What is your soul panting for? For David, his heart longed for the living God.

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. ²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"
~Psalms 42:1-2

What about you? What is your heart’s ultimate desire?

The most terrible thing that has happened to the people of God today is that the passion for God has been overtaken by the passion for material things. You see, when your passion for any other thing, no matter how noble, becomes more than your passion for God, you have become an idolater.

One reason the passion for God is fading today is because we have unwittingly embraced this world’s system of values. This has had a devastating impact on our hearts. What we regard as important in the church matters. They determine what we pursue.

In the early church, spiritual virtues were regarded as treasures. They were their true riches. They honored men on the basis of their spirituality and dedication to God, rather than the possession of earthly things.

Today it is different. Just observe the things that we celebrate in today’s church and you’ll notice there’s not much difference from those celebrated by the world. This corrupted sense of value in today’s church is making it very difficult for Christians to manifest the virtues of Christ in this world.

The lust for the things of this world will certainly undermine your passion for God and render you vulnerable to satanic manipulations.

To restore the passion for God in your heart, you must embrace God’s own values; the things that are highly esteemed in His sight.

Graduating from the University with a distinction might matter to men. In God’s sight, however, it doesn’t weigh much. While getting married may be the ultimate achievement for many, it is of little value to God. Making a million dollars is definitely an admirable attainment in the sight of worldly men. In God’s sight, however, your millions mean nothing. These things matter to worldly men. They are called success. But they do not matter to God.

"He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight."
~Luke 16:15

God’s kind of success – and the only one that truly matters – is revealed in what He said of Jesus Christ at the Jordan river:

"And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased"."
~Matthew 3:17

Only when God says the same about you can you truly be considered successful. Until then, anything you may have achieved in this world is absolutely worthless.

God’s Success is not a physical phenomenon. It is spiritual. It is living a life that is pleasing to God.

While there is still any breath left in my lungs, I will strive with all I have to preserve and intensify our passion for God. I will do all I can to protect our minds from the distractions of worldliness and materialism. God has mandated me to continue to guide our hearts away from earthly things, and turn them upward towards Him.

In order to live lives that pleasure God, we must begin by putting Him first. Then we must passionately pursue Him above any other thing. Finally, we must discover His assignment for our lives and fulfill it.

It is only then that we can truly sing with David that "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”