Bonus Chapter (unedited)

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.