How To Get What You Want :: 7/22/12 PM

How To Get What You Want

Psalms 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Intro: This world is obsessed with selfish desires, fulfilling their fantasies, pampering their every whims and wants.  It’s all about ME, my comfort, my wishes.  We live in the most self-centered society in history.  That is another message!

God however, wants you to live a fulfilled, abundant life also.  And He tells us how to do that!

He wants to give us our desires, provided…

A. They line up with God’s Word

B. They line up with God’s Will

The desires of our heart could be wrong!!

• Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

But a heart that has been regenerated and transformed by God could have worthy, God-pleasing desires.

What is the secret?  Delight thyself also in the Lord.  What does this mean?

I. It means a Passionate Delight

The word, “delight” means “to be happy about, take exquisite delight”

This word is stronger than many other words that we mistake for delight.

It doesn’t mean we “like” it, or tolerate it, or agree with it, or go along with it.

It means a very, intimate, exquisite fondness.

There are a lot of people that could describe their relationship with God as “passionate desire”.

• Psalms 42:1  As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

The picture here is a deer that is being chased by hunters.  He has had no time to stop and drink.  The further it goes, it begins to crave and pant for water.  That means that his nose is smelling for it.  His ears are listening for it.  His feet are running toward it.  His mind is thinking about it.  His body is longing, pressing him forward in intense anticipation for water.

Does this describe your “delight” in the Lord?

Do you believe that God is obligated to give you what you want if your love for him is cold, mundane, average, common?

Is your desire for God a “take it or leave it” delight?

If you want to talk about Him, I’ll be glad to listen, but I’m not going to be the one to bring Him up.

If you want to praise Him, I’ll be glad to sit and watch you do it, but I’m not going to praise Him.

If you want to sing about Him, I’ll be more than glad to listen, but I’m not going to sing to Him.

II. It means a Personal Delight

God said, “Delight THYSELF…”

This means that everybody around you is not FORCING or MAKING you delight in Him.

It is in your heart, and you are the one doing the motivating.

It’s not a drudgery; it’s not done to satisfy someone else; it’s because YOU want to.

If you have to be pumped, primed, shoved, pushed, patted on the back, forced, constantly motivated, it’s not IN YOU.

• James 1:6-8  “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

NOTE: Joseph was in an Egyptian prison for 2 years with no Bible, no church, no pastor, no family, no fellowship and when he walked out, after 15 minutes, Pharaoh notice he was full of the Holy Ghost. (Gen. 41:38)

III. It means a Pattern of Delight

Delight thyself ALSO…

This means I have to back up to the previous verses and see what the ALSO is referring to.

A. It means a Contentment – vs. 1, 2

You do not envy the wicked; you don’t want what they want or want to do what they do.

You’re satisfied and content living for God and serving Him.

B. It means a Confidence – vs. 3 Trust in the Lord

God is not going to reward you; and give you what you want, if you doubt Him and cannot trust Him.

C. It means a Consecration – do good

This speaks of Service; Sacrifice; Selflessness love for others.

QUESTION: When was the last time you “did good”?

IV. It means a Providential Delight

It says, “Delight thyself also IN THE LORD…”

You are delighting in His PERSON – not His PERFORMANCE.

The love relationship between many Christians and their God is based on HIS PERFORMANCE.

• If He is blessing them, they love Him.
• If He is answering their prayers, they praise Him.
• If He is showing up and showing out, they worship Him.
• If He is testing them, they fail Him.
• If He is testing them, they doubt Him.

God has promised to give the desires of their heart to those that delight in HIM.

He wants us to want HIM; not His handouts; not His blessings; not His gifts.

Conclusion: Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.