THIS WEEK: RECLAIMING YOUR TRUE DESIRE - Comments By Beth Bentley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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An article on ‘Reclaiming Your True Desire’ a message brought by Chris Chapman featured at Communicating Life.

A Burning Desire Comments by Beth Bentley

I went to the birthday party of a 9 year old recently and she was so excited to make her wish that she blew out the candles before we had finished singing, leaving everyone singing in the dark and fumbling around for matches. It was funny for all involved, but it did make me wonder if there was anything I longed for so much that I would be willing to forget what people thought of me and what was expected of me, trust my heart and just go for it!

I have often talked to people about my desire to be close to God, and have frequently been known to say that I have given my whole life to Jesus. But when God doesn’t give me what I want in the moment, I have sometimes found I try elsewhere. Recently I have realised that this is the proof of my REAL desire. When the going gets tough where do you go?

Our longings and desires can often land us in trouble; we can misdirect them and grab hold of stuff that can be harmful. Living in our ‘fast food’ generation we tend to lean more towards the quick fix, the immediate hit or the easy ride. We want to feel good and we want it now! Whatever your desire is, whether it be for power, relationship, escape or something else, when that desire is misdirected we can find ourselves living for our job, for sex, for drugs, or sometimes even worse. The longer we spend exposing ourselves to the wrong ‘fix’ the more conditioned we become, and the further away we get from the real heart ‘fix’ we ultimately need.

Jesus’ desire was towards me and he proved that by not backing down when the going got tough, but taking everything that life threw at him. So why do I find it so difficult to return the compliment? I want so much to be close to God, but I can’t stand the heat when things don’t go my way.

In the book of Daniel there is a story about three blokes who by order of the king were asked to bow and worship a gold Idol. They stood their ground and wouldn’t do it; they wanted to worship nothing but the real deal. The king ordered them to be thrown in to a fire, but when they came out they had not been burnt nor did their clothes even smell of smoke. The King was amazed at what he had seen and confirmed that the god these men worshipped was the true God.

These three men amaze me! They desired God with all their hearts, they didn’t run away when things got tough, they didn’t give in to the temptation of an easy way out or a quick fix by bowing to another idol. They realised that God was the only way to get their hearts desires and they desired him more than anything else. They were willing to step out of what they knew, ignore what they saw with their human eyes and enter the fire in faith ... God did not disappoint, and their faith gave them access to unconditioned love, a love with no earthly boundaries or frame of reference.

So is there anything I long for as much as my nine year old friend? YES.

Am I willing to let temptation be the proving ground of my desire? YES

Will God’s Unconditioned Love be enough to quench all the desires of my heart? Wholeheartedly I say... YES!