A while back I read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I definately recommend it to you, especially if you desire to love God more passionately than ever before.
Chapter Eight is titled “Profile of the Obsessed” and it makes the point that followers of Jesus should be completely obsessed with Jesus and His mission for us. I absolutely agree with this statement. After all, we are instructed to love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. This sounds like obsession to me.
There are 13 statements in this chapter that outline what a obsessed person should be like. Now, I’m not sure whether or not what I am about to do violates any copyright laws. However, if Francis Chan is the person that he seems to be, he will not mind.
So–here are those statements about people who are obsessed with Jesus. Let’s see if they look like us.
“People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly without censure. Obsessed people love those who hate them and who can never love them back.” (page 132)
“People who are obsessed with Jesus aren’t consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God’s kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.” (page 133)
“People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him (1 John 2:4-7; Matt. 16:24-26).” (page 135)
“Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don’t always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth.” (page 137)
“A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be “humble enough,” and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known (Matt. 5:16).” (page 137)
“People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden. Obsessed people take joy in loving God by loving His people (Matt. 13:44; John 15:8).” (page 139)
“People who are obsessed with God are known as giver, not takers. Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world (James 2:14-26).” (page 141)
“A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.” (page 142)
“A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.” (page 143)
“People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the uglines of their sins or their failurs. Obsessed people don’t put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace.” (page 144)
“People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God’s Word thoughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.” (page 145)
“A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people kno that true joy doesn’t depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4).” (page 146)
“A person who is obsessed with Jesus know that the best thing he can do is be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life, continually saying “Thank You!” to God. An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy if hs is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role as a child and friend of God.” (pages 147)
Read those statements over and over again. Slowly would be best. Then consider how you look compared to this “Profile of the Obsessed.”
If you find that you are not obsessed with Jesus, the answer does not lie in trying harder. The answer lies in loving Jesus more passionately. This is cultivated by spending time with Him through meditating upon His words, prayer, and drawing near to Him in ever facet of our lives.
If we submit ourselves to Jesus then He will do the work of creating an obsession for Him in our lives.
I wonder what this world would be like if more people were obsessed with Jesus. Let’s try to find out.
The Seeking Pastor 
Matt, just catching up on your blog. This post blows me away, as I feel that I am too obsessed sometimes and was just telling my mom that I feel so alone. I know that be totally serious about God is such a wonderful thing. It has come to the point that Jeremiah even says he can’t wait to goto heaven to be with Jesus face to face. But I don’t believe there is another way to love our Lord without being obsessed. I may quite possibly listen to too much Tomlin and Hillsong. So I need to get that book I guess, hopefully it is on Itunes, and I can just listen. There is not enough time in the day for me to read more books! Thanks for the post!
I know how you fee sometimes Brooke, sometimes I feel like I’m being prideful, and we know the Bible says pride comes before the fall. May peace be unto you.
At times I feel so much in Love with christ and at times I feel so far apart from him. how can I maintain my love for him??
To me, feelings come and go. True love is shown by faithfulness and commitment to the relationship. Remain faithful in devotions, prayer, bible study, service, etc. That is how the love is maintained in my life–not by feelings, but by faithfulness.
I would say, speaking for myself, to study his word and keep his commandments.
I wanna obsessed by the love of Christ permanently like paul.
I need him more than other things.
Good to hear. Keep at it and God Bless.
to tell you the truth,i think i am becoming more obbssed with God and Jesus Lately,since i read Revelations 1:6 that jesus had already made me a king ,i stoped praying about my needs and problems and started interceeding for other people coz i found it irrelevant for a king to beg.God is my father and everything He said that He will do,He will do,i think its time for christians to love Him for who He is,than what He can Do,I only liesten to Gospel and study His Word Everyday and i pray 24hours, thats how obssed i am
Matthew 20: 17 – 28
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,
19 and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb’edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.
21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”
22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave;
28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
May Peace be unto you!
Going through this chapter now with my men’s group. Going to use your post as a good summary. Thanks.
Awesome–glad it can help.
wow thanks so much , its awesome and it helps a lot, i was muslim, but reading about jesus and what he did for us , i imediattley became christian , i pray and read the bible all the time, 🙂 sometimes i feel far apart from jesus,but after i pray i feel great , this is a great article and it realy helps godblless :)+
Thank you for reading and commenting. Glad that Christ is doing a great work in you.
I need ur help because I have a muslim friend and I want to show her the right way it’s hard can you please help me.😒
Can a person be too obsessed with God? My wife wants to read this book, but I’m hesitant to buy it for her (she asked for it as a Christmas present). My wife and I are both Christians, and in the ten years we’ve been married my wife has immersed herself so much in His word that I’m afraid she’s lost touch with other things around her. She has sought His word so desperately that she has “listened” to any “voice” that she “thought” was His (even some some leading her to do things clearly against scripture). This has lead to her being unfaithful to me in our marriage, and most recently questioning the sovereignty of God. I believe that she has become obsessed with the promises that God has for each of us in His word, and she will do whatever she believes is necessary to attain them for herself, even “sacrificing” our marriage. I find myself wanting to vent, and get advice on more personal matters, but I know this isn’t the place, so with what little I have told, do you believe this is the right book for my wife, if not, do you have a recommendation for one that might address our marital issues?
If it is a healthy obsession with God, then no. What you are describing in not a healthy obsession. Being obsessed with God the right way would include testing the things that she “hears” with what the Bible says. It sounds like she may need to seek professional counseling.
I’m sorry, but I really don’t agree with the way that you as a pastor, just shrugged off Cliff’s problem with a simple “Get professional counseling”. The fact is that people can be much too obsessed with their idea of what God is. Obsession is unhealthy. It can lead to suicidal thoughts and depression. There is a major difference between Love and Obsession. Just do some research on Obsessive Love and see the difference.
Thanks for your comment. I certainly didn’t hope to give the impression that I shrugged off Cliff’s problem. Sorry for that. I have actually prayed for Cliff and his wife numerous times. One of the problems with blogs is that it is very difficult to give people the help that they need–that someone who can see them face to face and spend considerable time counseling them can give. I refer people to counselors when it seems as though they will need more help than I can provide them through blog comments. I hope you will join me in praying for them.
There is no condemnation in Christ, suicide cannot exist truly if you are a disciple of Christ. First let me explain that I never knew hardly anything of the bible or Jesus until 6 months ago….PRAISE JESUS! I know because I used to have terrible suicidal thoughts that I could even see me doing it. I even went to a mental institution once because of it. 10 years later I put myself back into it for suicide. God had set me from these as soon as I was saved. Suicide is not a Christian thought, at all. God is Joyous so if you’re righteously seeking god first and foremost then you should never have depression. If you do seek him first in worship music, discipleship with a righteous friend or pray, as well as read the good news in the bible, for it is an attack by the enemy. Now emotions do exist but so does gods mercy and grace, so get conviction for your condemnations and ask god for mercy, grace and guidance to see what is in your heart. You can also pray to god to change your heart and he he’ll give you what you desire. Pray like Davis in Psalms, and be a man after gods own heart!
the obsession you discribe is not the one that some have for Jesus. The obsession you discribe is when you are obsessed with some one or some thing that you can get, or that person doent feel the same way then you lost it and kill your self. we now talking about OBSESSION FOR JESUS
I just found Jesus and I am getting obsessed with Him and God… All day I read and listen to the Words of God… I am drawn to Him… I worship and praise Him every second of my life… I have nothing else in mind but to please Him and be worthy to His kingdom… I am 27, a social worker by heart and by profession in the Philippines… God spoke to me once and told me of His purpose for me here on Earth… I clearly heard His words: “You will build me a shelter for my children” with all my heart and by God’s grace, I pray that I will fulfill His plans in Jesus name. Amen!
Praising God for your conversion and your dedication to following Christ!
Amen to that! You should check out BFA Ministry they should be on a mission up there in a few months!
obsessed. inlove. madly.unexplainable.
s.
My family has become more intolerant of my faith as the last few years have gone by. They are believers, but find that my consistent focus on Christ is going beyond the “level” of practising christianity they want in their lives. Considering me to be a fundamentalist comparatively to their Catholic faith, I now live alone in a large city so I could maintain regular work. There isn’t much communication happening from their side. Working towards a full relationship with the saviour is not what the world envisions as appropriate. It will cost you on Earth, but an eternity with God is far more important than the “baby steps” we live out on this world. Maranatha!
i Dont agree that it is best to be obsessed with God. my friend is obsessed, only wanted to read the Bible, tried to give all his clothes away and only wear old ripped up pants and a stained tshirt. tried convincing his fam to quit their jobs with no 2nd step. brings God up in Every single conversation. hes been to the mental hospital twice for despising his holdhold for they sin. he just gained the knowledge of the Sabbath now he shakes his head at those who doesnt honor it. Obesession is not good. author is not looking at the end of the spectrum
reply your thoughts
That isnt obsession for God by shaking your head to people who dont honor Sabbath. Obsession to God is doing the will of God and only that, people do wrong all the time you just have to pray for then. Remember we are not the judges and as long as we do and is the vesel God need us for, we are just to do that. There is bad obsession and good one some times you want to honor God your own way and not letting the holy spirit leading you to do so.
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Thank you so much for writing this & sharing the quotes. I really needed this as I’m in the journey to mental & spiritual recovery. I’ve had the hardest 2 yrs of my life so far & I recently realized it was because I was more obsessed with everything else in this world BUT God/Jesus! On my last breakdown, which was just 2 days ago, after a whole day of crying & talking about my issues to my closest ones, I got to the point where I couldn’t stop chanting “God please help me, please heal me, I beg of you, tell me what to do & I’ll do it..PLEASE make it clear to me!” After doing that for about an hour or so, I got reminded that God’s Word is available for me to read right beside my bed! So I opened the Bible & it landed on Job 33. I was so obsessed with wanting to hear God’s voice, I just started verbally reading while sobbing & just kept reading until something pops out or touched my heart.. And of course, at the end of Job’s story, the fact that “when” Job prayed/interceded for his friends, that was the moment when God restored everything Job had lost 2x folds & more! It was clear to me then that God wanted me to pray.. Actually & passionately pray for my friends & family, and everyone else that is involved in my recovery & well being. So I did that & now u can feel God’s healing gain momentum. And I realized that perhaps healing was already granted, but I was blocking it by my attitude of whining & complaining & focusing more about my problems, faults, fears & pretty much everything else BUT God. No wonder I wasn’t “feeling” or most importantly, truly “living” the healing that I now know God had already granted me. Although that is the core of my mental illness, is an inability to truly feel secure or free because of my upbringing, which caused pain that I have allowed to consume me for years, it became a part of me in a form of a disorder.. I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which is triggered & controlled mostly by feelings of rejection, abandonment & separation. In short: obsession with people or an unhealthy close relationship with people where I have to always feel in control. Now I know that to truly “live my cure & healing” entails & upholds a healthy obsession with God. And your blog on this just confirmed that all the more! Thank you so much & may God’s blessings pour over you like a permanent waterfall! 🙂
Wow, after reading all of that, I would have to say that I need to look into the word obsession more. Praise the Lord. We are here on this earth for two reasons. First reason is to glorify God. Second reason is to tell the whole world the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s 3:35am and I’m 26years old always up and all-day long trying to figure this all out I get signs everyday from a conversation with a person to the Bible from God then to google from the community on my job from pastors which I wreck havvock on some and it’s perfect and this been going on for bout 3or 4 weeks now I have felt a force put my mind at ease alot of times and also have felt so very serious heart felt guages in alot of situation especially communion that last Sunday it was like I was at the table and can see Jesus and felt the trembling from everybody I cried for Jesus love as I endure the same and gets mistreated even more since I gave my life completely to him but I’m still under submission of course so I pay tiths and walk the community with gift cards and all different little gifts to everybody I know he’s gonna provide I just have more of self to submit over I have insight on everything around and in me from my every sin every made seriously I can’t forget it but the visions hunts me and I repent and find visions to repent on so now the devil plays with my mind all day because of no temptation in front of me but when there is it’s almost a sweating feeling if I don’t start sweating like I can do it but I don’t and I gave up every habbit including sex because I wanna prove I’m faithful I can feel I’m being watched I have to redem my self I haven’t been at my full potential in life yet but I know it’s coming I have always got close to stardom and not even comfortable with my talents I also see shadows here and there around me especially after a frustrated feeling or waking up frustrated seriously any God really doing a number on me or the devil really hates me and his demons right now but this till death now !!!
I really liked this post. I might link to it if you don’t mind?
[…] https://seekingpastor.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/obsessed-with-jesus/ […]
I’ve been so obsessed after one night that I was doing my usual smoke of marijuana. I was high and God spoke to me. It freaked me out that I could hear him. Not audibly, but thoughtibly? I don’t know, but I know it was him. I stopped doing drugs, left my girlfriend who was (not my wife.) Sold my video games, bought as much literature on Jesus as possible and went from there. Now I have a small following on YouTube where I pretty much offend people with all that God puts on my heart. It’s been a journey. By the way, if you’re wondering what God had told me, it was this. “You’ll be dead a lot longer than you’re alive.”
One of the things that are disturbing to me is that, everything in the Bible the most High says don’t do, we do, and things He says do, we don’t do, example: Jeremiah 10: 1-6, on the celebration of the tradition of Christmas.
The passage you referenced has nothing to do with Christmas as that was not a celebration when Jeremiah wrote these verses. It is, however, a command to not make an idol out of anything.
If a Christmas tree, or any other aspect of Christmas, has become more important than Jesus Christ, than it is an idol and these verses remind us to put our heart and gaze back on God. However, if we keep focused on celebrating the birth of Jesus, than Christmas can be a wonderful celebration for Christians.
Yes, with all due respect, I understand whole heatedly, but what I see is everyone loving Christmas trees, reveling, stealing, eating, drinking, hurriedness, going to and fro, sex, and don’t forget that old idol himself, Santa.
You are right…many are doing that…not everyone by any stretch…but many. Pray for them, witness to them, befriend them. Show them the only light that can repel the darkness in which they revel.
Yes, my brother, I will take your advice to pray, may peace be unto you and to your family and all that you have.
And you’ve got to remember Jesus was not yet born during the time of Jeremiah, that means that the most High knew what we were going to be doing well into the future, because He knows all things from beginning to end.
The summer of 55 ( that’s how old I was two summers ago) will forever be etched in my mind. A friend of mine since college who is in ministry was suffering greatly from back pain. I found myself drawn to his pain like a moth to a flame so a two drive to see him often seemed like a trip to the local store a mile away. Now keep in mind that my friend has known my personal struggle for over 15 years but he had never shared his with me. And until this day I still feel like he’d rather play the role of pastor with me although I’ve told him I have three pastors at my home church. So one day he shared a deep painful experience that I thought was the doorway into a deeper friendship, I was wrong. What his experience did do was thrust my life into a place that I call “LOST” that to this day affects my sleeping, eating, and thinking. I have completed two or three twenty one day fasts and I find myself walking for miles at night in total silence. I saw a counselor six times and was told you’re in a great place Mark and there’s nothing else I can do for you. Went to my doctor and had every possible test ran only to be told my health ranks in the top 5% of men over the age of 50. I attended a weekend Deliverance ministry and came away empty handed. So now I’m looking for a psychiatrist that can explain this feeling of “LOST” and that I can truly say I have no inner joy. How can a mans life be so amazing outwardly and so joyless on the inside? Now here’s the crazy part! I have this crazy passion to know Jesus more and more and more and I find myself hearing Holy Spirit telling me to walk up to complete strangers and telling them this,” I just heard the voice of God tell men to tell you that He loves you with a passion and so do I “. So much more going on in my life but I will stop for now.
Side note? Watching a lot of Chan sermons as well as T.D. Jakes , Jentzen Franklin, Ravi Zacharius, and more.
GREAT blog! I know it was written years ago but it’s what the world needs right now…to focus on “GOD”. I too am obsessed and recently wrote a book about my obsession with our Father God: https://www.amazon.com/Obsessed-God-Exploring-Intimacy-ebook/dp/B08KWH88MV/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=tanya+nemley&qid=1603026631&sr=8-2