Who Sent You: Your Desires

Bible Reading: So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of it’s fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)

Have you ever stopped to think, “Where are these desires coming from?” The things that you want so badly. Those things that keep you up at night that you are thinking about and longing for. Those desires. Have you ever thought about how they originated? 

In Genesis 3, we see that Eve had a desire, suggested by the serpent, to eat of the forbidden fruit. But how was it so easy for her to even consider doing something that she knew was against God’s command? Often times, we are tempted to fall because of an extreme desire to have our senses gratified. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of it’s fruit and ate.” Failing to evaluate her desire resulted in what is commonly referred to as “The Fall of Man.”

In this account, it is pretty clear where Eve’s desires originated. However, in life, it’s not always that obvious. Do you desire to be married because you want someone to love you? Or do you long to be married because you are ready to be a servant in the ministry of marriage? Do you want that higher paying job because you know it comes with the opportunity to achieve another level of status and you could finally get that car you have always wanted? Or do you want a higher paying job because you know it opens the door for you to bless others financially? How about the desire to have a baby? Is it because you have been married for about a year and you feel the next logical step in your family plan is to start having children? Or are you ready to raise children that will be instrumental in advancing the Kingdom of God?

In no way am I saying that any of these desires are wrong. The problem comes when we don’t identify where they came from and want them for the wrong reasons.

Prayer: God, You are pure and I am not. You are holy and I am not. The Bible tells me that my heart is deceitfully wicked and because of the sin of Adam and Eve, sin is innate to me. Father, I pray that You help me to be mindful to evaluate my desires and where they originate. Allow me to know what, in my heart, is from You. And help me to be willing to release anything that is not. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.