What is Seek First?

From the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding . . .

Colossians 1:9

As odd as it may seem, it makes sense to me to start with what Seek First is NOT.

It is not our mission at Seek First to create another online community, nor do we wish to start another local church or assembly. 

We are also not here to provide another sermon series, set of opinions, or to create division, as we are not out to compete, win, or persuade anyone of our personal mission or vision.

We are simply here to encourage others to SEEK FIRST GOD’S KINGDOM.

As the foundations of this world are being shaken, we are here to remind you that no matter what system, man, woman, or thing may fail or fall, do not be deceived into believing that God can fail, that He is not real, or that God does not exist. 

Even if the person or thing that failed you, claimed to be a representation of the One True and Living God, God CANNOT fail. Therefore, no matter what situation you may be in, Seek First is a place where you can be reminded that the character of God is very different than the Character of man.

Unlike the things of this world, God is a SAFE place to find refuge. He is “a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way.” Psalm 46:1-2

No matter your circumstance, God is trustworthy.

To that end, we are not after your membership, tithes, or your name. Instead we are here to encourage you to give God what you have to give, even when you feel dirty or ashamed.

See, at Seek First it is not our goal to set forth a set of expectations or rules for you to measure yourself against. Rather, we are here to encourage you to look to your Creator to find your value within. 

Because, no matter what anyone else has told you “all God wants from any of us is to humbly and proudly return the product that we have been given – which is ourselves!” (Rohr et al., 2024 pg xii)

At Seek First, we firmly believe that when we improperly encourage ourselves to look like everyone else, failing to celebrate the differences that God created in us instead, then we can easily hinder God’s plans for another individual’s life and ourselves.  

Therefore, we are here to remind you that God’s word does not say that you have to meet man’s standards; however, it does say to

“SEEK the LORD while HE may be found;

Call upon HIM while HE is NEAR;

let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts. . .

For MY thoughts are NOT your thoughts,

neither are your WAYS my WAYS, declares the Lord.”  Isaiah 55:6-8

It is our belief at Seek First that God has placed something unique inside of each of us, as He carefully designed each of us for such a time as this. However, that requires each of us as individuals to SEEK his ways, not ours. 

Otherwise, we will continue to remain unchanged, doing the same.   

Therefore, we are not here to encourage everyone to look and think the same. 

Rather, we would like to be a place where we celebrate our differences, but we can also come around the table for one common goal –

Personally seeking, discerning, and completing God’s will in our individual lives.

At Seek First, we believe that our purpose is to remind you of who God is and who you are to HIM. Therefore, our mission at Seek First is simple.  It is to encourage you to be reminded that Jesus said,

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32

We hope to encourage you to take time each day to listen for God’s voice, as you study God’s Word, because Jesus clearly said, “my sheep hear my voice.”  John 10:27.

However, we also want to be a clear reminder that God’s voice does not bring shame, as Jesus did NOT come to this world to condemn. 

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  John 3:17

At Seek First we are here to simply remind you of The New Covenant, as His Word explains,

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a NEW COVENANT. . . not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the COVENANT that I will make . . . declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I WILL WRITE IT ON THEIR HEARTS. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ FOR THEY SHALL ALL KNOW ME, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

At Seek First, we are here to simply remind you that you have access to the King of Kings, no matter what someone else may have told you.  God’s word clearly says that He will do the work. 

GOD will write His word on our hearts, not that another man must put God’s word into me or you. However, in order for God to do the work it requires us to fully open ourselves up to Him.

We are here to simply remind you that even though you may endure pain and suffering for a season that it is not in vain.  Rather, we rejoice in our suffering because we know that suffering produces hope, and “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s LOVE has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  Romans 5:2-5

Even in our suffering, we are more than conquerors through Christ, because now there is absolutely NOTHING that can separate us from God’s LOVE, the light within us.  Romans 8:37-39 

However, in the world that we live in it can often feel like the enemy is coming in like a flood, and there is no stopping it. 

Seek First is here to remind us all that there is HOPE.   

In King James Version of the Bible it says that “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19

I’ve heard that verse my entire life, but I had never thought of it like this:

“The Lord [L For he] will come quickly like a fast-flowing [or pent up river, driven by the breath [or wind; or Spirit] of the Lord.” (Isaiah 59:19, EXB Translation)

Bible Hub provides this additional information on that verse:

“KJV’s “lift up a standard” recalls Hebrew nēs (battle-banner) used elsewhere (Isaiah 11:10, 12; 62:10).

The verb here is nōsĕsâ (“makes to flee, drives”), but the military nuance is appropriate: the Spirit serves as God’s battle-flag, rallying His people while routing the foe.

In either translation stream God remains the warrior (cf. Exodus 15:3)

The Spirit’s role here foreshadows Pentecost (Acts 2), where a rushing wind (“pnoē,” LXX counterpart to rûaḥ) inaugurates the new-covenant age. The same Spirit now indwells believers (Romans 8:11), empowering them to resist satanic “floods” (Ephesians 6:10-17; 1 John 4:4)”

https://biblehub.com/q/Meaning_of_enemy_comes_in_like_a_flood.htm 

I don’t know about you, but at Seek First we want to be a part of “stream God”, as people that are set apart and being led by the Spirit of God to route the foe. 

Therefore, at Seek First it is our mission to encourage ourselves and others to lift up a standard by operating within the authority of God’s Holy Spirit, because the God that we serve is a mighty God, whose word will not return void.

And God’s word promises us that if we are move according to His ways and His plans, we can raise up a banner against the advancement of the flood of the enemy that has been penetrating its way into our beloved countries, streets, schools, and homes. 

But the banner that we must raise up starts with LOVE, because the only force on this earth that can truly push out the darkness, and not just cover it up, is God.

What if each one of us does our part to have LOVE that issues from a “pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith,” while also understanding that it’s not on me or you to condemn anyone?

What if we reach a “gentlemen’s agreement” that judgement is reserved for God himself to measure out, finally acknowledging that we are all a lot better off when we leave that to Him? 1 Timothy 1:5

What if we contain the dark by shining out our light in the form of Christ Like LOVE, so brightly that the darkness can no longer exist? Matthew 5:16. 

What if the body of Christ collectively began pursuing peace on this earth, becoming doers of the word by displaying Christ Like Love on this earth, even when it hurts?

What if we allowed Christ to strengthen our inner being by allowing him to dwell in our individual hearts, and it’s from there that we learn to we personally walk within our own faith, not from the knowledge or words of another man?

It is from there, after all, that God’s word promises that we will be rooted and grounded in God’s LOVE, and have the strength to “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the LOVE of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-20. 

At Seek First we have the faith to believe that if we all become vessels for honorable use, then we can all be fitly framed together for God’s ETERNAL PURPOSE, according to His intricate design and for HIS use. 

Therefore, we would like to remind you of the unsearchable riches of Christ, “and to bring light to everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the MANIFOLD WISDOM of God might now be made known” on this earth. Ephesians 3:9-10.

However, it requires us all to come around the table with CHRIST LIKE LOVE.

As Jesus himself said,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. 

And a second is like it: You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

We believe at Seek First that when we stand united in Christ Like LOVE that comes from a pure heart then our communities and our world will be a better place. As we all become the change we want to see, we will begin to move more effectively in unity, as we collectively become the body of Christ fulfilling God’s ETERNAL PURPOSE on this earth.

We know firsthand that it’s exhausting work and that it cannot be done without the help of God’s spirit.

Therefore, at Seek First it is our sincere prayer that you can return here to simply BE ENCOURAGED.

We do not desire that you hear our voices here, but that you will be encouraged to SEEK first HIS Kingdom in all that you do.

It is our sincere prayer that you will find time each day to be still and listen for HIS voice in this ever-pressing world, and just know that you are not alone.  There are others that are individually working to make their own lives and communities better and brighter, just like you.

As you SEEK God first in all that you do, we pray that you will learn to discern God’s will for your life, as you become a living sacrifice- For His Kingdom and For His Glory.

Because there is much work to be done, and the workers are few, so we are simply here to remind you:

*  Do not be discouraged

*  You are not alone, and

*  Keep doing the good things you are doing,

as you show Christ Like Love to a lost a dying world.

In the meantime, it is our sincere prayer that we will all hear His voice encouraging us to,  

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for

building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were

sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and

slander be away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

as God in Christ forgave. 

Ephesians 4:29-32

Works Cited

Rohr, R., & Parks, T. (2024). Falling upward: A spirituality for the two halves of life. Tantor Media, Inc.