Passion is a powerful motivator. Arguably, passion is the greatest motivator and is responsible for almost every decision we make. By passion, I mean the single most important or overwhelming desire of our heart at any given moment. It sometimes comes in the form of an all-consuming desire that calls for immediate gratification. Sometimes however, it is that subtle yet dominating inclination to get what you want, even if it takes some time.
The apostle Paul identifies the passions of the flesh as being the primary motivator for sin. Romans 1:26 tells us that sinful human beings reject Him in favour of their “dishonorable passions.” Romans 6:12 and 7:36 inform us that even as Christians, we must not succumb to our sinful passions that wage war within us. We are told that God’s grace teaches or trains us to renounce worldly passions (Titus 2:12) and that we were once slaves to various passions and pleasures (Titus 3:3).
The word, “passion” is used predominantly in the negative sense throughout Scripture. However, the word in and of itself contains no moral distinctions. In other words, we can have good or evil passions. In the passages that call us to renounce our worldly and ungodly passions, they are almost always followed by a list of virtues that we should put on. I want to suggest that in virtually every instance where we are called to reject or resist our fleshly passions, we are called to replace them with a greater passion, a passion for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The key to fighting sin is to cultivate the right kind of passions; passions for holiness, Christlikeness and godliness. Instead of fixing our eyes upon our self-centered human passions, we are to cultivate a passion for the will of God (1 Pet. 4:2).
In his book, “The Obedience Option: Because God knows what’s good for us” David Hegg gives us some insightful truths. He tells us that “the only way to overcome a passion for sin is with an overwhelming passion for righteousness. This overwhelming passion for righteousness is actually a mindset that the Bible calls faith.” He then gives us the following definition that we would do well to understand:
Faith is a life-dominating conviction that all God has for me through obedience is better by far than anything Satan can offer me through selfishness and sin.
So, let me ask… does this sound like the kind of faith that you have? Do you truly trust the God who tells you that His way is always better and more satisfying than any other way?
If you’re interested in finding out more about how to cultivate godly desires, I’d encourage you to grab a copy of this wonderfully helpful book.