Deep Spiritual Aspects God Wants to Instill in Us
What if we knew God wanted deep spiritual aspects for our Christian lives?
These aspects, once instilled in us, help us on our spiritual journey, but are different than what we often want.
What’s happening in our world confirms this truth: we have zero control over most things in life.
Still, the Lord never created us for control. Control was always meant to remain with Him.
“For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:28 (ESV)
Instead, our heavenly Father created us for dependency on Him.
So there are deep spiritual aspects the Lord wants for our good and His glory.
Here, we will discuss 4 of these and compare each to what we might prefer.
(1.) God wants our surrender, not our sufficiency: Deep Spiritual Aspects
Although your struggles and needs may look different than mine, we all experience the same moments of desperation.
Like the kind that makes us hope we are all cried out, or question our faith, or pray the same prayer over and over.
But we hold the power not to let it affect the trajectory of our lives. Our power comes in focusing on how complete God is, not how incomplete we are. We concentrate on our heavenly Father’s sufficiency, not of our shortage.
To do this, we put the spotlight on God’s power and glory. Total serenity comes in placing our hope in the Lord alone. We fully surrender to who He is as God and Lord over our lives.
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:4 (ESV)
Prayer: Lord, help me surrender to You. Because in You, I find true sufficiency. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God wants our surrender, not our sufficiency. Lord, help me surrender to You. Because in You, I find true sufficiency. Share on X(2.) God wants our wholeness more than our want.
Do we know what we want today, tomorrow, or next year?
God desires we walk in His fullness. Further, He never desires we fear what-ifs, lack, or the future. Because our fears often derail us from the path to wholeness.
There are many things God wants for us and one important thing He wants from us. He wants us to give our “wants” over to Him. Then, as we let God reveal to us all the good He wants for us, it changes the way we think and the way we live.
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 (ESV)
Prayer: God, I give all my wants over to You. You alone make me whole as You fill me with the fullness of the deity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(3.) God wants our growth, not our gain: Deep Spiritual Aspects
When something troubling happens to us, it plagues our mind. But it doesn’t have to stay with us forever.
Instead, we become a student in God’s classroom to see what He teaches us and to grow in Him. Growing changes us. As we grow in God’s principles and truths, we are not interested in gaining the upper hand in life. But we are interested in gaining the victory in Christ.
And we stay near to God. When God is near, the enemy has no choice but to hightail it out of our life.
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18a (ESV)
Prayer: Father, grow me as a student of the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Make me a faithful student of Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Father, grow me as a student of the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Make me a faithful student of Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Share on X(4.) God wants our deliverance more than our desire.
Sometimes we desire big things in life, and we hope in their fulfillment. Maybe we desire the wrong things. Or, we want all the hard parts of our lives to go away.
Even though there’s still unsettling circumstances or still uncertainty. The promises of God still remain true and still stand firm.
We look ahead knowing our Deliverer will come through. Whatever today brings, we claim God’s promises. Whatever tomorrow holds, we trust in God’s direction.
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)
Prayer: God, let Your desires for me become my desires. Help me trust You as my Deliverer over the hard parts of life. Remind me Your promises still remain true and stand firm. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God, let Your desires for me become my desires. Help me trust You as my Deliverer over the hard parts of life. Remind me Your promises still remain true and stand firm. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Share on X
Which spiritual aspect stands out to you?
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I long to surrender my all to Christ. I am praying for Him to show me the ways. Thank you for this inspiring message. I really needed it.
Glad this spoke to you, Yvonne. I pray we realize how important surrender is to the Lord. “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:4 (ESV)
Wonderful post Ms. Karen. If we’ll only focus on those truths, then I think we’ll find a consistent joy and peace in our life that enables us to become all that God intended us to be. Alas, if only we’d learn to stay out of our own way. 🙂 Thank you for this inspiring post today ma’am.
Thank you, J.D. I like how you said, our focus on these deeper spiritual truths help us find a “consistent joy and peace.” And learning to stay out of our own way is key. Many times when the Bible discusses other gods, I remind myself that “I” sometimes become the other god in my life. Total serenity comes in placing our hope in the Lord alone. We fully surrender to who He is as God and Lord over our lives.
God truly wants us surrendered totally to Him. When we do that, He can give us the fullness of His love and grace.
Blessings, Karen!
Martha, I’m often reminded of the hymn lyric, “I surrender all.” 🙂
A wonderful post, Karen. You’ve shared significant truths here that apply to every one of us who love Jesus. It’s easy to fall into the rut of churchianity, taking Christ out of the equation as we continue to go to church and Sunday School and then church again, thinking we’re doing all we need to do. But the Lord calls us deeper, as you’ve expressed so well here. He wants personal interaction with each one of us. He wants us to turn to Him, to read, believe, and act upon His Word. He wants to be first in our lives, so that we turn to Him first and not to others for our answers and our comforting.
Oh, yes, Melinda. We were created for dependence on God, but even as Christians, we learn independence and to rely on ourselves and others. How sad! And the enemy can use it to keep us from growing in our faith and knowledge of grace and God’s Word. It also can render us ineffective in our Christian walk and influence. Thanks for your insightful comment.
Amen. Trust Him. Seek Him and He will guide us along the way. Beautiful.
Thank you, Melissa. Yes! Whatever today brings, we claim God’s promises. Whatever tomorrow holds, we trust in God’s direction.
Too many of us perceive God to be more like Santa Clause than like Himself. Ease sucks us toward an entitlement mentality. We are here to serve Him, not the other way around.
So true, Nancy. Spiritual entitlement is definitely a perspective we can have whether we care to admit it or not. As we grow in God’s principles and truths, we are not interested in gaining the upper hand in life. But we are interested in gaining the victory in Christ.
Growth, Wholesomeness, Deliverance and Surrender…versus that other which tends to be a burden once I get them. They are that heavy stuff that I need to surrender more often that I care to think about. Thank you for these reminders as they fit into my 2022 word of “diligence.” I am continuously desiring to take the steps towards growing in the Lord, becoming more whole, surrendering and surrendering again, while being delivered from all that is a burden, all that is of this world.
Well said, Linda. And I love your word for this year. I pray our diligence as believers is to grow as a student of the grace and knowledge of Jesus, a faithful student of God’s Word.
Great post, Karen! I used to think maturity meant growing in self-reliance, but this is the opposite. True maturity comes when I realize who is my true leader: The Lord.
Agree 100%, Jessica! Our power comes in focusing on how complete God is, not how incomplete we are. We concentrate on our heavenly Father’s sufficiency, not of our shortage.
Oh. My. Goodness! I’ve written on “control” numerous times, probably because it’s something I struggle with! I love, love, love how you described this:
“Still, the Lord never created us for control. Control was always meant to remain with Him.”
Thanks, Ava. We absolutely learned to desire control and think we need it. I pray to give the reins to the Lord so that He alone reigns supreme.
God wants us to live in a frugal way, not having things in excess, and not owning a lot of things, for the more we have, the more our heart can be glued to these things. The Lord wants to gain our heart; He is not after material possessions or money – He wants to gain *us*, the person. It’s so easy to get caught up in day to day burdens and desires. The empty place in our heart becomes evident, because we are not chasing God, but the worldly things on earth.
( Micah 6:8, ESV ). God’s desire for us is very simple. People complicate things, tacking on rules and man-made laws that ensure frustration and kill the joy in following Christ ( 2 Corinthians 3:6 ). God wants us to love Him with all our hearts and let our obedience stem from a heartfelt desire to be pleasing in His sight.
When we offer what we are and what we have to the Lord, there’s a sweet-smelling fragrance, a fragrant odour, that rises to God; He blesses us and richly cares for us, and He wants to gain us, the person, as we give ourselves with all we are and have to Him.
Amen-
Hey Lisa, Thanks for sharing your thoughts here and adding to the conversation. I daily pray to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, walking in surrender and in godly wisdom will happen more and more often.
# 1 stood out the most to me. “God wants our surrender, not our sufficiency: Deep Spiritual Aspects” I struggle with surrendering it all to God. Not so much the significant trials but the everyday stuff. Thank you for sharing with Grace & Truth. I am pinning your post on my Grace & Truth board. Blessings, Maree
You make a good point, Maree Dee. Sometimes the daily stuff we let slip by our spiritual radar and think it doesn’t matter to hold onto those things instead of surrendering all to God!
Karen, these are all so good. Surrendering to God is the best thing we can do and really is freeing. We realize we are not and never were in control and we don’t have to be. God loves us and we can trust Him fully with our lives. I haven’t been here in a while and I love your website design. Blessings to you, Karen!
Thanks about my site, Gayl. The Lord never created us for control. Control was always meant to remain with Him. So it helps when we let Him instill in us the deeper things of God.
I love that God desires so much of me yet does NOT want those things I am more ‘willing’ to give. I have taken some notes and will be praying about those things I seem rather unwilling to give to my God. Thank you for these reminders/.
That’s a good word for us all, Linda. Sometimes we want to hold onto things that don’t matter when it comes to an etneral perspective.
Amen Sister in JESUS-YESHUA CHRIST-MESSIAH Karen!!
God bless!
I’m so glad that God doesn’t settle for only providing the surface things for us, but goes for our deepest good!
Me too, Lisa. He wants us so much deeper in our relationship with Him and in our spiritual lives. God bless!
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Karen, there is so much God wants to instill in us. May His desires for my life become my desires above all else. Blessings!
Agree, Joanne. God, let Your desires for me become my desires. Help me trust You as my Deliverer over the hard parts of life. Remind me Your promises still remain true and stand firm. In Jesus’ name. Amen.