Skip to main content

Desires of the Heart

    The Bible tells us that if we believe, whatever we ask for in prayer we will receive (Matthew 21:22). Why then, do we not always get it? Sometimes the answers to our prayers come in God's timing and we don't think they're being answered. But other times, it is because of the condition of our heart.

    Let us consider a prayer for more wealth. What is our heart in this prayer? Is it so that we can live a comfortable lifestyle and do all the things we've wanted to do financially? In other words, is it to satisfy our own fleshly desires? Or is it so that we can use our money to do the Lord's will and benefit His Kingdom? If the heart of your prayer is for the first reason, chances are God won't answer it. He will not grant a prayer that will bring us further away from Him. As in this example, the additionally money could lead you away from trusting God and onto trusting yourself and your ability to provide for yourself. It eliminates God from the equation and gratifies the desires of the flesh, rather than the Spirit.

     This is just one example, but how many of our prayers are coming from a pure heart bent towards God's Kingdom, and how many from our own selfish desires? We are told in God's word that He will not answer the prayers with wrong motives and He will not gratify the desires of the flesh. He only leads us down a path of righteousness. He wants our whole hearts and will do all He can to get that, wooing us in by His great love.

    If your prayers are not being answered, ask yourself the roots of your desire. Did you ask for selfish reasons? If you have, repent and ask for Jesus to cleanse your heart. This is a prayer he never refuses! Stop living to please the world and start living to please your God. He loves you more than you can imagine and in Him alone lies the best life possible.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (ESV)

 James 4:1-6 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. (NLT)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jealous Eyes to Thankful Hearts

    When you love someone you want the best for them. You don't think about all the things they have and you don't, but you think of what you want to give to them. Likewise, it is hard to love someone when you are focused on wanting all their blessings. Jealousy is blinding. We cannot love with envy standing in the way.     Envy takes our eyes off of Jesus and the things He is doing and onto what He is not  seeming to do for us, personally. It is a dangerous trap to be in because you are blind to what He has given to you. He blesses and uses us all differently. Amazingly, we are each completely unique in Him. Don't let the enemy distract you with what you don't seem to have, but let Jesus show you what you do.     When we don't see what is around us we begin to lose our thankfulness. We are supposed to be living a lifestyle of thankfulness to Jesus and all the wonderful things He has done for us. We thank Him and we praise Him and let Him use us ac...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Firm a Foundation

Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Luke 6:46-49 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seeing by Faith

    When we are trying to live by faith, the things that inhibit us are the things that are right under our noses. We are trained to live based on the things around us. We don't believe anything if we don't see proof of it. The things around us are more our reality than what we say we believe in. But the Bible tells us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. We are to live based on what we know is truth, not by what we see.     The things we see around us distract us from the reality we should be living in. What is unseen is eternal and more important than the things of this world. We need to fix our eyes on what is lasting and know the difference. We need to be filling ourselves with the word and not the world. When we are distracted by the world, we forget the truth. We become discouraged and doubt our faith. We need to draw strength from one another so that we may run the race with endurance.     What is determining your reality today? Is i...
Post a Comment
Read more