What is it that you desire most? Most of us go around the world full of desires that we aren’t even aware of. What we desire is very relevant to our spiritual life.

Getting to the place that we desire to be one with God the way Jesus did is thegoal of our Christian journey. This is no easy task. There are so many otherworldly desires that get in the way.

How do you transform your desires? First, you need to recognize what it is thatyou really desire. I encourage you to make a list of your desires. You will beproud of some that you can list—you desire to see your children love andserve God, you desire to help your neighbor. There will be other desires thatyou must honestly admit. You desire to have a bigger house, you want a greatvacation. Remember, you cannot desire God on your own. These worldly desiresare normal and natural. Don’t be embarrassed by honestly admitting thatyou desire to impress your boss. What you need to do is boldly admit what isreally in your heart, the good the bad, and the ugly.

God knows that you are but dust (Psalms 103:14). He doesn’t expect youto be able to desire Him in your own strength. But, when you let the desire toknow God surface to the top of your desires, God is quick to respond to yourneed. God says that He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalms 37:4).Some of us only remember the second part of that verse. God will give you thedesires of your heart. But the first part states, Delight yourself in theLord and he will give you the desires of your heart. You won’t beable to delight yourself in God unless you get rid of the desires that take theplace of delight in Him.

The next step you need to take to rid yourself of your wicked desires. God tellsus that our hearts are so deceitful we cannot even know how much (Jeremiah 17:9).This is where we need God’s help. If we are ever going to be free to desireHim and delight in Him, we need Him to help us stop desiring other things. Godis happy to give this help if we ask.

The first step to desiring God is becoming aware of all the other desires thatreplace Him in your life. You will need His help to overcome these other desires.Why not take some time today to purge yourself from your desires, so you canmake room in your heart to desire God. Take out a sheet of paper and simply listthe desires, good and bad, that live inside your heart. Don’t judge themas right or wrong, just list them. Acknowledge they are there. Seal them up inan envelope and put them away until next week. When you open the letter nextweek, see if any of your desires have been transformed. God can help you transformyour desires to be like Christ, if you let Him.