This One Thing

"It's "this ONE thing" that is keeping from drawing closer to You, God!" Have you ever said something like that to the Lord? If you have ever been serious about your relationship with Him, you probably have. You get to the point where you desire to draw closer to the Lord, but this one addiction—this one mountain seems impossible to move. No matter what the addiction was, I truly believe that every follower of Christ has had "one thing" that has stood in their way of getting to the Lord at some point. Addictions come in so many different forms, it's easy to just look at sex, alcohol and drugs as the ONLY hardcore addictions. However, doubt, worry, and attention addictions can be just as detrimental. It certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how these addictions can stop someone from drawing closer to the Lord.

The guilt and shame that comes alongside addictions makes pursuing God seem almost impossible. I've had quite a few of addictions in my life, depression, people, doubt, fear, lust, are just a few. However, my "one thing" was definitely lust. I felt like the more I struggled, the further away I was driving myself from the Lord. But isn't it like the Lord to make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28)? No matter how bad your "one thing" looks, it's actually bringing you closer the Lord. I got to the point where I knew I had to COMPLETELY lean on the Lord for healing in my life. The more I began to lean on Him, the closer I began to draw to the Lord.

The lady with the issue of blood in the bible shows us perfectly how the Lord sometimes uses that "one thing" to bring you closer to Him (Mark 5:25-34). During this time period, anyone with a deformity or disease was outlawed. Since her disease was so visible, she was deemed "unclean" wherever she went. With judgement and ridicule following her everywhere, we can conjecture that her "one thing" was people. But when she heard that Jesus was in town, her "one thing" was not going to stop her from getting to Him. As she pushed through the crowd, exposing her "one thing," she grabbed the hem of His garment (Mark 5:27). She knew that she needed to lean on Him more than ANYTHING to receive healing. By recognizing this, she ended up at the feet of Jesus, somewhere she probably could've never imagined that her "one thing" could take her.

It's very easy to look at how bad your "one thing" is. However, this mentality will only leave you disappointed. Your "ONE THING" that you THINK is pushing you away from God is actually bringing you closer to Him. How is this so, you say? Well, our God is so amazing that He takes negative situations and turns them into a greater testimony. He uses the egg that was cracked to bring together all of the ingredients for the beautiful cake. So the cracks in your shell are necessary for the outcome of the cake. If you were never cracked, you'd never be used. You'd think, "I've got it all together, not one single crack is on my shell. I don't need the Maker... I don't even need this cake. I'm perfect." Ultimately, you would never lean on the Lord if you didn't have that "one thing" because you would have it all together. Allow Him use your "one thing" for His good and His glory.

Today, stop telling God what He already knows. He knows you more than you even know yourself. He knows exactly what "one thing" you struggle with and He desires to heal you. But it's up to you, Believer, to lean on Him in this season like you never have before. The lady with the issue had to push through the crowd to get to Jesus. Push through those crowds of thoughts in your head that say, "You will never get set free from this one thing." OR " This one thing is what is going to stop you from getting to Jesus." Those are all lies from the devil. The more you focus on how bad your "one thing" looks, the less you'll fix your eyes on Jesus. Remind yourself of His grace. You can start by daily declaring, "I WILL receive the healing I need! I AM drawing closer to the Lord by His grace alone!" Every time you fall into that "one thing" and get back up through His grace, you are one step closer to the Lord. "It's this one thing that is bringing me closer to Your grace... To Your love... To You, God."