The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Desire

The one who is faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and listens to the call of the Spirit of God is a rare commodity in today’s church and society. The desires of the heart are given to those who humble themselves and pray and seek the face of God. Even this is not achievable apart from a repentant heart. We must realize that true spiritual desire, hungering and thirsting after the righteousness of God, is only given through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that if they would hunger and thirst for righteousness, then they would be filled. Are you ready to be filled with the things of God or bound by the world and its pleasures?

The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Desire

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 NKJV)

The Bible-believing, Holy Spirit-driven Christian has a focus and a desire that is truly narrow in terms of their knowledge and understanding. Wow! What a statement! But, it is true in its implications. The idea that this is displaying for the average church goer in the modern church is that the person who fits this description is very rare. The sad and more true portion of this idea is that most people who claim to be Christians, either believe they are that person or believe that the above description is for specially called people. This is far from the truth. Keep in mind, Jesus was preaching to men who were very new to His teachings. They had been likely taught in the synagogues and by their fathers in the homes all their lives. But, the reality is that they probably were not deeply versed in the scriptures.

Jesus began teaching His new followers the essentials concerning kingdom living. We have looked at the foundational teachings as Jesus saw them. God is a God of order and everything in the beatitudes is order to their core. A true follower of Jesus must first be humble. Then, they must be repentant and have a mournful heart. The natural flow from there is that a person must evidence meekness, or kindness, gentleness, goodness. All those are great, but there must flow action from the heart. The point that your life is changed is seen in the desires of your life. What do you desire? What is your passion in life? Jesus said that they would be blessed if they hungered and thirsted for righteousness, God’s righteousness. Most people would say “I really want to be a doctor!” or “My desire is to help people!” But, Jesus said that you will be blessed if your greatest desire is for righteousness? Did Jesus say that you would be blessed if some of your desire is for His righteousness? No! He said that you would be blessed if you hunger and thirst after righteousness! This is saying that you will be blessed if all your passion and desire is for the righteousness of God. He said that if you hunger and thirst for His righteousness, then you will be filled. What a promise!

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5:20)

Jesus goes on to say to His newly chosen disciples concerning righteousness that they must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees or they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. This speaks to lack of righteousness of those leaders. This tells the reader of their status as to God and what He thinks of their selfish form of righteousness. He is saying to them, “do not strive to be like those who claim the righteousness of God and do not know what that means. Strive, hunger and thirst with all your being, for the righteousness of God only. The scribes and Pharisees were seeking the glory for themselves and not for God. They believed that since they had full access to the scriptures, they were the only ones who knew their meaning. Therefore, the righteousness of God was theirs and theirs alone. No one could ever know and understand the scriptures except them.

God’s gracious mercy has given us all that we will ever need to serve Him per His Will. The greatest gift that God has given those who truly desire His righteousness is the Holy Spirit. There is no way a person can walk in the righteousness of God on their own. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables and enables the person seeking the righteousness of God, to find it. Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is the only means available to achieve the righteousness of God? Do you live as if the Holy Spirit is the only means by which you enter the Holiness of God? The righteousness of God means right thinking and right living before God. Is this your passion and desire?

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?

(Psalm 42:1-2 NKJV)

The picture the psalmist is painting here is that of deep spiritual longing for the Living God. It is beautiful and an amazing visual of where our desire as believers should focus. Those who have ever been in the forests and observed a deer as they run effortlessly through thick under brush. You think, “wow, they make no effort and every stride is so fluid!” Then, they finally stop by the stream and you realize that once they stop their breathing almost seems laborious and they begin to drink. Suddenly, their ears stand straight and head pops up in alarm of something that you never heard in the stillness of the forest. As suddenly as it stopped, the deer runs into full stride to escape the perceived threat. This is how the Christian must be toward God. The psalmist writes that in this same manner so his soul desires for God. His soul thirsts for the Living God. The writer wants more than anything to be in the presence of the Lord God. Is this your spiritual desire, not just for eternity, but now?

When we truly desire the righteousness of God, we are seeking Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Jesus told His disciples that they are blessed when they hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Holy Spirit is given to those who love the Lord God with all their hearts, minds, souls and strengths and love one another as Christ loves us. It is not easy for a child of God to maintain their relationship and live in a sinful world. But, it is only through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer that we can achieve the righteousness of our hearts desire. If you love the Lord Jesus Christ, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into all righteousness for His name’s sake. Are you willingly desiring the righteousness of God? If not, is He and only He the true desire of your heart? Think on these things as you go through your week.

Let us Pray:

Heavenly Father, may Your grace abound throughout my life. May I hunger and thirst daily for Your righteousness and Yours alone. My one desire is to be like You and to live in Your in Will. I desire a deeper relationship with You and I am seeking a more intimate relationship with You. Cleanse me that I may become white as snow before You, O Lord my God. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.