What Is Your Heart's Desire?-00-15

By Author: Angela
Total Articles: 4393
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I was talking to one of the mothers of our church this week. We were working on a podcast for the Women's Faith Stories website www.womensfaithstories.com. The site is designed for women to tell their stories. She was sharing about a relationship, a previous marriage she had been involved in. We were discussing how we get into some of the relationships we find ourselves in and she shared something that was very profound. She said she followed her heart. If we are honest many of us have done that. Many of us as Christians have actually used the bible as our means of making doing what we want to do okay by focusing on the scripture found in Psalm 37:4. Psalm 37:4, says 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires. Many of us have read this scripture over and over and over again and thought that it meant, God will give us anything we want. It does, but part a reads, take delight in Him. If we honestly and sincerely take delight in Him what we desire, what our heart desires will be what He desires for us. Delighting in Him changes our hearts desire, because it changes our focus. My sin and ...
... manipulation taint this promise from the Lord. When He is in it, I don't have to make it happen by doing things that I know are not pleasing to Him. I don't have to win the man over by sleeping with him, because that would not be taking my delight in the Lord. Sin actually causes me to get something other than God's best for me.

Lately, I have watched friends and family, get what their heart desired only to be dissatisfied in the getting. Unhappy with what they got because their hearts were not lined up with God's heart or will for them. They got what they wanted. I heard Sinbad on TBN say, they were trying to get this over here instead of what was behind the door God had for them. When they finally accept what God has for them, they say, hey, I didn't know it was going to be this good.

The mother of our church shared just that. In order for us to get the desire of our hearts, the thing that God really wants for us we will need to spend time delighting in Him. Spend time growing in our relationship with Him. As we do that the desire of our hearts change and begin to line up with God's heart and His desire for us. Can I be a growing Christian and still end up in a bad situation? Yes, you can. Some of them are just part of the character developing process that we have to go through, but to often these bad situations can be attributed to our own disobedience. Times when God has specifically told us NO! Don't go that way baby! That's not my best for you, but we settle for it anyway because it is what our flesh desires. As we grow in our relationship with God some stuff becomes obvious. You can spot a bad news bear-bad relationship, a mile off. This only happens as you spend time with Him in studying His Word and prayer. Then and only then you will be able to identify what is for you and what is not. The word of God is where we learn the heart and will of God. Spending time with Him is where our flesh dies and comes under submission to His will.

Our hearts apart from God are evil and will pull us based on the things that stroke our flesh and make us feel good. Sex outside of a marriage relationship will taint your hearing and cause you to think God is speaking, because you can't hear or discern His voice over your own flesh. Low self-esteem will cause you to get caught up in what that person is saying or doing for you and miss God's warning signs telling you, No! That is a trap to move you away from your purpose. He or she looks good and that physical attraction apart from our relationship with God will pull us away and into another trap, based on what our heart or flesh wants. I never thought I could get anyone as good as he or she is, but look at me now, only to find it was a show to get you and when you look back all of the warning signs are clear and evident. That is usually how hindsight works you get 20/20 vision in looking back. I remember what I was taught growing up everything that looks good is not good for you. Think about some of the things we eat, the people we have dated and the stuff other people have and we know what they had to do to get it. It looks good, but it is not good for us. It is interesting that as we get older our physical bodies don't buy in to that philosophy and the next thing we know they are running things and your are involved in something that you should have avoided. He or she looks good but they are in a very different place than you are spiritually, emotionally, relationally or physically and you can't see it. Your vision is clouded. You see yourself going down hill physically, spiritually, emotionally and with all of your other relationships and you still insist that this is the right thing for you. You still insist that this is God's desire for you.

Today, I want to encourage all of us to get to know God better through the studying of His word, the bible and prayer. Seek His will for your life and let your heart be changed to line up with His heart. That means if he wants sex before marriage and you know that bible speaks specifically against it the answer has to be no. If he has 3 kids already and he is not taking care of them and you know that the bible speaks poorly of a man that does not take care of his family the answer has to be no. He doesn't have a job and is not trying to get one, your money is good for him, the answer is no. Your desire is to do the will of God and she wants to hang out at the club the answer is no. If she flirts with every man she sees, she is probably not your good thing. Trust that God allows us to see the things He allows us to see so that we will identify the dangers and the pitfalls up ahead. The things God allows us to see are not so that we can ignore them and say oh well. He allows us to see them as a warning. Be warned that if you want the real desire of your heart to line up with the desire of His heart you must pursue Him and let Him work it out for you. He will give you what you asked for, but it may not be what is best for you and in the end you will be sorry if you have not chosen according to His perfect will for your life.

Don't ignore the warning signs-Seek and pursue God so that you can receive His best for you. Don't settle for less because you wanted it your way. God has something better for you behind door number one.
Weekly Scripture:
Psalm 37:4:

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.www.womensfaithstories.com
www.mynewtemple.org