PbyCj

For a while, I had very minimal desires and very low motivation. I’d really been in survival mode — just focused on making it through — and I didn’t have desires outside of that. Now I’m on the other side of making it through, and having desires again for the first time in a long time… It’s been a long time.

Desires are so powerful. God placed desires in our hearts, and that’s a beautiful thing. I think at one point I was actually praying not to have any desires back, because I didn’t have any and it just wasn’t there. And that’s not a good place to be — not having any whatsoever. Because desires help you stay motivated. Desires help you keep moving forward, keep pushing, keep reaching, keep setting goals. A forward mindset needs desire in that area. And these last couple of months, I’ve been getting mine back. Having goals and things that are reachable and obtainable for the first time in a long time.

But there are two sides to it. You can’t be overpowered by the desires either. You have to keep that thing tamed, because desires untamed can get you into situations you don’t need to be in. So — yes, the desire is back, but also yes, wisdom. Yes, prayer. Yes, God’s direction.

One of the beautiful things is what the Word says: *Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.* He’ll give it to you. It doesn’t say you have to jump through hoops and leap over walls to get your desires met. It says delight yourself in the Lord. He’ll give it to me. That’s so encouraging, because the world has you in the whole hustle-bustle — I gotta do X, Y, and Z to be able to get this, to be able to do that. In the world, people are having desires and tricking and scamming and stealing and all kind of crazy stuff just to get their desires fulfilled. God is different. Not only has He promised us — He wants us to have the manifestation of our desires. It’s His will for us to thrive, His will for us to have success, His will for us to move forward and experience the victory. That’s His will. There’s just a different way to go about getting there.

One way is delighting in the Lord — delighting in His word, delighting in His will, meditating on the word. Even in Joshua 1:8 — be of good courage, don’t let the book of the law depart from your mouth, but meditate on it day and night, and then you’ll make your way prosperous, and then you’ll have success. So a lot of the success we’re out here chasing and hustling and bustling for — God’s way is a little different. There’s meditating on His word. There’s delighting in His word. There’s worship. There’s praise. There’s being faithful. Being committed. There’s giving. There’s sowing seed. There’s tithing.

I’m a tither. I’ve been a tither. And there’s a promise to the tither: *Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.* That’s a promise to the tithers. And Matthew says, “Give, and you shall receive. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall men give into your bosom.” That’s what I have to say about my own desires — give your way to what you desire. Having somebody, a man of God, a ministry you can sow financial seed into — that’s a strategy to get what you’re desiring. I use it. I ain’t gonna even front with you, I use it. I use it as a problem-solving tool. Sow where you wanna go, sow where you wanna grow.

There’s the natural way — saving, investing in stocks and bonds. And there’s the supernatural way. For me, I like the supernatural way working on my behalf, because things could be more than financial. The transaction could be more than financial. There are other things involved that we may not see and may not know, and a supernatural investment covers those things too. I appreciate that. I appreciate that a lot.

So — I was talking about desires. For the first time in a long time, mine are alive and well. It’s like a nice, fresh, top-notch engine. And I was like, oh, hold up now, hold up now, easy. But it’s a blessing, because I know what it’s like not to have that. I know what it’s like to run, jump, and live like a zombie. And it’s beautiful to be able to say “hold it now” to the heart, to desires — it’s like a horse right now. Hold it, hold it. You know, horsepower. I’d rather say, “Hold it, hold it,” than try to push it. Imagine how much weight, how difficult it is to push a horse — I’m talking a stallion, I’m talking them big ol things. Ain’t nobody got time to be pushing no horse. But when that stallion gets going, when the power is let loose, and you ride it. I’m talking about riding and experiencing the fullness of God.

I appreciate the grace of God, the mercy of God, the Word of God, the relationships God connects, and all that He has provided and continues to provide. This is an encouragement to you — whoever you are. Praise the Lord.