I remember the first time I chose to pursue God. At 1:30 a.m., I was alone at the church. I often went to the church alone in the wee hours to pray, so I wouldn’t wake my wife and son. This particular time, I was reflecting on my desire for more of God. I wasn’t satisfied with where I was currently.
Now, don’t think I was living a life of sin or anything. I was right with God – just unsatisfied with my relationship. I wanted more. More power. More anointing. A deeper fellowship with Him. I just wanted more of God.
At the time, I was reading Paul’s letter to the Philippians and how he had a desire for only one thing.
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14 NLT)
Reading this passage of scripture, I realized Paul felt the same way as I did. He had one goal: to pursue God until the very end, when he is called to heaven. For me, this desire has deepened over the years since that first time.
What Does It Mean to Pursue God?
We pursue God from a position of right-standing with God. We already have a relationship with the Father, but we desire a deeper relationship with Him. This desire often arises out of our compassion for the world and a desire to do more for the Kingdom of God.
What does it mean to pursue God? To pursue God, your primary goal must be to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. God is first place in your life and His Word is the final authority. (Matthew 6:33)
To pursue God, you must already know God. You have already made Jesus Lord of your life and are born again. When you pursue God, you are chasing after Him to learn more about Him and His way of living life on the earth.
It is like a father playing hide-and-seek with his young children. He doesn’t want to show his superior ability to hide from them. He wants to be found. It’s easy for his children to find him because he makes it easy.
God is the same way to His children. He wants us to find Him and His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. At one time, God kept the New Covenant a mystery. No longer is it a mystery.
The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27 CSB)
God is not hiding any of the New Covenant from us. He wants us to know Him and everything He has promised to us.
How to Pursue God
One of the best examples of how to pursue God is Joshua. We read about his determination to know God and His ways in Exodus chapter 33.
Now Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a distance from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent. (Exodus 33:7 & 11 CSB)
Joshua so desired to know God and to learn how He talks to Moses that Joshua stayed in the tent of meeting whenever it was setup. He stayed so that he would always be there whenever God would talk to Moses.
Joshua put God first place in his life. His number one priority was learning about God. We pursue God the same way as Joshua. We must put God first place in our life.
This is what Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. (CSB)
Jesus commanded us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. What is righteousness? God’s way of doing and being right.
We are to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…
- FIRST thing in the morning (or whenever your day starts). We must get our marching orders for the day.
- FIRST in any situation. Don’t make God your last resort, make Him the first one you turn to.
- FIRST in any decision. Make God and His Word the final authority in your life.
The 5 Benefits When You Pursue God
- The speed of your spiritual growth increases
- Your prayer life becomes more satisfying and intimate
- You no longer worry
- Faith becomes a way of life
- You receive more revelation
You receive these benefits due to your focus. Hebrews 3:1 says, “Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.”
Focus is the key to pursuing God. What do you think of when I say Nike, Rolex, or Starbucks? You think of a single product. They have become successful companies by focusing on doing one thing well.
The more we focus on our one thing – God – the more successful we are in the spiritual and physical realms.
When You Seek God, You Find God
Of all the promises of God, this is the best one. Here is the promise:
“You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 CSB)
There is the promise. Yet, notice, the promise has a condition. You must seek Him with all your heart.
This means seeking Him must be your primary purpose. It is the focus of your life. God doesn’t take second place to anything.
James said it this way in his epistle:
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8 CSB)
Here is how I see this verse in action. Imagine that you and God are standing on opposite ends of a football field. You take a step towards God, and He takes two steps towards you. You take another step and God takes three steps. Again, you take a step and God takes four steps.
God is even more eager than you to draw near. He can’t wait to get close and intimate with you.
He wants to be intimate. He desires to give you revelation. God is eager to pour out His blessings upon you.
God desires us to pursue Him, and He wants us to catch Him.
The Challenge
I challenge you to pursue God. This isn’t done casually or at a leisurely pace. When you pursue, you are chasing after something with the intent of overtaking it.
David said this in Psalm 63:1, “God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.”
Then David continues in verses 3-4, “My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands.” (CSB)
David pursued God all his life. We revere him, despite his many mistakes, because he chased after God with all his heart.
I challenge you to pursue God with the same passion as David and Paul did. You will experience a whole new level of intimacy with God and revelation of His Word.
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