increasing our desire for God

When our passion for God is greater than our desire for other things, the appeal of other things, fades. This enables us to turn away and not seek them as our chief thing - i.e. as our God.

But how do we increase our desire for God? We must start with faith. 

Other things are usually more alluring and give greater immediate gratification than pursuing God. However, when we ¹believe God is superior - even if He doesn't feel like it in the moment - this strengthens our desire for Him i.e. our desires and actions fall in line when we pursue God by faith. Stepping out in faith on the ²promise of partaking in more of His love, beauty, wisdom, integrity, power, etc increases our passion for God, reducing the need to experience these before we step out. We are told on five different occasions "the just shall live by faith" for good reason.

But to do so takes ³incredible faith. To take up our cross and deny ourselves is difficult because it is contrary to our natural feelings and desires. We are asked to walk away from anything we normally derive a sense of pleasure, meaning, purpose and love from in the belief that God is greater. A Cross is painful. It feels more like death than life. 

And it is. It is death to self-gratification and self-salvation. But this is where God best meets us, and we experience His power most. As Paul stated, when he is weak - in his natural strength - he is strong in His dependence on God and his actions for Him. We can deny ourselves something we desire more at the moment, if and when we believe God is ultimately a superior pursuit - even though the allure of something else feels greater and God may not feel superior at that moment.

In short, if our faith is ³great enough, it will carry us forward in obedience, stirring in us a desire for more of God. If we are having difficulty in obeying God, we don't redouble our efforts, we must feed and strengthen our faith. 

Recap and summary

We can deny ourselves something we desire more than God when we believe He is a superior pursuit - even though the allure of something else feels greater and God may not feel superior. When we believe God is superior - even if He doesn't feel like it at the moment - it increases our desire for Him - i.e. our desires fall in line with our actions of pursuing God by faith. Stepping out in faith on the integrity of His character, love, power, wisdom, beauty for us, etc. versus our feelings often results in a greater passion/feelings for God. 

However, taking up our cross and denying ourselves is not an enjoyable feeling. A cross is painful. It feels more like death than life. But it is also where God meets us and we experience His power. As Paul stated when he is weak - in self-reliance - he is strong in his dependence on God.

A recap.

So the question becomes, how do we increase our faith? We are told faith comes by hearing. Hearing what? The word(s) - ²promises - of God. Promises of what? About ⁴who God is; that God is for us, not against us and loves us with infinite boundless love. The greatest evidence of this is what Christ did to restore us back to His Father. If God gave us that which we needed most - removal of our condemnation and shame so we would be restored back into good standing and relationship with the infinitely loving and beautiful God - how much more is He willing to give us everything else necessary to know Him more? We must remind ourselves of all that God has done for us to strengthen our trust in the promises of what He has yet to do for us. 

For a discussion on how God addresses our two greatest needs through Christ, click here.

For a further discussion on self-denial, click here. 
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¹There are various kinds or levels of belief. I am not talking about belief-faith on a casual level but at the level we would stake our very lives on. That is the belief God calls us to. 

A story to illustrate. 

Jason was laid off from work unexpectedly. After a few weeks, as hard as he tried, he couldn't find anything. So he ran an idea by Chad while working out one day - they were formally on the same high school gymnast team and regularly worked out together.  

Jason said, "since I have always been athletic with a great sense of balance, and also want to launch out with a business of my own, I was thinking I could walk across the small canyon on a tight rope pushing a wheelbarrow. You know the one just outside of town. I'll use the publicity to launch myself as a personal trainer and build a clientele. What do you think? Do you think I can pull it off?" 

Chad said, "You were the state champion, so if anyone can do it, you can Jason. I think you should go for it. " 

So Jason began training. Chad had some media experience and contacts, so he offered to reach out to his contacts to promote the event. Chad believed in Jason that much, and Jason trusted Chad would do an outstanding job. 

As things progressed, Jason would periodically ask Chad, "do you really think I can pull this off?" Chad always replied, "Absolutely. If anyone could do it, it's you." Being encouraged by Chad's support, he continued.

Finally, several weeks later, the day of the big event had come. As they set everything up, the crowd and the local media started showing up to capture it all. They estimated there were at least 1000 people there. 

Jason and Chad were excited but nervous. As Jason positioned himself on the rope with the wheelbarrow, he looked over at Chad one last time and asked, "do you really think I can do this?" Without hesitation, Chad said,"absolutely," to which Jason replied, "Great, get in the wheelbarrow." 

There is a difference between saying we believe God and getting in the wheelbarrow. When God asks us to trust Him, He's saying get in the wheelbarrow. 

²And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Heb 11:6 

What is the nature of our reward? It is experiencing more of God who is the source of life, love, and all things. For more on this click here.

³And incredible faith occurs when we see more and more of how huge, loving, wise, etc. God is. If you have small faith, it is only because your understanding of God is small. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you more so your faith becomes greater. 

⁴This is why it's vital we go to God and his promises regularly. Call it quiet time, or a time of worship or devotion. What it's called doesn't matter; what occurs during that time does. 

This is also why meeting together with fellow believers is vital. It stirs our faith and helps us see God in action in the lives of others. All these things remind us of God's faithfulness and stir us to greater faith.