this is a bonus chapter of my upcoming book:
"Breaking the Addiction Code" It deals with the power of desire. One must want to be set free to find their true place. It is based around finding a place of solitude to seek God for direction...The ROOM!
THE TREE: The Power of Desire
When you
were a kid, it’s most likely that you had a tree house, or knew someone that
did. There always seemed to be that secret password, handshake or sound, before
you could enter. Of course, there was always someone that was excluded: girls
for example. These were the days when having a place to go to be alone or with
close friends was at the top of your to do list. From the top of your tree
house it seemed you could see for miles, and view the lands of far away
countries. The enemy could not sneak up on you while in the tree house; you had
the ability to see the future. Let’s go climb a tree.
Luke
19:1-10 (NKJV)
1 Then Jesus entered and
passed through Jericho.
2 Now behold, there was a
man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus
was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed up
into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the
place, ( NIV uses the word SPOT) He looked up and saw him, and said to him,
"Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your
house."
6 So he made haste and came
down, and received Him joyfully.
7 But when they saw it,
they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is
a sinner."
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and
said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if
I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore
fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of
Abraham;
10 for the Son of Man has
come to seek and to save that which was lost."
This is one
of my favorite stories in the Bible. Maybe it’s because I relate to Zacchaeus.
We will call him Zach from here on out. Jesus was entering the city of Jericho.
Zach heard this and something inside him leaped up and created this desire in
him to see Jesus. He did not want to talk to Jesus, have coffee with Jesus,
interview Jesus, do his taxes for him, no; he just wanted to see him. As Jesus
came into town there was an immediate crowd that surrounded him. This crowd as
we will see stayed close to Jesus as he traveled the streets of Jericho.
We must
understand here that a man’s position in life does not remove the desire to
experience more. Zach was a tax collector and very wealthy. He had all he could
possible want, and the means to get whatever it was. It is amazing that many
feel that if you had the means; money, they would be satisfied and never want
for anything, and that my friend is a terrible place to be. The purpose for the
Room is not to make you wealthy, but to make you willing. Zach watched as the
crowd followed Jesus closely. He wanted to just get a glimpse of Jesus, but
there seemed to be a problem.
There
always seems to be a problem. How many times in your life have you been….this
close, to a break through, or making it big and something got in the way? Zach
had a simple desire and dream, to see Jesus, and the crowd was in his way. The
story begins to get interesting here. Zach realizes that the crowd was not the
only problem, he was also the problem, and he was short. This is where I can
relate to Zach. It is here that, if in went to ancestry.com I could possible
find Zach in my family linage. Now, we have two problems or hindrances. First,
the crowd is keeping Zach from seeing Jesus. Second, his height is keeping him
from seeing over the crowd to see Jesus.
We are
talking about the power of desire. This thing called desire is to be seen as
most important in our journey into our future. Desire is one of the most
powerful things on the planet. Desire is what controls your future. Desire
creates destinies that can change the world, or destinies that can bring
horrific damage to mankind. History is full of examples from both ends of the
spectrum.
Since
we are talking about trees here, let’s visit one of the most well known trees
in history. The tree that was in the Garden of Eden is known by lovers and
critics alike as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is where the
desire of one man and one woman produced and released a destiny upon mankind
that we did not ask for. This tree; held power to form a future for good or evil.
We must understand that all desires come with; rules of engagement. These rules
must be followed closely if beneficial outcomes are to be experienced.
One of
the most important rules or principles that apply to proper desire is the
object of that desire. If we are to have a proper and good desire we need to
consider the object or the force behind that desire. Adam and Eve show us the
way not to desire. They were placing their desire upon the foundation of… lust
of the flesh...lust of the eyes...and the pride of life. God had simply
instructed Adam and Eve to not eat of that tree, but they could eat of any
other tree they desired. Is it not strange how there was only one bad decision
or desire here and they made it. How many times in your life have you made that
“one” bad decision? This story of Adam and Eve reveals to us a most important
lesson on the object of our desire.
Identifying
and determining proper desire must be considered a great importance. We all have desires, and most of them are harmless,
in that they are not going to bring harm or danger to anyone. Desire must be
seen as a vehicle to a destiny. Desire is not the prize. Desire is the force,
power, and drive that bring you to your future.
Zach
had a desire to see Jesus. The desire was a force that brought him to his
future. Many people go through life with strong desires, yet never come to a
destination, or never arrive. How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m
still looking for that better job.” or, “I’m almost ready to start that
business?” or, “I am going to overcome this addiction?” When you understand the
power of desire and how it works you will begin to experience the force that
drives you to connect with the object of that desire.
Zach
had a desire to see Jesus. Why Jesus? He simple had heard of Jesus. This is the
simple task of research. He had heard the news of the miracles, and teachings
of Jesus. Zach was curious because he had heard. We must be willing to listen,
keep our ears and eyes open. Once he had heard of the great things Jesus had
done there was a desire that begin to form inside of him. This desire being
based on what he had heard created a strong desire to see. What we fail to
understand about desire many times is that it is a movement toward a purpose or
future that will change us forever. The process of pursuing your desire will
not always be faced head on, but it may drive you up a tree.
We must
face our obstacles. Zach had two hindrances he had to deal with. First, the
crowd was in his way. This may seem an easy fix to many, but let’s break it
down. Why could Zach not just go over to the crowd and push his way through? He
was rich and had a prominent position in the community. He knew everyone there,
for he was their tax collector. What could have kept him from taking the
frontal attack? Why would he “run” from the crowd?
There’s
a lot said today about facing your fears and not backing down, take control,
and take authority over, and on and on. You cannot always continue in the same
mindset, actions, and demeanor as you have always lived your life. The future
demands change, in you, in approach methods, in wisdom and timing. There were a
number of people, if not all, in that crowd that did not like Zach. Do you like
your tax collector?
You can
spend your time taking authority over your circumstances and the crowd, or you
can be open to the option on changing your position. Remember, the crowd was
not his only problem. Many times we try to deal with hindrances without
factoring in our own weakness as part of the total equation. We stand in faith
and power against the opposing crowds (forces) and wonder why things are not
changing, yet fail to consider our own issues as players in this unfolding
drama. Zach pursued his desire, just not in a conventional way. These obstacles
we face are not to destroy us, but there to challenge us to, not just think
outside the box, but maybe be willing to change boxes altogether. Do not be
afraid to run. I will never run from a fight, a problem, or any hindrance that keeps
me from pursuing my desire and future. What immaturity that is. Two men: one
ran, the other stayed.
David
was a man after God’s own heart, yet when he should have been running with the
big boys, he was playing on the roof. When he saw Bathsheba, bathing upon her
rooftop, he should have run. He should have changed his position. There is a
time to stand your ground, and there is a time to run. David’s failure to run
caused him to fail. Why would David, with all his knowledge and history with
God not immediately run from this situation?
The
relationship we have with God is sealed in his grace. The position we stand in
was created before the foundation of the world. That is one thing that never
changes. We have grace, power, and wisdom available to us and bestowed upon us,
but we are no better than Adam and Eve in the garden. We still have to make
choices. These choices will determine our future. Sometimes you just need to
run. I would rather be seen as weak and frail, than to fall under the result of
a bad decision.
David’s decision to remain on the
rooftop leads him to commit adultery and then murder. What does all this have
to do with going to your room and finding your future? Everything; the
decisions you make in the precious moments of life will affect you the rest of
your life. You can start over many times, and you may even make some headway in
your journey, but the fact remains; sometimes you need to run. David was a man
after God’s own heart, and the redeeming factor here is that God is merciful
and kind. If you did not run, then stand in His grace. Before we talk
about the man who did run, let’s regain our position in the story.
Zach was at the place he had to make
a decision about what he would do to see Jesus. Would he face the crowd, and not
deal with his own weakness (hindrance)? Would he use his position in the
community and force himself upon the crowd and demand them to move? No, he did
what we all are taught not to do...run. Remember we are talking about you going
to your room to find your destiny… to grind out your greatness. The first thing
you will encounter in the ROOM will be what I want to do. This is the story of
Zach.
The second man is Joseph. This man
knew how to run. He was the original running man. Joseph was brought to Egypt
under difficult circumstances. He was a slave to Pharaoh. During Josephs time
in Egypt he showed himself to be wise as an interpreter of dreams. His destiny
began to take a turn for the better when the butler remembered his dream
interpretations while in prison. The Pharaoh had just had a dream and needed
someone to interpret it. This was divine intervention, because Joseph had been
put in prison because he denied the request of the queen to have sex with her.
He had been thrown in prison because of the charges brought against him.
Joseph was put in a position that
tested his integrity. In this awkward moment he ran. Joseph ran for his life
thus putting himself in the throes of Pharaoh’s judgment. Although his running
landed him in prison, he kept his integrity and God’s favor. In our original
story we see Zach running ahead of the crowd and Jesus. It is in the running
that places us in a position of safety. Zach had to consider his options. He
had to consider the direction that Jesus and the crowd would take.
If Zach went down the wrong street
and climbed a tree, he would just look and feel like a fool. He chose wisely
and by thinking clearly he created an opportunity to fulfill his desire to see
Jesus. We need to understand that forcing ourselves into a situation will not
always be the quality thing to do. Sometimes you need to think ahead.
When you go into the room to search
out and discover your future, you are in essence creating space for wisdom and
knowledge to be available to you. What Zach did, was put himself in a place, to
be repositioned. Although Joseph was kept longer in prison he had sufficient
time to allow God to make opportunities that would showcase his abilities.
Zach on the other hand just wanted to
see Jesus. When Zach came to the tree he had an important decision to make. By
climbing the tree he was able to deal with both hindrances he had faced
earlier. The tree moved him from being too short to see, and removed the crowd
from the equation.
We know come to the epic scene in
this drama. The story tells us that when Jesus came to the SPOT he looked up
and saw Zach. We should note here that his dream recognized him first. When we
remove ourselves from the fray of everyday life and search with all our heart
for the dream we have inside of us, the dream will find us. The room is your
SPOT.
There are 5 elements to the room. There is: desire, dream, design,
deliver, and the divine. Zach’s repositioning of himself brought about the
desire of his heart. It is this desire that gives us something tangible to hold
on to. Once your desire is settled and you have position to start from you can
then begin to dream
MaxG.