The Power of Desire

“A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul” Proverbs 13:19. Achieving your goals is pleasing and enjoyable. But notice, there must be desire present before this can come about. In Matthew 15:28, Jesus links desire to great faith, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be as you desire.” The Greek word literally means, “to will” or “to wish.” But it implies a deep human determination. Therefore, any form of personal accomplishment takes resolve - the willpower to succeed. And this is the universal Law of Desire at work.

Enterprising go-getters have an intense desire to advance themselves; they have a clear vision of a better future, which they are determined to realise. Such go-ahead, positive, energetic people are often referred to as ambitious people. Unfortunately ambition has also become associated with greed and selfish desires. But it’s the motive behind your ambition that determines whether it is good or bad.

So, ambition, which is a strong desire for advancement, cannot be ‘evil’ (especially if it’s directed toward a greater cause). Vision is the one common quality that separates ambitious people from others. They have a clear picture of the kind of future they want to create, and they have the determination (desire) to press on and pay the price in order to achieve it. What’s more, for Christians, a genuine desire for victory is demanded. In fact, the strength of your desire determines the degree of your victory. We see this clearly in 2 Kings 13, when the prophet Elisha rebukes the king for not having the desire to completely destroy the Syrians. Verses 15-19. Elisha told Joash, “Get a bow and some arrows.” And the king did as he was told. Elisha told him, “Put your hand on the bow,” and Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands. Then he commanded, “Open that eastern window,” and he opened it. Then he said, “Shoot!” So he shot an arrow. And Elisha proclaimed, “This is the Lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Syria, for you will completely conquer the Syrians at Aphek. ”Then Elisha said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. But the man of God was angry with him. “You should have struck the ground five or six times!” he exclaimed. “Then you would have beaten Syria until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.”

I wonder how many of you have failed to secure complete victory simply because you did not have sufficient desire. In this story, God had provided the king with an arrow of victory - enough ‘power’ to completely conquer his enemies. However, Joash was only willing to use half that power. His lack of desire prevented him from achieving what God had planned and purposed for his life (and that of the nation he ruled over). Like many of us, he liked the idea of victory, but didn’t really want it enough. A lack of desire can gravely effect your future.

Jesus said, “Let it be as you desire!” Notice, you can determine the outcome of any battle by the level of desire you have to secure complete victory. This is a success principle. But why is it so powerful? The Greek word provides the answer. Because desire involves your will, and your ‘free will’ is the most powerful attribute God has given you.

As with all success principles, there are “triggers” which help to ignite the fuel that’s necessary to sustain positive advancement. For instance, the development and articulation of your goals must become a key responsibility in life. And this is fuelled by desire. You must have a vision that sees the bigger picture and then motivate yourself so that it can become a reality. Positive desires are tools you can use to bring about results that are larger and more significant than those you’ve achieved already. Your desires drive you in a positive direction only when you have a goal (a focus), and then, when you have thrown your whole heart into making that goal a reality.

Here are seven steps you need to take, and qualities you need to develop, if your desires are to drive your goals:

1. You must know exactly;
- where you want to go,
- why you want to get there, and
- what you have to do to achieve it.

2. You must be able to explain clearly to other people:
- what it is that you are trying to accomplish,
- why you are trying to accomplish it, and
- how you are going to bring it about.

3. You should be eager to get results and impatient with delays.

4. You should be consistently excited about what you are doing, and as a result, get other people excited as well.

5. You should come across as if you have a lot to do and very little time to do it in! There should be an urgency about you.

6. You must have complete clarity. Perhaps the most important part of desire is clarity. You should have a clear vision, clear values, a clear mission - and clear, written goals, plans, and strategies for your future. Most of all, you must want to get results and better yourself.

7. You must like to be at the helm, to be responsible, to make things happen. And, be willing to endure the risks and sacrifices that are required to make a real difference - by expanding your sphere of influence.

The clearer you are about your objectives, your values, your mission, and your vision, the more effective you will become in reaching your goals. This is all practical application, but what about the spiritual? Jesus expressed a strong desire to fulfil His mission when instituting the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:15), “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Note, Jesus had set His heart upon eating the Passover meal before going to the cross. His heart was yearning for fellowship with His disciples before suffering. Like Jesus, we too should have a burning desire for fellowship - but for fellowship with God the Father!

There is no lasting success (or accomplishment) outside of God, and the cause of Jesus Christ. If there was ever a time Christians need to open their eyes and to be filled with a burning desire for God, it is now. We need to be stirred, we need our hearts filled with the desire for God - enough to step out of ‘comfort row’; in order to change the spiritual climate in our communities, our cities, our nation and our world... “To turn them from darkness to light and from the power of evil unto God!” (Acts 26:22)

The only things you can control in your life are your responses to the inevitable issues and challenges you face each day. How you respond to a situation, or how you interpret the situation, then determines the clarity and effectiveness of your thoughts, desires and responses. The more positive your thoughts are, the more spiritual your desires are likely to be. So, “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). When both your thoughts and desires line up with God’s word, you have a guarantee that God is watching - ever ready to perform His word! And if God be for you, who can be against you?

But are you ambitious enough for God, for your family, for your church, for your business, for your nation? Do you really desire to see the victory, and be free from stress, anxiety or fear? And are you hungry enough for God’s word - for through His word alone is positive self-advancement?

Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Chris Demetriou, 27/09/2009