HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 95
page A93
• E Z R A 1 :5 | Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites . . . to go to Jerusalem to
rebuild the Temple of the Lord. (See note on page 417.)
God stirs our hearts with right desires. It is up to us to act on them.
How can I satisfy the deepest longings of my life?
• MAT T H E W 6 :3 1 -3 3 | “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What
will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but
your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all
else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
When we seek the Lord, and order our lives according to his priorities, everything else falls
into proper perspective. We can trust him to provide all we need.
• PSA L M 1 0 7 :9 | For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
• J O H N 4 :1 0 -1 4 | “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to,
you would ask me, and I would give you living water. . . . Anyone who drinks this water will
soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It
becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (See note on page 957.)
• 1 C H R O NI C L E S 1 6 :1 1 | Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.
• 1 C H R O NI C L E S 2 8 :9 | “Learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and
serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. . . . If you seek him, you will find him.”
Search for God as you would a buried treasure. Constantly read and study his Word, the
Bible, and talk with him about everything. As the Scriptures promise, “If you seek him you
will find him.”
How do I deal with the desire to have what my neighbor has?
• DE U T E R O NO MY 5 :2 1 | “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your
neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that
belongs to your neighbor.” (See note on page 165.)
Seeing our neighbor with “more” or “better” lights a fire in us. Uncontrolled, this flickering
fire blazes into godless passion, lust, and covetousness, and we ask questions like, “Why
can’t I have a home that nice? A spouse that talented? A wife that beautiful? A bank account
that big?” In asking such questions, we risk stirring the fires of desire and wanting to take
something from our neighbor.
Is it wrong to desire my husband or wife sexually?
• SO NG O F S O NG S 7 :1 0 -1 2 | I am my lover’s, and he claims me as his own. Come, my love,
let us go out to the fields and spend the night among the wildflowers. Let us get up early
and go to the vineyards. . . . There I will give you my love. (See note on page 601.)
God has built a fire in the hearts of men and women to desire one another sexually. It is
a natural, God-given gift. But outside God’s plan of marriage, this fire can blaze up and
devour a person.
PROMISE FROM GOD
• PSA L M 3 7 :4 | Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Differences See Conflict; Diversity; Equality; Strengths & Weaknesses
Difficulties See Adversity; Conflict; Pain
HelpFinder
Too often we misunderstand our own desires. The things of this world will never satisfy the
deepest longings of your heart. God alone can fulfill your longings because he built them
into you from creation.
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• J O H N 6 :3 5 | Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be
hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”