That 'dirty' D word...
It’s funny because I’ve been sitting in front of my laptop for ages now procrastinating and doing other, less important things than write my blog post this week, and it’s all because of the topic I’m feeling called to write about.
I’ve silently questioned the Holy Spirit nudge, wondering if I’d perhaps heard wrong. But the same response has continued to come back and so I suppose now, I’m left with little other choice.
Today I want to talk to you about desire. Your desires specifically.
Now, as soon as a word like ‘desire’ comes up, many of us can automatically equate that to ‘unnecessary luxury’ or even ‘greed’. And that’s why I’m writing about it. Because I honestly don’t think it’s either. Beyond that, I think that a lack of desire is actually messing with a lot of businesses success.
Desire doesn’t automatically mean a lack of gratitude for what you already have.
Which means it’s time to stop questioning yourself when you pray for more and then almost take it back out of fear that you’ve gone too far.
If you don’t ask for what you desire and then silently find yourself resentful inwardly whilst outwardly trying to remain grateful for where you are – God still sees and knows it ALL. So why would you not just ask anyway? At least if you hear a no, you’ve got something to work with and an understanding of the fact that you get to move on from here. Isn’t that so much better than ‘no man’s land?’
Psalm 37:4 and James 4 talk a lot about desire and they both land in the same place. Desire is not to be selfish – and that’s what’s tripping so many people up. You’re wondering if it’s selfish to want to buy beyond the ‘basics’ range in the supermarket or whether or not you should get a new sofa because ‘you can still sit on yours and only just feel the springs’ and so you’re sure it’s ‘fine’.
Let’s stop this, shall we?
Do you remember Maslow’s Hieracy of needs?
The bottom two basics for people’s general well being look at physiological and safety needs. So stuff like decent food and a nice sofa REALLY isn’t what you should be worrying about. However, your concern about whether these sorts of desires are greedy and leaving you frustrated in limbo.
As you’ll now be pretty aware, if you’ve heard my message for any length of time, everything always, ALWAYS comes back to you being rooted and grounded in God first. Desire is no exception. If you’re spending time with God and then something you desire pops into your mind, the Holy Spirit will soon trouble you if that’s greedy, excessive or out of His will. Remember, He sees your heart.
To be honest, even if you desire to have 6-figure months, it all comes back down to the driving force behind that desire and the reason you’re wanting to make it happen. If it’s simply so that you can say you’ve hit a certain money goal, perhaps it DOES need some rethinking. But if it’s because you want to provide well for you and your family and also give generously to the non-profit you’re building and the family members you’re supporting – there’s nothing wrong with the desire.
The only thing which will EVER make a desire ‘bad’ is a bad motive behind it.
You’ve been created to desire, to do good, to build and to grow and actually, to quench that is wrong. Stop feeling guilty about the way you’ve been made. Sure, you can check your entitlement and arrogance at the door, but you’re welcome into the room of exploring desire.
Did you know that luxury is relative?
Again, it ALL comes back down to your heart attitude. For some, running water is a luxury, for others it’s 5* hotels, for some it’s about even being able to stay in a hotel at all.
Do you see what I’m getting at here? The fact that the desire itself, the thoughts of ‘more’ which cross your mind – they’re not ‘wrong’. They’re only wrong if you know that what you’re desiring isn’t something you’re meant to be desirous of. And that’s on you.
And so can we get even more specific?
Can you LIST OUT your desires and get clear on them? Will you ask God about them in prayer? Are you able to set intentions about what you’ll do once those desires have been met?
Because that’s what healthy desire looks like by the way – judgement free and aligned with the will of God. The problem is that so many of us never get to that space because we’re still believing the lie that even having a desire in the first place is wrong.
Time to change that! Make your desires known to God. But here’s a fun fact… He’s probably the one who already made those same desires known to you in the first place. What if it were your own personal ego (and not humility at all!) which was keeping you back from doing and having the things he’s calling you to step into? What if you thought less of yourself and more of God and the mission and vision He’s given you to fulfil in this world – and from there, what if you understood that what’s got you here won’t get you there.
Dare to dream, desire and do BIGGER.
Need to hear some affirming truth like this daily? I’ve written a BRAND NEW free 5-day mini-course called ‘Mindset Matters’ and each day is based on 5 affirmations I’ve written out for you to download and keep. Each day of the course, you’ll receive an email directly to your inbox which will take you through my journey with that particular affirmation in business, as well as the Biblical breakdown of where it’s rooted from. If you know that this downloadable and mini-course are for you, all you have to do is click the link below for FREE access right now. Happy journaling!
The world is waiting for your work.
By the way… If you know you’re ready to finally draw a line in the sand as far as hanging out at hobby status or side hustle goes, I have just the thing. My ‘What’s in Your Hand’ live workshop has been created to empower you with the skillset and mindset you need in order to bring your God-given mission to life using the very gifts, skills & talents you already possess. You’ll walk away with a 4-week action plan and will be ready to get going immediately. To learn more and to register for next week’s workshop, click HERE.