For they do not care what anyone thinks.

They do not care what anyone says.

They will go where no one else will go.

They won’t let anything stop them.

They will do desperate things.

      I submit to you that most of us are not desperate.  We will avoid being desperate at all costs.  We arrange our lives to assure that all of our needs and wants are secured.  To be desperate means you have an “urgent need“.  In fact, desperation only comes when there is a recognized need that is beyond our own ability to meet.  Is there anything right now you are desperate to obtain? 

      Let me suggest one area for the believer that should keep us all desperate for the rest of our lives.  Have you ever thought about the huge gap between what God has made available to us, and what God expects of us…compared to where we actually live?   Would you admit there is a large chasm?  It used to bother me to read about all the wonderful promises of God in the Bible and then witness the high level of apathy in church.  It later dawned on me.  It’s not religion, or ceremony, or tradition, or methods, or programs, or preaching, or singing that brings the power of God into a church or person….It’s desperation.  If God was pleased with those types of activities, He would have shown up a long time ago. 

      As each generation passes, we as believers are slipping further and further from the Lord.  I believe God is about to raise up a new, desperate generation that has one goal in mind.  The new generation will desire to know Him.  They will not be enamored with the rituals of yesteryear.  They will not be as interested in “doing the right things” or “believing the right things“, but their only attraction will be in “knowing the Right Person…intimately.”  They will agree with Paul who said, “That I may know Christ and the power of His resurrection.”  (Philippians 3:10)

      I want to encourage you today to allow the Lord to create a sense of desperation in your heart.  No, that doesn’t mean you will have to visit the hospital because your foot was chopped off.  Desperation doesn’t have to come through hardship or foxholes.  All anyone has to do is allow the Lord to speak to our inner most being.  “For the eyes of the LORD range (roam) throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”  (II Chronicles 16:9)  The Lord knows His own.  He can instill within each of us the virtues we need to be continuously drawn to Him.  Hey, are you desperate enough to chase after Him today?   

Blessings,

Pastor