Why Do We Struggle To  Desire God?

If you know the danger of existentialism, you have a pretty good idea about the strategy of our enemies to separate us from the knowledge of God. Most sources of earthly “truth” teach us we can’t trust God to give us purpose and satisfaction so we must create it for ourselves. Born again believers are not immune to this dangerous thinking—that is—that we know how to live our life better than God does. Thus, we make choices that align with a purpose that we have created for ourselves—even if it conflicts with His Word. 

Each decision reflects the passion of our heart.

Some examples of misplaced passion from my own life:

If I’m convinced that making money will make me happy, my job becomes a mercenary pursuit instead of an opportunity to glorify God. 

If I dress to draw sexual attention to my body, this conflicts with God’s purpose for me to glorify Him by attracting people to His presence. 

If Sunday sports take the place of church, I am worshiping a lesser god.  

We must be honest about what we love. It’s what we think about, worry about, talk about and do. Does it reflect a passion for God? Are we interested in God’s truth for our life if we believe it will conflict with the pursuit of our own satisfaction or happiness? It think it’s safe to say that we desire His GOODNESS—but don’t always desire His PRESENCE because that requires us to get out of our comfort zone. It requires change. It requires us to think, talk, and act differently. 

My friend, LACK of desire for God is a universal human problem because even after we are born again, our flesh wants what it wants. 

But it should DEEPLY trouble us if we believe God not essential to every part of our life. It’s like thinking we don’t need oxygen or water. It’s this suicidal, self-destructive thinking that leads us in a crippled, selfish,meaningless existence, which is EXACTLY the way our enemies want us to live!

The remedy? 

We must passionately desire God. But keep in mind that as long as we continue to believe our enemy’s definition of God, we will NEVER pursue Him. So we must ask God to reveal Himself to us. This mainly happens through His Word. You see, even after we learn how magnificent He is, we are often not strong or wise enough to pursue Him with our whole heart. So we must ask God to help us love Him better. I often pray, 

“Lord, help me love You—like You love me; help me be faithful to You like You are faithful to me; help me to see You like You see me!” 

God honors this prayer. 

To live passionately pursuing God, we must first be born again. Then we must actively retrain our thinking. The righteousness, wisdom, and enduring love of God are remarkable experiences! We must seek to understand our desperate need for God. We must put on our armor. We must repent of the sin of our independence from God and abhor the hell it brings to our life. We must ask God to help us understand our need for Him. We must cultivate thankfulness for Him! We must forgive because we have 4 Trillion in our bank to give away!

When we discover the vast gold mine buried in a relationship with God we LEARN to DESIRE God. God desires us because HE is extraordinary. The gift of salvation allows us to experience the relationship in HIS extraordinary love. He doesn’t force His love upon us. It is the call of love’s goodness–rather than the threat of hell—which draws us to Him. When we come to “know and believe the love that God has for us,” we begin to understand that WE are the object of His unwavering love and—WOW!

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have KNOWN and BELIEVED the love that God has for us. God IS love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been PERFECTED among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:15-19

Pursue God and you will find that the experience of His presence will completely transform your life—there is no one you know—like Him!

We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.

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