he\she) may know how great is the hope to which He is calling _________. That _________ will understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. And that _________ may know the riches of His glorious inheritance – the magnificence and splendour of the inheritance promised to Christians.

And so that _________ can know and understand what is the immeasurable, unlimited and surpassing greatness of God’s power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength. That power is the same divine power which was demonstrated in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and gave Him the place of supreme honour in Heaven – far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Amen

(Compiled from Ephesians 1:16-21)

It’s not IF, but WHEN

March 30, 2012 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy… when you pray …when you fast” Matthew 6:1, 2, 5, 16

It’s interesting that when Jesus was describing examples of religious righteousness He didn’t look at giving to the needy, prayer, or fasting as options. He didn’t say, “If you give, if you pray, if you fast, then this is how it ought to be done.” He said, “WHEN you give, WHEN you pray, WHEN you fast.”

Giving to the needy, prayer and fasting (abstaining from food for spiritual reasons and\or discipline) should be an integral part of our faith and life. And each of these are expressions of our love for others and for God. Giving is seeking to serve others, especially the needy. Prayer is seeking God’s presence and deepening our relationship with Him. Fasting in part is denying ourselves something and results in further enhancing our discipline as well as focusing our attention on God.

So on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) . . .
How would you rate your giving to the needy?
How would you rate your prayer life?
How would you rate your efforts at fasting?
What do you need to do in each area to move further towards 10?

Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger

One Desire

March 20, 2012 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (NIV) Psalm 63:1

As I read the Psalms, I am amazed at David’s heart after God. And at times I have to admit that I get a bit jealous of His passion for God. I wish that I had the same intensity as David did for his God. Listen to what he writes. . .

** O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; (verse 1)
** My soul thirsts for you, (verse 1)
** My body longs for you (verse 1)
** Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you (verse 3)
** I will praise you as long as I live, (verse 4)
** And in your name I will lift up my hands (verse 4)
** My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; (verse 5)
** With singing lips my mouth will praise you (verse 5)
** On my bed I remember you; (verse 6)
** I think of you through the watches of the night (verse 6)
** My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (verse 8)

Let me ask you. . .How do you earnestly seek God? Does your soul thirst for Him? Does your body long for His presence? How do your words glorify God? How does your lifestyle praise His Name? Are you satisfied with the riches of His grace? Or do you complain about how He has sovereignly planned your life? Do you think of God often? Is He constantly on your mind? the center of your focus? Do you cling to Him and nothing else?

Will you join me in asking God to give you the earnest desire to know Him and Him alone? Ask Him to give you the same heart after God that David had. . . and watch the way God empowers your life through His Spirit!
Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger

Give Me a Passion to Know You and Your Word

December 30, 2011 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

Oh Father, I see the passion that the author of Psalm 119 had for You as he writes. . .

I Seek You with all my heart. . .I have hidden Your word in my heart. . .I delight in Your decrees. . .I have set my heart on Your laws. . .I run in the path of Your commands. . .turn my heart, my eyes toward Your statutes. . .I have put my hope in Your laws. . .Your decrees are the theme of my song. . .You are my portion. . .I have sought your face with all my heart. . . at midnight I rise to give you thanks. . .I keep Your precepts with all my heart. . .I have put my hope in Your Word. . .My soul faints with longing for your salvation.

I have sought out Your precepts. . .I will ponder Your statutes. . .I meditate on it all day long. . .Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. . .my heart is set on keeping Your decrees. . .I stand in awe of Your laws. . . I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands. . .streams of tears flow from my eyes for Your law is not obeyed. . .my zeal wears me out.

I call with all my heart. . .I rise before dawn and cry out to You. . .my eyes stay open through the watches of the night. . . I love Your precepts. . .my heart trembles at Your word. . .I love Your law. . .7 times a day I praise You. . .I wait for Your salvation, I follow Your commands, I obey Your statutes, for I love them greatly. . .may my lips overflow, my tongue sing. . . I long for Your salvation. . .Your law is my delight. . .I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commands.

A prayer to pray:
Oh Lord, I long to have a passion for You and Your Word like that. I want an unquenchable passion to know You and Your Word. And yet the author is very honest. Even he strayed from You, “like a lost sheep.” He knows that only You can seek Him out, find him, deliver him. Father, I want that passion. Forgive me for turning away from You and pursuing other things. . .forgive me for when I choose to dwell on impure thoughts. . .there is no good thing in me. I want to echo Psalm 16:2: I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” (NIV) There is no good in me, only You. The incredible thing is that that is enough. Amen

Read through the Bible in a Year!

One Desire

June 9, 2009 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (NIV) Psalm 63:1

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; (verse 1)
My soul thirsts for you, (verse 1)
My body longs for you (verse 1)
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you (verse 3)
I will praise you as long as I live, (verse 4)
And in your name I will lift up my hands (verse 4)
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; (verse 5)
With singing lips my mouth will praise you (verse 5)
On my bed I remember you; (verse 6)
I think of you through the watches of the night (verse 6)
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (verse 8)

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