Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

I am going to teach you something today and over the continuing posts on this subject of change—something you may have never heard before. Something that will help you better understand the plan of God and yourself. I’ll start by saying this: Every human being was created with the desire to experience change. Really? Is that true? Every person was created with the desire to change? Yes it is true! People want to mature and improve on their life! People desire it and are afraid of it at the same time. One of the biggest fears of change is the fear of the inability to execute change successfully. People are afraid to attempt change because they know their own track record and the multitude of times they’ve failed in making desired changes. And yet inwardly lurks this never-ending desire to make changes! 

God has embedded three universal desires within the heart of every single human being. Scripture, science, and research all bare this truth out. Those three universal desires all have to do with making changes. The three desires God has embedded within every human heart are, first, the desire to know Him, second, the desire to become Christ-like, and third, the desire to participate in His divine nature so that you can succeed in the changes to become more Christ-like. The Bible talks about mysteries and this is one of the mysteries of the heart!

The universal change that the spirit of every human being yearns for, even though they don’t always consciously recognize it, is to know, understand, and be connected in a peaceful and loving way to God—to learn more about Him and to understand His plan and purpose for life. Everyone experiences or has experienced this desire no matter what they tell you. They long to know the truth regarding God and be reconciled to Him. But many are afraid. They’re afraid for  two primary reasons. They are afraid they’ll get the wrong god, and they are afraid they will fail in their ability to please a holy and righteous God. And so, out of that fear, many quickly push God away and shun Him because they don’t know or understand the depth of God’s love for them. They don’t understand that He isn’t looking for them to succeed or fail. He is looking to give them His love and the free gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. He succeeded for them and so their sins and failures have already been taken care of by Him! Deep down, they will yearn to know the God they mentally deny until the yield to this desire to know Him, and begin to sincerely seek Him.

The second universal desire God has embedded within us is the ongoing desire to become Christ-like. This embedded desire—the desire to become more and more like Jesus—to conform our character, our heart and our purpose to His, is an embedded lifelong desire that stirs a continuing quest for good and godly change! This is a good thing and this desire to be like Jesus is from God as we see in Romans 8:29 (NIV). “…He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…” We also see this in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT2) “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” 

The third universal desire God has embedded in every person is the yearning to participate in the supernatural. I’m not kidding! Why do you think children and adults alike are fascinated with superheroes? Why do you think superheroes play such a significant and lucrative role in the entertainment industry? Since Marvel began it’s film industry in 2007, it has become the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed over $17.5 billion at the global box office. The desire to participate in the supernatural is an embedded desire that is within every human being whether it’s understood or not. People know there is a supernatural or spiritual side of life because it’s embedded within them. And God encourages us to participate in the real supernatural that He gives to us order to make changes, conquer sin in our life, and become more Christ-like. You can see this truth as clear as day in 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) “God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him (Jesus)… Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 

Did you see these words?  “…so that through them you may participate in the divine nature...”

Having the strength to make changes by saying no to evil desires and sin is only possible by participating in the divine nature—by experiencing the supernatural grace and help from God. This is what turns change failures into change successes. This is what gives a Christian the ability to overcome the fear of failure, and make the changes they desire and long to make as they are led by the Holy Spirit. This is where the strength comes to become Christ-like. And so how does that work?  We’ll talk more about it in Part Three. Today, get it settled in your heart that God has embedded three desires within you. The desire to know Him, the desire to become Christ-like, and the desire to participate in His divine nature so that you can succeed in your changes to live your life for Him! More later…

Psalm 37:4 (NLT2) “Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” 

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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