Desire

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. (Jude 17-19)

Jude asserts that there are ungodly desires, and then there obviously also must exist godly desires. Those who are driven by ungodly desires follow mere natural instincts. Natural instincts allude to the old nature, the Adam nature, which lives in separation and which is governed by the impulses it receives through its bodily senses. And, most importantly; those who are in this state do not have the Spirit – they are not born again.

The saint, however, is governed by his spirit which is now merged with God’s Spirit. As the believer’s mind is renewed by a continually revelation about his new identity in Christ he will become more attentive to the fact that he is no longer governed by the temporal world. He is living the spirit life, where the Spirit is the nucleus which governs the soul and its desires. He, thus, by faith can be assured that his desires are aligned with God’s desires. There is no longer separation, but union in the spirit.

Jesus was not afraid to encourage the believers to trust their desires: “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)

Jesus can voice this with confidence and boldness, because He knows the truth. The truth which has the power to liberate us: who we are in the resurrected Christ. Jesus came so we could experience an abundant life. The thief, however, steals and murders. His main objective is, of course, to prevent the believer from living this life. A major area of attack is our desires. The evil one says: “Don’t trust your desires!”, “Who do you think you are?” and “You egoist!” The last lie really scorches the believer, and renders him in a state of unbelief, that is, focusing on himself rather than his source, which is the Spirit. The liar knows that if the believer trusts his desires and live accordingly he will reign in life, and his impact on a fallen world will increase dramatically.

Remember that when God created a desire within Joshua and his friends to enter the Promised Land He gave them a vision about a place which overflowed with milk and honey. If your desires carry a notion about blessings to you, remember God’s characteristics are generosity and love. Are you desires common? Well, God is a common God for common people.