What Do You Want?
By Michael A. Verdicchio

God has promised Christians that He will give us the desires of our heart. That is a very big promise from a very big God!

What do you want? Can you name five things off the top of your head that you want? Do you want to have a better marriage, more income, a better job, better health or more time?

When you want something, you are actually admitting to yourself that you are in a state of lack. You wish you had something, but you don't have it. (And, if you start wanting it badly, that just reinforces that fact that you don't have it.) Let me explain.

When you just "want something," it emphasizes and puts all the focus on that want, what it is that you lack. Your focus and attention stays on the fact that you don't have it. What you focus on is what you will manifest in your life.

What you focus on is evidenced by how you speak about it. And, the words you say and think are many times a reflection of what you believe in your heart. That is why what you say and think is so important.

For example, if you say, "I want a better job," what does that communicate to your mind? First, it reminds you that for some reason you are not happy with your current job. The word "want" communicates that something is lacking. But "wanting" is just a fixed state of mind without any action. When you say, "I'm not happy with my current job," and "I want a better job," not only are you focusing on lack, you really aren't doing anything about your situation.

But, when you decide to take some action to change your situation, you move from just "wanting" to pursuing. That makes a big difference.

Wanting something is very passive. But, if you really desire something, you pursue it; you go after it. To have a desire for something requires attention and energy. Having a desire is active and aggressive.

Make no mistake; this is not a game of semantics. Life is no game either. Christians who go through life "wanting this" and "wishing for that" spend their whole lives just wanting and wishing. But Christians who really desire something have passion, energy, and a decisive attitude to see it come to pass. They are motivated to take action. They actively seek to achieve instead of complaining about what they don't have.

Wanting something indicates that you lack something. You are without something, you are not sufficient or you are coming up short somewhere. By using the word "want" in referring to your situation, you only remind yourself of all that you don't have.

Just look up the word "want" in the dictionary and see what it means. Substituting the dictionary definitions of the word "want," the above example would read, "I am without a better job," or, "I am lacking a better job." Now, perhaps you would never go so far as to say it that way, but it is very important to understand just what certain words really communicate to our minds.

On the other hand, using a couple of the definitions of "desire," the above example would read, "I am longing for a better job," or, "I am craving a better job." There is quite a difference isn't there? Can you see the passion in the latter?

Most Christians can quickly name five things that they "want." But how many can you name that you "desire?" In other words, what is it in your life that you are passionate about, that you are willing to actively pursue and that you have an earnest desire to see come to pass?

It is a simple key. Saying you, "want this" and "want that" doesn't change anything. It only reminds you of your current situation in life. But when you change the word "want" to the word, "desire," things can change. Why? If you truly desire something, you will start taking action. Taking action is an important step towards seeing it come to pass.

Are your goals things that you "want," or are they things that you "desire"? Do you just want a better job, or do you desire to have a better job? If you desire a better job then that is something that you will actively pursue until it comes to pass.

I'm not saying that using the word "want" is self-defeating or self-destructive. You may very well say, "I want a better job, and because I want a better job, I am going to do something about it." That kind of statement has moved from passive to active. It has passion and direction. A statement like that is far from someone just saying, "I wish I had a better job.

Christians should have no lack. Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want!"

What is it that you really desire? Write those things down, and when you look at them, don't just wish that you had them, don't stay passive, get active. Start pursuing! And, ask God to help you, because He said in the Bible that He would give you the "desires" of your heart.