1. A Lamb must be offered

2. Sweep the leaven out of the house

3. Break the bread

4. Taste the bitterness of the bread

5. Drink the sweet from the cups

God has brought us from bitter to sweet and He will do it again.

1 Samuel 2:28-30 (KJV)

Those who honor me, I will honor.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NLT)

Mark 6:2-5 (KJV)

Honor beings with options

Options show preference

Preference leads to choice

Choice shows honor

God is a God of desire. He doesn’t take desire away, He purifies it. The bulk of things the world pursues were all Gods’ idea.

When God is first, desires take their proper place. They are healthy, pure and add to our joy.

Problems arise though when He is not first. When we prefer the desire above the God who made it, God will challenge that desire and every time He does, It’s your chance to honor Him.

Mark 10:17-31 (KJV)

Money is very significant. There are more than 500 verses in the Bible concerning prayer and nearly 500 verses concerning faith, but 2000 verses on the subject of money and possessions. The reason? Money test our honor more than anything else.

Acts 7:20-35 (KJV)

John Eldridge: I continue to be stunned by the deadness that most people consider normal and seem to be contented to live with.

Example: If I could be more of what you wanted in a woman, what do you secretly wish I could offer you?

Clean Socks

It’s just not TRUE.

Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)

God is a God of unrelenting desire. Their is nothing “lukewarm” about His nature. As you draw near to Him, desire actually awakens.

Psalms 37:4 (KJV)

Holiness is not a loss of desire. It is restoration of desire.

Do you want to get well?

Most people give up on desire. Why? They don’t want to be disappointed.

Desire is like love. When it’s achieved it’s REALLY good. When it’s not it’s REALLY bad.

To desire something and not to have it is the basis of almost all pain, so we tone down our expectations. We true them into more manageable things. We call it being more realistic. We forsake adventure, romance and passion. We forsake desire.

That’s what the man at the pool was doing and Jesus knew that. He does something to fix it. He takes this man back to his TRUE desire.

You get to pick the life you want and these are your options:

You can spend it avoiding disappointment or pursuing life.

C. S. Lewis: I am almost committing an indecency. I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret of each one of you. The secret which hurts so much that you take revenge on it by calling names like Nostalgia, Romanticism and Adolescence.

Mathew 8:5-10 (KJV)

Somethings you need to see go

Somethings you need to see come

Somethings you need to see happen

If they did, this would be: Your Best Year Ever

1. See It

A. Decide on the things you would like to see happen this year.

Change of place + Change of pace = Change of perspective

Explore and refine your desires. What do you REALLY want?

B. Write them down

About 3 decades ago, they asked Harvard’s MBA class if they had set any goals for their future after Harvard and if they had crafted a plan to reach them.

3%  Said they had goals written and plans to go with them.

13% Said they had goals, but they were not written

84% Said they had no specific goals

10 years later they followed up with the former students and found the following:

The 13% who said they had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84% who had no goals.

The 3% who had goals written were earning 10 times as much as the other 97% put together!

C. Have regular heads up time where you SEE the goal as yours.

Many look, but do not see. Slow down! Have regular heads up time where you see yourself as the possessor of your goals.

Until your widest dreams becomes tamed, they will never come true.

Matthew 9:18-21 (KJV)

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

His goal was SET before Him. You must set goals, but you must also set those goals before you.

Journal

Vision List

Vision Board

All these things will help you SEE it.