“The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.”
Proverbs 11:23
You are a New Creation!
As children of God, we are referred to many times throughout the New Testament as a “New Creation.” Jesus even describes us as being born again, not of flesh but of the spirit. It sounds mystical, but it’s the foundation of a rock solid truth we as the church must be rooted in if we are going to grow into the image of Christ here in earth.
As new covenant believers we are to “consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to righteousness!” When you responded to the prompting of Holy Spirit and gave your life to Jesus, you received a new identity- old things passed away, and the new came. Your old self was crucified with Christ on the cross, and the new was raised with him; pure, holy, righteous and blameless in the sight of God! Before you received Christ, it took no effort for you to sin, it was part of your nature because you were born under Adam. The more you matured in the old nature the more complex your sins became. As a Christian, it’s the same concept, but in the opposite direction. The more you abide in Christ and mature as a believer, righteousness increases in your life. It’s not something you have to try to do. It’s the outcome of growing up in your new nature! No human effort will get you there, only a growing relationship with the Spirit of God. The more you see him and know him, the more you become like him.
The key to Spiritual Maturity = Sincere Desire
Rapid growth in Christ is fueled by sincere desire. You don’t have to work harder, read more, pray harder, or sign up for the right Bible study. Learning to release a sincere desire for God is the key. Their isn’t any way around it. If you want anything spiritual to happen in your life, it must begin with a deeply rooted desire for more. Yes, the Word of God, faith, hope and love are a huge part of this, and each of those qualities are intricately connected. But it’s a desire to sincerely know God that will provide you with endurance, focus, passion, and determination. Jesus desire for the father never wavered during His time on earth. Paul’s desire to know Christ is what fueled him to endure many persecutions and trials. We all have a longing for God in our hearts. It’s at the absolute core of every human on the earth. I’m convinced that when anyone discovers their true longing for God, pursuing knowledge of Him will become the number one priority of their lives. After interacting with the person of Holy Spirit and experiencing the presence of Jesus, our hearts will always burn with a desire to know Him more, even if we don’t realize it. As believers our hearts are always crying out “Abba, Father!” But we aren’t always aware of our heart cry.
The pressure isn’t on you to live free from sin, or to try and muster up pure desires. Jesus took that upon himself. It’s already been taken care of. We now have the joy of Knowing God without reservation. The vail has been torn in two, and you have full access to the throne of God to build a relationship with your new dad! He’s the one who purifies you, and he’s the one who gives you new desires!
I hope this blesses you, and leads you into deeper intimacy with the Holy Spirit!
Perfect Peace 