This sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking the Lord wholeheartedly, setting our hearts to understand God's purpose, and humbling ourselves before Him. It highlights the need to respond to God's call to seek Him, repent, and turn from wickedness, allowing God to work in our lives and bring times of refreshing from His presence.

In these days, when we hear so many voices, so many things, so much information about the Lord's return, and all kinds of things, weird things that you read on the internet and whatever, you know, that the Antichrist is going to reveal himself on this date, on that date, the world is coming to an end. I've been seeking the Lord and asking the Lord, Lord, what would you say to me? What do you want to say to me in these days? What do you want to say to us as a church in these days? With so many voices in believing charismatic Christendom, so much confusion, and two things have come very clearly to my heart, and I've given myself to obey those two things that God calls us as a church and calls us as individuals to do in these last days. There's a word first I'd like you to turn to in 2 Chronicles in chapter 16, a word that we have through these 41 years looked at many, many times. Second Chronicles chapter 16 and verse 9. It says, For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth, that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. And God had to say through this prophet to this man, to Esau, you have acted foolishly in this. Indeed from now on you will surely have wars. The message Bible puts it even better. It says, God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. And to Esau, you were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help like he had before. Now you're in trouble. One round of war after another. And with that in mind, as we keep that in our hearts, and I sought to keep that before me, and imagine it that the Lord's eyes moving through and forth throughout the whole earth, moving this morning to and fro all over those of us who are gathered here, to strongly support those whose heart is completely his, totally committed to him. And that only God knows. We can give an impression to one another. We do many things in the church, and try to impress the elders, try to impress godly brothers. But only God knows. Only God knows those whose hearts are completely his. And only God knows my heart, if my heart is completely his. And I have said to the Lord, I don't want to preach to others and in the end be disqualified. And what I want to practice and live in my own life, I want to share with others. Always had that fear, possible after having shared and preached to others, we end up being disqualified. And we see that all around us. So these words, like I said, were spoken to Esau, who began well by wholeheartedly seeking after God. He sought after God for many years of his life. For God had told him right in the very beginning of his life, beginning of his reign, through Azariah the prophet, in 2nd Chronicles in chapter 15. I'd like you to look at that. 2nd Chronicles in chapter 15. And it says, the spirit of God came, verse 1, on Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Esau and said to him, listen to me Esau, and all Judah and Benjamin, the Lord is with you when you are with him. And if you seek him, he will let you find him. But if you forsake him, he will forsake you. And for many days, Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest and without the law. And that is not how it is with us. We have the true God, we have a teaching elder, we have brother Zach who's taught us through the years, we have received the pure undiluted truth, the word of God here. And we have been reminded to give ourselves to studying God's word. So there's no excuse. Yet it says in their distress, they turned to the Lord God of Israel and they sought him and God let them find him. So this was the word the Lord said to Esau right in the beginning of his reign. And David, you know, commanded his son, commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He says he's young and experienced. I want you to help him to build the temple for which David gathered all the material. But God said, I don't want you to build my house. You've been a man of bloodshed, a man of war. I will raise up one of your sons and God raised up Solomon. And so God says through David in one chronicles in chapter 22, if you go back in verse 18, the Lord says to David, to these elders, is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not given you rest on every side? Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Arise therefore and build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord. It's important that we have entered into rest and that's what David reminds these leaders. He says now that God has given you rest, arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord. Help my son to build the sanctuary of the Lord. And we can apply that to us who are under the new covenant. We are not under the old covenant. And we can paraphrase it this way. He says arise therefore and build the sanctuary of the Lord. That is the body of Christ, the church. That is the sanctuary of God in these days. The body of Christ. I hope you see what God is building, what God is doing. Not looking for signs and wonders. Arise and God says to us and build the body of Christ so that you may bring the ark of the Lord. What is that ark of the Lord? The ark of the Lord and the old covenant was there with the ten commandments. You know that was the mercy seat where God met through the high priest with his people. And today the ark of the Lord is the whole purpose of God that God has revealed to us under the new covenant that he has made with us through Christ's blood. The whole counsel, the whole purpose of God. And Paul says, you know, to the elders, he says, I'm not going to see your face anymore. He gave them some warning. He says, I fear that even from among your own selves, men will arise drawing the disciples after them, speaking perverse things. We see that happening also today from among ourselves. Men have gone out speaking perverse things, drawing the disciples after them. And there's going to be more to come in the coming days. But Paul says this one thing in Acts chapter 20 verse 27. He says, I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God, the whole counsel of God. In night and day, he says, with tears, many things he said. These were the elders of Ephesus. He was speaking to the elders of Ephesus. I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. And for 41 years we have had teaching here in this church. We've had a brother like brother Zank declared to us the whole purpose of God. We are the most privileged people, my brothers and sisters. I don't know if you see it, but I see it on the face of the earth. And in other places where God raised up a testimony for himself, not just us here, but we are the most privileged people because we have had more of this teaching. We have been exposed more to the whole purpose of God than many people in this country and many people in the world. And what is our response to that? And it goes on to say there, that was that we read in one chronicles 22 verse 19. That he says then, and that you may bring the holy vessels of God into the house, the holy vessels of God. The whole purpose of God is that we may offer our bodies like we brother Newton said a little while ago as a living holy sacrifice acceptable to God. That is the whole purpose of God, that we might present our bodies as a living holy sacrifice acceptable to God. That we can present the church like Paul says as an offering to God, a soothing aroma. That is what we labor and together through the years we labor together. We were shepherds, that the church might be presented as a pure offering to God. That's our calling, my brothers and sisters. Arise and the Holy Spirit says to us, for those who have years to hear, arise and build the sanctuary. Arise and build the body of Christ and declare. We cannot declare to others what we don't know ourselves. I hope you've seen the purpose of God. It doesn't take long to see it. And if you've been sitting here under the preaching of this church, you would have seen the whole purpose of God, the whole counsel of God. Not just to tickle our minds and think that now I know everything, I know the doctrine, but that you and I can give our bodies to God, bring our bodies into the sanctuary, into the church. That is the whole purpose and that's why God is calling us to set our hearts, to seek him in these days. Not be curious about all that's happening and all the so-called prophecy that is called prophecy today. It's fit for the trash can. So God is calling us to set our hearts and he called Esau, said, I will be with you, but if you forsake me, I will forsake you. And second chronicles in chapter 14, it says there about Esau, he did right in the sight of the Lord. He commanded his people to seek the Lord and under the new covenant, we don't go and command others. If we have responsibility, yes, we have to see that others follow along in the whole purpose of God, but my own family, that's my church. That's how it was with Abraham that God said these wonderful words to Abraham in Genesis and chapter 18. He says, I've chosen Abraham, lovely word. This is something also we've heard through the years. Genesis chapter 18, when God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he says then verse 17, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? For I've chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what he has spoken about him. And my responsibility is command my children, my household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. And God says, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? And God says this to us, my brothers and sisters, shall I hide from you? Shall I hide from the church what I'm about to do? But if I seek to let what I've heard in this church affect my life, that I give my body to God and command my family, I can't force them. I bring them up in the way of righteousness they have to choose. But there we should never fail. They bring up our children in the love and fear of God. And we seek to lead them to the Lord. We seek to lead them to the church and not do anything or say anything that will drive them away. So God, it says there that Esau, he commanded Judah to seek the Lord and that those who would not seek the Lord should be put to death. He was such a radical man. And not only that, in chapter 15, verse 16, he was so radical, so wholehearted. He removed his mother, Maka, from being queen mother because of her idolatry. He was so wholehearted. He was so gripped. And it says in verse 15, 2 Chronicles 15, all Judah rejoiced concerning the oath for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought him earnestly and he let them find him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side. One result of seeking the Lord, my brothers and sisters, that we will enter into rest. We'll enter quickly into rest. When I begin to set my heart and my soul to seek the Lord, I will enter into rest. I give testimony to that. That no matter what happens, no matter what people say or don't say, and no matter what happens in the home and the family and in the work spot, that we can be at rest because we have set our hearts to seek God and believe that God is in control, that Jesus is a blessed controller of everything. Nothing happens by mistake. There's nothing by accident. Everything is planned. Even what somebody says, no word can come from somebody's mouth unless the Lord gave him permission. David recognized that under the old covenant when Simeon cursed him. So why not me? And it says then, 2 Chronicles 15, 9, that many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. And that is the characteristic. If I am in perpetual unrest, it's an indication I'm not seeking God. A clear indication. Like if you get a fever, it's a symptom of something, you know, something viral or whatever it is. So if I'm in unrest, it is a symptom I'm not seeking God with all my heart. A little bit, Sundays, Wednesdays, quiet time. I'm not seeking him with all my heart. Rest is the characteristic, my brothers and sisters. I enter into rest. That's what we see here. Then I can build the sanctuary. Then I can build the body of Christ. But sadly, you know, there are dangers. When we, that we, if we are not alert to, we can, it can happen like it happened to Esau. It says there, but when Esau grew strong and prospered, he became proud. So when he was in, when he was in trouble again, in 2 Chronicles and you read that in 16. You know, one time when he faced the Ethiopians, immense army, and he said, Lord, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. And God sends his prophet to encourage him. He routed the Ethiopians. He won a great battle, but he grew strong. And that's what happens when we grow strong and we have, we have victory. We get victory over sin and it's going well with us and materially and financially. But even if that doesn't happen, but it's going well with us spiritually and we become conscious of it and become strong. And that's what happened to Esau. And so what happened when he was in another situation, he didn't know God was testing him. When he faced another battle, much less, much less of an army than he faced earlier. Instead of relying on the Lord, he relied on the arm of flesh. He relied on the King of Aram. And you see what happened there. He won that battle, but in his own strength. And then God sends his prophet to him. Second Chronicles in chapter 16. And God says to him, and here we learn a lot, my brothers and sisters. It says at that time, Hanani the seer came to Esau, King of Judah, and said to him, because you have relied on the King of Aram and have not relied on the Lord, your God, therefore the army of the King of Aram has escaped out of your hand. Yeah, nothing happened to him, but the King, his enemies escaped. And then he reminds him about the, you know, the last experience. And here we read that word that we read at the beginning, for the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth. Verse nine, that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. You have acted foolishly in this, from now on you will have wars. And that's what happens. But what was his response? Verse 10, Esau was angry with the seer and put him in prison. As long as the seer, as long as the prophet had something nice to say to him, he was happy. But when he was rebuked and corrected, he got angry. And that's what happens to a lot of people. When they grow strong, they become conscious that their God has gone well with them. They're really now, they're making way, they have victory over sin, they get strong, they become proud. And when they're corrected and rebuked, they get angry. My brothers and sisters, when we get angry, there's one indication that there's pride somewhere in our hearts. Please recognize that. If you get angry, if I get angry, some little bit of pride in my heart, that I need to seek the Lord. And he says he became enraged, not just angry, he's enraged at it. And as a result, he oppressed the people. That's what happens with angry people. They oppress others and the worst ones to suffer are our own family. And then sadly, 2 Chronicles chapter 16, verse 12, in the 39th year of his reign, Esau became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but the doctors. Does it mean we don't go to doctors? God has given us doctors in medicine. We use them. But we seek the Lord. We seek the one who is not only our savior, but our healer. But in our disease, in our sickness, we seek the Lord and we go to the doctor and take the treatment. But even in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. He sought the physician. He died. I don't know if he died repentant. That's sad. What a sad end. Think of it. Look at his life. I encourage you to look at his life and see inherent dangers that you and I face, that we need to be alert to. Here's another bad example. 2 Chronicles chapter 26, Uzziah. Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king. 2 Chronicles 26, verse 3. He reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zechariah. It's interesting to see the mother's name comes in there. Why not the father's? The mother has more time with the child. The mother has more time with her sons and her daughter. And so the mother has a lot to play. Fathers too. It says he did right in the sight of the Lord according to all his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah. Zechariah the prophet. And Uzziah was there, who had understanding through the vision of God. Uzziah in Israel, Zechariah in Judah. And as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. And he became strong. He made a lot of, you know, it says then in chapter 26, in verse 15, he made engines of war invented by skillful men for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his fame spread afar. His marvelously helped until he was strong. Now read this, my brothers and sisters, that we can take heed to verse 16. When he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly and he was unfaithful to the Lord, his God. How? He went outside his boundary. We read that in 2nd Chronicles 26 in verse 17. He entered a temple to burn incest. That was not his duty. That was not his. That was only for the priest. He was a king. He was not a priest. And when he was corrected, you see in verse 19, 2nd Chronicles 26 in verse 19, it says, first of all, you'll read it before that, before that, verse 17. Azariah the priest entered after him and with him 80 priests of the Lord, valiant men. I have great admiration for such people. They didn't care that he was a powerful king, you know. They were men of God. I said, Lord, I want to be like that. So Azariah and these 80 priests were valiant men. They opposed Uzziah, the king, and said to him, it is not for you Uzziah to burn incest to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incest. Get out of the sanctuary. I like that. Oh, that God would raise us up, my brothers. God would raise up young men. Imagine this man began at 16 years. He could, God could have done something out of his life. But you know, men who can stand up for the truth and stand up for God, it doesn't mean, you know, that you just take it on yourself. You've got to have, we have to have grace. And it says Uzziah, I want you to see this, with a censer in his hand for burning incest, was enraged. Here's another one, another incident. He was enraged with the priests. And what happened? Leprosy broke out on him. And he had to be not just put out of the temple, but put out of the city. He had to go to the place where the lepers were. He was, and it says that he died a leper. And if you read Isaiah 6.1, you know, it says there that at the death of Uzziah, Isaiah saw the Lord. And we, you know, you read that vision that he had, where he said, Lord, I'm a man of unclean lips. Woe is me. And God says, whom shall I send? And he confessed his sin. And God, he says, Jeremiah, send me. That happened at the time of Uzziah's death. So there are two changes that we learn here from Isaiah and Uzziah. Never to lean on the arm of flesh, never to lean on our own human understanding, on human help in our own reason, but instead to trust the Lord. And the other danger that when it goes well of becoming proud, and we go outside our boundary, maybe a very little thing, but it's not my business. I've had to say to brothers, it's not your business. Leave it. Somebody is given that responsibility. Leave it to him. You may do it better, but you've not been given that responsibility. Whatever it may be, maybe a very small thing. And when we go out of our boundary, we go outside the love of God. That's why Jude says, keep yourselves in the love of God. In the living Bible, it says, keep yourself within the boundary where God's love can reach you and bless you. I've always remembered that. God has given me a boundary, however small it is. Sisters, God has given you a boundary, a very small boundary, just your home and your children. Don't go trying to tell somebody else what they should do to their children, who they should join and who they should not join. That's not your business. That's for the mother. That's for the father. That's for the parents to do. Not your business. You're going outside your boundary. You're becoming a busybody. Look after your own boundary, your own family. And don't be a busybody in somebody else's family. Why does he do it that way? Why does he allow his children to do this and do whatever else? Not my business. Peter says, don't suffer as a busybody. I'm afraid that some of us do suffer as busybodies and create confusion. And we, brothers who have responsibility, have had to go and correct people. In some cases, they get visibly angry. In some cases, they sulk and keep a distance. Let's watch our hearts. My brothers and sisters, set our hearts to seek the Lord in these last days. That is what God is calling us to do. Rely on the Lord. Trust on the Lord, not on human health, not on our reason and understanding, and never to go outside our boundary. It's pride. It's pride to say, I have to go before God. Lord, I'm a proud man. I'm a proud woman. I went outside my boundary. And we have some wonderful good examples that we can follow also in 2 Chronicles 19, verse 3. Jehoshaphat. I want you to see when he was rebuked. In verse 3. 2 Chronicles 19. A good example, you know his story, how he trusted God. He was a helpless situation. We don't have time to look at it. But when he sided and went to help Ahab, and the prophet was sent to correct him, rebuke him, you know, in verse 8. Yeah, verse 3, sorry. The prophet said to him, before that, in the middle of that verse, should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord. You know, he'd gone and made a treaty with the king of Israel. And so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord. But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asherah from the land. There is some good in you. And you have set your heart to seek God. But he didn't get offended. You know, he could have been killed in that battle. But God spared his life because he set his heart to seek God. He didn't get offended when he was corrected. Josiah is another great example. It was called the golden rule when he reigned. And I want you to see, and I'm speaking particularly to young people. Uzziah, bad example, started at 16. And here's a young boy, eight years old. 2 Chronicles 33.8. When he became king, he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the Lord, walked in the ways of his father David, did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David. He had a short life, 40 years, but he served the purpose of God in his generation. Right to the end, he had only 40 years. We don't know how many years you have. But if we can set our hearts to seek God and keep ourselves humble before God, we will be preserved. In God's testimony, I like this about Josiah. I want you to look at it in 2 Chronicles 34.27. It says, because your heart was tender, because your heart was tender, that means gentle and penitent, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against his place and against his inhabitants. Because you humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, I truly have heard you, declares the Lord. God preserved him, but judgment came upon his people. God told him that, I'll spare you. He was killed in battle, in verses 23 and 24 of that chapter. And Jeremiah chanted a lamentation for him. The book of Lamentations was written because of the life that Josiah lived and his death. Jeremiah chanted a lamentation when all the male and female singers, it was a choir that sang about Josiah. And they sing it till today. Lamentations was because of Josiah. What an example to follow, my brothers and sisters. We don't want songs being composed, but we want to live before God. We want to set our hearts to seek God. The second thing, I want to go on there. The second thing that God calls us to do is to set our hearts on understanding God's purpose and humbling ourselves before God. You see that in Daniel. Daniel chapter 10, verse 1. I'd encourage you to read the book of Daniel. Read the book of Daniel and read Revelation. We heard that many years ago from Brother Zach, particularly in these last days. Daniel and Revelation, we read it together and ask God for revelation. It says in Daniel chapter 1, Daniel set his heart on understanding and humbling himself before God right to the end of his life, till 87 years. And we know the life that Daniel lived in Babylon and how his three friends, they had wonderful fellowship. They stood in the midst of Babylon. And that's a great example for you and me, that in the midst of a Babylonian Christianity, that we can stand for God and we thank the Lord for Daniel. We thank the Lord for godly brothers that God has raised up in this church, that we can stand together. And I've always seen that God raised up Brother Zach as a Daniel to bring us out of the denomination. And in so doing, God has raised up many godly brothers that we can stand together. But it says here, Daniel set his heart on understanding and humbling himself before God. Isn't that a good thing? We set our hearts to seek God. We set our hearts on understanding God's purpose and humbling ourselves before him. That's what we read in Daniel chapter 10 verse 1. He says, in those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not, in Daniel chapter 10, I'm reading from verse 3, I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. And then he had a vision. He saw the Lord Jesus Christ. And what we read there, he said, I was left alone, verse 8, and saw this great vision. God wants to reveal himself to us, not that we have an experience like Daniel had or like Paul had or like Isaiah had, but that we can know God. I don't need to have that experience. God gave it to a privileged few. But I can know God. He'll reveal himself to me. And it says there that the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision. And God will reveal himself to us and give us understanding like he did for Daniel. In Daniel chapter 10 verse 11 and 12, he said to me, oh Daniel, man of high esteem. You see how God values us, my brothers and sisters, a man of higher, when we set our hearts to seek him, when we set our hearts to understand his purpose, oh Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I'm about to tell you and stand upright for I have not been sent to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, do not be afraid, Daniel, listen to this. For from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your words. Amazing. From the day, the first day you set your heart on understanding the vision of God's purpose and on humbling yourself, Paul said, you know, he saw things that he says and heard words that is not, it's not fit for a man, it's not right for a man to utter. And to keep him from exalting himself, God had to give him a thorn because, you know, when we have such revelations, that's why we don't get such revelations as God gave Daniel and Isaiah and Paul. It's so easy that we get puffed up and God had to give Paul a thorn in the flesh because of the abundance of revelation that he had. He went right up into the third heaven. So thank God for the thorns that he gives us when we get some revelation, my brothers and sisters, we get an understanding of God and God's purpose so that we don't puff ourselves up, we don't get exalted. And verse 14, you know, it says there, I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days for the vision pertains to the days yet in the future. That's what God said to Daniel. And why? Because from the first day he set his heart to understand the vision, to understand God's purpose for his people in the last days. The first day he set his heart and he humbled himself and you read in Daniel chapter 9 how he humbled himself by prayer and fasting and confessing his sin and his people's sin. And you see there many times we have sinned, we have acted wickedly, we have not listened to your prophets, not they, we included himself. That's a humble man. And like Ezra of old, he set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and to teach it to others. You read that in Ezra 7.10. So Daniel knew God's word, he gave himself to God's word because, you know, in verse 9, verse 2, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books, listen to this, the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years. Why? Because he was reading God's word, not having his quiet time. He was reading, meditating on God's word. He set his heart to understand God's purpose, the whole counsel of God, what is God's purpose for his people in the last days, not taken up with all this hogwash that is going on in charismatic believing Christendom today. And people are listening to such preaching. People in our midst listen to such preaches. That's why they're all confused. That's why they get into unrest. That's why there's confusion in the home and in the family. I don't say these words to condemn you, my brothers and sisters. I have had to repent myself. I thank God that I, I choose, I know what I should listen to. Jesus said, take care what you listen to, listen to and take care how you listen. Two things we need to keep in mind. So when he saw that the time was coming for them, 70 years is going to be over, he gave himself to prayer and supplication. Didn't go about preaching, confessing his sin and the sin of his people. And that's what we have to do. When we see the time coming to an end, you don't get taken up with all this stuff that's going on. We give ourselves, we set our hearts to seek God fast and, and confess our sin and the sin of our people. And as a result, the angel Gabriel was sent by God. And he said to Daniel, Daniel chapter nine and verse nine, he says, oh Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight and understanding. That's what God does. When I set my heart to understand and to humble myself, he says, God sent him to give him insight and understanding. At the beginning of your supplication, the command was issued. Your prayer was heard. The command was issued and I've come to tell you for your highly esteem. So give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. This is God's will for us, not just for a chosen view, few, but for those who have years to hear. If I set my heart to seek God, I set my heart to understand. I set my heart to humble myself. God will give me insight and understanding. At the beginning, he says the command was issued, but you know what happened? 21 days he had to wait. He fasted and prayed. The answer came after 21 days because the angel Gabriel just see the conflict. We read earlier that the message that God has is a message of conflict, great conflict, and the message that God is giving to the church today and what we are hearing here and what is being preached through those who have got understanding is one of great conflict. The devil is angry. He was so angry that he stopped that answer getting to Daniel. 21 days and Michael had to be sent, the archangel to come and help Gabriel get that evil spirit out of the way so that Gabriel can come with the answer to Daniel. He says, I come forth to give you insight and understanding. And there are spirits, my brothers and sisters, that are, there's a great conflict to this message that is being preached today. And the devil will do everything to hinder people from hearing it. They will do everything in our midst to hinder people and say that is bondage and they will get taken up with all the other things that the preachers are preaching today. When we set our hearts to seek God, we will receive understanding in our hearts, not in our heads. I hope you recognize that Zechariah had an understanding of the vision, not in his head. It was in his heart. We see things from God's point of view. That's what happens. We begin to see things from God's point of view, from God's perspective. We'll have heaven's eyes. I want to have heaven's eyes in everything that happens to my life on this earth. I want to be able to see things from God's point of view. There are two categories of people that populate the earth today and I want to see in Psalm 14, Psalm 14. The earth is populated with these two kinds of people. Says the fool says in his heart there is no God. There is no God. That's what you see today. Even in nations that had godly men and that stood up for the truth, now they begin to say there's no God. You should not teach your children about God. You must leave it to them to choose. All this stuff that is happening and is catching up also in India and there are the others who believe that there is a God but they do not seek him to understand his ways and fulfill his purpose. There are two types of people and so God says here. He says there's none who understands, who seek after God. They have all turned aside together. They've become corrupt. There's no one who does good, not even one. That's how it is today. There's plenty of Bibles. There's plenty of preaching and but God looks down. There are not many. Thank God that there are outside of the kingdom of God. There are none who seek after God but when we come into the sanctuary, when we come into the church, we begin to seek after God. We begin to get understanding. This was Jesus' grief with his disciples that they did not understand. Matthew closes with this. Mark chapter 8, verse 17. You know the incident there where they forgot to take bread. They forgot. They forgot. They had all the right answers. The five loaves and the two fish, the seven loaves and the few fish and they forgot to take bread and Jesus aware of this said to them, verse 17, why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? I want you to to see the heart of Jesus here. Do you have a hardened heart and he was saying to them again, do you not yet understand? Having eyes you don't perceive. You don't believe in your heart. You have a hardened heart. Have your hearts become dull? That was his grief there. I wonder whether the Lord looks at some of us like that. Do you not yet understand? We have received much. Much will be required from us. Set our hearts, my brothers and sisters. I've begun to set mine to seek God. To seek him with all my heart in these days. That is what the Spirit is saying to the church. That is what God has said to me. Forget about everything. Don't waste your time reading all that trash. Set your heart to seek me. Set your heart to understand and he will give understanding. To understand the vision. It's a vision of great conflict but to understand it, God, if we ask him and seek him, he sends the answer. The command is issued like it was issued for Daniel. It took some time to come but as we seek God, as we pray together and seek the Lord, that Lord will break through and not allow these forces to dilute the testimony of the church. We seek God with all of our hearts. We set our hearts to understand and to humble ourselves before God. What only will not God do for us, my brothers and sisters? We've taken up with so many other things. We're worried and anxious about so many other things and God said to Mary and Jesus said to Mary, only one thing is necessary. Just listen. I believe that's what God is calling us to as a church. We humble ourselves before him. So Lord, forgive me. I want to set my heart to seek you. I want to set my heart to understand the whole purpose of God. I want to set my heart to humble myself that even as you give me understanding, I will never get toughed up. And Lord, if you have to give me a thorn in the flesh to keep me humble, do it. May the Lord help us. Let's bow our heads for a moment. And take a moment to say, Lord, what are you saying to me? We've set our hearts on many things and many good things and bringing up our children and educating them and teaching them to be godly. But our own hearts, we have not set to seek God. Let's humble ourselves and say, Lord, from this day on, I want to go from this hall, setting my heart to seek you with all my heart. That as your eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth and throughout this church, you will show yourself strong on behalf of me. Because my heart is totally committed to you. I want to be one among such, Lord. I want to dedicate my life to you. This day to set my heart to seek you. Not all the other things that I've been seeking for. I want to set my heart to understand your purpose. Lord, give me insight and understanding. I will know what will happen in these last days so that I can help others. Lord Jesus, help me to stop living for myself. Pour out your spirit upon us, Lord. There are needy people. I'm a needy man. Please help us. Please help us. Send your spirit. Revive our hearts. Rekindle the fire that's gone down. Send it aflame, Lord. Send it aflame in my heart, in our church, in Jesus' name. Amen. The wonderful verse we read this morning, 2 Chronicles 16 verse 9. For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth for what purpose? That he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. Is your heart completely soldered for the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have sold your life completely to the Lord Jesus Christ, 100 percent, then God's eyes are moving to and fro throughout the earth. Something has to be done in your life and some obstacle. God's eyes are moving to and fro throughout the earth to find a solution for your problem, to achieve what God wants to achieve in your life. That is a powerful word. One of the most encouraging words which I heard from the beginning I was born again. If my heart is 100 percent for the Lord, that means I will not have anything of my own, my own will. There's a verse in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 13. It says and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Somebody was asking a question. What is the word meaning for seek? It is appearing here. When you seek me and find me and when you search for me with all your heart. Seeking God is searching for God with all my heart. 100 percent. My heart is divided. I want God majority. That little bit of my own will also. Then you cannot find God. You cannot when you seek God. We heard about some bad testimony of the Old Testament kings. When they are young, they sought the Lord wholeheartedly. But after some time they became proud and God was able to, not able to support them. They had gone through difficult times. They had a bad testimony. They had gone beyond that boundary. As you heard, one king got leprosy. And God gives them warning. God is so faithful. He gives a warning to us. When our own, when I look at our own life, Lord, what it means, 100 percent of the Lord. There is a verse in Matthew's Gospel chapter 10. It says, verse 37, he who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. We can add on. If I love my job more than the Lord, if my love anything created by God more than the Lord, I am not worthy of being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. My love for the Lord should be the supreme, 100 percent for the Lord. My heart should be 100 percent for the Lord. Then God can fulfill his plan in my life perfectly. My heart is divided. I want to please some human being also. Then I cannot fulfill God's plan in my life. When I became a Christian, I was telling everybody that I'm born again. I'm a child of God. God has forgiven my sins and Jesus Christ made me a new creation, new created being. I have become a child of God. I was a child of the devil. I was an evil person. Now God has changed me. I was testifying to everybody. When I went to my native place and I started telling my relatives also, I was like this and Jesus Christ has changed me, given me a new life to live. My parents are upset. They said, why are you telling all this into the relatives? Don't tell anybody. By telling about your past life, we are bringing disgrace to our lives and you have become a Christian and you are telling to every one of the relatives. That brings dishonor and shame to our family. Don't tell it to anybody. If you want to tell to your friends in the college and all, okay. But don't tell in the native place among our relatives. And they spoke to me so much, I was almost convinced. Then when I was reading the Matthew chapter 10, it says, verse 32, everyone therefore who shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my father who is in heaven. Verse 33, but whoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my father who is in heaven. That spoke to me so clearly. If my heart is 100% with the Lord, wherever I go, I have to tell my Lord Jesus Christ, I have lived up the Lord Jesus Christ in my life. I have to proclaim the salvation which God has given to me. I cannot keep quiet. My parents said, don't go to the relatives' house. Don't visit anybody. Okay. What I did is that I wear a badge. Jesus Christ is the savior today and judge tomorrow. I wear a badge. I walked into the streets of my native place. Somebody, my relatives, somebody will come and meet me, see me. What is that badge you are wearing? Oh, that's an opportunity for me to tell the gospel. I'll tell them I was like this and Jesus Christ has given me a new life. I'm born again. I'm a child of God. I create the opportunity to tell the Lord. I want to confess the Lord before everybody. Then it created more problem for me in my family. My father was very much upset. Even though I have told you not to tell about Jesus Christ to our relatives, you are still proclaiming that. Then the enmity has come in. Then I said, Lord, I am obeying your scripture. Why the enmity is coming? That's the enmity. My father was against me. When I read the same passage, Matthew chapter 10, it says, do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father and a daughter against his mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his household. Then he said, if you love me, your father or mother more than me, you are not worthy of me. And he talks about taking the cross. I found, Lord, if my heart is 100% for you, then I have to be soldered for you. Even if my, according to this verse of yours, Lord, if my household has become my enemies, I am going to live for you. Then I found, God has a plan for my life. That's what God was going on telling me. I have a great plan for your life. OK. What is the plan? I don't know. The blueprint God has never given to me. But one step at a time only was revealing. OK. If I have to fulfil God's plan perfectly in my life, I have to seek God wholeheartedly. There are three things, three major things which a man needs for his life. When Adam was created, he cannot be alone. He needs a partner, life partner. OK. God gave a life partner to Adam. OK. For me also God is going to give a life partner. God has to give me and I have to find out God's will perfectly. 100% the right person whom God has prepared for me, I have to marry that person. I should not make a mistake. I started seeking the Lord wholeheartedly, 100%. Lord, in this matter, I do not want to make a mistake. If I make a mistake, I'll end up in a mess. Then second, the job. I have to live. I have to earn my living. The job which God gives me, Lord, whatever may be the job, I am ready to take it. I don't want to have my own will. I want a job like this. I cannot discredit the prosperity gospel. You pray to the Lord, Lord I want this type of job, I want this type of car, I want this type of house and pray. Those are all garbage because you are putting your will into that. When you put your will into your desire and God's will cannot be explained to you, you will not find out God's will perfectly. I told the Lord, Lord, whichever job you give me, I am ready to take. Whichever salary you are giving me, I am ready to take it. Whichever condition I have to work in, I am ready to take. Whichever place you want me to take, I am ready to go. I worked in four companies. All the four jobs I prayed like that. I don't want to do my own will. Whichever job you have chosen me, which place, which town it is, which job it is, what salary it is, what type of condition, I am not bothered. You have decided to have a boundary for my life. You decide Lord, I will just follow. I will just obey. I will not have any complaints or murmuring or anything about the salary or the condition or the type of boss I have. I am not going to complain or grumble about anything. Whatever you are giving me, you are choosing and giving me, I am going to accept that job. And house to live in. I don't need a place to live. God gave me a garden to live. So same way, I have to have a house. Lord, I am not going to choose the size of the house, what type of house. I am not bothered. The house which you are giving, I am going to take it. Okay. How to find out God's will in that? Lord, the first house I get it, within my salary. My salary is this much. I can afford only this much, pay this much rent. If the rent is more than this, I will not take it. Which is comfortable rent, which I can live without borrowing, without being in debt, I am able to manage. Such a small house is enough. So I saw the Lord, wherever Lord you provide me a house, I will just, without any complaining, without any murmuring, I will live in that house. If the landlord asks me to vacate, okay, you are giving a better house. Okay, I will move out. Without the landlord telling me to vacate, I will never move out of the house. It has happened in my life, it has happened like that only. Lord, why I should? Because you are the one deciding the boundary for my life, whom to marry, which job to take and which place to live, for which I have to be allotted for the Lord, then only I can find it out. For example, to get a job, you can try recommendations and all, nothing wrong in getting a recommendation to get another job. But more than recommendation, the Lord has to choose and give to me. Lord, if this is the job you are giving me, I am not going for any recommendation. When I got a job in Larsen and Toubro, the interview, when I was applying to apply for the interview itself, I got two people, high level people, recommending me. The general manager of the manufacturing unit in Madras, ARCO, he has given a word there to a friend of mine, says that when he applies, let the application number be given to me, I will select him. And another person, through him, the personal manager of Larsen and Toubro has given a commitment, when he applies, let the application number be given to me, so that I will select him. I thought, why I should give these people my application number? If it is God's will, God will give the job to me. I will not depend on any human being. When God wanted to send fire to answer to the prayer of the prophet Elijah, and he said, OK, you make a ditch around the sacrifice, pour water, all the negative things, pour water, then the fire will come and consume, and God will prove that that is his will. So, why not do like that? I decided I will not tell anybody about my application number and all. If it is God's will, God will make it come through. I got it. I got a job. So, I know for sure, without any, if at all, if I got recommendation and got a job, and they will say, I have helped me to get a job there. Why I should give a credit to a human being, when the Lord has planned everything for my life? If it is God's will, let the Lord get the 100% glory for it. I don't want to do anything. At the same time, sometimes, for example, preparing a CV, when you are looking for another job, preparing a CV. Are you writing, whatever you have written is yes for yes or no for no? You exaggerate. You may be knowing something, but you say that I am an expert. People write like that. I have seen. We are in the flesh. We have a tendency to write more than what we are. When you write about ourselves, when you are getting a job. Why you should? Why do you have to make it difficult for the, humanly speaking, so that God will prove it and give you the right life partner or the right job or the right house where to live. These are basic needs. If your basic needs are these things which God has planned, if you are not seeking the Lord wholeheartedly in these three areas, how can you expect that God will use you or God will mightily bless you and God can do mighty things through you? How can you expect that? You can't expect. The basic things which God has prepared, blueprint for your life, if you are not willing to find out God's will in that area, choosing the right partner. When the life partner comes, my parents are telling some lies. When I was about to get married. They are telling lot of lies to get more dowry and all. I decided, I will expose my parents' lies. Why I should? My marriage should be based on a lie. I will tell the truth. My father said, if you tell the truth, the marriage will be stopped. Let it happen. If it is God's will, I will tell the truth. And if it is God's will, if it comes through, then I know it is God's will. 100%, 200%. I asked the Lord. I used to always ask the Lord, Lord, why not give me a sign? If it is your will, why not give me a sign? I do not want to miss your will in my life. That's why I'm asking for a sign. For anything and everything I'll ask for a sign. Major decision in my life. Lord, give me a sign. God is so faithful to give the signs. So we can, if your heart is 100% for the Lord, you are sold out for the Lord, so 100% to him, then if you ask the Lord for a sign, Lord, I want to do your will alone. I don't want to please any human being. I do not want to love anybody, anything which has been created by you. That's what Jesus Christ asked Peter in the Gospel of John chapter 22, 21, the last chapter. Jesus was asking Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? More than the things of this world? The created human beings, the created things. Do you love me more than these? That is a proof I can say to the Lord, yes, Lord, I love you. My heart is 100% for you. By saying, yes, Lord, I love you more than these things. The created things, the created human beings. I'm not going to please any human being. I want to please you alone. I'm ready to face anybody, any opposition provided I'm doing your will 100%. To obey the scripture. Seek the scripture, seek the Lord we heard today. What is that you are seeking for? To obey it. To obey. Whenever your conscience is disturbed little bit, there is unrest, God wants you to do something, repent. Seek the Lord. Lord, why that disturbance comes? Why there is unrest in my heart? Suppose we hear somebody saying that because of so and so's behavior I'm disturbed. Immediately you have to reconcile. Are you willing to reconcile? Pay any price to reconcile? Yes, if you are able to do it, then God will be always on your tight side to support you. To vindicate you, to prove you, to prove his will in your life, 100%. That is the way I want to seek the Lord. I encourage all young people. When you are young, you can seek the Lord, not only 100%. Once you are settled down in marriage, at the age of 50 and all, very difficult to change your mind. But God is challenging you people, when you are young itself you can't decide. Like Esau. He neglected the birthright. For the one meal, porridge, he sold his birthright. But later, when you become old, you are crying, repenting, but he is not able to get it. So, in your young days, when you are in youth, if you are not able to commit your life to the Lord, 100%, your heart for the Lord and seek the Lord and obey him and find out his will and live for him, if you are lethargic, casual, okay, I'll repent later and God will set me right. No, brother, I want to tell you, even after 20 years later, if you repent for all the things you have done, the seriousness which you lacked when you were young, if you try to compensate it in your old age, it's not possible, brother. You can read the story of Esau. Even though he cried bitterly, he cannot get back. So, I encourage you, young brothers and sisters, sell yourself 100% for the Lord Jesus Christ. Let your heart be 100% for the Lord. Then God will be on your side. His eyes will be moving to and fro throughout the earth to help you to prove his will for your life. Praise God for what we heard today. I want to respond to set my heart to seek the Lord. I was thinking about Isaiah chapter 55. Seek the Lord while you may find him. Call upon him when he is near. I believe that the Lord is speaking to our hearts. He is near that we respond and we reach out to him. You know, Isaiah chapter 55 verse 6, it says, seek the Lord while you may find him. Call upon him while he is near. Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your heart. I pray that the Lord would quicken our hearts so that we have a hear to hear what the Lord wants to say, what the Lord has been saying to us, that we can respond and we can seek the Lord. You know, we heard Peter says in Acts chapter 3 verse 19, in order that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. You know that verse, it says, Acts 3, 19, therefore repent and turn to the return so that your sins may be wiped away in order that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. These are the times where the Lord is moving among us and he wants to reach out to us. He began that when the human race, when Adam and Eve fallen. Where are you, Adam and Eve? And same God is seeking. He is looking, his eyes is looking to and fro, whose hearts are completely his. May we respond, you know, young people, we heard about Josiah when he was small. And he was, while he was still youth, in his youth, you know, 2nd Chronicles chapter 34 verse 3. While he was still in his youth, he began to seek God of his father David. What a heart, what an example, you know, one thing that I was challenged when I was looking at Josiah's example, same chapter verse 33, Josiah removed all the abomination from the land, from all the lands belong to the sons of Israel and made all who are present in Israel to serve the Lord, their God, throughout his lifetime, they did not turn from following the Lord, God of their fathers. What an example, what a challenge, my brothers and sisters, that we could be in that number, we make a difference wherever we go. Let it be said about us, short life that he lived on earth, yet he made a difference, where people could say throughout his lifetime, people sought the Lord. May we have that heart, you know, we heard about David, how he said in 1st Chronicles chapter 22 verse 19, now set your heart and soul to seek the Lord. How did he respond? I was looking at it. Psalm 27, Psalm 27 verse 8, when you said, seek my face, my heart said to you, your face, O Lord, I shall seek. I pray that the Lord would give us a burning heart, the desire in our hearts, when the Lord speaks to us, when my heart said to you, seek my face, when the Lord tells me, seek my face, I want to say, Lord, thy face, O Lord, I seek. May we have that heart today, if you hear his voice, harden not your heart. I pray that the Lord would give us a heart to seek God in these last days, there are times where people are so taken up with so many things and yet we, God's people, can set our hearts to seek God, like these few examples who did in their life. I was thinking about Song of Solomon, chapter 5, verse 2. Song of Solomon, chapter 5, verse 2. I was asleep, but my heart was awake, a voice, my beloved, was knocking, open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. But what was the response? For my head is drenched with dew, my locks with the damp of the night, I have taken off my dress, how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet, how can I dirty them again? But what happened? The beloved is gone. When I came after that, after that, all that, I came out to open the door, he is not there. But today the Lord has given us, seek me, you will find me, when you search for me, with all your heart, I will be found by you. The Lord is near to the broken heart. It is the pride that prevents us from seeking God. In my own life, when I look back, it is the greatest obstacle, it is the pride that prevents us from seeking God. May God give us a softened heart, a tender heart, that we seek God, that we turn to him. Like Hosea we read, let us return to the Lord. In Revelation we heard, we read that the Lord is knocking at the door. It is not for the unbelievers, it is for the believers. He is standing outside the church and knocking at the door. Behold, any man listens to my voice. Open the door, I will come in. I pray that the Lord is knocking the door of our heart. May we respond, Lord, help me, Lord, to seek you. Set my heart and turn from wickedness. I pray that the Lord would help us. Amen.