Cultivating Godly Desires

God gives us the desires of our hearts. Really, I mean He actually places the desires in us, to do or become what it is we desire to do.

Good desires are God-given:

Desire is defined as: a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. I think people, at times, believe that a desire just shows up. But I believe God places those desires in us. Then we have to work on cultivating those desires — by going to school, or reading materials so we can understand our subject.

Godly desires must be fed:

Jim Rohn said, “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” If you have a desire to do something, you must pursue it. If you don’t, that desire will begin to fade. We have to feed our desires — the good ones anyway. We must starve the bad ones. So, we keep our desires alive by passionately pursuing them, feeding them.

Passionately pursue godly desires:

When I first started pastoring, I realized early on that I didn’t know how to lead. So, I began going to conferences, reading books, and listening to tapes — all on leadership. I knew I had to grow. There was a desire in me to learn. So, I began to learn, and today I am still on that journey.

Let’s passionately pursue the desires that God has placed in our hearts and minds. What you will discover is that you will accomplish so much more in life.

Just a thought,

PSS

Are you a friend of God or are you a frenemy of God? Frenemy is defined as: an enemy disguised as a friend. So, if we are friends of the world, then we are enemies of God.

A transformed lifestyle:

So many profess to be Christians (which means Christlike) but they don’t live as if they are. They say they believe in God and the Bible, but their lifestyle says differently. We disguise ourselves as God’s friends, but in reality we are not. Our life, lifestyle, has not been altered or transformed by God’s word to live according to His ways — His standard of conduct. The only one we are really fooling is ourself.

The world will hate you:

You cannot be God’s friend and disagree with His word. You cannot be God’s friend and expect the world — the lost, the ungodly — to like you. If you live for God and practice His word, the world will hate you. They won’t like you or what you stand for. Jesus said if you truly follow Him, the world will hate you (John 15:18, 19).

Live according to the word of God:

Listen, if you have never been criticized for your faith, it’s probably because you are not living according to the word of God — probably not taking any stands the Bible says we should take. So, we must act out our faith and believe what God’s word says and act on it. The world — its systems, its ways — is not God’s ways. Let’s purpose to live according to the word of God and not ever have to live in a disguise. I don’t want to be a frenemy — I want to be God’s friend.

Just a thought,

PSS

Words are very powerful. What you say does matter. What you say and don’t say are both important. We need to learn to control our speech.

Right words and right time:

We must not only say the right words at the right time, but also not say what we shouldn’t. If we control our tongues — our words — we can control our lives. Words can heal or hurt. They can give hope or discourage. Words can build up or tear down. So we need to learn to speak them wisely.

Our words give us away:

They let others know who we are and what type of person we are. So, it behooves us to learn to control what comes out of our mouths. Proverbs 18:21— Death and life are in the power of the tongue. We speak life or death. It’s always our choice. We bless with our words and we curse with our words. What is coming out of your mouth? See, what comes out of our mouths reveals what is in our hearts.

Heart change is a must: 

So, in order to get control of our tongues (words), we must experience a heart change. That can only happen when we pray and ask God by His Holy Spirit to change our hearts. This happens when we are born again. The Bible teaches us we must believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). So what is it going to be? If you are tired of where you are in life, change what you are saying. Speak life — words God can perform.

Just a thought,

PSS

What is real leadership? According to Jesus, a leader is the servant of all.

When Jesus came to the earth, He came disguised as a servant. He came as an ordinary person. The Bible teaches us in Isaiah that He was so ordinary you would have walked right past Him and never noticed Him. He could have come looking any way He wanted. But He came to serve — no pomp, no ceremony — as a baby born in a barn. That should tell us a lot about how we should live.

So many today excuse themselves from truly serving, as if it’s beneath them. Their station, status, or wealth somehow determines whether they serve or not. But if we want to be like Jesus, Who is the King of all kings — God Himself — then we must humble ourselves and serve. Serve God by serving others. The Church is the place Jesus established where you can serve others.

It’s amazing to me that Jesus said, “The greatest among you must be a servant” (Matthew 23:11 NLT), and yet we excuse ourselves. We say we are too busy living life — too busy with our career, too busy getting an education, too busy making money.

Live life but serve.
Get a career but serve.
Get an education but serve.
Make millions of dollars but serve.
Be busy but serve.
Take care of your family but serve.

No matter what we have accomplished, or our status in life; if we are going to be more like Jesus, we must serve.

Just a thought,

PSS

The Bible talks about trials, troubles, and temptations. It also says when we experience trials and troubles we should see it as an opportunity to grow — to mature in our relationship with God and in how we deal with problems.

Now temptations are different from trials or troubles. Temptations come from the inside, while trials come from the outside. The Bible teaches that temptations don’t come from God but from the evil desires that dwell in our hearts and minds. But trials come to us from circumstances, sometimes beyond our control. We will all have them — no one is immune to trials or troubles in life. But how we see them is of vital importance. The Bible teaches we should see them as opportunities to grow and mature as a Christian and as a person.

Some think when we face hardships of any kind it’s because God doesn’t care or doesn’t love us. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t believe God causes hardships, but if we honor Him and keep His word, they can cause us to become stronger, better in life.

Trials will let you know what you are all about, what you really believe. They can tell us what our weak spots are and what our strengths are. Next time you find yourself in a trial, stay true to God and look for the solutions and learn from them. See James 1:2-4, 13-14.

Just a thought,

PSS