How to Pursue God

I literally completely dislike alarms.

There is nothing more harsh and abrupt than waking up from a deep sleep to the sound of 'beep beep beep' telling you it's time to wake up. But on the flip side of that, I have discovered in life, we sometimes need what I call, a heavenly wake-up call.

In Romans 11:32 in The Message Paul wrote: "God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in."

Mic drop.

This to me reveals that sometimes we need a wake up call in our walk with God. We are definitely creatures of habit that we can find ourselves falling more into the rhythm of our daily life with a side portion of Jesus instead of the rhythm of heaven in our daily life with a side portion of our life.

We have it backwards.

What qualifies as a heavenly wake up call?

1. Complacency.

2. Being creatures of habit.

3. Resistance to change.

4. Lack of motivation.

5. Focus more on self.

6. Our personal agendas.

Deborah Answered the Call.

Go with me for a second to a prophetess and Judge named, Deborah. In Judges 5:6-7,12 it says: "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. … ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’”

The backstory of this text is the Israelites sinned against the Lord and he sold them out to King Jabin of Canaan. I know, right! For 20 years this continued until the Israelites cried out for help! During this time, Deborah was leading Israel as a judge and had been given a word from the Lord for Barak, a commander in Israel's army which was to go and fight Jabin's army led by Sisera.

Barak would only go if Deborah came with him, so she did. Check out this chapter to get more details but the focus I want to highlight here is verse 12: "Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam."

Deborah and Barak needed to 'wake up and arise' to go into a deeper level of their calling and purpose. It was a reminder from the Lord that they needed to be alert and pay attention because God was about to move in a miraculous way.

You see, no one was willing to rise up during this time and fight. Scripture tells us that the people were too tired and discouraged. They couldn't focus or stay alert but there was one that was willing to hear the voice of the Lord and be willing to get uncomfortable and put herself in danger and that is exactly what Deborah did.

Her obedience to allow the Lord to give her a wake-up call changed the course of history for the next 40 years. She truly understood the meaning of pursuing God at all cost.

Pursue defined.

1. To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; chase.

2. To strive to gain or accomplish.

3. To proceed along the course of; follow.

Let's focus on this for a second: to follow in an effort to overtake or capture; chase.

You see, my friend, it's more than going to church, having a bible study in your home, going on a missions trip, helping out at the local soup kitchen or even being the Judge of Israel, like Deborah. All beautiful things but it's so much deeper than that.

• Walking with God is a heart matter

• We need to chase after him.

• To overtake and capture the essence of everything he is.

• He has EVERYTHING we are looking for.

• Everything we need is found in him.

Seek Him First.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 NLT

Pursuing God starts by seeking him first in your home through your prayer closet and studying of his word. It's about recognizing who he really is in such a way that you'll be determined to not live like Paul said in Romans 12:2, "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit in without even thinking."

This begs the question: are we really living a life that sets us apart? Does it look different from the world and how they live? Are we setting our priorities right? Is God a side portion in our life or the main portion? These are wake-up call questions.

This is about a real living and breathing relationship. You and Jesus.

• A daily decision.

• A daily pursuit.

• A daily conviction to follow him.

• A willingness to follow him however he leads.

What Happens When We Answer His Wake-Up Call.

1. A heavenly wake-up call serves as a reminder that we need to reflect on our priorities, choices, and behaviors and how they're aligning to his word. It prompts us to pause and evaluate where God fits into our daily life. It answers the question if he's simply an appetizer or the main course.

2. It disrupts our habitual patterns and routines and forces us to step outside of our comfort zone. It challenges us to question why we're living as we are which leads to spiritual growth.

3. It helps us to overcome complacency. Being creatures of habit, it's easy to fall into a state of repetition but that only leads to a stagnant christian walk that is resistant to change. A wake-up call shakes us out of this complacency mindset and provides the necessary motivation needed to make a change.

4. It inspires growth and resilience. Sometimes a significant event occurs in our life to create this type of wake-up call that pushes us to our limits but it is in these moments that allow us to find opportunities to reflect on what areas of our life needs more of Jesus.

5. It allows us to properly align ourself with the Word of God, not just to do the right things weekly like going to church, being in a life group, or whatever it might be, but it requires us to go deeper. To pursue. To not be satisfied with the status quo of Christian living, but digging into the word of God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

6. Creates a sense of urgency and realization that time is precious. It motivates us to seize opportunities, pursue the calling that God has placed in our life but never quite had the faith to step out and do it. It helps us to live in the moment instead of saying, "I'll do it tomorrow."

Everything Comes From Him.

"Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?

Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him.

Always glory! Always praise! Yes. yes. yes." Romans 11:33-36 MSG

When we remember these key words: EVERYTHING COMES FROM HIM....then that tells me we need to keep the main thing the main thing and that is Jesus, all day, all night.

He needs to be our daily portion, not our daily appetizer or occasional hors d'oeuvre.

It's time for a heavenly wake-up call so that we can live the rhythm of heaven and answer the call of God on each and every one of our lives. Why, you ask? Because this world needs to see Jesus in a way like never before and you and me are a part of that plan to make it happen.

In pursuit of the one who loves me,

Tracee Padilla