God’s Desires
In today’s society, it is much easier to be drawn into idolatry without realizing it. Everything from the media to false teachers encourage us to focus our
affections on earthly things and self-awareness instead of keeping our focus on God and living a righteous life in order to make it into
heaven. So much of our focus is on
who we are known by and what we can obtain. 1 John 2:15-16 tells
us, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all
that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. If we are
not successful in reaching our desired goal, our desire for recognition through
affiliations and possessions can produce major depression. Depression also opens us up to demonic
infestation. Depression can lead to desperation to obtain what our heart desires. Demons are attracted
to our pain because it makes it easy for them to tempt us with things that God does not desire for us. This
does not mean that we should not set goals for ourselves or achieve our dreams
and/or obtain things. However, our goals should line up with God’s
desires for His people. When we are striving to “be somebody”,
we cannot fulfill the simplest desire that God expects of His people: humility.
Selfish ambition will keep us from ultimately living a pleasing life
to God. Philippians 2:3 instructs us to, let nothing be
done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem others better than himself. Many people devise their own life’s plan and try to force
God to endorse their plan instead of
really seeking God to know what His
will is for their lives. If we are not led by God, we are by default being led by the devil. Earthly
success is NEVER an indicator that
we are walking in God’s plan for our lives. Proverbs 14:12 lets us
know, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its
end is the way of death. If we are to obtain
Godly success, we have to apply God’s
standard to EVERY area of our
lives.
