Desire and Willpower

Dr. Mike 2025 , , ,

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”   Genesis 4:7

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For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.   1 John 2:16-17

Where does evil that corrupts the world come from? How does one escape from it?

Don’t we all have the tenancy to point a finger at others when we notice they did something unrighteous? Yet when we do, are we also not pointing three at us?

I love the passage from 1 Peter 3:10-12. “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

We may all desire the good life, but how we manage ourselves forward is the challenge. We have the misconception that evil, sin, and the uglies are out there somewhere. That if everyone was more like me, this would be a better world. Yet when one meets Jesus, who is the reflection of the perfect God, one’s own mirror reveals otherwise.

There is not a person who ever lived on planet earth who is morally perfect with the exception of Jesus. HE had the immunity of the Holy Spirit from birth. His divinity gave him strength to resist temptations. The rest of us however have had our spirit corrupted with the sin virus. But those who have surrendered their kingdom to God’s kingdom are now being sanctified. We are being prepared for eternity through the workings of the Holy Spirit in us. But the process is slow.

It starts in the heart. We need to desire the good. This starts with first learning what good looks like. The anti-god crowd have their definition. But how does the Triune God define the situation? This is why coming to know God’s heart is important if you are a serious student of Jesus.

We discover God’s Truths through the pages of the Bible as well as throughout creation. This is the foundation of divine knowledge. As we begin to seek HIM through prayer and other disciplines, HE draws closer to us. HE begins to reveal HIMSELF to us. The more you seek HIM, the more you will come to know HIM. The more you come to know HIM, the more you come to know HIS ways. HIS desires. HIS values.

But then the work begins. No, you are not saved by your work. We cannot earn salvation. We are all saved through the grace of God. It is HIS gift to us. But as we are being saved , we exert effort to walk with HIM in doing good work. Where we fall short or fail, HIS grace sustains us. As HE molds and shapes our spirit from the inside/out, our behavior follows. We begin to exert energy for doing good. This is not an overnight change. Our character, until then, has been ignorantly shaped since our birth. Our habits and automatic responses need to be rewired. The hurtful pasts and painful triggers need to be reprogrammed. There is much healing that is needed.

Evil desires need to be replaced with holy ones. The Willpower needs to be reshaped and exercised to follow these new attributes. You may even join others in the gym of practicing spiritual disciplines. This helps you keep your mind and focus on Jesus in your daily routines.

Over time others begin to see more and more of Jesus’ reflection in you. God’s divine nature begins to shape you and prepare you for eternity. The evil desires are now replaced with a heavenly heart. Your heart begins to bloom with action. You become a servant of God’s kingdom doing good work that HE has prepared for you from the beginning of your birth. You are now living your potential for HIM. You begin to reap the benefits of a Christlike life.

Yes, it takes a lifetime to convert godly desires with habitual willpower into action. Otherwise, who are you going to become? As others who have gone before us have shown, the adventurous journey of transformation in Christ is worth the effort. Both for this life and the one to come.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Top Ten for 2024

Dr. Mike 2024 , , ,

“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:3-4

As always, MUCH THANKS for visiting this site. Your continual support encourages me to share the love and joy of Jesus Christ via this blog. The weekly scribbling of how we integrate faith within everyday life is definitely therapy for the soul. Hopefully through these pages, you likewise find encouragement and insight to equip you in your walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.

This past year, the top ten pages with the most views were:

  1. Where is God’s Domain 
  2. Managing Body-Soul-Spirit  
  3. Don’t Lose Your Crown
  4. What is Your View of God? 
  5. Uncommon Grace
  6. What New Creation
  7. Jesus is Our Reference Point
  8. A Man’s Man – Jesus
  9. How is it with Your Soul
  10. Through Faith or By Faith

This past year, I have also taken time again to update several eBooks. We cleaned up the grammar and rolled them out via print versions. The latest, Power Up With Jesus, is a five-book collection series of earlier blogs bundled together for an easier read. So if you are looking for a devotional paperback rather than the digital eBook, you now have a choice.

As always, my primary prayer for you and your love ones is for you to truly live-out and experience the radical, blessed and grace-paced life found in the relational love of the Incarnate Triune God, and come to know HIM as HE truly IS!!!

Always remember, God Loves YOU and wants YOU to share in HIS family life. Engage HIM and experience the life HE created YOU to live and enjoy.

Always Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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When Goodness Shows Up

Dr. Mike 2024, Christmas , ,

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, HE saved us… And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”   Titus 3:4, 8

What is good?

How do you determine something as good?

Is it your opinion? Or if something impacts you as harmful, then does the opposite identify good for you?

Is goodness a human construct or a prior existing condition?

Some two thousand years ago, when Caesar Augustus reign the Roman empire, a baby was born. There were many babies birth at this time, but no other who was to fulfill the Jewish Messiah prophecy. For goodness entered the world in the most humblest way. His name given to HIM via a vision from an angel was Jesus. He grew in wisdom and in stature in favor of God and man until around the age of thirty (Luke 2:52, 3:23). He then made his public appearance.

Goodness full of grace, truth, and light (Jn.1:1-18). Yes, goodness came into the world but the world didn’t recognize HIM. HE manifested his goodness with everyone HE met. HE healed the sick. HE elevated the Law. HE emphasized its purpose for everyday living and not for religious appearance. HE taught truth with authority. HE revealed HIS Father God to others. HE introduced and made available HIS kingdom to the masses. HE lived out HIS life fulfilling Messianic prophecies. He crossed all the “T’s” and dotted all the “I’s” to fulfill the written Word.

Then goodness made the ultimate sacrifice. HE gave HIMSELF as the Lamb of God. HE joined humanity and then brought humanity into the divine fold. HIS life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven paved the way. All for you and I to enjoy HIS goodness now and forever.

Yes, goodness is the character of God. HE bestows goodness wherever HE goes. HE imparts goodness in whatever HE does. HE created humanity and said it was very good. HE created the world and said it was very good (Gn. 1:31). HE implemented HIS macro-plan for you and I and like everything HE does, it is good.

If you want to enjoy the good things in life, align yourself with goodness. HIS name is Jesus. HE will educate you, train you, and bring you into your promise land. It will be the most adventurous and romantic story of your life.

For Goodness wants to share HIMSELF with you and others. Until then, you are only grabbing at imaginary straws. Trying to find the good life without a proven compass makes the journey unproductive.

HE is the real McCoy. HE is goodness. HE exemplifies goodness. He shares goodness. He trains others in goodness. HE is the source of all goodness. Yes, the X-mas season is a reminder of the goodness of God.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Books By Dr. Mike:

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved