“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 NLT
In my life, I have had new burning desires pop up that I had no business thinking about because of how unrelated they were to what I was doing at the time.
I have also noticed that when God needs me to do something, He first plants that desire in my heart. Over time, it builds up, and I become more willing to fulfil the desire.
This is why I don’t understand when people say, “God made me do this,” or that they felt forced to do something for God. The first time I stumbled upon this anchor scripture, I realised it doesn’t matter what God wants you to do; He’ll never force you.
He’s subtle and kind. He knows we have our will and can decide to go our way. But He also wants us to follow His will willingly. So, He starts by planting a seed through something we hear or see and allowing it to grow.
He uses different avenues to remind us of that desire. Eventually, our circumstances facilitate the fulfilment of that desire, and that’s when we act.
How can we recognise and act on the desires God places in our hearts?
God never places a desire in us that will harm others. Often, the fulfilment of those desires will accomplish three things:
- It will please God.
- It will serve others.
- It will change us.
See the story of Jonah in Jonah 1. God had empowered Jonah as a prophet and had an assignment for him that his gift could accomplish. But Jonah knew that if he did the assignment, it would please God, serve the people of Nineveh, and cause him to overcome his ego and hatred for them.
Like Jonah, we often want to hold on to our feelings and habits about certain things, which prevents us from addressing the burning desires in our hearts.
Anything God calls us towards will make us create new habits, have new emotions, and become someone new.
When we realise that the desire in our hearts will cause a shift in our lives, it’s essential not to ignore it. It’s a call to something greater.
When we become willing to try new things, go on adventures with God, develop a growth mindset, and stay guided by what God’s desires are to accomplish, it becomes easy to act on what God has placed in our hearts.
Our work is about what God wants us to do. When we align, what God wants to do gradually becomes what we want. And that’s how we do God’s will.
“I act on God’s desires in my heart.”
What new desires do you sense in your heart? How do your gifts align with the fulfilment of these desires?
I pray that as God’s vessel, you are continually filled with His desires for you such that when you’re filled to the brim, overflowing to others becomes easy and automatic.
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