What do you desire, friend?
What do you desire the most in your life right now? Is it fame, fortune, food, sex, power, approval or something else? What you desire will drive your focus, thoughts, feelings and actions. Desires drive us to sacrifice, give, love and pursue. The ability to desire was given to us by our Creator. The gift of desire can be very powerful and good.
The Bible teaches us to “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1, NKJV)
Did you know desires can be good, very good, or bad and very bad? The real secret of desires is to choose the objects of desire wisely. Please don’t beat yourself up for desiring things that may not be good for you or someone else. If the object of desire is against the teachings of the Bible, simply ask for forgiveness and help to replace it with something else.
Let me give you a personal example that might help many of you. I live in Las Vegas, a city that has often been called Sin City. One day, I was driving down the highway and noticed a huge billboard with a beautiful woman on it. I’ve been trained by the best to recognize that the battle for my soul often enters through the eye gate. I immediately replaced the image of the woman with the image of my wife. I chose to use the desire for pleasure in a good way. When I returned to my house, I told my wife about the incident and turned my affection to her. It was powerful.
The apostle John warns us, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16, NKJV)
friend, are the objects of your desires good, healthy and beneficial to you and others? You do have the power to choose and redirect your desires for the good. Paul tells us to “eagerly desire the greater gifts...” (1 Corinthians 12:31, NIV). That sounds good to me!
friend, you are amazing, and your battles are normal. You will overcome these battles because you’re a miracle.