" Yet for all God's good will toward us, He is unable to grant us our Heart's Desires till all our desires have been reduced to One. When we have dealt with our carnal ambitions; when we have trodden upon the lion and adder of the flesh, have trampled the dragon of self-love under our feet and have truly reckoned ourselves to have died unto sin, then and only then can God raise us to the newness of life and fill us with His blessed Holy Spirit."
- A.W. Tozer, Born After Midnight.
We indeed, are a people existing within the epic battle for our soul. The enemy plays upon our 'carnal ambitions' and calls a check-mate as soon as he has pushed the right button within the confines of our flesh. Once this button is thus pushed, and alarm resounds within the heart of humanity; condemnation and guilt then ensues. God's mercy upon our lives thus then lies within the reality that at any cost, our lives must be reduced to one singular desire: To know Him. Galatians 2:20 says, " For I have been crucified with Christ, that I no long live, but it is Christ that lives in me." Many of us within the general church have a basic presupposition that our salvation is for our own comfort; knowing that beyond everything else God will 'take-care-of-me' however, the truth of God's care for our lives is manifested in many different ways, not just in material blessing. God's mercy upon our current generation is, and forever will be, bringing into full light our carnal ambitions and demanding in all love and tender justice that we reduce all other life's desires down to one singular goal, Jesus.
Jesus says in John 10:1-5 ,
" I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold,
rather than going through the gate must surely be a thief and a robber!
But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his
voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them,
and they follow him because they know his voice.
They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."
Our Carnal Ambitions, or selfish desires, our very sin nature demand that we ignore the voice of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, when we truly walk through the gate into His fold we are acknowledging that we have been bought with the precious blood of the One who saves. We are laying down our life in full, and when we lay down our life we are not just giving up pieces of our hearts but our everything. God loves us enough to drive us to a place where all other desires but one die within the fire of His presence. He has gathered His flock and now calls us to take up our cross and allow for that one desire to reign prevalent in our lives. The desire to know Him. John 12:25- says, " Those who love their lives in this world will lose them, but those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity." Jesus thus introduces the reality that though there are many things in this world that exist for sheer distraction and comfort, our life is found in the fullness of Christ Jesus our Lord. His sheep will know His voice, and the voice of another they will not follow.
Our carnal ambitions are constantly vying for our attention, and are persistent, however the Holy Spirit is calling us to something greater, a life lived with one desire, one passion, one heart. To know Him, in all His fullness, in all His glory, in all His justice, in all of His faithfulness, and in all that we can possibly discover this side of Heaven. May our desires be reduced to one singular goal: That Our God would be Glorified and be made known to the World in Truth.
Galatians 5:24 says, " Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to the cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading
in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited,
or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."
When we belong to Christ, we voluntarily nail the desires of our flesh and our sin nature to the cross. This happens daily, minute by minute, constantly rendering our hearts unto the One who sanctifies them. Our goal must always be to Glorify the Lord, and through His glory to know Him. Then, and only then will we truly fulfill all that God has called us to in our lifetime. A walk with the Lord is epic, taking us far beyond the reaches of our own understanding and beyond what our thoughts can fathom. The question is, will we render our hearts unto the Cross and choose to know Him? Will we deny the flesh, recognize His voice, and pursue a life lived in relationships and communion with our Savior? Can we truly and authentically finally give up our sin and flesh to the Lord and truly begin to Live? When we take up our cross in humility and with repentant hearts we can finally truly begin to reduce our desires to one: Jesus.
Psalm 37:4-5 " Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give
you the desires of your heart. In all your ways acknowledge
Him and He will direct your paths."
Soli deo Gloria.
Brianna Jensen
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