Proverbs 18:1 – “ Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.” I find in this verse the mechanism by which any Christian can grow in their spirituality. We know that Jesus promised that if we were to seek then we would find. So, how should someone seek out the Lord? Diligently. Notice the verse says that after a man separates himself that then he seeks. In order to seek we must first detach from anything that would hinder our search. But what causes someone to seek in the first place? Every saint has the ability to seek after the Lord, but why doesn’t every saint pursue Christ? The key to seeking, and then dwelling in what we find, is found in the second word of our text. Desire.
DESIRE is that internal act, which, by influencing the will, makes us proceed to action. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) Desire is the inward mechanism by which we shape our own will. Desire is born from either emotion or mental excitement, without passion there is no desire. You have no desire to go to the doctor unless you have the stimulus of being sick. You have no desire to show affection towards someone if you have not kept kindled your passion for them. Some of those that have been saved have love for God, but no desire. Someone else or something else has their desire because they love that person or thing more. Desire is not all inclusive, you can only desire one thing at one. You do not desire two things, you desire the one which you have more passion for. Desire is black and white. Either you do, or you do not, desire.
So how then do we ensure that our desire is fixed upon the Lord and ensure our desire is not stolen away? We must increase our passion for the Lord and find ample excitement to keep both our hearts and minds stayed upon Him. Through study we find more than enough in the Bible to both blow our minds and excite a curiosity to know more. Through prayer we make known our desires and can petition the Lord to remove those passions which interfere with our desire for Him. Through fellowship we grow our love for the Lord by pursuing our relationship with Him.
Whatever we are most passionate about, or whatever excites our mind the most, we will desire. No qualifying statements. No “buts.” No exceptions. It is true. So when our desire fades, we must separate ourselves to reigniting our love for the Lord. I can promise there is no shortage of reasons to love the Lord. I can likewise promise that there is no shortage of things to both excite and captivate us in His word. You simply have to want Him more than you want other distractions.
Your fellowservant in Christ, Bro. Jordan Foster
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