When you really want to change …

You feel the tug. The war. The battle. We talked about it here. Your desires going back and forth. How do we win? How are we freed, victorious, sanctified … changed?

We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit changing what we want. He changes our desires. That is why the true work of the Spirit is always from the inside out. He changes what we want, because at the end of the day, we do what we want. The Holy Spirit changes us by changing what we want.

This is why those New Year Resolutions only work for so long without the power of the Holy Spirit changing what we want. Unless God changes our desires we WILL ditch our New Year’s goals by Valentine’s Day. Because at the end of the day we do what we want. Only God can change us from the inside out. And how He does that is by changing what we want. He transforms our minds and emotions to align with His plans.

Hannah Whitall Smith said this:

“He will take possession of our will and work it for us … His suggestions will come to us as desires springing up from within. They will originate in our will; we shall feel as though we wanted to do so and so, not as though we must. And this makes a service of perfect liberty; for it is always easy to do what we desire to do, let the accompanying circumstances be as difficult as they may.”

It’s not hard to do what we want to do. He sanctifies us from the inside out by changing what we want.

So, remember how we said that our Christian walk should be characterized by an increasing measure of freedom. Similarly, and even more so, our Christian life should be characterized by an ever-increasing desire for God and for the things of God. Our affections will change. Our desires will change. Not overnight! Sometimes slowly and with much labor and toil and retraining of our hearts, but as we yield to God and walk by the Spirit, He will actually change what we want. And this is the secret of growing in Christ, of sanctification and the free life of bearing fruit that so many miss. That it’s not about only doing the right thing, but letting Him change what we want. So often we remain like spiritual infants because we pray and then expect God to give us what we want. When instead He wants us to pray and ask Him to make us want what He wants. “Lord, make me want what you want. Make me desire what you desire. Or as the song goes, “Break my heart for the things that break yours.”

Get me excited for the things you get excited for. Help me be bothered by the things you’re bothered by.

Just like when we sold our house—it was a change of DESIRE. No oughts or shoulds or obligation. He changed our dreams…

our desires.

Do you see the difference? The heart is the seat of desire. When we pray to be women after God’s own heart, it means we want to be women with a heart like His. That is, we’re praying that God make the seat of our desires like the seat of His desires. Can we pray this together, today, sisters? God, make us want what You want.  Change us from the inside out.

 {Changing with you … Thanks for reading.}

*One practical place to start? Join us in the One Another Challenge: 31 Days to Friendship God’s Way. We’re asking God to change our relationships from the inside out!