HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 94
page A92
Desires continued
Is it okay to want something?
• 1 K I NG S 3 :5 | That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What
do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” (See note on page 303.)
• PR O V E R B S 1 3 :1 2 | Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
God created desire within us as a means of expressing ourselves. Desire is good and
healthy if directed toward the proper object of desire: that which is good and right and
God-honoring.
• PSA L M 7 3 :2 5 | I desire you more than anything on earth.
• I SA I A H 2 6 :8 | Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is
to glorify your name.
Your greatest desire must be a relationship with God, because that will influence all your
other desires.
How do I know if my desires are right or wrong?
• J U DG E S 1 4 :3 | But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.” (See note
on page 231.)
• PH I L I P P I A NS 4 :8 | Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure,
and lovely, and admirable.
D
Selfish desires take only yourself into account. You become so obsessed with what you
want that you forget to ask if it is what God wants, if it’s actually good for you, and if it will
harm others.
HelpFinder
How do evil desires grow in my life?
• DE U T E R O NO MY 2 9 :1 8 | “I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—
no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these
gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit.”
(See note on page 186.)
A seed is planted—quietly, without fanfare or drums, without malice or evil intent—when
we take a step away from God. With the second and third steps, we move farther from
God, and the bitter, poisonous fruit of desire or lust begins to grow.
How can I resist evil desires?
• J A ME S 3 :1 3 | If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable
life, doing good works.
Keep yourself busy doing good things.
• MAT T H E W 6 :1 3 | “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”
Pray for strength in the face of temptation.
• 2 C H R O NI C L E S 3 4 :3 3 | So Josiah removed all detestable idols.
Remove the source of temptation.
• C O L O S S I A NS 3 :2 | Think about the things of heaven.
Fill your mind with God.
• PR O V E R B S 1 5 :2 2 | Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
Find a person willing to help you.
Can God help me change the desires within my heart? How?
• E Z E K I E L 3 6 :2 6 | “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take
out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (See note on page 759.)
• R O MA NS 7 :6 | Now we can serve God, not in the old way . . . but in the new way of living
in the Spirit.
When we commit our lives to God, he gives us new hearts and new natures, along with
new desires to please him.