Our society has bought into the philosophy that there is (or ought to be) a remedy (preferably quick and easy) for every unfulfilled longing.
We are encouraged to identify our longings and do whatever is necessary to get those “needs” met. Therefore . . . if you’re hungry, eat. If you want something you can’t afford, charge it. If you crave romance, dress or act in a way that will get men to notice you. If you’re lonely, share your heart with that married man at work.
The next time you’re in the grocery store, take a quick look at the women’s magazines at the checkout counter. The covers are filled with offers that promise to satisfy all your longings:
• 99 Ways to Look Better, Feel Better, Enjoy Life More!• Snack Off Weight• Look Gorgeous When It’s 100 Degrees• 25 Secrets to Looking Young• The Easy Life: Fun Jobs, Cool Dresses, Wild Fantasies, and Smart
Solutions
At best, this way of thinking has left many women still unfulfilled, still groping, still searching for something to fill the inner emptiness.
At its worst, this deception has caused enormous heartache and bondage. It is at the heart of much anxiety, resentment, and depression. This lie has led countless women to trade in their virginity for a warm body and the promise of companionship. It has led married women to seek fulfillment in the arms of a man at work who claimed to care about her feelings. It has led many young people down the aisle of a church to exchange wedding vows for all the wrong reasons. And it has led a high percentage of those same couples down the aisle of a divorce court—all in an effort to satisfy their deep, unfulfilled inner longings.
“Carmen” shares where this lie led her:
Believing that I should not have to live with unfulfilled longings, I got what I wanted when I wanted it. Clothes, trips to Europe, or weekends away—put on credit cards or financed some way, until I had approximately $7,000-$10,000 debt by the time I was twenty-two. The other thing I desired and felt like I needed now was a man—consequently, I would date men I was not even interested in or men that I knew only wanted to sleep with me. To have dates, I would occasionally go ahead and have sex just to feel accepted.
What is the truth that sets us free from the bondage of this deception?
First, we have to recognize that we will always have unfulfilled longings this side of heaven (Romans 8:23). In fact, if we could have all our longings fulfilled down here, we would easily be satisfied with staying here, and our hearts would never long for a better place.
It is important to understand that our inner longings are not necessarily sinful in and of themselves. What is wrong is demanding that those longings be fulfilled here and now, or insisting on meeting those longings in illegitimate ways.
Until God provides the legitimate context to fulfill our longings, we must learn to be content with unfulfilled longings.
The second truth is that the deepest longings of our hearts cannot be filled by any created person or thing. This is one of the most liberating truths I have discovered in my own pilgrimage. For years, I looked to people and circumstances to make me happy. Time after time, when they failed to come through, I would find myself disgruntled and disappointed.
The truth is, every created thing is guaranteed to disappoint us. Things can burn or break or be stolen or get lost. People can move or change or fail or die. It took the loss of some of my dearest loved ones some years ago to waken me to the truth that I would always live in a state of disappointment if I was looking to people to satisfy me at the core of my being.
Adapted from Lies Women Believe—And The Truth That Sets Them Free! by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Copyright 2001. Published by Moody Press and used by permission.
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on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 10:16 am
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 10:30 am
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 11:02 am
Hebrews 13:5-6 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."
All I need is Jesus.
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 12:57 pm
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 3:19 pm
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 3:31 pm
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 6:06 pm
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 7:36 pm
on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 9:01 pm
on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 6:44 am
on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 3:52 pm
on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Obviously it is no accident you came to this page while you were seeking something to fill that sense of longing. God fills those longings through His Son, Jesus.
God desires a relationship with you, Sara. He's made this relationship possible by sending His Son.
That inner void is filled through a relationship with the Lord—a personal relationship with the Lord. The place to start to fulfill the longing in your heart is to trust in the Lord for His salvation and allow the Holy Spirit to work within you to satisfy.
How do you receive Him? We know from the Bible that we are all sinners and separated from a holy, righteous God (Rom. 3:23). Because of our sin we deserve death. But God has made the payment for our sins through the death of His son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). It is important to understand that what makes a person a follower of Christ is the decision to turn from our sin and accept that Jesus’ payment for our sins is sufficient to pay the price for them. The debt has been paid and we can enjoy eternal life in the presence of God if we will accept the perfect gift of His Son.
Trusting Him is a matter of decision, an act of your will. Think through this excerpt from HomeLife magazine:
•By nature, your heart runs from God and rebels against Him. The Bible calls this “sin.” Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Yet God loves you and wants to save you from sin, to offer you a new life of hope. John 10:10 says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
•To give you this gift of salvation, God made a way through His son, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
•You receive this gift by faith alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
•Faith is a decision of your heart demonstrated by genuine repentance and changed actions in your life. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
•If you are choosing right now to believe Jesus died for your sins and to receive new life through Him, pray a prayer similar to this, accepting Him and thanking Him for your new life:
Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died to forgive me of my sins. I now accept Your offer of eternal life. Thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Thank You for my new life. From this day forward, I will choose to follow You.
God bless you, Sara, as you find the Lord your sufficiency. There is nothing like it!
on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Again Thank you,
on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 2:07 am
on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 2:00 am
on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 10:53 pm
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:03 am
Do you know someone who you can tell so that they can pray with you and hold you accountable--maybe your pastor's wife, your women's ministry leader, a godly aunt?? Bringing sin into the light diffuses the enemy's hold. Praying with another believer brings hope. Consider it.
There is nothing in ourselves that is worth holding on to in exchange for the forgiveness and cleansing from the Lord. (! John 1:9) Find that freedom today, Kelly. I am praying for you now.
"I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people [Kelly], trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8)
on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 1:52 pm