Refine Your Desires
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Mark 11:23, NKJV.
(To be read with Desires II and III).
Mark 11:23 provides a guide to make our requests known to God. The direction is that when we pray, we should first believe we have received our request. Then, when we believe it, God says it will be ours. This first step, believing that we have received what we’re asking for, refers to faith. Faith is one of those concepts that, as believers, we know we’re supposed to have it, so we kind of just assume that we do because we believe in God. It’s as if we think that faith comes as a byproduct of becoming a believer. The truth is, like any other good thing, developing strong faith requires intentional work. Understanding what it truly means to have faith for something allows us to access the peace and instruction that comes with it.
So, what is faith? In Hebrews 11:1 we learn that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Essentially, the substance of what we hope for is a desire: we see it in our minds and want it in our hearts but don’t see it in our lives.
As we go through life it is normal for us to desire many things that align with our unique needs, wants and goals. Desiring a job, a marriage, children, business success, a breakthrough, even friendships or mentorship relationships – anything you can think of that you’ve really wanted. While it is natural to have these desires, we must ensure we take the time to bring our desires before God. We have to allow God to mature us to want what He wants for us and even further, to not want what He doesn’t want for us.
How do you bring your desires before God? Prayer. Next to the word of God, I believe that prayer is the most powerful thing we have access to. In John 14:14, Jesus says “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” When you hand the deepest desires of your heart over to God, who knows the entirety of your life in detail, He will take them from you and give you peace. He will instruct you concerning what He knows you need. He will lead you to the place of preparation where He builds you into the person you need to be to have those desires that fall within His will for your life.
When you have a desire that doesn’t align with God’s design for your life, God has this amazing way of changing your heart and transforming your mind such that you don’t desire it anymore. When you have a desire that does fall within God’s design for your life, and you surrender it to Him, He will give it back to you. We have such a good Father. Many of our deepest desires may actually be placed there by God but you have to remember that God works through process - He wants to develop you. He loves us so much that He wants to make us ready for the places, spaces and relationships He is bringing us into. You have to let Him prepare you. You miss out on the necessity of this process when you don’t bring your desires before God. If you go headfirst wanting something so badly that you keep trying to go out and get it on your own, you will end up walking out of alignment with His will for your life, and ultimately out of your purpose.
“Lord, I really want X. Can you help me understand why I want this? Can you bring to the surface any wrong reasons for desiring this that are hidden in my heart and help me deal with them?” “Lord, here is what I want but what do you see?” Ultimately, “Lord, can you make me ready for this?”