There is a confusion regarding “desire.” The message I have been taught (or maybe caught) is my desires are anti-God. If I want to follow God and be obedient to Him, I must surrender my desires. It seems that my desires will lead me away from my relationship with God.
If I could somehow operate in this world without following
desires, I would need to be able to turn desires off. I don’t know about you, I
haven’t found the switch! I believe
to live without desire is to cease being human. We are made as beings who have
desires.
Paul said, “… Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out
the desire of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16, NASB) “Walk” is always referring to
acting out or behaving. It is the motion of our lives. The word “walk” and the
phrase “carry out” are synonymous; they both imply action. There are two possible
actions that can be pursued in this verse. One action has to do with the things
of God, whereas the other doesn’t.
When Paul said “desire of the flesh,” he was not proclaiming all desires to be fleshly. There are also desires of the heart. In Romans
6:18-19, Paul said to the Roman believers they were now slaves of
righteousness. He indicated their obedience emanated from their hearts. The
Psalmist said in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give
you the desires of your heart.” (NASB) It seems “desire” is something natural
for humans to contain.
We all wrestle with conflicting
desires. Don’t make the mistake of seeing yourself as a dualistic person – both
good and bad. That leads you down the path of believing you have two natures. The
work of the cross did not leave us in that desperate condition. The “desire of
the flesh” does not come from our new hearts (Ez. 36:26). That “desire” comes
from the flesh. The flesh is an imposter. The flesh is something that is in us
that is not us. The flesh impacts our thoughts, emotions, and will, but it is
not our master.
I have come to realize when I am struggling with a fleshly
desire, my heart is telling me something very different. In those moments, I
wish I could just buck-up and do the right thing because it is the right thing.
However, God does not desire for us to operate in this manner. He wants to
empower us with His life, His very presence, to enable us to “walk” or behave
in a godly manner.
Here is how I would paraphrase Galatians 5:16: Let the godly desires of your heart be
animated by Holy Spirit so you can behave godly. While doing this, the fleshly
desires will not be acted on.
What is the desire of your heart? If you belong to God, that
desire is pure and holy. It is safe to own it. After all, God is the One who
gave it to you!
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