“Fix Your Worship Problem”
If only I had…
If only I could…
If only they would…
…I would be happy.
The way you end those sentences could be telling you something about what you treasure most.
James was a very early church writer and apostle. Even then, he warned believers that the reason they were fussing with each other was rooted in their desires. (James 4)
Are you fussing about something? What is it you really want? Often, our strong desires are intent on having something God does not intend for us.
Here’s what happens. We want what we want, so we think about what we want a lot. Because that desire occupies our mind a great deal, we tend to act based on what we have been thinking about.
Those are the times you find you are too willing to sin. When you want something badly enough that you sin when you can’t have it or you sin in order to get it, that’s an indication of your worship problem.
If you regret how you have been acting, trace those behaviors back to what you have been thinking about. Ask yourself the questions I started with. See any corollaries?
Don’t despair. There’s hope for lasting change.
You can learn to change your desires. Yes, you can change your “wanter.” It may be more appropriate to say that you can learn to depend on the Holy Spirit to help you experience a change of affections. You can develop a taste for what is good.
Think about those opening questions one more time.
If only I had…
If only I could…
If only they would…
…I would be happy.
Might it be that the themes that occupy your thinking are indicators of what you really treasure? What if those wants are the true idols of your heart? If so, those desires are an indication of a worship problem.
Let’s not kid ourselves. We all have a worship problem. If you are wondering how to identify your worship problem, start by answering those “if only” questions and talk to the Lord about your heart desires. You could also reach out to a biblical counselor for some encouragement and tips for developing the right desires.
Would you like to read a good book on the topic? Get Brad Bigney’s book: Gospel Treason; Betraying the Gospel with Hidden Idols.