This is the final installment (Part 4) of a series on the desires of our heart. Please read the first three articles before continuing here. There are important assignments in each one. Discovering and receiving the desires of your heart is a process that is well worth the time you invest. In fact, the discovering and receiving is proportional to the time invested (not unusual in the kingdom of God).
You can find the first three articles in the inLight Adventure Blog. Search for “desires” and they should appear in the results – directly after this one. Be sure to read them in date sequence.
If you have completed parts 1 through 3 and are still struggling to discover the desire God has put in your heart for this season, then this article is for you. Don’t be discouraged. Many that have been asked, “What is the desire of your heart?” have had a difficult time identifying it.
I pray the following will encourage, edify and equip you in this critical first step of your kingdom adventure. Please share anything you uncover that will help the Body of Christ in this regard. God speaks in community. I promise to pass on what the Father is saying to the church.
Let the Truth have Its Way
As I’ve mentioned, the process is important; for one very important reason. The point of the process is to allow the truth to process us; to make us free (John 8:32) and to begin giving us the faith we need to begin our adventure (Romans 10:17).
It is amazing and sometimes surprising how we handle the truth. We avoid it and dismiss it. We even run from it. What are we thinking!?! It’s alive and powerful! It will accomplish what God intends.
Many times we do these things without knowing we are doing them (i.e., consciously). We have developed bad habits when it comes to searching out the hidden things of God. If it doesn’t come to us easily, or it doesn’t easily fit our paradigms, we have little time for it.
Sometimes we do this when the truth is hard to understand. We deceive ourselves into believing that we are incapable of understanding what the Holy Bible or God’s spoken word means. Why not ask the One who knows? That is what He is looking for; someone who is searching out His mysteries.
Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” Mark 4:21-25
Notice the command to hear and to take heed what you hear. Apparently, we should be careful who we are listening to – just something else to consider. And, again, what we invest in hearing will be measured back to us. Kingdom investment is always profitable.
Lastly, consider that some Christians have been trained to put the truth on their belts – like it is a weapon or a tool to be used at a later time. It is true that the truth is a weapon, and we should look forward to it being used for the advancement of the kingdom. However, we must first treat it like medicine – expecting it to heal us from the inside out. Otherwise, we will be weak instruments of it in our times of battle.
To discover the desire of your heart, you must be committed to the truth’s work there.
The Usual Suspects
When it comes to discovering the desire of your heart, the axis of evil is fear, control and pride. They feed off each other and they prop each other up. To ignore them is folly. Much has been said by many about these enemies of our heart, so I will be brief.
Behind every fear is a lie, deal with the lie and the fear will fly. If you will ask, God will reveal the lie. If you confess your sin in believing it, He will forgive you and deliver you from it (1John 1:9). His deliverance comes in the form of a countermanding truth. The result: What Satan intended for evil, our loving Father will turn to good.
The best thing to know about control is that you really don’t have any. Just check the news. Save for the grace of God, there is not a one of us that is safe, secure and at peace in this world. Reckon yourself to be without control, and the desire to have it will no longer control your heart.
I have discovered in my own life that the root of pride is not so easily dug out. I have experienced the Gardener’s repeated maintenance in this area; so much so that I am now not so naïve to think that He is finished with the work. There will come a day when all my pride is gone, but for now I will continue to be wary of its presence; and look to Him to remove it.
Rid yourself of debilitating fear, control and pride and you will find it easier to discover the desire of your heart.
Desires Left Undone
The kingdom of God is build on foundations (1Corinthians 3:10-11, Ephesians 2:19-21, Hebrews 6:1). Consequently, the seasonal desires that God will give to each of us must be laid upon the foundational desires He has put in the heart of every Christian. God will wait until you have surrendered to the foundational desires before revealing the ones particular for you in this season.
God’s foundational desires come in two forms. First and foremost, there is the great desire of His story – the return of what He lost in man’s rebellion. God lost three things; and these three things He will get back: His reign over, His intimacy with, and His habitation in His people. We see this accomplished at the end of the story.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3
The desire for these things can be found in the heart of every child of God. We must choose to pursue these with our whole heart.
Furthermore, God has put a desire in our heart for everything He would have us do; to obey every command. These include loving our neighbor as ourselves, laying down our lives for the brethren, going the extra mile for anyone who asks, turning the other cheek to our enemy, etc. We are wise to ask ourselves: Why would God reveal (much less give) the personal/seasonal desire of our heart if we are not pursuing these foundational desires?
Be encouraged that God is working in you to will and do to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). It is the Holy Spirit’s work to draw, convict, teach and transform you. Jesus Christ is forever interceding on your behalf. The first step is choosing to be made; following the Lord.
Commit to God’s foundational desires, and you will no longer struggle to discover the ones He has set aside specifically for you in this season.
In the fall of 2006, God revealed the desire of my heart for this season of my life: To help Christian Leaders find joyful, Spirit-filled ministry. What began with my heart’s desire has become an exciting adventure. I trust He has used this series of articles to help you find your starting point in a great adventure with Him.
I am led to close with the following assurance of God’s saving work. It is my prayer for you.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call. Psalm 20:1-9
Humbly yours and forever His,