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One Thing
Do not dwell on the former things, or the things of the past, because God says, ‘See, I am doing a new thing’; can all of you say new thing? Isaiah 43:18-19
What is God doing? The Bible says; “See, I am doing a new thing”. God says, “Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” God says, “I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland”. Can you see, I am doing something new.
At the start of the year we have what we might call some good intentions but they are not really ‘God intentions’. There is really a big, big difference. Many of us, we have got some good intentions, some things that we want to accomplish.
The Challenge this year is to go beyond just having some good intentions, something that you want to do; instead, have some God intentions to listen to Holy Spirit allow Him to speak directly to us and shows one thing that God wants for us individually and from us in this new year.
Holy Spirit will show us one thing and instead of having just good intentions that are ‘me centred’, will have some God intentions that are ‘God centred’.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart
When God births something in us, it will come about because He says see, ‘I am doing a new thing’
Four One-Thing Questions
The first ‘One Thing’ question is this; What one thing do you desire from God above everything else?
If God said to you; “I will do one thing that you ask”, what will be the focal point of your prayer life before God this year?
In Psalm 27:4; David, asked for many different things. But, he was described as a man after God’s own heart.
Perhaps the reason he was a man after God’s own heart is because if he desired one thing, it was this Psalm 27:4 ‘One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.’
What one thing do you desire of God?
Second ‘One Thing’ question is this; When it comes to your spiritual life, when it comes to your relationship with God, what one thing do you lack? What one thing is missing
In Mark 10:17, there is an interesting story of a rich young man who encountered Jesus. He said, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
Jesus said, “Well, you need to obey the commands.” The guy very proudly said, “Check, check, check, check; I’ve done all of that.” Jesus looked through His outward obedience and looked into His heart and saw a problem that this guy didn’t even know he had.
So, Jesus said to him something that He didn’t say to anyone else and He said this, Mark 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
“Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Notice he’s about to say something very difficult, but it was all in love; he said, “‘One thing'”, (not two things, not 10 things); but “‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come, follow me.'”
If there is one thing that is standing in the way of you, completely following Jesus, and for this one guy it was the material possessions and the desire for security from wealth, and Jesus said that that one thing is in the way, sell it so you can fully follow me. v.22, Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Look at this; God specifically showed him the one thing that he lacked, and he was unwilling to do the one thing that would have benefited him spiritually.
Be obedient to the one thing that God shows you that you lack. What is it?
The third ‘One thing’ question is this; What one thing do you need to let go?
What one thing do you continue to grip that holds you back from where God wants you to be? What one thing do you need to let go?
The Apostle Paul in the N.T. in Philippians 3, talked about wanting to know Christ, know Christ; not know about Him and the power of suffering like Him. He says this in 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, This one thing I am going to do, is move forward by not allowing my past to anchor me to my old self.
The fourth and final ‘One Thing’ question is this; What one promise do you need to claim? What one promise from God do you need to claim?
In the O.T. David, was a young man when he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king over Israel. Samuel came up basically and looked at all of Jesse’s sons,; “Handsome but that’s not him, talented- not him, strong-not him”; and he went down the lines. “Do you have any others?” Jesse said, “Well, there’s the runt out taking care of the sheep; I don’t think that would be him.”
Little runt, David, came up and God says; “I don’t look at what people look at, I look at the heart, this is the next king”. And there was a promise that God gave.
Many of us have had a promise. We believe that God has shown us a vision for our future and it’s not coming about and we’re asking, ‘Where are you, God?’ That’s exactly what happened to David. As soon as he was anointed to be the next King over Israel, it seemed like every time he’d take one step forward, there would be two steps back.
Psalm 56:9-10, Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise,
He says, This one thing I know, there are so many things I do not know, but I know this; God is for me! And because that one promise is true in my life, that if I don’t see anything else that I want to see, that is enough. This one thing I know, God is still on the throne and He is for me!
Some of you, God is going to give you a promise and you are going to hang on to it and it will sustain you. It will sustain you like food nourishes your body. It will carry you when you are too weak. This one thing I know. What promise do you need to claim?
Conclusion
What one thing do you desire from God above all else?
What one thing? What one thing do you lack? What is the Holy Spirit showing you that you lack? Will you have the courage to obey the voice of God?
What one thing do you need to let go? It’s time, forget it. Let it go, let it go and press forward.
What one promise do you need to claim?
Forget the former things, do not dwell in the past. For our God who is a good God who is with you now, He is doing a new thing.