7 Powerful Reasons Why We Must Always Have Godly Desires

Desire is one of life’s strongest emotions. It stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim. Our desires fuel our actions; this ability was given to us by God to pull us towards Himself and His ways. But they are also exploited by the enemy to draw us away from God.  All around us today from the moment we wake up, there is a whole desire catalog rolled out before us, telling us what we could and should have.

We’ve got our smartphones with apps, music, entertainment, social media, fancy clothes, shoes, cars and so much more…all there waiting for us and with just one click, we are in another world. These things sometimes steer our desire away from the things of God. It’s amazing how we could easily spend an hour or two watching a movie, or hours on our mobile phones but can’t spend the same amount of time in the presence of God. It’s like the minute you open up your bible, you begin to feel sleepy. All these are tactics used by the devil to lure and keep us away from having a true and intimate relationship with God.

Having Godly desires means we must always long for, hope for and express our wishes for God and His ways.

Why are Godly desires important?

Here are some reasons why:

1.They lead us into our purpose and destiny in God:–  Without Godly desires, we cannot fulfill our God-given purpose. When we avail ourselves, He directs us into the path He has mapped out for us. I once read that  “Our destinies are a function of our desires. what you don’t desire, you don’t deserve”. When given things we have no desire for, they end up being abused or misused. It’s like being presented with a plate of delicious food you have no appetite for; no matter how delicious that food is, without being hungry or desirous of it you will not partake. Having Godly desires, also help us discover the significance and importance of our calling.

2. They enable us to live a holy and righteous life:– It is almost impossible to live a holy life without having the desire to do so. In the world right now, there are so many distractions all around us making it difficult to live holy and pure before God.  So we have to always keep our desires in check because whoever or whatever controls our desires, controls our lives. See Psalms 119:9-10.

3. They connect us to the power of God:– The power of God always responds to our hunger. When there is a strong desire for the move of God, miracles happen. Like the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel of God, his strong desire to be blessed caused him to wrestle with the angel of God all night. When it was dawn and the angel asked Jacob to let him go, he said: “I will not let you go unless you bless me”. This changed the course of his life; his name was changed from Jacob ( meaning to be behind, supplant) to Israel (meaning triumphant with God) see Genesis 32:22-30.

4. They bring us into the blessing of God:– Having a desire for God and His ways brings us into prosperity and success. He gives us the power and wisdom we need to make wealth- Deuteronomy 8:18. The best part about His prosperity and success is, its sorrow free – Proverbs 10: 22. As we go after the heart of God, we’ll discover that He desires for us to be prosperous and successful; this propels us to step into the life He wants us to have.

5. They bring us protection and safety:– He who dwells in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the almighty- Psalms 91:1. Dwelling speaks of remaining and staying; God wants us to remain and stay in Him but It’s sometimes difficult to stick around someone we have no desire or longing for. When we have a deep desire and longing for God, He fights for us and keeps us safe.

6. They bring us into spiritual maturity:– Spiritual maturity is important for every child of God. As every parent expects their child to grow, so also God expects us to grow. To grow spiritually we must crave and desire the things of God, there is no other way. 1 Peter 2:2 says- In the same way, that nursing infants cry for milk, you must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word. For this “milk” will cause you to grow into maturity, fully nourished and strong for life. Without desiring spiritual food, our spiritual growth is stunted and we’ll not be strong for life.

7. They enable us to have a personal relationship with Jesus:–  As I grow in my Christian walk, I am discovering the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus. Simply knowing about Him is not enough, we must know who He is. Desiring Him continuously is the only thing that can take us from knowing about Him to knowing who He is.

The life that God has for us requires us to desiring more of His presence each day. By doing this He is able to change us, bring us to the place He has ordained for us and work through us to bring healing to those around us and the world at large. Godly desires are not automatic; they are cultivated individually. Nobody can desire God for you, we can’t pay or bribe our way to having the right desires. We are solely responsible for this.

How to Cultivate Godly desires

1.Studying and applying the word of God:- The importance of studying the bible can never be overemphasized. The bible is God speaking to us; Inside we find the truth and once the truth is discovered, living a lie becomes uncomfortable. We also get first-hand knowledge on who God is and what His intentions are towards us. As we study and obey, our passion and desires are steered towards the right path.

2. Praying:- It is said that prayer is a believers vital breath. God uses prayer to transform our hearts and conform our will to his.

3. Fasting:- This helps to bring God as the center of our focus, causing us to lay aside those things that distract us.

4. Godly company:- 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us not to be fooled, bad company corrupts good character. No matter how much we read the bible, pray and fast; being around ungodly company would stifle our progress; causing us to take one step forward and ten steps back. So surrounding ourselves with the right company is of great importance.

5. Edifying ourselves with Godly books, music, and videos:- This has been instrumental in my Christian walk. Reading and listening to the experiences and revelatory knowledge of others can help motivate and set our desires right.

We must take out time daily to keep our desires in check and make sure they are always towards the right things. When we do this, transformation is certain.