A generation can be characterized by seeking after God

Psalm 24:6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face--even Jacob. Selah.

Hosea 10:12-13 Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you…

This is something we must do NOW. If not, we may not have the opportunity in future.

“I’ve listened to someone as young as 14 and someone as old as 100 talk about their close friends, and [there are] three expectations of a close friend that I hear people describing and valuing across the entire life course,” says William Rawlins, the Stocker Professor of Interpersonal Communication at Ohio University. “Somebody to talk to, someone to depend on, and someone to enjoy. These expectations remain the same, but the circumstances under which they’re accomplished change.” This is interesting because friendships are voluntary and informal yet so essential to many people’s happiness.

Now the name ​Jehovah Jireh​ originates from the well known episode in Genesis where Abraham takes his only son Isaac up the mountain, and is asked by the Lord to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Now, lest we forget, God had specifically promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and that this promise would be fulfilled through his son Isaac.

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “​God himself will provide the lamb​ for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Genesis 22:7​-​8 NIV

Abraham had such remarkable faith in God's promise, that he knew that even if he were to kill his beloved son Isaac, God had some way of providing a resurrection so that this promise would still be fulfilled, which is why he answered that God himself will provide the lamb for the offering. He wasn’t saying this for the sake of convenience. Once Abraham placed Isaac on the altar and was about to kill him, God quickly intervened and halted proceedings, having seen that Abraham passed the test of faith before him. He then provided a ram in a thicket nearby that was used for the burnt offering. This is when Abraham named that place, Jehovah Jireh - God will provide. It literally means, God will see to it - following Abraham’s statement that God will provide the lamb. God is a God who keeps His promises. One of these promises is to provide for us!

As believers, we all know that Jesus Christ is Jehovah Jireh. Repeatedly this particular aspect of who Jesus is comes to the fore in our lives and because our needs are many, it is easy for us to identify with He who provides.

In fact, it is so easy that we can often over emphasise this particular aspect of who Jesus is, alternatively, and this is what most often happens, we can often fail to fully understand what it means for Jesus to be Jehovah Jireh in our lives.

One of the most common phrases I have found myself using over the past couple of years is: “Jesus is not your personal ATM”. One of the reasons for this is that as Christians we have often misunderstood what it means for Jesus to provide for us.

In warfare, there are numerous weapons that we have been given by the Lord. At times, it is clear which weapon or weapons we should pick-up and utilise. At times it is not as clear. Regular use and experience will help us to understand which one works in which situation, but sometimes if we can’t hear God clearly in the moment, we need to continue to stand utilising what we know to use and keep using His weapons as outlined in His Word, until we see the breakthrough.

I will begin by looking at the Word of God and all the various ways we need to use it in warfare.

What does intimacy with God mean?

A true, deep connection with God so as to know Him fully, know His mind, know His heart, know His character, know His purposes that we might worship and serve Him in a manner that He desires, primarily for His pleasure and for the advancement of His Kingdom.

In different times in different season he reveals different aspects and characteristics of himself to us in different ways. Today I believe he wants to reveal himself to us as the God who is with us, Immanuel.

The Lord who is there where we are – he is not remote or far off. He is there. He is with us.

He is with us when we are meeting in His name, but His being with us is not limited to being with us in our meetings, in our praises and so forth. He is near to the broken hearted. And He is with us where we are.

He is there in the fire and in trials.

If you are going through difficulties he is there. If you are going through tests, he is there.

God invented sex and thought it was good. In fact, it was the first thing God referred to in the blessing. In the right context (marriage) this is true. Outside of God’s protective boundaries there are negative consequences.

“God does not ‘hate’ sex; he hates faithless sex with forbidden women, but he loves faithful sexual expressions in the context of marriage. God loves it so much that he commands, not just that it happen, but that it be enjoyed to the point of intoxication.” Heath Lambert.

Knowing God is the key to overcoming sin in your life.

“Nothing has stolen more dreams, dashed more hopes, broken up more families, and messed up more people psychologically than our propensity to disregard God's commands regarding sexual purity.” Andy Stanley.

Often when we talk about habits we tend to focus on so called bad habits. These bad habits are disempowering. Good habits are empowering. A lot of what we talk about is how to break bad habits but ultimately bad habits need to be displaced with good ones. Successful people have habits that average people don’t have. Healthy and fit people have habits that unhealthy unfit people don’t have. You see this when you go to restaurants, and you also see it in what they do differently as soon as they get up in the morning. You see it in their buying habits. When we make disciples we are teaching people to obey the Word and in many ways to displace bad habits with good ones.

People tend to be negative about rules but a lot of good habits are empowering rules (not debilitating rules) that we choose to live by. Habit formation tends to be slow and it requires discipline. Discipline is following through on what you have pre-decided is best for you to do despite your current emotional state. But once the habit is formed it is almost automatic. Pay now (formation phase) and benefit later. Behaviour that stems from trauma etc tends to occur quicker. Acquired behaviour through habit formation tends to take some time to develop.

So this message focuses on how to develop empowering habits.

What do we mean when we say, let your kingdom come, let your will be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven?

Do we identify the link between God’s Kingdom being manifested here on earth, in our lives and His Will being accomplished here on earth in our lives?

Do we connect the dots between His Manifest Kingdom and His Will?

Do we understand the connection between His Manifest Kingdom and His Kingship? After all you cannot have a Kingdom without a King, and you cannot recognise a Kingdom without recognising its King. You cannot pursue or seek after a Kingdom of a specific King and not seek the King connected to that Kingdom.