One Thing Is Needed

There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:42 NLT

When Yeshua told Martha in Luke 10:42 that “one thing is needed,” He was being quite clear. While Mary had found peace in this “one thing” as she sat at Yeshua’s feet in worship, Martha was “worried and troubled about many things,” including the good thing of serving.

Mary of Bethany, the apostle Paul, and King David are examples of those who lived out the “one thing” life; seeking God above everything, even the cares and distractions of the world.

David conveyed the heart of this lifestyle when he wrote Psalm 27:4: “One thing I have desired of the Lord…to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” This is David’s life vision, says Mike Bickle. The power in this verse is the two words ‘one thing’. David was not exaggerating! That was his life passion and pursuit. This scripture is powerful because its radicalness, power and glory is in the narrowness of what God is saying. It creates a problem in life when we actually try to walk this out.

In order to walk out a “one thing” life, we need to remove ourselves from the pace of our busy, distracted culture. Instead of losing ourselves in the noise of buzzing phones and blaring music, we take time to quiet our hearts and be with Yeshua. Instead of running from one place to the next with no time to spare, we give ourselves to extended periods of worship and devotion.

The deep things of the kingdom rarely come on the fly; rather, they are the fruit of pursuing the one thing we truly can’t live without…the intimate knowledge of God!

Graciously, the Lord wants to give us this great gift. He’s waiting for us to seek Him, to ask Him for “the better part,” and to become spiritually violent enough that we throw off the constraints of our culture to draw near to Him (Mt. 11:12).

The Lord rewards those who seek Him, and He will reward you for your pursuit as He did David, Paul, Mary of Bethany, and the saints throughout history (Heb. 11:6).

Our God is calling a generation to pursue Him as their one thing…to seek nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else but the fullness of His Kingdom and will “on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10). Are you one of them?

Here Am I...Send me!

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” - Isaiah 6:8 NLT.

We will continue with the theme of calling and separation. As mentioned, we are in a season where God is calling and separating many of His people to Himself, for a specific work.

Today, we will look at the account of a few, who God called and separated for a specific work. We will look at those who willingly obeyed and answered the call and those who tried to run away or who made an excuse. Knowing what God has called you to can at first seem intimidating, due to the unknown, but know that God will be with you.

We will start with the life of Abraham. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him – Genesis 12:1-2a, 4a. God called Abraham and he willingly obeyed. By faith, Abraham obeyed and left what was familiar to him – his country, his relatives and his father’s family. As a warning, do not let the comfort and the security of your present position cause you to miss out on the greater opportunities God has for you. Let go and obey God.

Let’s look at Isaiah. Isaiah did not count himself worthy for the call, but as we know, God is no respecter of persons. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: Acts 10:34. In a vision, Isaiah saw the Lord. His encounter with God caused him to realize and acknowledge that he was sinful and unclean before God. That did not hinder God from calling and separating Isaiah unto Him for a work. However, before God used Isaiah, God cleansed him and told Isaiah, his sins were forgiven. It was necessary for God to cleanse Isaiah before he could fulfill the task to which God had called him to. Isaiah’s call was difficult, yet he fulfilled the work God called him to.

Next, we will look at the life of Jonah and how he responded to the call. Jonah was chosen by God to go to Nineveh to warn the people to repent of their wickedness. Jonah was reluctant and chose to run away from what God had commissioned him to do. Jonah disobeyed God and went in the opposite direction to Tarshish, instead of to Nineveh. Due to Jonah’s disobedience, he encountered difficulties and also put the lives of innocent people at risk. Eventually, Jonah obeyed God and preached to the people of Nineveh, who repented and was saved from judgement.

Sometimes, the work God calls us to is usually bigger than we can imagine and we may feel we do not measure up. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house – Judges 6:14-15. The angel had already spoken to Gideon and told him who he was in the sight of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor – Judges 6:12. Yet Gideon kept looking at himself and not at God. There are times, we would need encouragement to fulfill the work God has called us to. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man – Judges 6:16.

Know this, that God who called you is faithful and He will not leave you nor forsake you. Be obedient and answer the call. Like Isaiah, I pray your response will be, Here I am Lord, send me! Then, go and fulfill the work God has called you to.

Cover-Up or Covering?

We learn something about Satan in 2 Corinthians 2:11: "We are not ignorant of his devices". It all began in Genesis with the temptation of Adam and Eve. Let's take a look at chapter three.

First, Satan challenged God's Love. By asking, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree'?" (v. 1), Satan made an implication about God's character: If God loved you, why would He keep you from enjoying yourself? Why would He keep you from something that would bring you happiness? Sound familiar?

Then, he challenged God's Word. By saying, "you will not surely die" (v. 4), he was calling God a liar. This was a direct attack on God's Word. Satan wants you to question God's blueprint...His Word, the Bible. Maybe you've heard it yourself: This Book is outdated. It won't work in today's situation.

Then he challenged the Truth. "God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (v. 5). Satan was suggesting: You're going to be like God. God knows that, and He doesn't like competition.

Now, let's just cut to the chase here. Satan is a liar. That's what Yeshua said in John 8:44: "he is a liar and the father of [lies]." And his strategy is to get you to think that what God said isn't the Truth, but that he will tell you the whole truth: God can't be trusted. His Word can't be trusted. So, you might as well replace the Bible with whatever you feel is right for you at that time. Make it up as you go along.

Know that going in. Be prepared for how you're going to meet that kind of challenge. "By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail." (Benjamin Franklin) So when you're challenged, how are you going to deal with it? The Bible says in Proverbs 22:3, "The prudent see danger and take cover" (BSB).

So, first, put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17) and cling to the Truth. Yeshua said, "You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). Satan will say, No, God wants to put you in bondage. I'll make you free. Just know, that's one of Satan's deceptive devices.

You may want to cover up, but what you need is a covering. Adam and Eve received a temporary covering from God that signified His permanent covering for sin...the Messiah Yeshua.

You always have two choices when dealing with sin. You can run from God and try to cover up, or you can run to God. Running from God is instinctive. It's guilt. Running to God is redemption. It's God covering your sin.

The King of Kings is in the business of putting broken lives back together. And He does so by a covering, through His death on the cross.

It never pays for us to try to make our own covering, because our own works are inadequate. They only bring relief that is temporary at best.

Only God offers a permanent covering for sin, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). By one man's sin, death entered the world, but through another Man, the Messiah Yeshua, we can know life, forgiveness, and covering.

In His strong Love