Isaiah 57:10 (NLT)
“You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength and you did not grow weary.”
How many Christians do you know today that are tired of life and are constantly feeling like there’s no good left in the world? I know quite a few of them. More than ever, a number of us are complaining about the state of conditions today. God has a remedy for this. He tells us in Philippians 2:13 that we should constantly remind ourselves that He’s in control, and He is working in us through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. So, we have to ask ourselves if we are tired because we’re not leaning on the Holy Spirit like we should. Could it be that we’re not allowing the Spirit to be at work within?
Through the Spirit, God has given us the ability to please Him. He tells us in Philippians 2:14(NLT), “Do everything without complaining and arguing.” This is where our heads and hearts ought to be. Some Christians are complaining because they have erroneously believed that God’s grace exempts them from trials and tribulations. Romans 11:6 (NLT) tells us, “And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” God’s unmerited favor is His grace. It’s free, and we didn’t do anything to deserve, nor could we. It is His gift to us, but it does not mean that life is always going to be easy. Life has a way of moving at a pace that we’re sometimes not prepared for. Sometimes we wish it would speed up a bit faster, and sometimes we want it to slow down. We want life to meet us at our comfort level. That’s not how it works.
There are so many people that are saved, but are mad and angry on the inside because they know down deep in their gut there’s something they need to do, or something they need to stop doing. They just simply won’t get out of their own way, because they want to keep doing what they’re doing. Instead we complain, complain, complain!
Rather than all this murmuring and complaining, God’s word plainly instructs us to be thankful in all things and in every circumstance. In 1Thessalonians 5:16-22 The Message (MSG), He tells us, “16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 19-22 Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.”
When we go in the opposite direction of being thankful, we stifle the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and open a door for the enemy to come in. This is the last thing you want to have happen in your life. Keep in mind that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ knocks at the door of our lives and waits for us to invite him in. The devil doesn’t do this. If you give him an opening through disobedience and doubt, the enemy will knock down the door and try to crush everything in sight. This is not something we want to happen, and by aligning ourselves with the plan of God we can prevent it.
In Revelations 3:2, Jesus Christ calls on us to wake up and strengthen what remains. We must have a deep and yearning desire not only to please God, but to demonstrate our gratitude. Only then will we prioritize the things that are important to Him, and begin to shut down negativity. Desire is what we all need! Isaiah 57:10 tells us that the right desire will renew our strength. Desire is the very strong feeling that motivates us to action. We must stop using our minds, hearts, and mouths to add to the darkness of satan, and switch on the light of Christ by believing, trusting, and acting upon God’s Word.
Feed your mind, heart, soul and spirit the right stuff. Light dispels darkness, and Jesus Christ is the light of the world. God tells us in Romans 15:13(NLT) that HE is the SOURCE of HOPE. He’s our hope!!! He never fails or disappoints! We must let the practice of pleasing God take over our desires, and stop allowing our feelings and emotions to control us. Let’s stop all this complaining and switch it out for speaking constantly with gratitude and thankfulness for how good God is, and how good He has been to us. When you do this, you will let Him “fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Desire Is What You Need”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.