Are you discouraged or exasperated with your spiritual life? Do you think about praying or reading your Bible or loving your neighbor, but if you’re honest with yourself, you really have NO desire to do those things? Do you then beat yourself up, add a dose of condemnation and shame, and then feel EVEN worse about yourself and your lack of desire?
If so, don’t despair or give up!
Sure, God gives us many commands in the Bible on how we are to live. The two greatest commandments cover pretty much everything we are meant to do: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
But here’s the thing. God does NOT want a bunch of religious automatons who simply check off the boxes of devotion, duty, and disciplines. He wants our hearts aligned with His heart and His desires for us. God doesn’t want only external conformity of DOING, He wants us to be rightly aligned at the heart level of MOTIVATION as well. He wants us to do the right thing, BUT for the right reason as well – LOVE. Out of love for God and neighbor. We are to have HEARTS aligned with God’s desires.
ENTER FIRST AND SECOND ORDER DESIRES. A FIRST ORDER desire is wanting anything that is NOT a desire. For example, “I want to get married,” or “I want to get promoted at my job,” or “I want to write a novel.” These are all first order desires – there is an object of your desire.
A SECOND ORDER desire is a desire FOR the desire for the object of my desire. For example, “I want the desire to want to pray,” or “I want the desire to want to love my troublesome coworker,” or “I want the desire to want to begin the project God has assigned me.” They are one step lower than a first order desire. You’re asking God for an alignment of YOUR desire with HIS desire so that you will WANT to want the RIGHT thing. And God ALWAYS answers these prayers that align with His desires for YOU. God wants you to WANT to pray, read the Bible, love your neighbor, tithe,and follow through on His plans for you, so HE will TRANSFORM your desires.
When we say we want a desire FOR a desire, we are PARTNERING with the Holy Spirit and asking the HOLY SPIRIT to change us! So, of course, GOD RESPONDS!
God meets us right where we are. God doesn’t coerce, force, berate, punish, or judge us for not being farther along in our spiritual adventure with Him. But not until we’re HONEST with Him about our lack of desires, can He begin to transform us. God works with us in the REALITY or TRUTH of who we REALLY are, not the FANTASY we have of ourselves. Jesus tells us that, “You have not because you ask not.” Get asking for those second order desires and see your desires change!
I hope this encourages you and gives you HOPE that God can and WILL give you a change of heart!
If you want to watch or listen to Episode 16, which this blog is based on, head over to our YouTube or Podcast pages. Thanks for reading!