Desire: Understanding where it comes from & how to navigate it.
Desire as the world defines it
By definition, the world says that desire is a “strong feeling of wanting or wishing for something, often with the intention of obtaining it or experiencing it”. There’s one thing I dislike about this definition and that’s the use of the word “wish”. When we wish for something we don’t already have, that means we allow ourselves to put our hope in something that will eventually fade.
This is why people often use the phrases “that’s wishful thinking” or “in my dreams”. Because when you place your hope in something that is outside of yourself, you will never find the eternal peace you’re after.
Desire is an invitation to experience contentment
Why do we “wish” for what we perceive we don’t have? That’s a great question…Whenever we find ourselves seeking something outside of us, it’s usually because there is something about that thing that we don’t feel we currently have or currently possess. Let me give some examples…
I want to get married (something out there) because deep down I want to feel loved (something inside). Because I desire to feel loved, I believe that a marriage will satisfy this need. (a belief I’m attached to)
I want to move to a new city (something out there) because deep down I want to live somewhere that brings me safety, comfort and joy (something inside). I believe that moving to a city I love will satisfy the desire I have to feel safe, comfortable & joyful. (a belief I’m attached to)
I want to run a marathon (something out there) because deep down I believe my worth is tied to my accomplishments (something inside). I believe that the desire I have for running a marathon will help me prove to myself that I can do hard things. (a belief I’m attached to)
Now there’s nothing wrong with these “desires”. If we didn’t have desires, we wouldn’t be human— and God gave us a brain to ponder these desires for a reason. Before the fall in Genesis 2, God created Adam and Eve with a desire to serve the world, tend the garden, and to bear fruit and multiply. However, it was the temptation of an evil desire that messed everything up for all of humanity. Because of the fall, we are all now born into sin, and innately default to our own fleshly desires. If you’re a believer and have been saved by the grace of God, reborn into new life, you will know very well that it takes everything in your power to resist the temptations of the world because we are constantly under the scrutiny of the evil one. Because of this, all of the things we seek that are outside of ourselves are beliefs we have come into agreement with that we are not content with. What is true contentment you might ask? Living life with Jesus Christ. This is the battle we now face every day— learning to be content with Jesus, and him alone.
Oneness with God
To become one with Christ, is to fully know ourselves enough to stop searching for external circumstances to fulfill our internal desires. It’s a complete death to self, and a posture of selflessness. We are to deny what we think we need in order to serve what we know is a fleeting satisfaction.
The world will tell you to follow your hearts desire. And while I tend to disagree, I do believe that there is truth to following our desires. Desire will always give birth to lessons that will pull us closer to the truth. So yes, follow your hearts desire— because either way, good or bad it will teach you and bring you more wisdom about the true meaning of life, which is to find oneness with God. When we find that oneness, we also find ourselves in the process. Following our hearts desire is an invitation to die to ourselves over and over again just like Jesus Christ did for us. What this looks like is… “I follow my desires so I can be brought closer to god”. But just know that those desires (good or bad) are going to teach you something. If you’re someone who likes to learn, God speed. If you hate learning, it’s going to feel like a hard lesson.
What desire has god put in your heart? Go after it… it’s going to teach you what’s next to learn about the oneness he’s trying to bring you into.
Desire as God' defines it
The Hebrew word often used to convey "desire" is teshuqah, which is a rare word appearing only three times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Some scholars suggest that teshuqah might also imply "turning" or "single-minded devotion”.
Now in Isaiah 54:5 it says “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name”. If God created the world in seven days, and breathed life into Adam’s nostrils, then God is our husband. The hebrew definition for husband is “Eesh” which symbolizes the ideal relationship between God and Israel. So if the bible says that our single minded devotion should be towards God, then he is and should be our only desire & deserves our undivided attention.
Now, because we have desires of the flesh and are tempted by them every single day, we must turn our complete devotion to God, and then & only then will he give us the desires of our heart. When our heart posture is pointed to God, and we are serving him with authenticity only then can he grant us the desires of our heart. Why? Because submission to God is what he is after. He knows that when we submit to him, any good desire we have that is fulfilled in our lives will be glorified back to him, not to our flesh.
Takeaway
Our desires are actually a pathway to discover more about ourselves, as we navigate oneness with God. James 1:15 says “Desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown brings forth death”. Focus on that word death…
Jesus tells us that whoever finds their life will lose it and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Following our hearts desire is an invitation to die to ourselves over and over again. So to follow our desires, actually serves a purpose— it’s so we can be brought closer to god. This is why so many people desire a marriage… because they ultimately want to be closer to God but think it can be found in another person.
A desire is something we want because we believe we lack that of which we need. A desire will always lead to a lesson and is an opportunity for growth, whereas an aligned ambition is a desire that is birthed by God for your good and his glory.
So pray for the desires of your heart to be fulfilled only if you are ready to learn, grow and die to yourself daily. Pray for ambition when you want to fulfill God’s plan for your life through the gifts he gave you to bless others. Desires lead to hard lessons, while aligned ambitions lead to God’s glory. And to put the cherry on top of this message…I don’t believe we can accomplish the ambitions God gives us without first experiencing the lessons from following our hearts desire.
So I have one question…What desire has god put in your heart today? Go after it… it’s going to teach you what you have yet to learn, and if God tells us to become like children in the kingdom, then we should walk with childlike faith ready to become eternal students for his glory and our good. Here’s a prayer for you today: “I intentionally follow my hearts desire so I can open the space to learn from them and carry that wisdom into the aligned ambition you have for me”.
Cheers,
Nicole
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