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The Desires of Our Heart and the Work of God

Wedding Supper of the LambIn Part 1 of this series, we learned that God has shared the desires of His heart with His children; creating a heart-tie between us and our loving Father. These desires are different from the selfish desires of the flesh, which lead to death. The word of God is alive and powerful to discern the difference; and to prepare our hearts for the word that will produce a bountiful crop of fruit and good works.

Allowing the word of God to do this preparatory work is a critical first step in discovering and receiving the desires God has put in our hearts. If the ground is not prepared, the seed will not prosper. Go back to Part 1 if you need the word to prepare your heart. You will be glad you did.

Now that you are being prepared (it is a continuing work), we will search out the awesome magnitude of the good work God intends to accomplish in our assignment; and the work He is doing to prepare us for it. Expect your paradigms to be stretched and your faith challenged. Ask the Father for the grace to hear and understand. In fact, pray this prayer for yourself (from Ephesians 1:15-21):

Heavenly Father, thank You for encouraging me to come to You as a child. God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, I pray that You would give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. May the eyes of my understanding be enlightened; that I may know what is the hope of Your calling on my life, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in me, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward me. I pray in according to the working of Your mighty power – the same power You worked in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, let’s do some more searching!

Searching Out the Matter of Our Heart’s Desire

Work (Hebrew; mĕla’kah): Occupation, work, business; property; work (something done or made); workmanship; service, use; public business (political or religious). Outline of Biblical Usage, www.BlueLetterBible.org

Work (Greek; ergon): Business, employment, that which any one is occupied; that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking;any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work. Outline of Biblical Usage,www.BlueLetterBible.org

This is a little off topic, but I cannot resist the opportunity to point out that the “work” of the Bible is a holy thing; and it is the same (at least by definition) as the work Christians engage themselves in for most of their waking hours. In Genesis, God said that His work was good. In Matthew 5:16, the good work we walk in glorifies our Father in heaven.

Yes, there is work that is not good; and we are responsible for avoiding it. However, God has not turned the workplace over to His enemies. He desires to do good work there; work that others, causing them to glorify Him. He is to be seen in the Marketplace.

God’s Work in the Marketplace

It is my firm conviction that God is moving in the Marketplace with great intention. He has positioned leaders to be disciple makers and transformation agents. We are not talking about “having church” in the Marketplace; at least not the church most have grown accustom to. Expanding the kingdom of God in “going” to make disciples is a radical concept for modern day “come to us” churches. For decades, leaders in the Marketplace have been taught to bring people “to church”. This is not wrong; it is just not completely what Jesus Christ meant when He said, “Go and make disciples…” He meant for us to do it out there – in the Marketplace.

Furthermore, there is more opportunity for “having church” in the Marketplace. There are more people, more time, more liberty, and less divisiveness. It hurts my heart to say these things, but it is time we faced the truth. I believe it will make us free; free to be powerful agents of transformation in every sphere of influence.

God has not been surprised by our predicament. He has prepared a people and He is orchestrating events for this season. If His people will respond to the desires of their hearts, they will experience a move of God that goes beyond what we could ask or think.

As promised, the following passages will challenge your paradigms regarding the work God plans to do in your assignment (I am right there with you). Don’t resist the Holy Spirit’s work in the renewing of your mind. Don’t resist the faith that will rise up in your heart for the desires that God wants to give you in a supernatural way. We’ll start with something easy.

But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:20

Have you ever considered – really considered – what a thirty, sixty or hundredfold increase in your life would look like? Let’s think about it in business terms. How many times have you said, “I need two of me to run this business”? This passage encourages us to think even bigger.

What would your business look like if you could take all your talent, skill, business acumen and wisdom and multiply it thirty times? I know; you can’t even imagine what your company would accomplish for the kingdom of God. That is what He intends to do in your assignment!

Come on now; allow Him to stretch your paradigm.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12

Most Christians have read or heard a minimized explanation of this passage. What if Jesus simply meant what He was saying? What would that look like in your assignment?

For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:28

Can you imagine it? If you are least in the kingdom of God, then you are greater than the greatest prophet. Is He talking about you? Can you deny His words are true? Then receive them, along with the grace and faith given to live out of them.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10

God has called you to a wrestling match with demons. You can choose not to engage the enemy, but that does not inhibit the enemy from engaging you. Will God fail to empower you to be supernaturally strong against a supernatural foe?

These are just a few verses that describe the work of God in the fulfillment of the desires He has placed in our hearts. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed; if the stretching is getting uncomfortable; if you can’t imagine how God could reasonably expect this of you; then you are on the right track. He is aware of your frailty, your blindness and your weaknesses. He has not been caught by surprise. He has a plan.

God’s Work in Us

As you will see in the following passages, the Scriptures are clear about the work God is doing in us to produce the work He desires to do in our assignments. The ultimate question is: Do you believe what the Holy Bible says about the matter? We will explore the importance of faith in receiving the desires of our hearts in Part 3. For now, allow these passages to challenge and encourage you in the possibility of God’s empowerment.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32

The Father is working in you to give you His kingdom. In fact, you are His workmanship.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

You were created to walk in good works that would bring glory to the Father. Notice, the correct translation of Ephesians 2:10 is “walk in them”, not “do them”. This is key; for the good work that will glorify the Father must be His work, and it must be supernatural.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

The “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” work is according to the power that works in us. That is the Father’s power IN US!! The Father desires to manifest His power through you! How can this be possible?

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:5, 7

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

The Father is glorified by the fruit produced from the indwelling life of Jesus Christ, as His life shines out of us. His life is the light that “so shines before men” in the good works (Matthew 5:16). This raises two very important questions: What is this fruit; and how does this light get out of us?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2Corinthians 3:18

The fruit that we will bear is the fruit of the Spirit. For the reborn in Jesus Christ, this fruit indwells us in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, He is working to transform us (e.g., remove our impatience or judgmental nature) so that the life of Christ would be seen more readily in the good work that we are walking in. All this is the work of the Father through the life of His Son in the power of the Holy Spirit.

If this is true – and it is – then there is very little that God needs from us. He has made this clear.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Psalm 50:12

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:4

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 2Chronicles 16:9

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit intend to do the lion’s share of the work (no pun intended). However, there is a very significant part for us to play in the preparation and execution of our assignment. We will discuss these things in Part 3.

For now, I encourage you to praise and thank the Father for His work in your past, present and future. This is as important as the assignment in Part 1; for it is the humble, thankful and praise-filled heart that the Father enjoys and empowers with the desires of His heart.

 

Humbly yours and forever His,

NOTE:  Click here to continue to Part 3 of this series.

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