Wild and Wonderful Fanatic

The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity (Hosea 9:7)

I’ve heard sermons and teaching which I rejected as too extreme. But, later – maybe years later, I sometimes find that I’ve changed my mind. What held me back from accepting the teaching in the first place? At first, I may have even labeled the ideas as fanatical. What held me back? Was it misunderstanding? “Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, there is no life in you.” Or, was it wrong priorities? “I will follow you. But, first let me…”

The same thing which causes us to have wrong priorities can deafen us to the words of truth and blind us to the guiding light. What is it that disrupts our relationship with God and others but our important, whispering, dissatisfied, and whining Self? This is the part of me which listens to the voice of the Tempter, believes the lies of the Liar, wants to sell my soul to the Devil for a pot of pleasure, and says, “I’m too tired to seek God this early.”

When we don’t “get anything” out of reading the Bible, or think that someone is too fanatical in his teaching or beliefs, it is important to consider whether we are actually open to hearing Jesus. Is He too fanatical for me to follow? Maybe we just want to be “ordinary”. It is possible for someone to be too impractical or fanatical. But, when we find ourselves applying such a label, it should be an alarm that warns us to examine ourselves. Isn’t it possible that our “wisdom” may actually be worldly wisdom? Who is the fool but the one who rejects God’s Word? At such times, let’s ask, “Who is actually sitting behind the steering wheel in this area of my life?” Many times our daily schedule shows our priorities and who we're letting drive. When Self drives, we live "sensible" lives like most of the world, and waste our life. But when God drives, wild and wonderful things will begin to happen and life will no longer be ordinary, normal or "sensible".

Project: (This is a tough one -- change your daily schedule)
Get fanatical: commit to a daily time alone with God and His Word.
Get foolish: wake up earlier than you “feel” like to seek God.
Get a little crazy: let God sit in the driver’s seat. Actually apply a little of His Word.

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