Seeking God with Our Whole Heart
First Antioch Church Bible Study
Pastor David Childs
5/5/2022

Jeremiah 29:13
Psalms 63:1
Luke 11:9

What does the bible mean by seeking?
Language origins:

Hebrew (Jeremiah 29:13, Psalms 63:1): šāḥar- Pronounced: shaw-khar' (Shaw-Care).
To seek, seek early or earnestly, look early or diligently for (Qal) to look for diligently, seek (Piel) to seek, seek early.

Greek (Luke 11:9): zēteō- Pronunciation dzay-teh'-o (Dzay-tay-o).
To seek in order to find to seek a thing to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after to seek i.e. require, demand to crave, demand something from someone.

1. Seeking God with our whole heart.
-Requires humility.
-The challenge for Christians here is to say “I have been saved a long time. I don’t need anything else.”
-It requires humility to admit one is spiritually stagnated or even drifted back into old sins.
-A willingness to grow in the Lord.
-Seeking God with our whole heart means we are seeking God in sincerity.
-We are searching for more of God and His Holy Spirit.

2. Seeking God in His word.
-Also requires a posture of humility.
-A humility that says even though I have been a Christian for a long time I do not know everything. I have been going to bible study my whole life.
-Moving past religiosity and self-righteousness.
-Studying God’s word regularly for application and not head knowledge.
-Apply it to ourselves. Not someone else.

3. Seeking God in prayer.
-This requires humility as well because we can pray in self-righteousness and pride and get nowhere.
-Earnest prayer and fasting.
-Travailing and overcoming in prayer.
-Practical ways of praying (On our knees, standing, praying aloud, tears, patiently waiting, turn off technology, praying regularly, if we have a self-righteous attitude we are getting nowhere).
-Spending time with God.
-Seeking for deliverance.
-Seeking God for our healing (Physically, emotionally and spiritually).
-Seeking for the fullness of the Holy Ghost.
II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
-Praying in faith, that God hears us and prayer changes things.

Small Group Discussion questions:
1. What are things that hinder Christians from growing in the Lord?


2. What are things that can personally hinder us?


3. What things or people hinder you personally in your life that you need to let go of?


4. In what ways can pride and tradition hinder our spiritual growth?


5. What would happen if the whole church began to seek God in earnest and in sincerity?


NOTES: