DESIRE WITHIN GOD’S PURPOSE
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry Colossians 3:5
A desire for something that is not in God’s plan for you can build into intense, unrelenting pressure especially when you fail to attain what your heart is set on.
Christians who are consumed by covetousness have ceased to depend on God. To reach a goal, some will manipulate circumstances because they have lost faith in the Lord’s ability to know what is best and provide it. Such behaviour indicates a rejection of God’s sovereignty. Then fear becomes an issue as the person chases harder and harder after the object of his desire.
The consequences of jealousy are painful: A believer’s spiritual sensitivity can be weakened to the point that he no longer hears when God speaks to him. As a Christian distances himself from the Lord, an envious attitude is likely to breed ungratefulness. It’s hard to be thankful for the things one has when the focus is on what’s lacking.
Covetousness leads to a life of tension and worry. Jethro wisely advised his son-in-law Moses to search for assistants who hated ill-gotten gain. These men were more interested in what God provided for them than in what they could acquire for themselves. If we want to be like them, we must focus on God’s purpose for our life. When we are sensitive to His voice, He will teach us to distinguish between desires falling within His will and those that lie beyond. As believers, we have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us resist the lure of wrong desires. Covetousness does not have to be our downfall.
Prayer:
Liberation thought: Christians who are consumed by covetousness have ceased to depend on God.
Further reading: Exodus 18:17-21