Desire

Creatures God created are driven by desire. An animal, fish, or bird is driven by at least two primal desires, to exist (food, and water, safety, companionship) and to reproduce. Humans also have these, followed by a desire for acceptance by other humans. Beyond these needs for existence is the desire to reproduce. A significant part of this process is attraction of one gender to the other. Humans also have a desire for the pleasure that accompanies the reproductive process. Satisfaction of sexual or reproductive desires can escalate into cravings, a strong desire to resolve the need in a particular way.

Similar to the other parts of creation, God made the bodies of His human creation to alert them to needs for survival. At times, a dry mouth or thick tongue becomes a signal from the body that hydration is needed. A growl from the stomach is a signal that sustenance is needed. As these needs increase, intensity to satisfy them escalates. These needs are critical to our bodies for survival, but they must be satisfied or controlled. A really thirsty or dehydrated person can attempt to drink more water than their body can absorb quickly; thus they become sick. The same is true for hunger. This bodily alarm indicates that cells need energy. When one attempts to satisfy intense hunger, one may eat more food than can be timely digested and distributed to body cells; sickness ensues.  The end result is actually worse for the body than a slower pathway to gaining the needed result. Beyond this, some bodies signal a need for solving bodily needs by a strong desire for a particular food or drink, a craving.

Like Jesus, humans exist in this environment we call the world. We live in the world, work in the world, and function as human beings in the world with other human beings. This is God’s will for humans. Jesus didn’t pray that His disciples would be removed from the world, but they would be kept from the world (John 17:15), or essentially being controlled by the world’s values. There is nothing wrong with going to work, enjoying a sport, buying a house or a new car. We may even enjoy having and wearing beautiful clothes. Those things are part of living a fruitful life in our environment, earth. These desires are not wrong unless they consume and preoccupy the person’s thoughts, pushing God’s interests aside.

Desires and cravings extend to other aspects of their physical lives, as well. Companionship is a fundamental need for humans as are their psychological, emotional, and sexual needs. These needs are some of the most difficult to monitor and control. Our minds work at an amazingly fast pace and actions caused by these needs and desires are often difficult to rapidly understand and fully manage. A Christian has a huge advantage since they have the Holy Spirit (God) dwelling inside them. Sometimes this seems like a complete solution, however, we must realize that although we have the greatest entity that exists living inside us, He does not overpower our personal choices, (good or bad). Like Jesus, God does not force us to make any particular decision. 

The struggle we humans face between good and evil or flesh and spirit have been described and debated for millennia. There seems to be absolute answer for many items, but many others have several acceptable answers considered “good”, and righteous before God. In the social aspect of human life, attraction and bonding can defy logical explanation. Humans of both genders can be filled with strong emotions of anger, envy, and hurt; these feeling can cause opinions they never thought possible and actions that follow, may be astounding. Competition between acquaintances can be similar to lower class animals.

Humans also have spiritual aspects of their lives. Humans also desire to know the reason they exist; due to this, many pursue locating a supreme being.  Some find Jehovah God. This desire leads to expectations.  Desire+expectation=Hope. Hope in the view of the Hebrew people also included, commitment. It was an expectation that God will always love them and protect them spiritually. When the biblical writers focused on the physical interests, they generally referred to them as concerns of the flesh, or dominated by non-spiritual elements. When a person decides to accept Jesus as their savior, all their past physical and spiritual mistakes are erased before God; they are as pure as newborn infants. Not only this, but also the Holy Spirit begins to reside within them. This indwelling prompts them to remember what they have learned from scripture. Those who are sealed by God and are His children are expected to increasingly act as He desires. Paul would say, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Gal.5:16 (NIV) or “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Gal.5:16 (NLT). As we move along our unique individual spiritual journey, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to guide us each step of the way.