Dave’s Monday Blast – August 5, 2019

Last week we were chatting about the Kingdom of God; it was the one thing that Jesus could not stop talking about! His first public comments concerned the Kingdom (Mark 1:15) and His last public comments before His ascension concerned the Kingdom (Acts 1:3).  We must take seriously His comments on this topic, especially in light of His admonition found in Matthew 6:33 about “seeking the Kingdom first”. 

This week I want to share the first two of seven principles or practices that allow us to assess our level of obedience to Christ’s Kingdom mandate as given in Matthew 6:33.

It is an honor and privilege for every Christian to know God and to walk with Him on a daily basis. Seeking the Kingdom of God is really just seeking the presence of God. As we draw near to God, He draws near to us (2 Chronicles 15:2). God’s presence comes in the person of the Holy Spirit. This is what we are seeking after…the very presence of God in our lives. We want the presence of God to be on earth as it is in heaven.

Core practices INTENTIONAL men of God must live out if they are living a God-seeking lifestyle:

1.  Humility and Fasting: The very essence of following Christ is to imitate Him in His humility. Pride is the opposite of humility and the Scriptures speak plainly on the pitfalls of pride (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). Throughout the Scriptures we are commanded to “humble ourselves.” There is a tool to help us be obedient to this command: Fasting. Fasting affords us the clarity to confess sin and meditate on the life and example of Christ. Although not a common practice in the west, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you fast…”. He was always assuming that they would engage in this practice (Matthew 6: 5 – 18).

Bottom Line: We must cultivate humility and use fasting as a tool to help with the real challenge of humility. 

2. Fervent and Frequent Prayer: In Colossians 4:12 & 13 Epaphras shows us that without consistent, dedicated prayer you can count on significantly less (Good God Stuff) happening in the lives of your loved ones and in the world at large. The Scriptures admonish us to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

We see a pattern in Scripture to pray two or three set times per day like in Daniel 6:20. Repeatedly, we are told to pray night and day (Luke 18). Hebrews 13:5 shows that twice daily offerings at the temple were a type of prayer offerings. 1 Timothy 5 says that the widows who did not pray day and night were considered lovers of pleasure. Acts 3:2 mentions the idea of “an hour of prayer.”

Bottom line: Pray fervently two or three times per day (worship and praise are a type of prayer) and pray continuously throughout the day as you are prompted. 

I guess you can see where this is going.  It is critical to be reminded of these principles or practices that can be used to assess our obedience to Kingdom-first thinking. Men of INTENTION understand the need for conviction and accountability. Next week I will continue doing more of the same…well the Scriptures will!!