My wife and I recently watched the new Pirates movie that came out. During the movie, Jack Sparrow’s compass was teaching me about the yielded heart. The only requirement for being used by God is having a heart that is yielded to Him. A heart that has given Him permission to do what He wants to do is the most dangerous thing in the war between heaven and earth. There is nothing the enemy can do to stop a person who has yielded to the Holy Spirit wholeheartedly.
“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” – Exodus 13:21
Jack Sparrow’s compass points to whatever he wants the most. When I watched this, I immediately began to be convicted as I thought of the things that my compass might point to. Would my compass point to the presence of the Lord? Would He be the one thing that my heart desired, or would my compass spin in pandemonium as it struggled to point to the many things that I have vainly chose to pursue in my life? I want so badly for my compass to only point to Jesus. If my compass pointed to Jesus alone, I know it would lead me exactly where I needed to be.
You see, the presence of the Lord will lead us where we are supposed to be. We see this played out in Israel’s journey to the promised land. They were lead by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They were literally being led by the presence of God. When the time was finally approaching to enter into the promised land, Moses tells the Lord that He would not enter the promised land if His presence doesn’t go with them. It was the presence that was determining where they would go next.
“Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” – Exodus 33:15
If I truly have a yielded heart, I will become completely subject to where the compass of my heart directs me to go. If this is true, and I believe it is, then my only responsibility is to make sure that He is the only thing that I desire. If He remains the One Thing, my compass will always point to Him. This is the sweet spot where He can begin to lead me into the promised land. There are promises that you will not be permitted to receive until the compass of your heart begins to point to Jesus alone. It is here that you can become a truly yielded vessel. Like a ship at sea, you can then pull the sail up and become completely dependent upon the wind of the Spirit to take you to wherever He wants to lead you.
“One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.” – Psalm 27:4
Is He the One Thing your heart desires? I challenge you to honestly ask yourself, what is your compass pointing to tonight?
One Thing 