Pastor Elwin Ahu
April 18, 2004 - W0416

Have you ever stopped to think about how badly we sometimes want something without realizing just how much it will cost to have it? We live in an age of instant gratification. We simply cannot wait. We whip through the drive-thru to pick up a meal. We zip to work in the zipper lane. We even apply for instant on-line credit. We seemingly have succeeded in designing our world to eliminate ìour waitî in order to quickly satisfy ìour wantî. We are experiencing a plague of impatience and desire.

ìThere was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ìFather, I want right now whatís coming to me.í So the father divided the property between them. It wasnít long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had.î (Lk. 15:11-13 MSG)

?        Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son ( Lk. 15:11-32). Why did the younger son, who lived a life of ease and plenty, want all of his inheritance instantly? How can this parable be applied to the children of today?

Clearly, impatience is not a condition only of todayís world. This parable was told by Jesus over 2000 years ago. The younger son had it all. However, by asking for his inheritance before the death of his father, he was in effect, insulting his father. Yet the father out of love for his son gave his son what he wanted. The result was that the son squandered all his wealth and eventually returned home repentant.

The lesson of this parable might well be this: there are two pains in the world. One is not getting what you want and the other is getting what you want. The things of the world or its opportunities are not necessarily wrong. Just like breathing air. The air is filled with viruses and bacteria, yet we are unaffected unless our resistance is down. In the same way, we can become vulnerable to the evil of our wants because our Ö

?        UNDISCIPLINED DESIRES WILL OFTENTIMES DISGUISE DECEPTIONS.

Satan is a strategist. He knows what we want, what we will go after, and at what we are willing to pay to attain those wants. Whether it is our marriage, family, friends, home, or jobs, Satan knows the undisciplined desires of our lives and will use them to disguise his deceptions.

ìÖeach one is temped when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sinÖgives birth to death. Donít be deceivedÖî (James 1:14-16 NIV)

?        In this scripture, James uses two interesting phrases: ìDragged awayî is a hunterís terminology meaning to set a snare or trap. ìEnticedî equates to the fishermanís terminology for ìlureî. Apply these meanings to the scripture.

You see, like a fisherman or a hunter, Satan knows exactly what bait to use to lure us into his trap. Is the bait his desires or is it ours? Itís really our own evil desires that he uses to bait us. He watches to see what attracts us and if it is anything but God, the lure is set.

You see the enemy will notice a pattern in our lives and how we respond to certain situations. Of course he doesnít identify himself or use his desires to trick us. He will use our desires to entice and real us in. In this ìsportî, his goal is to make us rebel against God, to forget God. He wants us to think we know better, believe we deserve what we want, and to grab for it now instead of in Godís time. In fact, itís as if heís saying, ìIf it feels good, do it.î ìIf God really loved you, why are you suffering so much?î ìYou deserve a break today. Why wait for tomorrow to enjoy what you can enjoy now.î

?        Do you recognize the lures that Satan uses or has used in your life? Share about a time your wants superceded Godís wants for your life.

So how do we compete successfully in this ìsportî? How do we do battle with Satan and our desires? How do we become aware of how Satan operates? Well God gives us three guidelines to follow in order toÖ

BECOME A PERSON WILLING TO WAIT UPON THE LORD:

1.      WAITING IS A PERIOD OF LEARNING.

ìNot that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Ö[In] any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.î (Phil. 4:11-13)

?        How do you know you are content? (Phil 4:6)

Contentment is a learned discipline. Weíre not born with it. It takes practice and the time to practice is when we are in need and have nothing else to do but wait. Then as we wait, we begin to know that contentment doesnít come from circumstances. It comes from God and God alone. He is the only one who can teach us how to be content. Thus, when we learn contentment, we learn to control those undisciplined desires and recognize the devilís deceptions that pull us away from God.

The only way we can learn the true meaning of contentment is when we have a relationship with God. It is then that we can trust Him. Isnít it true that you can only trust a person to the degree that you know him? So if we donít know God, we wonít trust and wait upon Him. For it is in the waiting that we build our relationship with God. And it is through prayer and journaling that we come to know Him more and more.

Of course waiting is uncomfortable, but so necessary. Take for example the trapeze artist. There are usually two artists ñ the catcher and the flyer. At some point in the act, the flyer must release the swing to connect with the catcher. At the same time, the flyer cannot grab for the catcher. He must just release, wait, and trust the catcher. If he instead reaches for the catcher, it would throw off the timing of the act and result in disaster.

The same is true for us. How many of us release something in life, wait for our catcher, but become impatient and start grabbing for anything that might seem to fulfill our needs? Remember, we too will experience disaster if we grab hold of things and not wait for our Lord to be our catcher.

Thatís why as we begin to strengthen our relationship with the Lord, He will teach us that He will never let us fall. Waiting will teach us to trust Him and help us to develop patience in order to understand what contentment is all about. So waiting on the Lord is all about His timing rather than allowing our impatience to supercede His plan.

ìThat is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, donít see what is enlarging us.î (Rom. 8:24 MSG)

Waiting is not a passive time; it is a time of preparation. It is a time when the Lord is doing something. So rather than panic in our impatience, we must prepare ourselves for whatever God is about to do. Waiting is a ìprepî time. For instance, if you are single, waiting for your lifeís partner, you should use the waiting time to prepare yourself to be a woman or man of God ñ a godly wife or husband to be. If you are experiencing financial problems, you should use the time to learn skills to steward the gifts God gives to you. In other words, we must not focus on shortening the waiting period. Instead, we must focus on how to make the best use of this time preparing for what God has planned for our lives.

Waiting is not a waste of time. It is a time of preparation and learning. In order to ward off the schemes of Satan, we must also learn toÖ

2.      WAIT EXPECTANTLY.

ìAnd without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.î (Heb. 11:6)

?        How do we wait expectantly? What does that mean to you?

Seeking God means we need to take an active role in waiting. Not only waiting, but also watching, listening, learning, and preparing for what God has for us. For example, if you are waiting for your relationship to move to the next level, what are you doing about it? If you are waiting for your marriage to come back together, are you seeking counseling? If you are waiting for God to resolve your financial difficulties, are you seeking financial counseling? As you wait, are you praying, reading scriptures, and journaling? We have to believe that God is going to work in our lives, but if we are not preparing or not waiting on Him expectantly, it is possible we will miss that which comes from the Lord.

ìFor since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him!î (Is. 64:4 NLT)

So we must prepare ourselves by using the waiting period to learn the things of God. Remember that God is at work all the time even when we donít see Him. Therefore, wait expectantly for Him. And donít be enticed or lured by the next best thing. Remember toÖ

3.      REMOVE THE FOR SALE SIGN.

 ìYou have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to Himóbe free now from all these earthly prides and fears.î (1 Cor. 7:23 LB)

ìFor you know the grade of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.î (2 Cor. 8:9)

We are not for sale. We have been purchased for a price. We donít belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to the Lord. When Jesus died for us, He made the ultimate sacrifice. He paid the price for our sins and we have been offered and have received eternal salvation. It is priceless. So never take that for granted.

Recall the MasterCard commercialî: ìTwo tickets to the baseball game - $50. Hot dogs and root beer - $25. Seeing my son hit his first home run ñpriceless. There some things that money canít buy; but for everything else, thereís MasterCard.î In the ways of God, there are some things that money canít buy; for everything else, there is Satan. Isnít that a scary thought! When Christ died for us, He stamped us ìpricelessî.

So often when we feel discontented, devalued, and crave the things that are not from God, we are searching for value. Many times, we search for the value that cannot be found in the world. Thus we post the ìfor saleî sign on our souls and our hearts. And when we do that, guess who is standing in line to buy us? Thatís right! Satan! Remember that the difference between the enemy and the Lord is that when God redeemed us, He did so with His life to give us eternal salvation. On the other hand, Satan offers nothing eternal, only worldly things where moth and rust can destroy.

All we really need to know is that God loves us. He became poor that through His poverty we might become rich. That is enough. So donít grab for the things of the world and store up treasures on earth. Instead, fill your heart with eternal values. That makes you priceless. Do we deserve all this? Of course not! Yet God gives us His grace ñ a priceless gift that we donít deserve, yet because He loves us that much, He offers it to us free. So become a person willing to wait upon the Lord. Use your waiting period to learn, prepare, and expect only Godís best for your life. And finally, remember that you are not for sale. Youíve been bought and paid for by Christ.

?        What most impacted you about todayís lesson and how will you be different because of it?

Our faithful volunteer writer for this weekís summary prefers not to be recognized. But please thank her for her diligence, perseverance, and commitment in getting this assignment completed in spite of some setbacks. Mahalo Nui Loa!