There are times in life when we fall into a fight with our desires. We start to crave something we shouldn’t go after.

“But you’re a Christian!” A thought echoes in your mind trying to remind you of your values, but it sounds more like blame. It doesn’t remove the desire.

On the other hand, you have things you know you should be doing as a Christian. However, they seem dull and not exciting.

What if the intensities of desires would switch places? You would end up thinking about reading the Bible all day at work. Imagine praying until 2 am and still struggling to stop thanking and praising God for His amazing works in your life.

What a great exchange would it be, when, instead of scrolling on the Internet or watching TV, you couldn’t wait to read the next chapter of the Gospel of Luke!

There seems to be much more draw towards the entertainment that the world came up with. In the sight of it, reading the Bible or praying seems dull and boring.

As I write, it appears I’m expressing nonsense or some kind of perfect utopian Christian life. But what if it’s not only possible but also it gives us the freedom we long for?

I’m not in the perfect state where I have no distractions. Desire to see my life pruned from the empty pursuits is truly alive in my heart. I’m not there yet, but I’ve started to move towards having a healthy order of my desires.

The way we’re made

Our bodies have a will of their own. This understanding is the foundation for achieving freedom from distractions. The flesh has desires and preferences that our rational thinking would argue against. Most of the time there is no logic behind the desires of our bodies.

Actually, it shouldn’t be. It’s like a child who wants to have a diet that consists only of sugar. A child doesn’t understand what is good or bad. A child makes decisions based on momentary impulse and pleasure he or she can get at least for a split second.

The desires of the flesh are not interested in the well-being of the person but in the experience of pleasure.

Most of the time we are serving our bodies rather than investing in long-term success. Our bodies are craving a quick fix in getting a reward. It doesn’t carry much value. It’s simply a momentary pleasure that knows how to advertise itself.

Most advertising companies are exploiting this weakness that we have. They know how to present a product in a manner to awaken the desire.

That’s the way our brains are wired. We choose the quick way of the least resistance. We don’t want to work for hours and only then get the reward of accomplishment. Especially, when we have an opportunity to enjoy a small-effort prize in a couple of seconds.

The flesh has no understanding of the big picture. It doesn’t get the fact that unhealthy habits are building up the strength of destructive laws. You know that it says, “one time won’t do bad to me.” After some time it uses the same argument again, not realizing that it added one sand crystal to the pile that looks like a dune now.

The Spirit, on the other hand, has strategic, long-term thinking. It loves to be faithful and build a healthy stronghold that eventually provides safety for a number of people. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Why would we need to persevere, if every result would be quick?

The stack of pleasures

The pleasures our bodies go after look like a stack of bricks. As soon as you put one brick, your body demands to place another one on top. Every new layer has short-term fulfillment. The next level has to be placed to keep the level of excitement and another afterward. This process has no end.

If not managed, the desires of the flesh get more and more power over our will. The looser our standard becomes of what we allow ourselves to do, the harder it is to resist the craving of our bodies.

Those things our flesh craves the most are usually something you would put on the very top as a new addition to the stack. The pleasures below are not interesting or fulfilling anymore. The flesh “knows” how to demand the next thing.

However, if you would decide to not allow yourself to do away if you started a water fast, your body won’t be desiring to watch your favorite TV series as much as food. Seems like you could eat anything then!

The flesh likes to do compromises in order to get what it wants. Sometimes they look insignificant like an extra cookie with the tea that you decided not to eat before you made the tea. It’s small but still a victory for the flesh. Be sure, it will ask for more!

I’ve been there so many times! I know it’s not good and I want to naturally desire to go for activities that improve the value in my life. My heart desires good but the body has a louder scream and better marketing skills.

The desires of the heart

Let’s start looking at the solution to this problem.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17, ESV, emphasis mine)

It’s definitely an interesting verse if you read it slowly and don’t miss the last part. Most of the people miss the two different kinds of desires. One is translated as “desire of the flesh”, another as “wanting”.

In the Original Greek these two words differ like a day from the night. “Desire” in Greek is epithymeō which is referring to lust after something or long for with a mind that is set on it. A mind reflects the possibilities, imagines, and daydreams about the desired object or action until engages in the activity.

“Wanting” something at the end of the verse is the word thelō. It refers to a deeper and more willful desire. It’s like a passion that has a root in the heart of a person.

The battle of appetites appears to be in between sticky and often seducing desire of the flesh and heartfelt passion.

The good news is that the carnal desires haven’t hijacked your free will to make rational decisions. You can choose the desires of your heart! If you want a change, you need to look at your activities and check what your heart actually desires to do. Most of the time you’ll find that it’s not what your body wants to do.

Practical step

Our job is to prune our flesh desires in order to get to the place where the activities we desire in our hearts become more pleasurable than anything else.

Falling for the desires of the body causes regret and a lack of motivation in our hearts. We often feel like we’ve wasted time and didn’t move forward in fulfilling the passion of the heart. This sense of guilt and discomfort often leads to other quick fixes as we want to get away from condemning thoughts.

Be watchful of these patterns!

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16, ESV, emphasis mine)

The answer is not in learning to fight against the empty cravings of the flesh. The answer is in walking by the Spirit who lives in our hearts and gives us desires and passions.

We render inactive the desires of the flesh when we are busy doing what God gave us to do. There’s no more time that can be wasted. It’s a lifestyle we are intended to live.

In the beginning, it might be a fight to prune some activities but is well worth it. After some time of following the heartfelt passions, we start to experience real joy and satisfaction from the work we do.

We get to take what distractions kept from us and God is able to redeem the time we lost.

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