What I Want

Take a few minutes sometime and listen to what people say in normal, casual conversation. You likely won't have to wait long before an unfulfilled desire gets mentioned. It could be going on vacation, a new electronic gadget, a new clothing or jewelry item, a new toy (kids and adults apply here!), a new car and the list goes on. Face it, we all have things we want--most of which we probably don't really need--but we want it anyway.

Not all of our wants fall into the category of sin, but the desire to have things we aren't supposed to have goes all the way back to the original sin in the Garden. God commanded Adam and Eve to enjoy and eat from every tree in the Garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). We then see that Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve and both she and Adam ate from the forbidden tree (3:1-6). The enemy challenged the validity of God's command (v.1), he replaced God truth with his own lie (v.4), he made Eve believe that God was withholding something great from her (v.5) and he made the forbidden tree seem more appealing than the multitude of trees God provided (v.6). Yes, the enemy's schemes haven't changed much, have they?

The fall of man and the introduction of sin into God's prefect creation came as the result of man's desiring something they were forbidden to have. And just as the devastation of the original sin has plagued mankind for thousands of years, our misguided desires, our "what I wants", have the same potential to wreak havoc in our lives. The moment we begin to believe the enemy's lie that our Heavenly Father is withholding his best from us, that He doesn't want us to have things we really want and that his cheap substitute is better than God's provision is the moment we slide down a slippery slope.

We must remain sober and vigilant because our enemy is prowling and seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Don't let it be you! Stay grounded in God's Word and remind yourself daily that God is working all things for your good (Romans 8:28) and that Jesus himself is our advocate to the Father (1 John 2:1). Make sure the "what I wants" in your life are in harmony with what the Lord wants for you as well.