Reference: Deuteronomy4:28-29, II Chronicles 15:2, and Psalms 10:4
When I was just a little boy about eightto ten or twelve years old, I used to play a game that we called"hide-and-go-seek". This game was played by one person hiding theirface and counting to a certain number. When this certain number was reached bythe one doing the counting, they would then say that they were coming whetherall was ready or not. The object of the game was to hide in a good place whilethe person was counting and when the person was through counting they wouldthen begin to seek for us until he found everyone that was in the game. Thelast person to be found was called the winner if the person gave up theirsearch for them. You had to be well hidden in order for you not to be found bythe one doing the seeking. The Bible tells us that in order for us to find Godthen we must seek for him with all our heart, soul, and mind. Unless we seekfor God in this manner then we will not find him. God is so well hidden that itis utterly impossible to find him with a natural ability. In order for you tofind God you must seek for him just as if you would seek for a needle in ahaystack. You can find a needle in a haystack if you look at each and everystraw to check it carefully. If you just look at a straw or two in every handfull then the chances are you will never find the needle. You must check everystraw in the haystack before you find the needle. You may say that you wouldnot seek for a needle in a haystack because of the fact that it would take toolong and it would be a much too tiresome job. Would you seek for a needle in ahaystack if you were promised ten thousand dollars if you found it? I believethat anyone would be willing to search for the needle if you would receive agreat deal for your effort.
The needle could be found if every straw wasexamined carefully. In order for you to find God you must in the same ordersearch for him just like you would for a needle in a haystack. The reward forfinding God is stated within his word, but if you do not believe that Godexists and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek for him, then youmy friend will never begin the seeking task of finding him. There are many inthe world today that confess to know Christ as Lord and Saviour, but the truthof the matter is that they absolutely do not know him in the power of hisresurrection. I can say this because of the fact that the religious world todaydoes not seek for God like his word reveals that they must do. If you look atthe condition of the churches it can easily be seen that Christ is not beingmanifested within them. The most common teaching today in the average church isjust to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour by making this decision in theirminds. Blind leaders behind the pulpits of the church is deceiving the people bythe millions telling them that just to accept the Lord as Saviour by making asimple decision is all there is to receiving Christ in their heart and lives.There is no seeking for God in this simple manner. To seek God means that youmust with all your being search for him forsaking yourself and picking up yourcross and following Christ. To seek for God is done by your love for the wordof God revealed in the scriptures. We are told that God is the Word. If you saythat you love God and fail to keep his word then you are a liar and the truthis not in you. The love of God is your obedience to his commandments revealedin his word. It is easy to say that you love God but your ignorance of therevealed truth of the gospel proves that you do not love God. True love towardGod is proven by your love and desire of his word. If you can't say as Daviddid when he said that he loved the law of God more than anything then you are aperson that honours God with your lips but your heart is far from him. You canonly come to know Christ by your love and desire for the word of truth revealedin the gospel. If you are not seeking for God by your love and desire for theword then you are only deceiving yourself. If you truly believed in God andthat he is a rewarder of them that do seek diligently for him, then you will bewilling to obey his every word that the gospel of Christ reveals. Seeking forGod is a process that requires much time and patience. Patience is the biggestfactor in causing many to fail to find God. Blind religious leaders do not knowChrist because they failed to study the scriptures waiting on God to revealhimself to them. David made the statement that he would have fainted if he hadnot believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalms 27:13) Mostpeople today fail to wait on the Lord by their failing to come to the knowledgeof the truth that the scriptures reveal. Coming to the knowledge of the word oftruth will purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God as sostated in Hebrews 9:14. People who fail to have their conscience purged by theword of truth are trying to serve God in their carnal state. The common beliefof just the acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour does not purge yourconscience from your dead works. Only truth will purge your conscience removingall carnality from within your heart and mind. Christ died and shed his bloodfor the New Testament. The New Testament is the new covenant of God that willredeem man back to God in his original state that he was in at the beginningbefore he fell prone into sin's power and deceitfulness. Failing to realizethis fact will cause you to fail to come to the stature and measure of Christfilled with all his fulness. The average church member today that belongs tosome denominational organization is trying to serve God in their fallen andsinful state thinking they are christians and going to heaven when they die.There are many church groups today that believe in God and that he is a God ofpower but they are not manifesting the works of Christ based on the fact theyhave failed to realize the true value and purpose of the holy scriptures thatChrist brought down to mankind. Satan has blinded the minds of the confessingclergy today from the truth that the gospel reveals. He has the clergyproclaiming a social gospel instead of the true gospel of Christ which is thepower of Almighty God unto salvation to those that know the truth of itscontents. The truth of the gospel reveals that salvation is a progressive workperformed on an individual as they walk in and receive the truth. The truthtransforms the believer into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and it will beChrist manifested in and through their mortal flesh.....