Possessed! Extreme!

I've always had a great respect and appreciation for anyone that is really gifted or talented at what they do! Today when we hear a really good singer, we might say, "They've got the X-factor!" or of a child, say that he or she is a child prodigy. A prodigy is someone that's recognized to have extreme talent.

Recently, online, I saw a video of a young 13 year old girl, Carly Rose Soneclar, who blew everyone away on X-factor with her "old soul"! Carly's audition video views, quickly, rose to the millions over night. Last week Carly awed her mentors and was called "possessed"! "She's like a little caterpillar and you think she's going to turn into a butterfly? DRAGON, burning and scorching up the town!" "Possessed"??? What are they saying? They are saying that Carly Rose Soneclar really wants this; she is pouring her heart, mind and soul into winning ~ she is giving it her all! She's focused! She knows what she wants and she's going for it! Carly is undistracted, unwavering!

What possesses you? We've all desired to be good at something, but "possessed"? Have you ever wanted something with your whole heart? Put your entire being into it? Maybe, at one time you did have those kind of deep convictions about something, but you lost hope ~ lost your focus ~ stopped believing!

God created us and has called us all to be "possessed" ~ He calls us to love HIM with all our "heart, mind, soul and strength". He's designed us all to be "possessed" with Him. He designed us with a void that was meant to be filled with Him. When we miss the importance of filling that void with Him alone and try to fill it with other things (our kids, husband, alcohol, food, sex, drugs, etc.) then we come up short, feeling empty. He longs for us to desire Him, to seek for that intimacy, that personal relationship; to search for Him with our whole heart. This is what I want! I want my intimacy with the Almighty to be my one obsession! It's what I want to long for, what I desire to pour my heart into ~ yet, I can, so easily, lose my focus and get distracted!

Satan doesn't have that problem! His focus is just fine! (unwavering) And yes, he is "possessed" with tripping me up ~ desiring my focus to be anything, but having a real and personal relationship with the Almighty God, my Creator. Why? Because he knows the power that that relationship will bring into my life and he'll do anything to stop it!

Recently, I've been overwhelmed, I've grown distracted by life's problems; I've allowed the pressures of this life to weary me. I've been focusing on the waves, instead of the One who has the power to calm them! How easily my convictions turn to mush! We can spend time with Him, but still focus and rehearse our fears; the fears, the fretting break that intimacy. We can come to fellowship, but not feel the intimacy and walk away still feeling empty. Without faith we cannot please God.

God just used a little 13 year old girl, with an extreme talent, a prodigy, to remind me of the importance of focus! It's so easy to talk about and so difficult to maintain! How's your focus? What's distracted you? What "possesses"you? I've been "possessed" with fear! Satan's been taking ground!

Choosing to put God as that one focus, that one obsession, will bring all else into focus and allow those extreme gifts and abilities that He's given to each one of us, those gifts that are hidden in Him to come to the forefront and to shine! Extreme begins with a mind that is focused on putting God first! Focus! Focus! Focus! Set that focus to unwavering and then God's power dials us up to EXTREME! He puts His "umph" behind our gifts and abilities! I want the X-factor when it comes to God! I want to major in EXTREME! How about you? I'm praying for you!