What do you want? We ask and get asked some version of this question every single day. We ask a friend, “What do you want to do tonight when we get off work?” We ask our kids, “What do you want to wear to school today?” Just know that question gets easier when they go to a school where they have to wear uniforms. We ask our boss, “What do you want me to do with this client?” We ask it every year to those people who are impossible to buy for: “What do you want for Christmas this year?”

We’ve already learned in this series that this is an important question for us to ask God:‍

God, what do you want me to do?

But does He ever ask us this question? Or to say it a different way, is God remotely interested in what I want?

‍When it comes to God’s plan, do our desires matter?

Some of us see God as a tyrant who never wants to give us what we want. If we’re honest, some of us think God will usually give us the exact opposite of what we want.

There are two different places in Mark 10 where Jesus asks this exact question:

‍“What do you want me to do for you?” – Jesus

Others of us picture God as being more like Santa Claus. In our minds, God’s whole reason for existing is so he can give us whatever we want, whenever we want it.

Well Jesus also said this:

‍Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Which is it? Does Jesus really want to know what we want or does He just want us to get rid of what we want? It is even possible that it could be both?

Think about where your desires have taken you throughout your life. 

It is your desires that have led to you making a difference in the world.

It’s also your desires that have brought destruction to your life and the lives of others.

It is your desires that have led you to have children.

It’s also your desires that have caused you to choose work over your family.

Your desires have made you worship God.

And yet, your desires have also led to you walking away from God.

What we want matters…to us and to God. So, what do you want? Are you sure you really want that?

‍desire – to long for, want, or covet

Because we’re all human, we carry a mixed bag of desires. We have these noble desires within us, but that’s not all that’s there. We also have some unholy desires.

James 1:13-15 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.

“You do you” is the worst advice ever. I mean, have you met you? Our flesh has cravings and desires, that when fully grown, lead to death.

We’ve got to be careful with our natural desires. But is there a way to develop supernatural desires?

Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

When we are filled with the Spirit and walking with the Spirit, our desires are transformed. I want to be careful about trusting my own desires, but I can fully trust what the Spirit living in me desires.

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

This is the formula we’ve been looking for. We want a God who gives us the desires of our hearts. This happens for those who take delight in God. To delight in God means to find pleasure and joy in who He is. Guess what happens to someone who delights in God? Their desires begin to look more and more like God’s desires. They begin to see what God sees, to want what God wants, and to love what God loves. Here’s what I hope we would all seek after:

‍Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

So we want to die to our sinful and unholy desires. Hopefully, we at least want to become people after God’s own heart. But what do we do with the neutral desires we have? One of the Scriptures I pray for people is this one:

Psalm 20:4 May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

We tell God what we want Him to do, but we do so with our hearts surrendered to His will over our own will.

‍The person who can most trust their desires is the one who is a person after God’s own heart.

James 4:13-17 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

It appears as though James is writing to a group of people who are arrogant and presumptuous about their future. It would be like us overhearing an entrepreneur in a coffee shop stating his or her long-term plans, even before they launched the company. We’ll do this and we’ll raise this much money. And we’ll add a second product. And we’ll expand to these 5 cities. And it’ll just keep going. 

James is like, “Hold on. You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring. Your life is a vapor, a mist. Instead say something like this, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we would love to do this or that.” You do not have control over all the affairs of your life. You are not in charge of the future, the world, or even your own life.

I have lots of desires for the rest of my life. Desires related to my marriage. Desires related to my children. Desires for my role here at Epic and for our church’s future together. Desires for impact I want to make beyond my role here at Epic. I have desires about where I want to travel and all kinds of other things.

But I want to want God’s will more than I want my desires. I’m thankful that God invites me to express those desires…while simultaneously calling me to surrender those desires to Him. See, I think this is the heart of the whole desire thing – our willingness to both express our desires to God AND surrender those desires to God.

Naturally we all lean more towards one of these than the other. Which is it for you? Is it easy for you to express your desires to God, but hard for you to surrender them? Or is it so uncomfortable for you to express your desires to God, that you jump straight to, “God, your will be done!” Jesus shows us how to do both at the same time.

Mark 14:35-36 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Let’s put this into practice starting today:

God, I desire _________________. But more than wanting my desires, help me to want what you want.

Crucify, rather than follow, your unholy desires.

We don’t have to feel guilty for our natural desires, but we cannot let them master us. Remember, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. A desire for sex outside of God’s design. A desire for wealth that’s all about selfish gain. A desire for accomplishment so the world thinks we’re special.

Express the deepest desires of your heart.

God, I want to be a mother. I want to find a spouse. I want this specific job at this exact company. I want this for my child. I desire this particular kind of provision. I want you to help us fund the buildout at 414 Brannan Street.

Peter was writing about what happens in people who experience this transformation when he wrote this:

1 Peter 4:2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

This is possible for you. And it’s possible for thousands of people who will step into 414 Brannan in the future.

In a few minutes, I’m going to pray for us. When I say, “Amen”, we’ll all stand and if you’re part of this church, we’ll come and bring our gifts and commitments forward and lay them on the stage as a sign of our participation in what God is going to do through HOME 2.0. If you didn’t come prepared to give today, zero pressure. Let me encourage you to take that envelope home, pray about your commitment, and you can send it in the mail this week. That way, we’ll be able to include you when we reveal our total commitment on October 16. For those of you who have already made commitments, join us in this sacred moment by bringing a blank envelope to the stage.

As we bring our gifts and commitments, let’s also bring our desires. God, here’s what we want you to do with this. But more than what we want, we want what you want.