For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
Under the old covenant people laboriously struggled and miserably failed to relate and fellowship with God because they had to do everything by themselves in their own strength.
They had to cast out of their hearts evil desires and strenuously cultivate the right desires. They had to love God with all their soul, and strength.
But under the New Covenant God has done everything in Christ and we only respond positively to His accomplished work.
He’s not commanding us to work up or force ourselves to have certain desires or passions. We don’t even have to ask God to give us this desire or the other desire.
He Himself has already put His desires in us. He Himself is the new desire in our hearts.
Haggai 2:7 (SLT) And I shook all nations, and the desire of all nations came; and I filled this house with glory, said Jehovah of armies.
Christ is the desire of all nations. This doesn’t mean that everyone on earth or even in the Church has come to the full realization that Christ is their true desire, that He is everything they will ever need or want, that He alone truly fully satisfies.
But as far as God is concerned, in His perfect knowledge, Christ is everything that all creation needs. Christ is the new God kind of desire in our hearts.
Christ in us is God’s glorious riches among the nations. Colossians 1:27.
Everything that God is and has is in Christ (Colossians 2:9) and Christ is in us. Therefore all of God is already in us.
Everything that God desires is in our hearts through Christ who lives in us.
The love of God is already poured out into our hearts. Romans 5:5. This is a new desire that God Himself put into us. We can now love not just with our soul and strength but with the very love of our Heavenly Father. We can now love exactly as God Himself loves – unconditionally, sacrificially, steadfastly, faithfully, and everlastingly.
The very life of God is in us through Jesus who is in us.
1John 5:11-13 (NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has Life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have Life. I have written this to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have Eternal Life.
We can now live not just by sheer will power and human effort but by this very Eternal Life of God. We can live exactly like God lives – abundantly, victoriously, fulfilled and satisfied.
Set your mind on, stay conscious of Christ in you and you will effortlessly engage and express the new godly, righteous, holy life and godly desires in your heart.
You will love, forgive, live, give, serve and thrive effortlessly. You will follow, flow and flourish in divine purposes and pursuits automatically with ease.
Whether it’s a desire of an academic pursuit, a relationship, marriage, ministry, ministry gift, career, business, hobby or any other interest, it all comes out of your heart and you’ll always have that beyond the shadow of a doubt assurance that it is of God when you’re always conscious of Christ in you the hope of glory.