And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” John 1:38.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
To seek someone or something you must know who or what you are seeking. Your search must be focused or you will not find what you are seeking quickly. You will be wandering and trying out many things to find the one thing that satisfies the need in your heart.
If you are seeking Me, the LORD, what are you seeking? And that is the question Jesus asked Andrew and John when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to them as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that is, as the fulfillment of Abraham’s prophecy that I Myself would supply the Lamb for the burnt offering. And immediately on hearing this both Andrew and John started following Jesus as He walked through the crowd on the bank of the Jordan River, and when Jesus turned and saw them, He asked them a simple but very deep question that I now pose to all of you, “What do you seek?”
Now I will tell you what you are seeking because I know your heart. You are seeking happiness, joy, love, peace, provision in abundance, and a fruitful life filled with good days and good things now and forever. You are seeking wholeness, protection, forgiveness, and loving acceptance. And I have good news for you. I know what you need before you ask, before you seek, and before you knock and I have made all that available to you and more right now if you will receive My gift to you. Jesus is the One you are seeking for in Him you find everything good—in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, in Him all My promises, as many and as magnificent as they are, are “yes” to you, and in Him everything in Heaven and on earth is reconciled and joined as One with Me. He is the one perfect gift that makes you complete, lacking in nothing.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-18.
My part is to give you the gift and draw you to Me in Jesus, but your part is to seek and receive the gift and then to seek to renew your mind in My Word so that you can enjoy the gift and all that it contains.
Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace (shalom) and pursue it. Psalm 34:12-14.
And there is only one way you will take hold of all My promises (which are all “yes” to you in Jesus) and have the life of good days you are seeking. And that is to get rid of fear in your life. You must run out the spirit of fear for in it is torment and it will make you lose all the good things that are yours in Christ to the devil who is a thief and a liar, a murderer from the beginning. If you receive the spirit of fear and do not cast it out you will never be able to come with confidence to My throne and take all that is yours. And even if you do, you will lose it if you fear doing so.
What is the answer? How do you get rid of that spirit of fear that is ruining all your joy?
I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4.
Perfect love casts out all fear. I am love. When you seek Me and know Me, that is, know and believe in the love I have for you, fear will no longer be a problem. So how does this come about? David experienced this in the dark caves as he hid from Saul who was seeking his life and David found the answer. And he shares it with you in the Psalms, particularly in Psalm 34. So come and see the answer.
But first let Me say this and you will understand Psalm 34 better. There is only one way to successfully rout out the spirit of fear after you have rebuked it with the truth that I did not give it to you but that I gave you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind, which is a calm, self-controlled mind that has no torment but only shalom peace knowing the truth of all the benefits you have in Christ. And that is the spirit of faith which is expressed in praise and thanksgiving. The more fear tries to come if you will rebuke it, cast it out, cast your care on Me and then raise songs of praise and thanksgiving, it is in the praise that you chase out fear. Seek Me with joy and you will be strong, for My joy is your strength. Fear cannot find a place in a joyful heart of praise. Flood out fear with praise and you will have peace all your days.
There is no fear in Heaven, it is a place filled with songs of joyful praise. Fear has no place with praise. It is time you heard the songs of deliverance I am singing over you. I am your secret place.
You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. Psalm 32:7.
Do you hear My song? It is the Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim. It is right in the middle of the Bible. Do you hear the song of the Dove in your land? Song of Songs 2:12. Do you hear the Spirit song from My heart? Do you hear Me calling you to come to My banquet hall where My banner over you is love? Song of Songs 2:4. And in Hebrew that is not the words “banquet hall,” it is My “house of wine.” My love is better than the finest wine, Song of Songs 1:4. I pour My love in your heart, and fill you My Spirit, Romans 5:5, and My Spirit is better than drinking earthly wine, Ephesians 5:18, it fills you with the highest joy and heightens your wisdom, awareness, and intellect.
Now, it is time to learn the lessons of Psalm 34. It is time you grew up and took authority over your soul and your flesh and stop letting them torture and enslave you to fear, unhappiness, grief, anxiety, stress, jealousy, anger, bitterness, regret, shame, guilt, lust, and the like. In other words, it is time to examine yourself to see if you are in faith or out of it. If you lack self-control in the area of your emotions and in your ability to curtail your speech and appetite, it is time to awake unto righteousness so that you can be far from oppression. All that negativity must go.
Psalm 34 begins: “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Just pause here for a moment. This is key. This is the narrow road that leads to life that few find. This is denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Me. This is the secret to joy at all times—joy unspeakable filled with glory.
Now, be honest, does this describe you? If not, I will tell you why. You won’t deny yourself. Have you been with Me all this time and still have not done this yet? This is serious. Those who love Me obey My Word. And I am very clear about My Will for you in Christ Jesus: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give constant thanks. And yet many believers say that My Will is hard to know and very mysterious!
This is why many of you are so unhappy and burnt out, sick and dying, is because you are indulging your flesh and letting negative words and emotions be your meditation. That is why many of you cry at night and in the morning when you awake instead of joyously praising Me for a great deliverance and all My other magnificent promises.
Do you believe it when I tell you that nothing is too hard for Me and nothing is impossible?
Let Me share something about this with you now that will show you that you are not trapped in a painful situation as you think you are with no means of escape. I never let you be tried beyond your strength and always provide a way out for you, but prayer is the key to that. Pray without ceasing. In fact in Psalm 34, I tell you some good news in this area of impossibility become possible: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them.” Psalm 34:7. I have many strangely wonderful ways of seeing to your good, that is, for you who are heirs of Salvation by receiving Jesus as Lord. Hebrews 1:14.
Do you recall that Herod, after Pentecost began persecuting the apostles and believers and he arrested Peter? When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out before the people and have him put to death. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to Me.
On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. Now, you must admit this looks like a totally impossible situation to get out of—bound with two chains in a secure prison with 16 guards making sure you stay confined. But NOTHING is impossible to Me and NOTHING is too hard for Me. But the prayer of faith is the key. And the first believers knew how to pray it, in fact when they prayed in union it would shake the house where they were!
So what happened next? I sent My angel, and suddenly a light shone in that dark prison cell; and My angel struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” You will note, Peter was no longer worried about being killed for identifying with My Son. Before, out of fear of men, he had denied Him three times. But now, facing almost certain death the next day for preaching the Name of Jesus, he was sleeping so soundly the angel had to strike him to wake him up!
Well, then the impossible became the reality, Peter’s chains fell off his hands. Isn’t it time for you to rise up and shake off your chains of depression, shame, anger, bitterness, resentment, fear? I can do that for you if you will just take control of what you are focusing your attention on in your thoughts and what you are saying. Keep your eyes on Jesus and let go of the sin that encumbers you. Be very specific about what you are seeking and keep your eyes there.
Then the angel said to Peter, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And Peter did so. And the angel said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And Peter followed the angel out of the prison cell past the two guards with him. It all seemed like a dream right then to Peter but he kept following.
When they had passed the first and second guard, who were not even aware that Peter was passing them by, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself (and this was well before automatic doors!); and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” Acts 12:1-11.
This was an impossible situation. There were sixteen guards surrounding Peter to keep him in prison, he was secured by double chains, had two of the guards in the cell with him and two right outside the entrance to the cell he was confined in, and there was a huge locked iron gate blocking the exit from the prison to the street. Plus, even if he got out, he was under a death sentence. But nothing is too hard for Me. I have put My angels in charge of you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11. I have assigned an angel to every believer to encamp with you to rescue and deliver you. Psalm 34:7. How can you ignore so great a salvation and be depressed declaring that you are hopelessly trapped? Stop being so unhappy. The angels can do nothing for you if you do not speak My Word. They obey the voice of My Word, even in your mouth. Psalm 103:20.
Look to Me, not to your problem, not to your actions, and not to your efforts to come up with your own solution, so that you may be radiant with joy and your faces may not blush with shame. Psalm 34:5.
But back to the beginning of Psalm 34: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:2-3.
What during the day is most continually in your mouth? And what kind of conversation to you lead others into or let them lead you into? Are you exalting My Name together?
Think about the phone calls you made or received today. Think about what you shared with friends, co-workers, and family. Think about, most importantly, what were you telling yourself all day and thinking upon? If you were not rejoicing in My goodness, the Blood of My Son, the strangely wonderful things that occurred that were beyond explanation, if you weren’t telling yourself how blessed and happy you are and that you are the most favored among men, if you weren’t pondering about so great a salvation that I have given you in Jesus and the good things to come, then you were not having a really good day.
If instead of thanking Me for the work you have, you were complaining how stressed you are and just cannot handle it, if instead of praising Me for a great deliverance about to come to you, you were filled with fear of someone threatening a law suit against you, if instead of thanking Me that I am your good Shepherd and the LORD your provider you were crying in agony of not having enough to pay your bills or for your retirement, you were not giving yourself a good day. You were giving yourself a life of fear, stress, darkness, and unhappiness.
If instead of thanking Me for the people I give you to help and who keep you from being lonely you are busy being offended by them and resenting that they need your help, then you are enslaving yourself in a prison from which you cannot escape.
Read and meditate on Psalm 34. There you will find the keys to a happy, fulfilled, and fruitful life. In there you will see to bless, to have praise continually in your mouth, to boast about what I have done for you in Christ, to magnify Me and not your problem, seek Me, look to Me, cry out to Me and take refuge in Me. All these are very pleasant to do and will keep you strong in Me and the power of My might.
I love you. Never forget that I made peace through the Blood of the cross and that you have easy access to Me at all times. Enjoy this and take advantage of it by praying without ceasing. Let your mouth be filled with praise of all the good I have done and am doing in your life and watch it multiply until you cannot contain all the showers of blessing.
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, ad delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. Psalm 34:1-22.