Desires.

There is nothing wrong with desires. In fact I believe God has also put in our hearts those desires. Not all desires are bad. Most desires in general are in its purest form: a career advancement, God’s best, good health and even some material things like to own a car or a house one day. If I hear about this, I would even pray with you that God may one day grant this to you.

Then there is our heart.

Proverbs 4:23

Above all guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

You see for me the heart is more than just an organ. It’s the center of what gives meaning to our life. It’s where we translate our thoughts into emotions or feelings. These feelings can also be good or bad. As we harbor it in our heart, it slowly manifest in our behavior and our action.

Now what is my point?

When our desires don’t materialize, takes longer than usual or don’t go the way we want it to, the true condition of our heart is revealed. Let me give you an example:

It is my DESIRE to spend quality time with my husband. This desire, if I may say is a valid desire since that’s what married people ought to do. But lets say on our given date night (which I look forward too), someone called in and needed our counseling badly. This unmet desire cradled in the heart starts to manifest as an ugly behavior. I started to act very coldly towards my husband. My husband of course feels like I am not supportive of his decision to help another person. In my heart, there could be other days for this, why on our date night?

My favorite date is traveling with my hubby in places we have never been to.

My favorite date is traveling with my hubby in places we have never been to.

Now as you are reading this, I can already sense that some of you will think of how selfish I am or how childish my behavior is like. I also would note that for such a shallow circumstance, I could easily crumble and turn into such a hag. Some will also criticize – is that how a Christian should act or respond?

Well that is because I have not guarded my heart. Sadly many are in this predicament. I personally know of women who get disappointed, demotivated and even depressed simply because their desires are not answered the way they want it to. In fact there is a vicious cycle for an unguarded heart. It starts off as a DESIRE but as this is taking a longer time than usual, you will keep thinking about this desire and try to justify it as “I DESERVE this”. Examples of this would be: I deserve to be promoted because I work hard. I deserve this man because I have been praying for him for the longest time. I deserve to get this gadget because it can make my life easier even if I don’t have the money for it, I can pay it anyway in the near future. Now as you are in deserve mode, the desire is still not answered. You keep dwelling it in your heart that it now turns into a DEMAND. In order for me to feel secure, happy and fulfilled – I must have it at any way possible! Now when you are in this stage, you set up your heart, mind and spirit to be crushed and completely broken.

I remember this verse from James 4:1-3

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

A few months ago, I was asked to share this message with a group of ladies. Today, I feel it is appropriate to share it here in the blog. So how then do you guard your heart? Let me share some things that have helped me.

  1. Guarding your heart means focusing on Jesus and giving your desires to the Lord.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the Desires of your heart.

If you don’t want to get strayed with the false promises of this world, you must put your hearts in the right place – focused on Jesus. You have to check if your desire is now becoming an Idol of the heart. Idolatry is anything that replaces God. It means God is not enough to make me happy and satisfied that why I still need this (Name the desire).

  1. Guarding your heart means learning and continuously loving God.

Matthew 22:37 “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ “

Most of us come to Jesus when we have problems or needs. But do we come and worship God because of who He really is? He is the Creator of everything. He is the All powerful and All knowing. He is in control of everything because He is sovereign. He cares for us even if we are merely like dust. He loves us so much that he cannot bear to see us separated from Him that is why He sent his only son Jesus to pay for the penalty of our sin. Through Jesus death and resurrection, we are called to repent and believe that we may be saved and given a gift that no one can steal – eternal life. My God is alive. He knows me inside-out and loves me dearly. He is my redeemer, lover, healer and friend.

If this is how we view our God, in gratefulness – we will choose God over anything in this world.

  1. Guarding your heart means Trusting God.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

If you love God, then you can trust Him and know that He has the best intentions for you. If you are in “wait mode”, ask God to reveal to you the lessons He is teaching you while waiting. Seek God and ask Him to give you eyes in His perspective. This way you can appreciate the season you are in. They say sometimes looking back is the best way to understand the handprint of God in your life.

It is my prayer that the condition of your heart will be in good health. Guard it and protect it – so that when the right time comes we can receive the blessings of the Lord completely and with joy.