In this sermon, K.P. Johannon emphasizes the importance of making God the most important person in our lives. He shares his personal journey of realizing that he needed to know God better and prioritize Him above all else. Johannon encourages listeners to seek a deeper relationship with Christ and to prioritize knowing Him above doctrines and religious activities. He also mentions his book, "No Longer a Slumdog," which encourages readers to think less of themselves and more about God and others.

For me to live is, how would you finish that sentence? It says a great deal about you and what your master passion is. See what the most important thing in life is as you join us today for The Road to Reality. Could you possibly offer your principle for life in six words? Paul the Apostle did in his letter to the Philippians. He said, for me to live is Christ. Now that's the way to live. And today, here on The Road to Reality, Brother K.P. Yohanan will show us that God wants to be the most important person in our lives. Does he receive that place in your life? The vast majority are living for the things of this earth and themselves. So let's see together how to get on the road to reality. From our Gospel for Asia headquarters in Dallas, here's K.P. Hi my good friend. It's always good to have the opportunity to talk to you you know I mean honestly I really wish I could ride with you in the car or be in the kitchen or just sit down and talk to you. You know some people talk about Sermon on the Mount. Of course you know referring to Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7. If you read the beginning of that you will find seeing the multitude. Jesus called his disciples and they just sat around and he just talked to them. It was not you know preaching thus saith God do this and that. Basically it was a conversation and I find often it's quite frustrating that I'm not able to you know have this conversation. Now as I talk to you here I'm just thinking about my dear brother, my sister, a grandfather, a grandmother, a young man, a woman, maybe in your car, in your bedroom or in the kitchen and I just want to talk to you. You see Christianity can often become so elusive, so intangible because we hear people saying all kind of things especially here in the United States. Believe it or not I'm here in Dallas, Texas Fort Worth area where we are you know find ourselves with our headquarters and all that. I am told there are now more than 14 full-time Christian radio stations, 24 hours, whatever you want to hear it's available. But the question finally is this, who is saying something that helped me to come before God and seek him and for the reason not for money, not for health, not for blessings, not for me to be a great wonderful person doing great things for God. No, just for God himself and that I think often is a problem. You know there was a time I honestly never never imagined that I will be on the radio in the United States and I didn't want to do it because there's so many people preaching and teaching and and everything you can imagine but then in God's providence it so happened that you know this radio broadcast that I'm doing Road to Reality just took off and now had over six or seven hundred or eight hundred radio stations across the nation and Europe and I'm absolutely amazed by it but here's what I want to tell you. I don't have any you know hidden mysticism or great truth to share with you except one thing. My greatest longing in my life after 44 years of serving Christ is still to know him and to be his and so whatever I share with you it is not with any agenda to get something out of you or send your money to us or you know join me for this and that. No, I just so desperately want the people of God finally come to the one place they need to come to that is standing before Christ the Lord and they long to be like him and so that's what I want to talk about. God wants to be the most important person in our life. My wife Gisela, I mean we've been married long enough now we have children and grandchildren and and I did not know anyone who is more devout and have this intimate walk with God as a woman and I remember her telling me the story many many years ago born and raised in West Germany and a time came when she must follow the Lord and the church that she was part of and the leadership refused to accept the teachings of God's word and she kind of tells a story with lots of emotion and tears she says you know I just didn't know what to do because the whole world seems to be against me all I had was God and his word and then one day the Lord gave her a promise to reassure and strengthen their heart that is in Psalm 73 verse 25 whom have I in heaven but you and on earth I desire nothing beside you in one translation reads whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire beside you my brothers and sisters you know we as humans we are living on planet earth and we are bound believe it or not to be influenced and to be regulated and controlled by things that we are familiar with as Americans and Europeans or wherever you are you know we we are product of our sociological upbringing our family and and books we read and what we hear preachers tell us and all those things but the kind of books the kind of preacher or parents or anyone that tells you whatever they're saying that will lead you to one thing that is that hunger deep within you to know God they are doing the right thing and this particular Bible verse by the way if you read whole Psalm you will find out this man went through an enormous crisis in his life he was looking around what is going on with people around him and and his kind of a difficult situation and lack of resources and being acknowledged and approved and he said you know it's not fair it's not fair I believe God and I pray to him I live a godly life I don't violate my conscience but you know I got the wrong end of the stick it's not fair but he goes through this crisis and finally come to the place he understand the only thing that matters the only important thing in life is not the approval of other people not what others think about me or say about me not materialism or security health and wealth and prosperity nor great accomplishment and great name and this and that no it is to know him and to be his so he writes in his diary dear Lord when it is all said and done now I know the only thing matters is this whom have I in heaven but you and on earth I desire I ask I long for no one nothing beside you so I say to you you know somehow we need to be thinking of this that what is the most or the only important thing in our life well the answer is what is it God want what is the most important thing he is looking for in us and from us and through us I go back to the statement I made God want to be the most important person in your life now this is quite obvious all don't live in the same level or with the same concept nor do they experience God in the same way why because God said if you don't seek me you will not find me and when you seek me with all your heart you will find me now in my over 40 years of serving my Lord I have seen it a lot of people basically live with the shadow and they are living not with the reality lot of work is going on they do a lot of things and talk about a lot and preach a lot of sermons and maybe write books and you know have their nice wholesome life created for them whatever but the quality of eternity is lacking in their life and in what they do this man in the book of psalms he's not talking about crowns and gold and and benefits and rewards and all these things he says God when it is all said and done the only thing the only one I long for and I know it's you and so as a parent a dad and mom a minister or a missionary whatever you are called to do or an engineer or teacher whatever may I encourage you by saying this if you want to be effective and have this life of God both for you and for God to demonstrate that through you I tell you the most important thing every single day for you is to know him and long after him most believers are meet unfortunately I find their carnal very shallow and all they're concerned about is their welfare and their health and wealth and their children their family and there's a strain there never seems to be the life of peace and contentment and once in a while I meet believers who are radiant their face and their eyes they're so bright and the more I get to know them I realize the secret is this the most important thing in their life it is not doctrines and activities and doing this and that running around like the chicken with the head cut off no it is somehow there's a sense of that other world the unseen Christ and the long for him and they actually challenge me to a higher life that my heart says I want to know the Lord better to know the Lord and to be his totally now that's to be our highest priority in life because it's the most important thing in life kp yohanan will be back in just a moment with the second half of his message so keep it right here as the road to reality continues as we're discussing the most important thing in life today I can't help but think of kp's new book no longer a slumdog in this book kp will encourage you to think less of yourself more about God and others you'll see the world through eyes of the suffering children of asia you'll share in their sorrow rejoice in their victories and in the end you'll be left with what's most important we'd like to send this to you absolutely free of charge just go to winasia.org and request no longer a slumdog that's winasia.org I'll give you our phone number too in case you'd like to call us toll free 866 winasia that's 866 winasia now for our friends in Canada you'll want to call us at 888-946-2742 or visit gospelforasia.ca on the worldwide web well kp is in studio today he joins us again now with more about what's most important in life now here's the law you have to seek God for you to find him now I'm sure somebody will say oh that sounds like a heresy well I didn't say that that's what the Lord said you will seek me you will find me when you do it with all your heart you see some things are free such as forgiveness of sin it is all free eternal life it's a gift romans chapter 3 talks about it holy spirit is it's a gift we don't have to work for it certain things in christian life we can do nothing about it it's all free we have to just receive it but in the teachings of christ like in Matthew's gospel chapter 13 you'll find the kingdom of God is compared to a treasure hidden in the field expression of heaven on earth the kingdom of God understanding this other world value of God you know eternal life some people think oh man when I die I'm going to be in heaven please understand me that's a misunderstanding eternal life is now in the present whatever we go through wherever we may be in shipwreck in person having no food no clothes or in abundance whatever circumstances you find yourself in you have the quality of Christ life now here on earth it's not our self-created life but it is the value the expression of heaven itself through our earthen vessels now in Matthew 13 you have these two parables christ talked about it and and by the way rarely you have two parables that have the same kind of conclusions or the meaning and what you have is the man sell all he has he give up everything he has to find this precious pearl of great price he's not holding on to anything he's willing to exchange all for this pearl of great price not selling part of it but sold everything you see christians I mean I'm sure you'll agree with me a lot of people they're frustrated they're tired and weary of their life with divorce and crisis and drugs and problems and this and that and finally they think well the best way to find a wholesome life is to be a christian so especially if you have mega church that offer you the how to find this new beginning obviously it is like you know the famous book how to influence and influence people by dale carnier and you know because we we as humans especially americans quite pragmatic you know yeah one two three four five six I can do this and get it but it's all begins with us the motive the reason for what we do even going to bible school and studying and going to church and worship service and counseling it's all boils down to what I can get out of it how I can make my life better but please listen to me the call of god is he simply says come die and live the measure in which you seek to preserve your life and seek something for yourself and hold on to your life and have the world and the luxuries and the comfort and ease the approval of men whatever the world offers at the same time you want to be approved by god and have this deep understanding of the father and the son and the holy spirit you will not have it and so you have the mediocre the lukewarm christianity neither here nor there and when people come in touch with your life and my life they must taste a little of heaven you know in heaven is a place of perfect peace angels are not sad and gloomy and doggy faced and you know oh man I don't know what to do life is a miserable situation no none of those things but it's a place of contentment and peace and authority and confidence and a lot of times you admit preachers christians our churches so sad that we hear these things in words we understand it in in theory we know the doctrines but somehow when people come in touch with our lives they live with us in the family they hardly can experience the reality of heaven most christian homes are no different from heathen homes the quarreling the fight the rebellion the worldliness and the compromise and basically we are not different than the pharisees that pretended throughout their life and the reason there is no willingness or commitment to exchange all of earth and self for him and him alone please understand me i'm not trying to condemn anyone or criticize or put you down now we all of us are in this journey you know and then we are learning and growing my hope is that what i say to you will become an encouragement to you so that somehow in the end you will say you know i've been chasing after so many things to make me a better person and better husband and better wife and experience spirituality and godliness well thank you for your dreams and your wishes and i assure you you will but stop chasing after those things why don't you long after the lord and the scripture gives us plenty of information how we may do it in the gospel of luke chapter 14 we know as you read this passage you know he will never take the second place in our life he want to be the first person and if you are looking at that passage luke chapter 14 let me let me read this verse for you verse 33 in the same way any of you who does not give up everything he has then the lord says he cannot be my disciple now what is it that you had to give up it could be your selfish ambition the way you spend your money the way you spend your time and friendship what you listen to the kind of things you're reading and your objective or focus or purpose in life well i'm not the one to tell you exactly do this do that but many many years ago i said to the lord jesus would you please walk with me i just want to walk through my life my home my library my music my bank account my decisions and lord i give you the permission to please speak to me and lord i give you the permission to tell me what you think about it well it was a two weeks unbelievable exciting journey in the end i kind of heard the lord say to me you know my son a lot of things you're doing i'm so glad about but there's a whole bunch of things i'm so grieved but here's a problem you raise the dragon and you have to slay it i will not do it for you and i was the one with tears and pain to say no to sin people what i wished what i wanted and i realized i need to know him better but that helped me to understand christ's deepest longing for the lost and dying millions in my generation and that happened before gospel for asia so i invite you to join me in this journey and i assure you you will never never regret here in this life nor in the world to come blessings on you amen today here on the road to reality kp yohanan brought to our attention the most important thing in life and that is of course god and to know him better well can you believe it christmas is close to a month away and no doubt some of you have already started your christmas shopping this year would you prayerfully consider giving a gift that makes a difference for eternity gospel for asia christmas gift campaign is in full swing and we call it the critter campaign this year you can select from an even wider variety of gifts for instance you can give something helpful like a goat a sewing machine a radio bibles even a pull cart and believe me this will really bless a family in asia this christmas doesn't have to be about getting many things you really don't need rather it can be about giving to those in need go online to winasia.org and browse through the gospel for asia christmas gift catalog that's winasia.org our friends in canada you can go to gospelforasia.ca on the worldwide web we'll see you back here next week as kpo hannon continues to emphasize what's most important road to reality is brought to you by gospel for asia