Most Christians are aware that the Bible tells us to seek the Lord, and the verse above is the perfect example. But how can we know with certainty if we are truly seeking Him?

First, we need to ask ourselves if we are making an effort to know God, and to find out what pleases Him. Scripture says: "Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God." (2 Peter 1:3 MSG) As we do our part to know the Lord the way He desires and deserves, He equips us with everything we need to live a life that is pleasing to Him. God doesn't expect perfection from us, but He does require our cooperation. Because He is a just and fair God, He will never ask us to do anything that He won't enable us to do. As the apostle Paul declared, "I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power." (Philippians 4:13 TLB) When the Lord begins dealing with us about a certain sin in our lives, it means that He stands ready to supply us with everything we need to overcome it. What if we don't know God's will in a certain situation? The Bible says that it's up to us to discover what His will is. Ephesians 5:10 instructs us to, "Find out what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:10 NIV) God's will is knowable and doable. If we will devote ourselves to prayer and the study of His Word, we will receive revelation from heaven that will lead us to God's best in every area of our lives.

Second, we know that we are seeking the Lord when sin becomes less and less appealing to us. Scripture says: "By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:14 NIV) It's true that by Christ's death and resurrection, we were made "perfect" in God's sight. But it's also true that we are still a work in progress. As we cooperate with God in the sanctification process, we will find ourselves growing in the Lord, and making more and more godly choices in every area of our lives. We won't listen to the same kind of music, or watch the same movies or television programs we used to. Our friendships will change. We will have a growing desire to serve God and others, as well as a passion for sharing our faith. As we submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives, we will find ourselves becoming more Christlike all the time. And Scripture bears this out when it says: "As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more." (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT)

Third, a good indication that we are truly seeking the Lord is that we are trusting Him more, and worrying and fretting less. Jesus said: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34 MSG) When trouble comes, is our first instinct to pray and ask for the Lord's wisdom and help? Or do we grumble and complain, and run to others with our problems as soon as they arise? If we are seeking God on a daily basis, and committing ourselves and all of our concerns to Him, we will establish a pattern of seeing Him work mightily on our behalf when we need Him to. This will encourage our trust in Him, and our fearfulness and fretting will diminish. As the psalmist wrote: "Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You." (Psalm 9:10 NIV)

Lastly, a good sign that we are seeking God is that our day won't seem complete unless we fellowship with Him. Scripture says: "And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." (1 John 1:3 AMP) If we have truly given our hearts and lives to Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us, and one of His functions is to fill us with a passion for God and His Word. If we don't have a hunger for God's presence, if we don't earnestly desire to feed on His Word daily, then something is wrong. Somehow, we are "quenching" the Spirit of God within us. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Paul wrote: "Stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you." (2 Timothy 1:6 AMP) We are truly seeking the Lord when we refuse to settle for a lukewarm relationship with God, and when we determine to keep our faith stirred up by spending time with Him and His Word daily. The Bible says: "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually." (Psalm 105:4 NASB) What is the Lord speaking to your heart as you ponder this spiritual checklist today?

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to continually seek to know You and Your will. Remind me often that in all things, Your will for me is knowable and doable. Work in my heart and mind so that sin becomes less and less appealing to me. Teach me how to trust You in ways that will protect me from fretting and fuming. Convict me when I don't spend enough time fellowshipping with You, so that I can always keep ablaze the inner fire that You have kindled in me. Thank You that as I cooperate with You for my spiritual growth, I will learn to know You better all the time, and I will reach my God-given potential in Christ!