Do you have Conflicting Desires?

I found the below 'expression' in one of my 'caverns' written a while ago.

May what is false within us

Before your truth give way

That we may live untroubled

With quiet hearts this day

As I prayed the words above for my morning prayers today, I realized how much we need peace in the midst of our hearts. How many times we are conflicted with contradicting desires? How many of us are fighting deep inside, antagonizing each desire that come our way? How many of us have mixed emotions or worse, excessively expressing our emotion in a wrong way because our desires are not fulfilled?

How many times we can get angry over a small argument and threw tables? How many times we speak harshly to someone who criticize us and more often than not, they are only correcting us because they care? How many times we feel angry because of rejection from someone we are attracted to? How many times we feel envious because our best friend has a better dress, better car or a better house? And in the midst of all these, we are plagued with troubles in our hearts.

Why do we have conflicting desires? This is because our flesh or our body desires differently from our spirit. Our flesh has worldly appetites, even sinful cravings. Inappropriate sexual cravings, excessive food, wealth, fame and the list goes on. When we do not achieve these, we get angry, disappointed and even depressed. But do we really need all these? Paul says in his letter to the Galatians 5:16-17; ‘Live by the spirit, I say and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires is opposed to the spirit, and what the spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.’

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore walking righteously with the Lord, we will find slowly, all these unnecessary cravings and disordered emotions will go away. How do we know if what we desire is not from the Lord? Again, Paul said in Galatians 5:19-21; ‘Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and things like these.’

Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to come to your hearts everyday and be guided by His spirit. Galatians 5:22 and 5:25 tells us that ‘By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. ‘If we live by the spirit, let us be guided by the spirit. Do not be afraid to ask the Holy Spirit to come and change you, to mould you into the person you are meant to be, to fill you with these fruits that Paul mentioned. Only then, you will find peace in your heart and all that is false within you will give way to truth. You will find no more troubled hearts as God slowly realigned your desires with His.

May the good Lord constantly guide you and fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you will be perfected and become more like Christ. Amen.

God bless.