THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Psalm 73:16-28
Psalm 73:25

"…there is none upon
earth that I desire beside thee."

A SANCTIFIED HEART (5)

Satan is still using "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16) to lure many including professing Christians into his trap unawares while they still think that they love God and are His servants and children! "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful" (Mark 4:19). They desire a loving God with all His material blessings, but they do not desire a holy and righteous God with all His truth and spiritual blessings including sanctification! Sadly, many still follow their false leaders who have "eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children… While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage… unto them according to the true proverb,… the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire" (2 Pet 2:14, 19, 22).

A born-again Christian has holy and godly desires to please God and keep His Word. He still has his fleshly lusts of the sinful nature to commit sins (Rom 7:18:23). The only way to overcome our sinful desires and fleshly lusts is to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for His deliverance (Rom 7:24-25), to ask the Holy Spirit to mortify them (Rom 8:13; Gal 5:24), and to allow the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to control our whole being – our spirit, soul, mind, heart and body. It is a great blessing to be filled with godly desires. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Ps 73:25), and "desire to fear thy name" (Neh 1:11), "desire mercies of the God of heaven" (Dan 2:18), "desire a better country, that is, an heavenly" (Heb 11:16), "desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Pet 2:2). Surely, you are to "delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Ps 37:4). Do you delight in the LORD?

THOUGHT: Do I truly desire the Lord and His Word above all?
PRAYER: Lord, fill me with holy desires for Thee and Thy Word.