Look and Live

Many months ago I had the joy of editing a book titled Look and Live by Matt Papa, a recording artist and worship leader. Long after I finished my work on the manuscript and passed it on to the next editor, Matt Papa’s honest, poetic words continued to roll around in my head and my heart. Working on this book made me take a good, long look at what has a grip on my soul.

And so, I want to pass on to you some of Matt’s words. Oh, and I have five copies of his book that I would LOVE to give away. Just contact me via my website. I only have five copies though, so be quick!

And now, listen in to Matt Papa.

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After college I went into full-time ministry. Me and the sizeable chip on my shoulder were ready and determined to change the world. God needed me on His team, and I was sure I would be the one to do something great and give the devil a definitive deathblow. (Yeah, I know, Somebody already did that. But when you’re running around building a kingdom, sometimes you forget.)

God was certainly using me in wonderful ways. I was going on mission trips. I was leading Bible studies. I was doing loads of Christian things. My schedule was full, and it seemed that lots of people respected me. All the while, I was depressed, enslaved to the approval of others, and addicted to pornography (p. 21).

I could never seem to shake the porn addiction. I had the accountability, the computer software, everything but real victory. As much as I wanted to stop, I couldn’t. The idol just seemed to jump right back on the throne. But then I got some advice from a mentor friend of mine.

He said to me, “Matt, I know you’ve been fighting, but have you been looking?”

Huh?

What he meant was had I really been spending time with Jesus? In the hustle and bustle of life, I hadn’t.

And so I did. I really did.

I began just soaking in the Bible every morning. I woke up and just looked at Jesus. And it didn’t happen overnight, but slowly, something began happening. I started tasting freedom. I began changing.

I met Glory.

That’s how we change, by experiencing a greater Thrill (p. 79).