The DESIRE Within
Michael Nevins
The desire, which God places within us
brings with it the power to bring itself to manifestation. "When I am lifted
up, I will draw all men unto Me."
Desire is the power behind what motivates all of our choices. Man never chooses from
a place of freedom. To believe this means that nothing influences our choices.
Tell me this- What does freedom mean? And if we could be free what would it mean? The illusion says freedom to choose is every mans wisdom. Eve believed this the moment she saw that she could have personal wisdom. Believing in freedom is part of the illusion. We are free from nothing—because everything has an influence on what we are and do. God's power is speaking to us in everything yet we are slaves to only one thing--the desire within. Why? --Because God is the one who is orchestrating all things. Until this is settled in us we will never be free from the leaven of believing that we need to be more responsible. Responsibility is a word that is used by men who believe that the flesh can control itself. I have heard it used many times by men that believe they are balanced in their paradoxical views. If they only new that trying to bring into balance something the flesh calls a paradox is really a nicely packaged lie they would see the foolishness of human understanding. The witness proclaims,
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing"
What frees us from our bondage is knowing that the passion and DESIRE of love moves us into a knowing and when the spirit of the ALL MIGHTY comes the result is sure----no matter what may come our way we know and share the truth with Job,
"Even if He slay me—yet will I trust him"
How can we trust Him? Because all man's goings are of the Lord.
"Mans goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?"
The answer to this question is in the question. Can a man understand his own way? Never in a million years will he ever understand. The secret of peace that lies wihtin all this is that man is released from the burden of trying to understand his own ways, because all of man’s ways ARE OF THE LORD. Those under the illusion of personal resonsibility which applies itself to the flesh are in bondage. This is what we were set free from. The true spiritual definition of real freedom is a release from personal responsibility. I can not do it ---is the mark of a humble man.
"The son can do nothing of himself"
"The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it withersoever He will"
"O Lord cries Jeremiah, I know that the way of man is not in himself, it is not even in a good man that walketh upright to direct his own steps "
The flesh believes the commands assert that man has an ability to follow them. Martin Luther said, "The commands do not assert that man can do them they only assert that man should do them" But we know that the whole of Paul’s dilemma in Romans seven was wrapped up in this very power struggle.
DESIRE is the key. Life is not about making right or wrong decisions. Any one who believes that is on a spiritual roulette wheel and their choices are like knives that a magician would throw at that spinning wheel only ready to cut into the heart.
"If only I could make the right combination of choices—then I will have the blessing"
We know that Jacob got the blessing while twisting and lying and his mother was in on it. Can you believe that? Mom was a twister too.
"How could this be true?" The flesh bellows.
He really believes that the world would go helter-skelter with out the law.
Before any choice is made, there could be a million desires and emotions within us driving and empowering us. This is where God’s power is active and moving. No choice is ever made apart from divine motivation. There are so many factors that motivate our desires and tendencies; environmental influence, emotions, fear to only mention a few. Everything that we do is driven from within, but the power to do is not in the flesh, because it is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.
God's sovereignty is veiled within creation so that from outward appearances it looks as if we are the one that is in control, but that is the very illusion of the tree of self-will. "One says that self-will is the most widespread commodity in hell. That is certainly true. Hell is and consists of self-will. If there would be no self-will there would be no hell and no devil." Nothing is contrary to God save one thing and that thing is self-will.
If we were to be honest with oursleves we know that even when we choose certain things it does not guarantee that we will do those things. We again think of Paul's dillema. "I find that my desire is pure and good, but the power to carry it out is not there." How did Paul find himself in that position? Because he still believed in the power called self-will.
Now if we could only believe this regarding salvation it would be a tremedous beginning; and thus we see this great witness:
Ezek 11:19-20
19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from
them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They
will be my people, and I will be their God.
Jer 24:7
7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they
shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their
whole heart.
Acts 11:18
18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath
God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Acts 16:14
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which
worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended
unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
What we see from these passages, then, is before anyone (and I do mean anyone) comes to God. God must first grant mercy and "Repentance unto life" and givethem "a heart to know me"