December 28, 2025 - “A Covenant to seek the Lord”2 Chronicles 15

Devotional

Day 1: Seeking the Lord with all heart and soul

God is not playing hard to get. When you set your inner posture toward Him and let your outward life reflect that desire, He makes Himself known. Seeking is not a vague feeling but a wholehearted pursuit—mind, motives, words, and habits aligning toward His presence. Where attention goes, affection grows; where affection grows, obedience follows. Begin where you are, and trust His promise: when you seek Him, you will find Him. [31:24]

2 Chronicles 15:2, 15 — Azariah told the people that God stands with those who stand with Him. If they genuinely look for Him, they will meet Him; turn away, and they step outside His covering. Later, the people celebrated because they pledged with undivided hearts to pursue God, and He let Himself be found by them; He surrounded them with peace on every side.

Reflection: What is one concrete way you will seek God with both your inner life (thoughts and desires) and your outer life (a visible practice) this week?

Day 2: Receive the word, remove idols, repair the altar

Wholehearted seeking has a shape: receive God’s word, remove the idols, and repair the altar. Courage grows when His word is welcomed, not merely admired. Idols are not always ugly; sometimes they are good things that have become ultimate things—time, screens, success, relationships, even ministry. Removing them is an act of love, making space for worship. Then repair the altar—restore personal and shared worship so that surrender, praise, and obedience are central again. [35:58]

2 Chronicles 15:8, 16–18 — When Asa heard the message, he took fresh courage. He cleared the land of idols, even confronting his own grandmother’s compromise and destroying the shameful image she had made. He brought back what belonged in the Lord’s house; though he could not fix everything everywhere, his heart stayed wholly given to God.

Reflection: Which specific “good thing” has been acting like a god in your life, and what simple step will you take this week to remove its grip and rebuild your daily worship with God?

Day 3: Be strong; do not give up—there’s reward

Pursuing God costs something, and fatigue is real. Yet the promise stands: your labor in seeking Him will not be wasted. Keep at it—prayer by prayer, obedience by obedience, day by day. On the far side of perseverance are presence and peace—rest on every side that the world cannot manufacture. Take courage; He meets the persistent. [42:24]

2 Chronicles 15:7 — “As for you,” the message said, “be strong. Don’t quit. What you do in faith will bear fruit; God will see to the reward.”

Reflection: Where have you felt most tempted to give up spiritually, and what one small, steady practice will you commit to this week to keep going—with whom will you share for encouragement?

Day 4: Welcoming others drawn to God’s presence

When God is with His people, others notice. There is a holy magnetism in transformed lives that programs can’t produce. Gossip the good news of what God is doing, and open wide your life to those who look, live, or vote differently than you. Invite them to come with you where you are being changed—in prayer, in worship, in community. Many who left church have not rejected Jesus; they have rejected lukewarmness. [48:31]

Zechariah 8:23 — The Lord says a day will come when people from many nations will grab the sleeve of one who belongs to Him and say, “Let us come with you, because we’ve heard that God is truly among you.”

Reflection: Who in your life has stepped away from church but might be drawn to authentic pursuit of God, and how could you gently invite them into a specific gathering with you this week?

Day 5: Covenant partners pursuing God together with joy

A covenant is more than a contract; it is a relational, sacred yes that shapes a people. To “cut a covenant” is to take holiness seriously and to say, together, “We are all in.” Joy rises when you realize you do not have to do this alone; others will fan your flame when it flickers, and you will do the same for them. We need the lower room of wise systems, but we live for the upper room—hosting the presence of God above all. Let’s seek Him side by side, heart and soul, and watch Him give rest on every side. [49:57]

2 Chronicles 15:12–15 — They bound themselves together to pursue the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and life. With loud voices and full agreement they committed themselves, and they rejoiced because it was the right and shared path. They chased after God, He let Himself be found, and He settled them with peace around them.

Reflection: With whom will you walk as a covenant partner this season—name one or two people—and what first conversation will you initiate to pray, encourage, and pursue God wholeheartedly together?

Sermon Summary

Drawing from 2 Chronicles 15, the call is clear and urgent: seek the Lord with all the heart and soul. God’s promise is straightforward—He is with those who are with Him; if He is sought, He will be found. This is not a casual arrangement but a covenant, a sacred, relational commitment stronger than any contract. King Asa embodies this posture. Upon receiving a prophetic word, he takes courage, tears down idols even when it costs him relationally, repairs the altar of worship, and gathers a people to enter a wholehearted covenant together. The result is profound—God is found by them, and He gives rest on every side.

This vision is both ancient and immediate. The pathway of renewal is simple and demanding: receive the word, remove idols, repair worship. It demands action, not just agreement. Like ducks who cheer a soaring sermon and then waddle home unchanged, it is easy to praise the idea of revival while keeping old habits intact; true covenant means follow-through. The text also reframes growth: people came to Asa because “the Lord was with him.” Presence, not programs, draws the hungry. When God’s nearness marks a people, others will ask to come along.

In light of this, a corporate covenant emerges: “We will seek the Lord with all our heart and soul.” Five practiced responses make that vow visible. First, receive God’s word humbly and carefully. Second, remove what distracts—even good things grown into gods. Third, repair the altar—renew both private and corporate worship. Fourth, assemble and welcome others: recruit by “gossiping the good news” of what God is doing and embrace those disillusioned with lukewarm religion. Fifth, relate as covenant partners, not spectators—walk together in honesty, accountability, and prayer (triads and spiritual friendships).

The reward Scripture names is not vague: God will be found, joy will rise, and rest will come—even amid effort. The invitation is courageous and communal. This is not a “lower room” project of systems and plans, but an “upper room” pursuit of God’s presence. Facilities and structures serve the presence; they never replace it. The heart of the matter remains the heart before God: seek Him wholeheartedly—and He will be found.

Key Takeaways

1. Seek God; He will be found God is not playing hide-and-seek with His people. The promise is covenantal: He is with us when we are with Him, and when we seek Him wholeheartedly, He lets Himself be found. This reorients prayer from vague hoping to confident pursuit. The harvest is rest, joy, and the lived nearness of God. [49:57]
2. Receive, remove, repair for renewal Renewal follows a concrete path: receive God’s word, remove idols, and repair the altar of worship. Sometimes faithfulness means hard relational choices, even confronting what is cherished but spiritually corrosive. Where worship is neglected, intimacy with God withers; where worship is repaired, zeal returns. Renewal is not dramatic flair—it is obedient housecleaning. [35:58]
3. Presence over programs grows people Strategies have their place, but presence is what compels. When God marks a people, others notice and come—not because of polish, but because of power. “Gossip the good news” of what God is doing, and welcome those wary of religion but hungry for reality. True growth follows God’s nearness, not our marketing. [42:24]
4. Covenant community, not casual attendance Wholehearted seeking is sustained in covenant, not isolation. Commit to one another as partners—pray, ask hard questions, and carry each other toward God. Triads and spiritual friendships keep hearts warm and lives honest. Joy increases when the whole community chooses the same holy pursuit together. [52:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:31] - Wesley’s Covenant Prayer of Surrender
[25:21] - What “covenant” means: to cut
[27:44] - Asa’s lineage and a divided kingdom
[29:46] - A timely nudge to 2 Chronicles 15
[31:24] - “If you seek Him, He’ll be found”
[32:58] - Be strong; God has done this before
[35:58] - Receive, remove, repair: Asa’s reforms
[39:26] - Don’t just quack amen—live it
[42:24] - Presence, not programs: why people come
[45:17] - A covenant to seek with all heart and soul
[49:57] - Promise and reward: God found and rest given
[52:58] - Five practices: receive, remove, repair, recruit, relate
[67:52] - Entering the new year in united prayer
[71:00] - Vision: expand the banks, extend the reach
[81:37] - Upper room over lower room: presence first

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- 2 Chronicles 15

Observation questions

In 2 Chronicles 15:2, what three linked statements does Azariah give Asa (“The Lord is with you… If you seek Him… If you forsake Him…”)? How do these lines set the tone for the whole chapter?
What specific actions did Asa take after hearing the prophetic word? List them from the text (removing idols, repairing the altar, assembling the people, covenanting together).
According to the account, why did “large numbers” from Israel come to Asa? “They saw that the Lord was with him.” [42:24]
What three outcomes followed their covenant and eager seeking? “They sought God eagerly… he was found by them… so the Lord gave them rest on every side.” [48:31]

Interpretation questions

If covenant is “relational” and weighty—more than a contract—what does that imply for how a church promises to seek the Lord together? [25:21]
Removing idols cost Asa relationally (even confronting his grandmother). Why might love sometimes require hard corrections, even of “good things” that became god-things? [35:58]
If people are drawn because “the Lord is with” a people, how should that re-shape what a church plans for and expects—presence first, then programs? [42:24]
Judah “rejoiced” over a demanding oath. Why would a hard, all-in commitment produce joy? What does that say about the power of shared pursuit? [49:57]

Application questions

Receive: “Be strong; do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” Where do you sense a clear word from Scripture that you need to act on this week? What will obedience look like by next Sunday? [32:58]
Remove: “He removed the detestable idols… [and] deposed his grandmother.” Name one distraction—or good thing that has grown into a god—that needs to be cut back or cut out. What first step will you take, and who will you tell for accountability? [35:58]
Repair: “He repaired the altar of the Lord.” What one practice of personal or gathered worship will you repair this month (Bible, prayer, confession, Sabbath, singing, serving)? When and how, specifically? [35:58]
Assemble/Recruit: “Large numbers came… when they saw that the Lord was with him.” Who are two people disillusioned with lukewarm religion that you can invite into this pursuit? What simple story of God’s nearness in your life will you share? [42:24]
Relate: “Triads… be honest with one another… ask each other” hard questions. Who could form your triad or spiritual friendship? What one question do you want them to ask you every time you meet? [39:26]
Rest and joy: “They sought God eagerly… he was found… so the Lord gave them rest.” Where do you most need rest—mind, body, relationships, finances? What act of obedience or surrender this week might open space for God’s rest? [48:31]
Presence over programs: “What we’re here for is the upper room… presence first.” Looking at your calendar, what one lower-room task will you de-prioritize to make room for seeking God’s presence (prayer, Scripture, gathered worship)? [01:21:37]

Sermon Clips

First of all, if we're going to do this thing, if we're going to pursue God, it's going to be work. It's going to cost us something. But don't give up. But there will be a reward. We're going to talk about what the reward looks like here in a minute. So how does Asa respond? When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah, son of Oded the prophet. So Oded is the prophet. He's the son of Oded. He took courage. [00:34:05] (29 seconds) #CourageToPursueGod

God didn't hold him responsible for what he didn't have influence over. He did not remove the high places from all of Israel, right? Because he didn't have access to all of Israel. The places he did, like the hills of Ephraim, he tore them down, but the places he didn't, God understood that. God recognized his heart was fully devoted to him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord's temple. [00:36:38] (26 seconds) #RepairWhatYouCan

I want you to see three things I see happening here. This is the foundation that if we're going to be a covenant people, people who agree together to seek after God, I think there are three things that we need to do. One is we have to hear the word of the Lord. Two, we have to remove the things that are distracting us from the Lord. And three, we need to repair things that are of God, but maybe we've let get out of hand or into disrepair. [00:37:04] (28 seconds) #HearRemoveRepair

And we encourage people in our church to get into trias. It could be two plus Jesus. It could be four plus Jesus, but typically three plus Jesus. You get together and you're honest with one another. Is there anybody in your life who's willing to let you know something's becoming an idol? We remove detestable idols, even if we have to speak to grandma, people that we care about. And then we need to repair the altar, right? There's an altar, but repair, reframe, improve, reconstitute the, what, what is true worship? It doesn't just, it's not just what happens here on Sunday morning, but it certainly starts here. [00:40:11] (46 seconds) #TriadAccountability

The picture of church growth that I love is in the prophet Zechariah, where it says that on that day, it's a picture of this day in which God is going to come and manifest himself in Jerusalem, that God will meet with his people. And then it, then it says that, that when the Jews are out and about, that 10 foreigners will come to every one Jew and will take hold of his coat and say, can we go with you? Because we've heard that God is with you. [00:43:17] (33 seconds) #DrawnToGodsPresence

That's what I want. I want this place, whether it's your small group or whether it's here on Sunday or it's here on Tuesday, when we pray, I want you to be so transformed by the presence of God that when you're out and about, people will be like, Hey, can I go with you? Wherever you're getting transformed, wherever you're getting so on fire, wherever you're experiencing healing, wherever you're experiencing hope, I want to go with you. These people came because they saw that the Lord was with him because the Lord was with him. [00:43:50] (36 seconds) #TransformedAndInvited

I'm going to suggest in our, our theme, one more our, our, and that is recruit, but, but don't, don't, don't take it too heavy handed. What I mean is let's, let's, let's gossip the good news of what God's doing. And you know what? There may be people that seem to be in Israel. They seem to be in Manasseh and Simeon. And we're like, okay, they don't really want to be a part of us. And there's people that you think of that have given up on church. And I would say to you, have they given up on church or they've given up on lukewarm Christianity? [00:44:25] (36 seconds) #RecruitWithGrace

The idea of the heart, the leb in, in Hebrew is kind of your internal inner disposition. So your attitude and your mindset, I'm seeking the Lord in my heart. And so you might think of as more of a private thing, but really the word soul is the word that can also be translated as for yourself, myself, my life. And so it's like I'm seeking the Lord with all that's in me and all that's expressed through me. Some of us say, well, I'm, I'm all about the Lord inside here. Blake, if you could just read my mind, well, it ought to be evidence as well. [00:46:40] (39 seconds) #HeartAndLifeAligned

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