Desire

You long to do what you want to do because you want it

~Jack Sparrow

Ultimately every sin I commit and every temptation I give in to is because of my own selfish desire. No matter what the circumstance or the excuses I may bring up to make myself feel better about my decision, it really is all about putting myself second just as Christ put me first. In my small group we discussed this topic and came up with: selfless=sinless. Well it just seems more simple when you put it that way but its much more of a battle when I want something badly or my human desires just seem to control my actions. The Bible has some pretty powerful verses that talk about desire:

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. " James 1:13-15

"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3:16

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:1-3

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." Galatians 5:16-17

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:22-26

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." Romans 6:12

"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 13:12

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:15-20 (Paul)

"Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." Romans 7:24 (Paul)

"The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes." Proverbs 12:12

"Like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." Mark 4:18-20

The only thing the Lord desires is me? He loves me so much and the only thing he wants in return is my love. "For everything in the world comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:16-17) There are worldly desires that are keeping me from my desire for God and just knowing that makes me want to live for Him more everyday. Yes I am covered in sin at times because of my selfish nature but God is a merciful Savior that sent His son to cover me eternally in forgiveness.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your Yheart. " Psalm 37:4