Chapter 7

The Magnificent Obsession – Chapter Seven

 

July 25, 2013

 

“Lay Everything Down

“What is your most precious possession? Whatever it may be, to embrace the magnificent obsession, to know God as Abraham did, to be God’s friend, to receive all that He has for you, to experience the God-filled life, you must lay it down…”

The Magnificent Obsession, p. 188

 

 

Do you want to be like Abraham; a man who had radical trust in the Lord God and the kind of relationship that God referred to as a “friendship”?   However and whenever the Lord chooses to test us He is always seeking to strengthen our faith and develop in us radical trust… radical belief. Abraham believed God. He believed that no matter what happened, God was going to keep His promise. Somehow, someway, He was going to do what He said He would do. So, he laid Isaac down.

The Lord tested Abraham’s faith in a “personal and painful” way, and in doing so presented to him the Gospel in advance (see Galatians 3:8). The Lord personally walked Abraham through the “Good News of Jesus Christ” that would not take place for another 2000 plus years.

Abraham was able to experience in some small fragment of a way the enormity of the very personal and painful sacrifice God Himself would make on behalf of fallen mankind.

How is God testing you?

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:
Scripture Reading: Genesis 22:1-18
Read Chapter 7 – Magnificent Obsession


Questions for Small Group Discussion and Blog:

1. Have you found yourself to be in a season of “testing” either now or in the recent past? How has this testing played out for you?
[Note: Tempting and testing are not the same. God “tests” us but does not, cannot “tempt” us (see James 1:13). However, God may certainly “allow” temptation to come our way in the form of a test. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13.]

2. What is your “Isaac”? Your most precious possession- either a heart-&-mind possession or an actual “something”? Is there a prodigal child you need to lay down? A relationship you need to lay down? An aspiration you need to lay down? What is it for you?

3. It is said that “Hands that are tightly clenched cannot take hold of all that God has to give.”  What about you? What is keeping you from laying it down and surrendering it to God?

4. Obedience brings blessing! Blessings can come in the form of peace and joy, a feeling of being unburdened, or even in tangible ways- God may exchange what we lay down for what I call “a better yes”. How have you experienced God’s blessing as a result of laying everything down? What blessing might you be missing if you don’t?

 

For Personal Prayer & Reflection:
Lay Everything Down~
Last week we thought about what our “Ishmael” might be. This week would you consider, prayerfully and honestly, what your “Isaac” is- your most precious possession(s), hope or dream. Write it down in your journal or notebook under “Lay Everything Down” and spend some time talking it through with the Lord.  We can’t imagine giving over the control of our life and the life of those we think we control. But the fact is that WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL AT ALL! And there is no better one to surrender and lay everything down to than the One who really is in control of everything. He knows what it’s like to lay down His most Precious Possession… and He did it because YOU were so very precious to Him.

Take some time and go through your journal from your study of the Magnificent Obsession so far. Are you simply reading and studying? Or has there been some transformation? What do you see? How have you responded?   The more we Lay Everything Down, Cast Everything Out, Lift Everything Up, Entrust Everything Completely, Let Everything Go and Leave Everything Behind… we embrace more and more and more of Him!

Pray about your transformation process up to this point.  Journal about it.