What do you want? What do you want to do? What do you hope to achieve? What do you long to buy? What do you wish for your community? What do you need to change? What do you aspire to learn? What do you dream of leaving as a legacy for the next generation? What do you desire? Your life, your achievements, your reputation, your acquisitions, will inevitably be shaped by what you desire. I do not at all mean by what you claim you desire, but what you actually desire. Desires that are virtuous will shape you into a truly successful person. Desires that are wicked (‘concupiscence’) will deny you your path to you divinely intended destiny. When it comes to choosing your desires, choose wisely.
¶ May He grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfil all your plans!
Psalm 20:4
How would you feel if a true prophet of the LORD gave you a Word from God that resembled Psalm 20:4? But even if you received that Word from the LORD it would still start with your true and godly desires. In fact, of my five decade study of people who have managed to achieve the extraordinary, I came to realise that they each had one thing in common: an undaunted and clear desire. Perhaps one of the greatest and most inspirational examples of this is the story of José Hernández. It is the true story of man who came from an unimaginably difficult upbringing and deprivation to reach his ridiculously big dream. After he realised his life-goal, he wrote his story ‘A Million Miles Away‘ (2023) to inspire others who have been told, “That’s ridiculous! … You’re crazy! … You could never do that —you’re uneducated! … That’s impossible! … Don’t be so idealistic!” The José Hernández story highlights what someone might be able to achieve when they have ‘proven’ desire. (‘Proven desire’ is the kind of desire that stands the test of time, leads to great sacrifices, produces dedication, and does whatever it takes.)
WHAT DO YOU…
You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
Psalm 21:2
What do you want / to do / achieve / buy / to do to improve your community / to change about yourself / to learn / to leave as a legacy for the next generation? Whatever it is, that aspiration (longing) is determined by what you desire. You may not know what you really desire. But others can see it clearly. These people, often your colleagues, friends, or family, can tell what your desires are (despite your own denials about knowing what you really desire). They can see what you actually desire by what you do everyday seen in how you spend your time, talents, and treasure. They listen closely to your constant excuses about why you couldn’t get something done, or why you didn’t have enough time, or why none of the diets you’ve tried have worked, or why you couldn’t make it to church lately even though you claim to love Jesus. But most of all they can tell by what you really desire by what you’re prepared to sacrifice to fulfil it.
But maybe you already know that these people who care about you are right? Perhaps you are even disappointed with how the way you spend your time or use your talents or even how you manage your money – does not reflect what you really really would like to desire? Then, my challenging question to you is: Do you desire to change this?
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
RESET YOUR DESIRES
Christianity is grounded in a vigorously denied truth: God can change people. This is called conversion. It begins with the acceptance of the truth. No matter what mistakes you have made in the past, GOD can forgive you and transform you into a new creature.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Second Corinthians 5:17
Without experiencing GOD’s transforming gift of grace we would all be left prisoners to the bondage of sin that corrupts desires into concupiscence (“evil desires”). But GOD’s gift of new life opens our eyes to how wretched we were without GOD’s help and why we need to turn to Him for the grace to live with godly desires that will be the doorway for each of us to fulfil our GOD given purpose in life (Prov. 10:24; 11:23).
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him;
He also hears their cry and saves them.
Psalm 145:19
Resetting desires even begins with a feint desire for GOD to have His way (Matt. 6:33). Sometimes all it takes is a change from “won’t” to: “can’t”. GOD can help your “can’t” – but not your “won’t”. Reset desires shift your perspective from selfish to selfless. It shifts your vision of people as a means to get things done to a vision of getting things done as a means to get closer to people. (This is why being in church each Sunday is actually not about you. It’s about you together with other people getting closer to God and each other.)
RESET DESIRES
For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work [NET “desire”] for his good pleasure.
¶ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:13-15
Australia has a rather desperate need for more younger pastors. When I was 18-years of age I went to my pastor, Joseph Bowes, around at his house one weekday morning. I announced the purpose of my visit, “I think God is calling me into ministry.” But I then said to him, “But I guess you have a lot of young men tell you that.” He answered, “No I don’t.” (Two years earlier I had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.) What followed this morning meeting with Pastor Joe, was an encouragement to finish school, get a job and even pursue a career. The desires that God had reset in me led me to connect with Richard Winter who had studied theology in the USA and who encouraged me to begin studying theology by distance with ICI Theological College (now Global University based in Springfield Missouri). Richard Winter connected me into Overseas Christian Fellowship where I helped where I could. Then one Friday night, unbeknown to me, the desire of my life walked in. She had bleached blonde hair and four earrings in each ear.
Just prior to meeting this 19-year-old young lady, I had had a vivid dream about her. When I met her that Friday night and looked at her for the first time at the end of the night I instantly recognised her as the woman of my dreams! Kim awakened in me a desire that I did not know I had. After a life of being a confirmed-bachelor I declared to my sister, Narelle, that “Last night I met the woman I was going to marry!” It’s important for me to tell you that my reset desires had involved a rock-solid commitment to Matthew 6:33 – seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. I had not made seeking first a wife my greatest desire. My commitment to God first led to Him awakening in me a desire to be married to Kim. After 36-years of marriage I can confidently say both Kim and I have the same desire, to – seek first the Kingdom of God.
I only share this story because I want you to understand that when your desires are reset by God with you applying Matthew 6:33, then God often awakens within you subsequent “secondary” desires that may have lain dormant within your soul for a long time. Some of you have dormant desires within you that will be awakened by your surrender to God that will lead you to be a business person. Some of you have dormant secondary desires that will lead to be an elite athlete. For some of you this will lead to being in politics, or education, or as a chef, or as a pastor (1Tim. 3:1), or as an actor, or even as an author. I hope the example of José Hernández inspires you to understand the price that has to be paid to fulfil your true desires. As my time comes to end, and in whatever time I have left, I hope to hear that many of you will pay the price for pursuing your desire to fulfil your divinely appointed destiny. (And remember Second Timothy 3:12 and First Peter 3:10 as you do.)
¶ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
Romans 10:1
Your Pastor,
Andrew
Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.
Our Shepherd leads us. For too long I stressed about doing the "perfect will of God". But some time ago I met Jesus as my Shepherd who leads me. I found that if I stayed close to Him and walked through the doors that He opened I could only do the "perfect" will of God. Sure, I still pray for wisdom and guidance and I rarely rush into things, but I have found that Jesus is my leading Shepherd. He leads me beside calm waters. I have a relatively busy life. I run four organisations and am involved in running some more with other people. I serve voluntarily in these not-for-profit organisations gladly - joyously - and heartily. But its usually difficult to see any of them as "still" waters. In fact, in trying to fit everything in, I decided over the Summer to lay down one of my passions: tennis (so that I had time to fit everything in). But I felt Christ my Shepherd lead me to a tennis court which strangely resembled still water for me. When I'm on a tennis court hitting a ball my soul is restored from the calm clear waters. Others tell me that their still waters are literally still waters which they occasionally ripple with a fishing fly!
In the eye of my busyness storm, when the valleys seem deep and the shadows cast long, I have been experiencing Christ's presence. At times His presence has overwhelmed me. Each morning, when I awake, I grab my iPad (from which I read my Bible) and go into another room by myself. As I read the Bible, I reflect and pray. Sometimes I'm struck by how relevant a Text is for what I'm going through. Sometimes I share these journal entries about these Texts with my Facebook friends. It is a time of worship. A time of renewal. A time when I fear no evil because Christ The Shepherd is with me and His rod and staff (protection and direction) comfort me.
Christ The Shepherd has called me to pastor. I'm not like most pastors though. The burden to pastor that Christ has laid on my life is a little difficult to explain to most people because it's so unusual. Invariably, whenever I begin to explain it I am always misunderstood. It is often easier to let people be disappointed with my pastoring than to both disappoint and confuse them. My pastoral burden is not confined to a time-frame. I have burden to pastor in a way that will leave an ongoing legacy for generations. But it is a pastoral burden that yearns for the welfare of people who are beyond the regular reach of our church. And this is where people (within our church) begin to misunderstand me because it sounds like I'm saying that I don't care about those in our church. If you get to know me you'll discover very quickly that I deeply care about everyone in our church. But, just like the parents of an only child trying to help their child understand that just because they are having another baby doesn't mean they will love them any less, I try to help those in our church to understand that we are called to introduce them to The Shepherd and this involves us sharing in a slightly more impossible vision than we might have dared had.