OBSESSED

Psalms 62:5 “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”

Wilderness wanderings create a thirst for God because when he’s all we’ve got, he’s all we want. While writing this psalm, David has lost everything and now he’s able to find the only thing that will truly satisfy ­ God Himself. Psalm 62 is a song that will lead us to true satisfaction no matter what has happened to us. Before David was forced into the wilderness he was obsessed with his own comfort and the satisfaction of his own needs. It’s only when everything is taken from him that he becomes obsessed with God himself, finding full satisfaction in his praise of him.

What are you obsessed with today? An obsession is an “abnormal or intense pre-occupation; an irrational reverence or attachment.” What is it that compels and constrains you? Is it your position? A hobby? A sport? Money? A relationship? Do you obsess about a possession? Are you preoccupied with your health or with your family? Or do you have an “irrational reverence and attachment” to God? How much God do you really want in your life?

I suspect that most of you really want to find full satisfaction in your relationship with God. That reminds me of the man who bought an expensive hunting dog. Eager to see how he would perform, he took off to track a bear. No sooner had they arrived in the woods than the dog picked up the trail. But then the dog stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear’s path. A few minutes later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit. Every couple minutes the dog would stop and follow a different trail. Finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse.

Sometimes we’re a lot like this dog. We start out with high resolve, keeping Christ first in our lives. We know the answer to the first question posed by the Westminster Confession: “What is the chief end of man?” “To glorify God and to enjoy him forever,” but our attention is often diverted to things of lesser importance.

Most of us are more empty than we care to admit. We know in our hearts that we can only find satisfaction and security in God. But we usually look everywhere else first. When we’re wandering in the wilderness, we’re often forced to admit that what the world offers doesn’t last because it promises more than it can deliver. When God is all we have, then he’s all we want. Or, to say it another way: When we allow the Lord to totally possess us, we will be obsessed with him.

Have you ever fully surrendered to God? As you focus inward do you have to admit there’s not much there? Are you ready to focus upward and forward? Are you ready to go hard after God? Cling to him and allow him to hold you in his righteous right hand. Let him possess you fully so that you can become obsessed with him.

COMMITTED TO THE WILL OF GOD

Jeremiah 42:3 “Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."

Francis Schaeffer was a relatively famous pastor and Christian author. When he was 19 years old he had a decision to make. He had to decide whether to stay home and become a mechanical engineer (which was something he was interested in) or go away to Bible College to become a pastor (which was a pull he felt in his heart). His father had demanded that he make a decision—the time was at hand. Francis told his father he needed a few more minutes to think and so he went off to the cellar to pray. Weeping, he asked God for help. Finally, in desperation he took out a coin and said “Heads, I’ll go” It was heads. Then he pleaded, “God, be patient with me. If it comes up tails this time, I’ll go.” It was tails. “Once more, God, Please let it be heads again.” It was heads. Back upstairs Francis went. “Dad, I’ve got to go.” Francis went on to become a pastor, philosopher, lecturer, and an author of 24 books.

Every day we make numerous decisions. What cereal to purchase, what to eat for supper, whether to rent an apartment or buy a home, where to go to college, what career path to take, what church to attend, who to date or marry, how to raise your children, how to invest your money. The choices go on and on.

Our lives can be changed by one decision. While flipping coins, which is akin to casting lots, and asking God for signs has been used by God at various times to communicate his will there are other ways to determining his will.

Here are a few things all Christians should be doing in order to stay in the will of God:

1. Pray

James recognized that is not always easy to know what to do, so as he explains in James 1:5, we are to ask God for the needed wisdom “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

2. Go to the Scripture

In Psalm 119:105 it says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”. The point: God’s Word has much to say on how we are to live our lives and what we are to do.

Too often we are guilty of not considering what the Bible says on an issue. In the Bible God has spelled out all we need to know. The Bible is full of God’s clear commands that offer us direction for most of life’s decisions. The more we know of God’s written Word, the more quickly we will know what God wants us to do.

3. Seek Godly Counsel

Psalm 1:1a it says “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” Often times we will go to people for counsel. Sometimes we seek them out because we want approval of plans we have already made. Sometimes we genuinely want their guidance.

When it comes to the matter of God’s will for our lives, our biggest issue is not the determining of it. Yes the determining of God’s will really challenges us as times, however I think biggest thing is actually doing it.

We have at our disposal the necessary tools to determine God’s will. Prayer, patience, the Word of the Lord, Godly counsel: What is often lacking is a commitment on our parts to doing the will of God. We need willing and surrendered spirits that say yes to God regardless of what’s in our heads to the contrary. Remember, it is in his will that we will find perfect contentment.

A TEST FOR A HARD HEART

Exodus 7:14 “Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.”

Pharaoh had refused to let the Israelites go, even though God showed himself clearly, so the plagues began. The water in the Nile turned to blood and the fish died. The people’s water supply was gone, their food supply was hurt, the place stunk; and what did Pharaoh do? His heart grew only more cold and hardened.

More than anything else, God is concerned with the condition of our heart. More than what we do, where we go, what we say. It is possible to do the right thing, be in the right place, and say the right things all the while having a heart that is indifferent to him. If you are facing difficulty in life; if you find yourself less and less moved by the things of God, it may be time to assess the state of your heart. Here are a few things to watch for when searching you heart.

You might have a hard heart if when God tries to correct you, you blatantly disobey God. Pharaoh’s response to letting God’s people go was to make it worse on them. He did the opposite of what God said to do. Moses took this response to God and God told Moses that he would deal with Pharaoh. Moses was sent back to Pharaoh and this time he performed the miracle of the staff to a serpent, but Pharaoh ignored that also when the magicians were able to do the same thing. The more God punished, the harder Pharaoh’s heart became. Is it the same with you? The more God tries to correct you, the more stubborn you become?

You might have a hard heart if when God tries to correct you, you become insincere. The second plague that God brought was the plague of the frogs. Aaron stretched forth his hand over the water of Egypt and frogs came up out of the waters and covered the land. This is especially significant because the frog was considered sacred in Egypt and could not be killed. The magicians were again summoned and asked to perform the same miraculous act, and they did; but this wasn’t helpful, because they needed less frogs not more. Pharaoh was only willing to change when there were no other options; but when the problem was gone he had no need to obey God.

You might have a hard heart if when God tries to correct you, you attempt to bargain with God. Pharaoh offers different bargains to God. The proposals that Pharaoh offered to God are the same that Satan offers to Christians today. First, Pharaoh says, “you can go but on my terms.” Sound familiar? “God, I’ll change, but I’ll do it my way”. Later, Pharaoh says, “you can go, but leave your possessions behind.” Does this ring a bell? “God, I’ll conform, but not with everything”

Finally, you might have a hard heart if when God tries to correct you, you refuse to commit. Even when pharaoh said “go”, he couldn’t stay committed to the idea. It is very challenging to have a hardened heart and go “all in” for Christ. Because there will be portions of your heart that are not made available to the work of his hand.

Always remember, any true and meaningful change in our life, must begin with a change of heart. You can temporarily change your behaviour, but if you want true progress in life and the abundance that God has promised you, you must allow his spirit to soften your heart. Watch the warning signs, be sensitive to his voice, and allow your heart to be moved by him.