We all have desires in our hearts that we want to accomplish. Many of us have effortlessly tried to achieve our desire, while others have tasted what they were after. It is the very thing that drives us to succeed in the work that we would like to achieve. Whether the desire is to own a home, start a business, embark on a new career journey, go to college, get married, have children, or even deeper desires that reign heavily in the heart of many people, the desire to be loved, seen, protected, admired, and so on. The Oxford Dictionary defines desire as a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. And with desire being our drive, we tend to make it happen, unaware of the dangers of the pursuit. Desire without discipline is dangerous and unhealthy. Desire will burn inside of you until it is fed. When our desires become the leading factor in our lives, we open ourselves to destruction because of the lack of control that can lead to encountering such experiences. We tend to ignore the warning signs or turn a blind eye to bad behaviors. This will cause us to encounter dangerous territory even when we have the right desire but no discipline.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, discipline is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. Many of us lack self-control in many ways in our lives. And where there is no self-control, problems arise. And some of us ask ourselves how we got here and must accept that our lack of self-control led us to darkness and destruction.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” There is protection and correction when you delight yourselves in God. He will lead and instruct as you pursue his purpose and his promise. He will guide you on the right paths for his namesake. Even running after the things of God and not abiding in God is dangerous and will lead to destructive choices and behaviors because everything that looks right isn’t right. We all have desires; desire drives us to the finish line, but desire without discipline is dangerous.
David, the king of Israel, had the desire to have intimacy with Bathsheba, another man’s wife, and because he showed no discipline in his pursuit, he caused pain to all parties involved. ( 2nd Samuel 11:2) His desire without discipline put him in a bad situation and caused him to stumble onto a path of darkness. But God, who is faithful in his love towards us, led him back on the right path after David’s repentance, and what he once desired became his, the right way.
God will give you your heart desires if you walk according to his will and his way. (James 4:2-17) Desires drive us to our destiny, but without discipline, it will cause us to stumble onto a path of destruction.
Have a great day, peeps.
