Category: Desire

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Covet Desire Ten Commandments

Control the Desire to Acquire

“‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’” Exodus 20:17 (NIV) I remember hearing a powerful statement made by Andy Stanley that I would like to share with you. He said, “Your appetites are never fully and finally satisfied.” Think about that for a moment in relation to the Tenth Commandment. When you covet, you are feeding an inward desire for something that God says is sinful. God gives you the desire to acquire and to fulfill your God-given appetites. However, when you choose to go beyond the guardrails God has established, it produces sin. Greed is the seed that converts a want into a need. The Israelites were not to long for, desire earnestly, or lust after what legitimately belonged to others. Greed has a way of inflaming the desire to acquire. God established this particular guardrail to preserve unity and morality in the covenant community. Control the desire to acquire. When your desire to acquire catches on fire, you begin to worry. The more you have the more you have to take care of and worry about. When the desire to acquire is ignited, there is a tendency to spend more than you make and then the mountain of debt escalates. The desire to acquire can lead you into perpetual disappointment and dissatisfaction. You will feel like it is never enough. When the desire to acquire catches fire you become weary in trying to keep up with others. Don’t fertilize the seed of greed. Ask the Lord to help you live a life that honors Him and benefits others. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and yield to His control. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Desire Heart Passion

Delight Yourself

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (NIV) A true delight is knowing God’s will and doing God’s will. A true delight is having the peace of God in the midst of life’s storms. A true delight is having the assurance of heaven and eternal life. John Piper has affirmed, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” What is your primary source of satisfaction? Where do you turn to experience joy and fulfillment? Your love relationship with the Lord is the conduit through which the blessings of God flow. He is the source of life that is truly life. He fills you with an inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Pet. 1:8). As you commune with the Lord and take delight in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart. When you are rightly related to God in Christ and you choose to seek Him with all of your heart, you will find that your desires are in line. As you delight in the Lord, you will not desire anything that is contrary to His will. Intimacy with the Lord heightens your sensitivity to God’s activity. Your delight becomes God’s agenda. “Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty  and will lift up your face to God.” Job 22:26 (NIV) “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;  he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:19 (NIV) There are countless distractions that seek to minimize your friendship with God and trivialize your daily pursuit of His Presence. Recognize that nothing will ever satisfy your soul like living in unbroken fellowship with the Lord. Take delight in Him. Feast on His Word. Solidify your pursuit by establishing a standing appointment with God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Covet Desire Ten Commandments

Control the Desire to Acquire

“‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’” Exodus 20:17 (NIV) I remember hearing a powerful statement made by Andy Stanley that I would like to share with you. He said, “Your appetites are never fully and finally satisfied.” Think about that for a moment in relation to the Tenth Commandment. When you covet, you are feeding an inward desire for something that God says is sinful. God gives you the desire to acquire and to fulfill your God-given appetites. However, when you choose to go beyond the guardrails God has established, it produces sin. Greed is the seed that converts a want into a need. The Israelites were not to long for, desire earnestly, or lust after what legitimately belonged to others. Greed has a way of inflaming the desire to acquire. God established this particular guardrail to preserve unity and morality in the covenant community. Control the desire to acquire. When your desire to acquire catches on fire, you begin to worry. The more you have the more you have to take care of and worry about. When the desire to acquire is ignited, there is a tendency to spend more than you make and then the mountain of debt escalates. The desire to acquire can lead you into perpetual disappointment and dissatisfaction. You will feel like it is never enough. When the desire to acquire catches fire you become weary in trying to keep up with others. Don’t fertilize the seed of greed. Ask the Lord to help you live a life that honors Him and benefits others. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and yield to His control. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Desire Heart Passion

Delight Yourself

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (NIV) A true delight is knowing God’s will and doing God’s will. A true delight is having the peace of God in the midst of life’s storms. A true delight is having the assurance of heaven and eternal life. John Piper has affirmed, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” What is your primary source of satisfaction? Where do you turn to experience joy and fulfillment? Your love relationship with the Lord is the conduit through which the blessings of God flow. He is the source of life that is truly life. He fills you with an inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Pet 1:8). As you commune with the Lord and take delight in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart. When you are rightly related to God in Christ and you choose to seek Him with all of your heart, you will find that your desires are in line. As you delight in the Lord, you will not desire anything that is contrary to His will. Intimacy with the Lord heightens your sensitivity to God’s activity. Your delight becomes God’s agenda. “Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty  and will lift up your face to God.” Job 22:26 (NIV) “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;  he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:19 (NIV) There are countless distractions that seek to minimize your friendship with God and trivialize your daily pursuit of His Presence. Recognize that nothing will ever satisfy your soul like living in unbroken fellowship with the Lord. Take delight in Him. Feast on His Word. Solidify your pursuit by establishing a standing appointment with God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Avoiding Sin Desire Hannah Self-control Struggle

Real Temptation: Predictable Process

“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:15 (NIV) Temptation has a predictable process. James gives uses the metaphor of childbirth to capture the predictable process of temptation. In his letter to the Jews who were scattered outside of Palestine, James writes about the trials from without and the temptations from within. We have God-given desires that are natural and are vital to life. For example, we have the desire for food. Without that desire we would die. We also have the desire for rest. Without that desire we would die. Yet, both desires can become sin when we take them beyond God’s intended purpose. If we take our desire for food too far, we commit the sin of gluttony. In like manner, if we take our desire for rest too far, we commit the sin of laziness. Arm yourself with the knowledge of the predictable process of temptation. We idolize something we desire. The next step is that we rationalize why we should have the desire fulfilled. In other words, we talk ourselves into compromising convictions. Then we strategize by coming up with a plan to obtain the object we are idolizing. Ultimately, we capitalize on the opportunity by seizing what we have desired. Remorse and guilt follow. Look back over poor choices you have made in your lifetime. See if you can identify this predictable process. Here’s the key to victory: The sooner in the process you avoid the sin, the more likely you will overcome the temptation. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor (This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.) Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Desire Gluttony Laziness Predictable Process Temptation

Real Temptation (3)

“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:15 (NIV) Temptation has a predictable process. James gives uses the metaphor of childbirth to capture the predictable process of temptation. In his letter to the Jews who were scattered outside of Palestine, James writes about the trials from without and the temptations from within. We have God-given desires that are natural and are vital to life. For example, we have the desire for food. Without that desire we would die. We also have the desire for rest. Without that desire we would die. Yet, both desires can become sin when we take them beyond God’s intended purpose. If we take our desire for food too far, we commit the sin of gluttony. In like manner, if we take our desire for rest too far, we commit the sin of laziness. Arm yourself with the knowledge of the predictable process of temptation. We idolize something we desire. The next step is that we rationalize why we should have the desire fulfilled. In other words, we talked ourselves into compromising convictions. Then we strategize by coming up with a plan to obtain the object we are idolizing. Ultimately, we capitalize on the opportunity by seizing what we have desired. Remorse and guilt follow. Look back over poor choices you have made in your lifetime. See if you can identify this predictable process. Here’s the key to victory: The sooner in the process you avoid the sin, the more likely you will overcome the temptation. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor