“Satan does not tempt us to do wrong things. He tempts us in order to make us lose what God has put into us by regeneration — the possibility of being of value to God.”
- Oswald Chambers
The first session led by Johnny Hunt at his 18th annual Men’s Conference last weekend was about our being useful to God. He quoted II Timothy 2:20-21…
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
“When you got saved, Jesus, like an artesian well, over-flooded your life with God the Holy Spirit and began to flow through you and use you for His greater glory,” Johnny said. “And then we allowed different things to come into our life and it’s dammed up the flow, and you’re no where near the believer you used to be. You’re not of value to God’s kingdom because of choices you’ve made and things you’ve allowed to come into your life.”
He went on to say that most of us desire to be of value to God’s kingdom. We want to enrich the lives of others and help them grow as a result of our influence. But many of us have made poor choices. We crossed the line, missed the mark, yielded to our sinful nature and willfully rebelled against God. As a result, we have become less useful and less effective than we once were in our service to God.
There’s Hope
“God is eager to get you where He wants you to be — actually more eager than you to get your there,” Johnny said.
Then he reminded us of King David’s failures — his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, his scheme to murder her husband, and his attempt to cover up and hide his sins. Your beaver dam may be alcohol, drugs, pornography or a sexual relationship. For years my stronghold was smoking. It separated me from other believers and kept me from being effective in ministry. It made me feel dirty, and I became spiritually hard of hearing.
I knew what it meant to live in the joyful, purposeful presence of God. I had experienced the excitement of walking with Him and serving Him. But I continually rebelled and created a distance between Him and me. I lost the sense of satisfaction, joy and peace that comes from obeying Him.
Father’s Discipline
Thankfully, in 1999 God let me suffer the consequence of my sin through a heart attack. Suddenly I had no choice but to quit. The doctors put a stent in one artery, performed angioplasty in another, and told me the nicotine would kill me if I didn’t quit immediately.
Of course God gave me the strength to do it. Then He restored my joy, peace and hope. Hopefully He’s making me useful again to His kingdom.
Come Home
If you’re feeling disgraced, distant, and depressed, and like nothing can cleanse your sin-stained soul, listen to these words from Johnny: “If you knew what I knew about God’s character, you’d feel greater liberty to come home… to know that He is a God of loving, tender mercy.”
So don’t do as I did and waste years of your life. Instead, do as King David did. Cry out to God, obey Him, and get the River of Life flowing again…
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
– Psalm 51:1-17
