Desperate Enough to Do Something Different

What will it take for you to finally do something different? How many cycles do you have to repeat before you realize that doing the same thing will never bring a different result?

This morning during our powerful prayer meeting at church, my pastor’s words from Sunday kept running through my mind: “Just a little further…” As I pondered those very simply, yet profound words, conviction hit me hard.

On Sunday, I agreed that I would go a little further than what I’ve been doing. I would go further in my praying. I would go further in my private time with the Lord. I would go further in my serving. I would go further in my giving. I would go further in my walk with Him.

But this morning I had to admit something painful: just like the rest of the church, I had said some words on Sunday, but i hadn't really meant them. I wasn't desperate enough yet. I wasn't really saying from my heart, "I want more of Him and less of me."

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. (John 3:30 NLT)

John the Baptist was so desperate for more of God that he was willing to kill his desires to have more room for God.

True Desperation Moves You

Desperation has a way of pushing us to the edge. But here’s the truth: not all desperation is created equal. Some desperation leaves you stuck—complaining, crying, replaying the same hurts over and over again. But there’s another kind of desperation. A holy desperation. The kind that says, “I can’t stay here anymore. Something has to change, and it’s going to change in me.”

There are many people in the Bible that did something desperate, but one of my favorites is the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:25-29. She had twelve years of disappointment. Twelve years of pain. But desperation pushed her past pride, past fear, past the rules of the crowd. She said, “If I can just touch the hem of His garment…” And that moment of doing something different brought her healing.

Desperation without movement is just noise. And honestly, that’s all most of the church did on Sunday when we repeated the words our pastor asked us to. How do I know? It’s only been a couple of days, but I’d be willing to bet that most haven't done anything different since then. We’re not desperate enough to get up a little earlier to spend more time with Him in the early morning hours.

Flesh vs. Obedience

Let’s be real—the flesh will never tell you to do something different. The flesh says: Stay comfortable. Protect your pride. Hold onto your excuses.

But the Spirit whispers: Kill the flesh. Obey. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.

Doing something different looks like obeying the words of your pastor when your flesh screams “no.” Do you realize how long your pastor spends before God to deliver a word to you on Sunday? Do you realize how much he sacrifices so you can hear what Heaven is saying? Your pastor spends hours seeking God for a word that can shift your life. Don't cheapen it by treating it like background noise. The least we can do is take that word, meditate on it, and apply it.

Sometimes doing something different looks like breaking away from people who keep dragging you back into the pit. Sometimes it looks like praying, fasting, forgiving, or surrendering in a way you never have before. And sometimes it looks getting out of bed when your pastor calls 5 am prayer meeting.

The question is—are you desperate enough to forsake the flesh?

The Cost of Staying the Same

We tell ourselves that staying the same is safer, that it costs less. But staying the same is never neutral—it’s costly.

If the woman with the issue of blood had stayed home, she would have died in her sickness. If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

How much more pain will you endure before you change?

How many more sermons will you hear before you act?

How many more excuses will you make before you finally step into obedience?

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. (James 1:22-24 MSG)

We've got to quit doing the same things over and over again without change. We've got to quit claiming we love God with our words while our actions betray us. We have got to quit wanting the blessings of God while refusing to obey His commands.

Desperation That Births Breakthrough

Breakthrough doesn’t come to those who are comfortable. It doesn’t come to those who play it safe. Breakthrough comes to those who are desperate enough to obey.

That’s what shifts everything. When desperation meets obedience, the atmosphere changes. Heaven responds. Chains break. Lives transform.

You don’t have to be perfect—you just have to be desperate enough to do something different…and not just the bare minimum either!

Where is God asking you to do something different?

• To fast when you've only talked about it?

• To finally say yes to the call instead of running?

• To get up and pray when your pastor calls a prayer meeting?

• To serve in an area you know needs it? (You shouldn't have to be asked or told to serve. If God is laying it on your heart, do it!)

• To apply the words your pastor has travailed to bring you?

Don’t wait until you’ve lost everything to change. Don’t wait until the pigpen swallows you whole. Don’t wait until the bleeding drains every ounce of hope from you.

Now is the time. Today is the day.

Your desperation will either destroy you or deliver you. The difference? Whether you're willing to do something different.

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