It is Day 11 of the 40Days of Return. Today I am asking you to get thirsty for the Lord. I understand that many things are trying to get your attention and choke off whatever passion you may have for the Lord. You will have to be intentional about staying aglow for the Lord.
The scripture says in Psalm 42:1-2: As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
Who are You Panting For?
You have to slow down and choose what your soul pants after. Ultimately it is not about ‘what’, but ‘who’ your soul pants after. Is it God or the Mammon of this world?
The Bible says: “How could you worship two gods at the same time? You will have to hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t worship the true God while enslaved to the god of money!” (Matthew 6:24, TPT).
Who is on Your Gaze?
Who you give your attention to will determine who you pants after – God or Worldliness! We all are going through that daily decision-making process of having to choose God or other things. Nothing distracts us from God as the concern for other things – what to eat, drink, wear, our bills, expenses, family challenges, the list is actually long. What you need to understand is that no amount of worry or anxiety can take care of your everyday life. You cannot provide for yourself, no you cannot meet all of your own needs. No matter how much you try. That is not your God-given duty. God is super-proud when we allow Him to meet our needs. The Bible does not say our job or business will provide our needs, it says God will supply them (Philippians 4:19).
What To Do with Your Needs
What does that really mean? It means you put God first and let Him lead you. It means you don’t allow your needs and work to drive you crazy, instead, you allow our love for God to determine everything that you do. That widow’s story perfectly illustrates the point here: Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah (1Kings 17:13-16).
Give Up the Driver’s Seat
I am learning in my own life to slow down and let God lead the way as He has done for me before. At some point, it seems I was just going to take over the steering from God and run myself crazy, but the Lord was kind to me to help me see it. I definitely know the difference in my spirit, soul, and body when I am trying to take over the steering. It is NOT a life anyone desires, no you don’t want to be at the driver seat of your own life. The world may tell you to be in charge, but you will soon find out you cannot handle life by yourself. You will always need God. I can tell you from my own experience that it is far more pleasant when God is the driver, it always promises to be a journey full of Grace and God’s ever-present help.
What You Need to do Now
Your job today is to defend your heart against whatever it is that is struggling for your heart and your soul, and close the door behind you against worries and anxieties and go for the Lord! Let your heart pants after God again, passionately desiring to see God fill your soul like never before. As the deer pants for the water brooks, let your soul pants for God. Let your soul thirsts for God, for the living God!
