Seeking First the Kingdom in a Distracted World

Hello, friend, you're listening to the Girl Talk podcast. My name is Kelly, and this special devotional episode was recorded live at our recent Girl Talk Live event in Marion, North Carolina. Whether we realize it or not, we're all searching for something. Peace, purpose, approval, rest. Let's find out what it looks like to seek Jesus first in the middle of our real everyday lives. I pray this encourages your heart today. [MUSIC PLAYING] Would you rather have joy or peace? Stay seated for peace, stand for joy. Stand for joy, stay seated for peace. Joy or peace, and you can't have both. All right, look at this. This is a great crowd. OK, thank you guys for playing the game. Appreciate it. OK. So hard choices, right? A lot of hard choices. You know, somebody told me one time that we faced, like-- I don't even remember how many it was-- like a million choices a day. Anybody know what the actual number was? 13,000. 13,000 Jacks says 13,000 choices every single day. Some of them were hard. Some of them are easy. Some of them are hard. So we're going to start with some scripture. So y'all, if you brought your bibles, you can turn to Matthew 7. That's where we're going. But before we get going with that, I'm going to pray because we should always pray. And the Lord loves it when we pray to him. So Father God, we love you. We love you so very much, God. And we just ask that you would speak to us tonight, Lord, that you would continue what you have already begun in us throughout this evening, Lord. We've worshipped you. We have been moved by what you're doing. And God, we just want more. We're hungry for more of you. So God, would you use me to bring your word? Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit. May the words that come out of my mouth be yours and yours alone and not mine. And God, move in our hearts and move in our minds. And God, help us to determine what it is that we're seeking. And if it's really you, ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen. So Matthew 7, 7 through 11 is where we're going to go. It says, ask. And it will be given to you. Seek and you will find knock. And it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks finds and to the one who opens it will be-- I mean, the one who knocks it will be opened. Which one of you, if his son, asks him for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father, who is in heaven, give good gifts to those who ask him? So this scripture-- it's probably-- I don't know if it's still there-- this scripture, if you saw it, it ends with an exclamation mark, like an exclamation mark. How many-- you guys ever send emails with an exclamation mark in it? An exclamation mark means like, I mean it. I mean it, really, I mean it. I mean it. Are you paying attention to the words coming out of my mouth? That is what God is saying here. Jesus is saying, this is from the sermon on the Mount. So Jesus is most famous sermon that's recorded in scripture. It goes for a couple of chapters in the book of Matthew. And it's all about Jesus telling us all kinds of things that we're to do and not to do. But he says, your father wants to give you good gifts exclamation mark. He probably could have put 14 there, because it means the same thing. Exclamation mark, exclamation mark. He wants to give you good things. That's what Jesus says. I want good things. You all want good things? I want to be able to take a vacation to the beach. I want to have all kinds of good things. I want good health. I want good health. I take medicine for good health. I take some supplements. I get up and go to the gym at least a couple of times a week to try to get in better health. I want good health for my loved ones. You know what Jesus mentioned that her mama died in a car accident. Not that many years ago this week. I don't want that kind of thing to happen. You know, when my friends get sick, when my loved ones get sick, I don't want them to die, I want them to get better. I want good health for myself, good health for them. I want financial security. You know, not to be rich. I mean, that would be nice, right? It would be nice. But that's not what I want. I want financial security so that I can not have to work full time when I'm 80. You know, I don't want to work 40 hours a week when I'm 80. I don't want to be able to pay my bills. So I want financial security. I want safety. Nobody else wants safety. Sometimes in this world these days, that feels like it's hard to grasp. Sometimes it's safety. I'll tell you a really quick story about a time where I felt completely unsafe. My husband and I went to China when we were in college to be missionaries for a summer. And we get off the plane, we get in some guy's car. He does not speak a word of English. He has the right sign though. It says Kelly, my last name at that time was Evans. Kelly Evans, John Brandon, Scott, all kinds of other people's names on it. We get in his car. He drives. We think we're going to a hotel. Thank the Lord. That's where we ended up, ultimately. But he's in a sad trip down into some alley. And in this alley, again, we're in a country. We've never been in before. We do not speak Chinese. And he does not speak English. And he goes down this alley and he hops out of his car. And some other dude comes out of a building and carrying something and puts it in the trunk of the car. And this guy, like we're there by ourselves for multiple minutes. The guy finally comes back, gets in the car and speeds away. I was like, oh my gosh, I think I'm going to die. I think this is it right now. I think we're going to die. Obviously that didn't happen. I wouldn't be standing up here today if I had died. We got safely to the hotel. Everything was fine. But I did not feel safe at all. And I value safety. I guess you all probably value safety too, right? We want to be safe. So relationships. I value relationships. I want to have friends that love me. I want to have family members that love me. My family's sitting here in the front row. I have family that loves me. I want to have a spouse that loves me. I want relationships. I know y'all like relationships too. I want a job that I love. And thankfully, I have one. But I want those kinds of things I seek after things like that because that's what I want. And if I'm honest, when God doesn't give me those things, I start to question God. I start to what I can't pay a bill or when the relationships aren't going quite the way I need them to or want them to, when I'm not getting the good gifts that I feel like I should have. I start to question whether or not God sees me. Is he paying attention? If I've just been forgotten, and I cry out to him, I'm like, God, you say in your word. You say in here that you want to give good gifts to your children. I'm your child. Will you give me good gifts? Please give me good gifts. I'll do anything. I'll fix it. What can I do? What can I do? How can I fix it? What did I do wrong? How can I fix this? Being in the world these days pulls us away from gratitude and to entitlement. We start to feel like we're entitled to God's good gifts. We're entitled to good health. We're entitled to financial security. We're entitled to have people that love us. When in reality, every single one of those things is just a gift. Just a gift from my loving Father, who gives those gifts at his will, not at mine, no matter how much I beg for it, he gives according to his will, not mine. They're not guarantees. He doesn't just say, hey, rub the genie bottle and I'm going to pop out and I'm going to make all your wishes come true. That's not the way God's good gifts work. Other than the question becomes unavoidable, if I don't get any of those things, if I never have good health, if my loved ones die, if I can't pay my bills and my bank account goes to zero, if I'm not safe, if I don't have people that love me, is God still good? And do I still want Jesus if all of that stuff is stripped away? Sorry, are we seeking the things of earth or the creator of all the things of earth? You know, there's other kinds of good gifts that God gives. Things God promises in Scripture, and Philippians 4, 6, 7, Scripture says that we can receive peace, the peace that passes all understanding. In Romans 15, 13, we actually have this scripture on our wall at the radio station because it's that powerful. It says, scripture says that we can receive hope and joy and peace. Those are all good gifts from the Father. Philippians 4.13 reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. So God gives us strength. James 1.5 says, "God gives us wisdom when we ask." Good gifts, good gifts from the Father. You know, we also get spiritual gifts. Things like leadership. So when we become a believer, God gives us gifts that we can then use for his service and his work and his kingdom and his work he's trying to accomplish on earth. Gifts for us to use for him. Things like leadership and teaching and discernment and prophecy and wisdom and mercy. That's the one at the bottom of my list so I keep forgetting it. And then we also get the fruit of the Spirit. Things like love and joy, peace and patience. We get that ability to be able to care for other people because we are given the fruit of the Spirit that's the overflow of the Spirit's work in us. Good gifts, good gifts from the Father. These are all the things of heaven. And God wants to give us the things of heaven. He wants to give us good gifts. Things like peace. And if we're honest, anxiety still creeps in. There's times where we feel peace and there's times where that peace feels like it's withheld. There's times where we feel hope and there's other times where it feels like that hope is being withheld. For times where we feel joy, for the love of the Father and then times where that feels like it's being withheld, strength can run out and hope can feel distant. God still loves us. So again, the question is still there. If I don't get peace, if I never feel hope, if I don't feel joy, God's still good. Does Jesus still worth it? Is Jesus enough? Or are we seeking after Jesus because He can give us good gifts? Do we seek after Jesus because He gives us peace? Do we seek after Jesus because He can give us joy? Do we seek after Jesus because He can give us hope because He gives us health because He gives us financial security because He gives us the things of earth in addition to the things of heaven? Do we want Jesus because of what He gives us or simply because He's Jesus? Because it's not just about collecting benefits. For people all around the world who feel very little benefit from being a follower of Christ, people who because they follow Christ, lose everything, including their lives, is He worth it? Do we still want Him if we get nothing in return? No good gifts. I want to read you a poem that Natalie Grant wrote that became one of her most famous songs. It's called "More Than Anything," and it goes like this. It says, "I know if you wanted to, you could wave your hand. You could spare me this heartache and you could change your plan." And I know any second you could take my pain away, but even if you don't, I pray help me want the healer more than the healing. Help me want the Savior more than the saving. Help me want the giver more than the giving. Help me to want you, Jesus, more than anything. You know more than anyone that my flesh is weak, and you know that I would give anything for a remedy, and I will ask a thousand more times for you to set me free. But even if you don't, I pray help me want the healer more than the healing. The Savior more than the saving, the giver more than the giving. Help me want you, Jesus, more than anything. So when we come to Jesus, it's Jesus plus nothing. It's not Jesus plus is good gifts, it's Jesus plus nothing. So I want you to open up your scriptures again if you brought them, and we're going to go to back to Matthew and this time to chapter 6. This is again more of the sermon on the Mount. So Jesus in 6, starting in verse 25, he talks about anxiety. He talks a lot about anxiety and fear is one of the things he talks the most about in scriptures. And he's talking about anxiety, talking about fear. He points to the birds and he's like, look at the sparrow. You know that bird doesn't worry about anything, and yet it's Heavenly Father, I am going to take care of it. Don't you think I love you more than the sparrow? Look at that lily of the field. It's so beautiful and yet it's going to be tossed into the fire. Don't you think I love the lilies of the valley more, I mean you more than the lilies of the valley? And then he says this, he says in starting in verse number 31. He says, do not be anxious saying what will we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear for the Gentiles seek after these things. Gentiles say unbelievers, unbelievers seek after these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you, will be given to you. So God knows we need them, God knows we need good gifts, God knows that we need food and shelter and peace and joy and hope and he's going to, he promises to give us what we need when we seek first after him and his righteousness, he'll give us what we need. Not necessarily what we want, but he will give us what we need. Seek first the kingdom of God, not second, not eventually but first. So the kingdom of God, I know that's kind of a big term, it's not an actual place, it's not a place like the kingdom of England or the kingdom of United Kingdom or the kingdom of Morocco or anything like that, it's not a physical place. The kingdom of God here is referring to God's sovereign rule over our lives where we make him the king of our hearts, the king of our minds, of our desires, of our decisions, of our actions and ultimately over the entire world, it's his sovereign rule and reign over everything. And it starts with us, it ends with the whole world, but it starts with us and it starts with us surrendering and I know I'm guilty of this, I'm guilty of putting myself on the throne, I'm guilty of saying I can be in control, I can do all these things, God, I don't need you, I got it all under control, I can handle all my own junk and he's like, no, you can't. I've watched you, you do not have it all together, and you are not following me at all. So it takes us surrendering, it's us laying down our goals, our dreams, our expectations and our need for control and surrendering all of that to him and putting him on the throne and his rightful place in our lives instead of trying to take that over from him. So what does it look like in real practical steps to be able to seek the Kingdom of God? Well, it starts with repentance, it starts with apologizing to God for putting ourselves in his place, for making ourselves the Lord of our own lives, turning away from our sin and turning towards him and saying, I don't want to, I can't do this without you, I don't want to do this without you, I don't want to be in control of my own life, I want you to be in control of my life, God, I'm so sorry that I've made it about me and not about you. And then it looks like trust, it looks like trusting him with our success, trusting him with all of our things, and choosing him over success, choosing him over our possessions, choosing him over all of the good gifts that he could give us, regardless of what those good gifts are, choosing him first. And then it looks like surrender. You can remember back to the story in Scripture about the Thursday night before Jesus was crucified. He's praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he says to God the Father, he says, "If there's any other way, if you will take this cup for me, if there's any other way, yet not my will, but your will be done." Because he knew what was coming, he knew what was getting ready to happen, and he knew that he had to take on the entire wrath of God for all of the sin of the world, that he had to drink the cup of wrath, and he said, "If there's any way you can take this cup for me, oh please do it, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, there's another way, yet I surrender to you, I surrender to your authority, you're on the throne. Not your will, not my will, but yours be done." So it looks like surrender, that we do like Jesus does, and that's not a casual prayer. It costs us something. It's very costly to give our lives to Jesus, but it is so worth it. He is worth all of the heartache and all of the pain and all of the surrender that we go through, he's worth it. Because when he's first, we don't have to carry it all anymore. It's not on us, it's on God. We submit our lives to him, we seek after him first, we seek what he wants for our lives, and he will give us the good gifts that he wants us to have, whatever that looks like. It is so hard though, that surrender is so hard to say, I don't know what's coming. I know that this is scary, and I know that it's going to cost me something, and I can't be in control, and I have to give that control over to you, and I like control. I like to be in control of my world. I want to be in control of my outcomes. I want to be in control of that other person. I want to be in control of that health. I want to be in control of that bank account. I want to be in control of what job I have. I want to control because I'm giving it to you because I know that your way is better. I know that what you want for me, far surpasses anything that I will ever want for myself because you are a good God and you are a loving God, and you care more about me than I care about myself. And you see the big picture. The Father already knows what we need, and we don't have to hold it together, because he will do it when we seek him first. When we come to Christ, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and that Holy Spirit is the way that we're able to live that surrendered life. If you have never, ever given your lives to Christ, tonight is the night that you can truly start to live a surrendered life, that you can give that over to Jesus, and you can say, "I want you to be the Lord of my life. I don't want it anymore. I no longer want to be in control. I no longer want to be the Lord of my life. All you have to do is turn to Him and say, "Except the free gift that you want to give me." The free gift of the Holy Spirit is the one gift that God can never and will never take away from you. Once He gives you that gift of the Holy Spirit, He cannot and will not take it away from you. He can and will take all kinds of other things away from you, but He will never, ever take His presence away from you ever. He gives us the power to live that surrendered life. I'm going to read the lyrics to another song, and I want you to make this song your prayer. It's Cady Nicole's "Have Your Way." Why don't you close your eyes? I want you to think about this song and make it your prayer. I've crawled through the valley of the shadow of death, and somehow I've walked out alive. I've run from my father and I've run back again time after time after time, and one thing I've found, I rise when I lay it down. Lord, have your way in my life, in my heart and in my soul and in my mind. Lord, have your way every time, because I know your plans are better than mine. I lift up my hands and I fall on my knees, surrendering. I'll sing it, Lord, have your way in me. Your blessings fall on me like a rain on a garden, a sink in an ocean of grace. How kind are your mercies? How faithful your heart is, you hold my tomorrow today. Lord, have your way every time, because I know that your plans are better than mine. I'll sing it. Lord, have your way in me. Lord, let your kingdom come. Lord, let your will be done. Jesus, you're all that I want. Jesus, you are more than enough. Lord, have your way in my life. So what are you seeking? Are you seeking the things of heaven? I mean, the things of earth? There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with wanting good health. Nothing wrong with wanting financial security. But is that what you're seeking? Peace and love and joy. Or are you seeking Jesus alone? Really ask yourself, what have you been trying to control, or to fix, or to handle on your own? What are you running towards? Is it Jesus? Because tonight's an invitation, tonight's an invitation of surrender, an opportunity for you to lay it all down. To come before the Father and say, Lord, have your way in me. Even if it doesn't look like what I planned, even if it doesn't look like what I want, even if it costs me everything, Lord, have your way in my life. Have your way in my relationships. Have your way in my bank account. Have your way in my heart and in my mind. Have your way in my future. Have your way in my anxiety and in my fears. Because I don't want the gifts more than I want you. I want you. I want Jesus plus nothing. I want Jesus plus whatever you want to give me. And maybe tonight your prayer is simple. Maybe you've been running and you're tired and you just want to lay it all down. We're going to invite the prayer volunteers. There's a bunch of them here tonight. They're going to come up in here and they're going to stand here at the front of the stage. And they're going to be here to talk with you, to counsel with you, and to pray with you. If there is something that you need to surrender, if there is something that you're holding tightly to and maybe it's your own life, maybe you have never laid down your life and given your life to Christ, tonight's the night to do it. Or maybe you gave your life but you kept taking it back from God and you keep saying give me control. I want it back. Whatever it is you're struggling with, the altar is open and there's a time and a place here for you to come and lay it all down. Climb's going to sing some more for us and play some more for us. Don't be plenty of time for you to do work with the Heavenly Father. So let's start. Let's end with prayer. Father God, forgive us, Lord, for when we have sought after things that are your good gifts instead of you alone. Forgive us, Lord, when I have put myself in your place, when I have put myself on the throne and wanted to be you and have the control of my life, God, help me lay it down. Help me remember, Lord, that you have such a much better plan for me than I ever will for myself. And then in your word, you encourage me to seek you first, to seek your kingdom first, to make your kingdom the rule of my life. God, I surrender it to you. I give you my life, Lord. I want you to rule and to reign in my heart and in my mind and in my life and in my decisions and in my future, kind of give it all to you. I surrender it. God, help me pick it, not pick it back up again, Lord, help me just to render my life and leave it in your hands, because it's so hard, Lord, I want it. pick it back up. But I want you to have it Lord. I want you to do what only you can do Lord and that is move in the way that is that brings you the most glory and the most honor Lord and accomplishes your will and your plan for my life. So God tonight I surrender. It's in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Thank you so much for spending a few minutes with me today. Do you know what you're seeking? I sure hope you seek Jesus. It's a daily choice. So let's be sure to do it together. And don't forget to subscribe to the GirlTalk podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. And if this devotional encouraged you, we'd love for you to leave a review and share it with a friend. We truly love hearing your stories and how God is moving in your life. See you next time.