Aligning Desires: A Journey Towards God

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we explore the profound insights from C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters," focusing on the dual nature of our desires and how they can either draw us closer to or further from God. We are encouraged to engage in two specific actions: one that we genuinely want to do and another that we would rather avoid. This practice helps us discern the nature of our desires and align them with God's will. Lewis illustrates how desires infected with ego and self-will can lead us astray, while those rooted in goodness and humility can guide us home to God.

The narrative of the "patient" in "Screwtape Letters" serves as a reminder that our desires, when surrendered to God, are transformed and returned to us in a purer form. God delights in our unique personalities and desires, and when we abandon self-will, we become more authentically ourselves. This transformation is not about losing our identity but about refining it to reflect God's image more clearly.

The sermon also emphasizes the importance of genuine enjoyment of life's simple pleasures, which can be a form of worship and gratitude towards God. These innocent desires, when pursued for their own sake, protect us from the world's temptations and bring us closer to God. The act of loving something purely for its own sake is akin to loving a gift from the Creator, drawing us nearer to Him.

Finally, the call to action is clear: engage in activities that bring joy and those that require self-discipline. This dual practice strengthens our will and prepares us for times of testing. By doing so, we train ourselves to surrender our will to God, allowing His desires to become our own.

Key Takeaways:

- Our desires can either lead us towards God or away from Him. Desires infected with ego and self-will can be destructive, while those rooted in goodness and humility can guide us home to God. By discerning the nature of our desires, we can align them with God's will. [01:44]

- God delights in our unique personalities and desires. When we surrender our self-will, we become more authentically ourselves, reflecting God's image more clearly. This transformation is not about losing our identity but refining it to align with God's purpose. [03:52]

- Genuine enjoyment of life's simple pleasures can be a form of worship and gratitude towards God. These innocent desires, pursued for their own sake, protect us from the world's temptations and bring us closer to God. [06:32]

- The act of loving something purely for its own sake is akin to loving a gift from the Creator. This practice draws us nearer to God and allows us to see His goodness and gifts more clearly through the experiences of others. [07:47]

- Engaging in activities that bring joy and those that require self-discipline strengthens our will and prepares us for times of testing. By doing so, we train ourselves to surrender our will to God, allowing His desires to become our own. [10:24]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:26] - Two Invitations
- [00:51] - The Patient's Return to God
- [01:44] - Desires and Self-Will
- [02:26] - God's Delight in Us
- [03:52] - Transformation of Self
- [04:20] - Death to Self
- [05:07] - Surrendering Our Will
- [06:32] - Innocent Desires
- [07:47] - Loving God's Gifts
- [08:26] - Action vs. Inaction
- [09:20] - Doing What We Love
- [10:10] - Doing What We Avoid
- [10:54] - Daily Practice and Training

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Romans 12:2 (NIV): "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
- Matthew 6:21 (NIV): "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
- Psalm 37:4 (NIV): "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

#### Observation Questions
1. What are the two types of desires mentioned in the sermon, and how do they differ in their impact on our relationship with God? [01:44]
2. How does C.S. Lewis describe God's view of our unique personalities and desires in "Screwtape Letters"? [03:20]
3. What examples from the sermon illustrate the concept of enjoying simple pleasures as a form of worship? [06:32]
4. According to the sermon, what is the significance of doing something you love and something you would rather avoid? [10:10]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does Romans 12:2 relate to the idea of transforming our desires to align with God's will as discussed in the sermon? [02:26]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that our innocent desires can protect us from worldly temptations? [06:32]
3. How might Matthew 6:21 be applied to the sermon’s message about aligning our desires with God's will? [07:47]
4. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between self-discipline and spiritual growth? [10:24]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a desire you have that might be influenced by ego or self-will. How can you begin to transform this desire to align more closely with God's will? [01:44]
2. Think of a simple pleasure you genuinely enjoy. How can you turn this enjoyment into an act of worship and gratitude towards God? [06:32]
3. Identify an activity you love doing purely for its own sake. How does this activity bring you closer to God, and how can you incorporate it more into your life? [07:47]
4. Consider a task you often avoid. How can you approach this task as an opportunity to practice self-discipline and surrender your will to God? [10:10]
5. How can you remind yourself daily that God delights in your unique personality and desires? What practical steps can you take to embrace this truth? [03:20]
6. Reflect on a recent decision you made. Was it influenced more by worldly standards or by your genuine desires? How can you ensure future decisions align with God's purpose for you? [05:48]
7. What is one specific way you can practice doing something you love and something you would rather avoid this week? How might this practice strengthen your spiritual journey? [10:54]

Devotional

Day 1: The Dual Nature of Desires
Our desires can either lead us towards God or away from Him. Desires infected with ego and self-will can be destructive, while those rooted in goodness and humility can guide us home to God. By discerning the nature of our desires, we can align them with God's will. The "Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis illustrates this duality, showing how desires can be transformed when surrendered to God. When we let go of self-will, our desires are purified and returned to us in a form that reflects God's goodness. This process is not about losing our identity but about refining it to align with God's purpose. [01:44]

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV): "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"

Reflection: Identify a desire in your life that may be influenced by ego or self-will. How can you surrender this desire to God today and seek His guidance in transforming it?


Day 2: Embracing Our Unique God-Given Identity
God delights in our unique personalities and desires. When we surrender our self-will, we become more authentically ourselves, reflecting God's image more clearly. This transformation is not about losing our identity but refining it to align with God's purpose. By letting go of self-centered desires, we allow God to shape us into the individuals He created us to be, celebrating our uniqueness while aligning with His divine will. [03:52]

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (ESV): "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone."

Reflection: What unique gifts and desires has God placed in your life? How can you use them to reflect His image more clearly in your daily interactions?


Day 3: Worship Through Simple Pleasures
Genuine enjoyment of life's simple pleasures can be a form of worship and gratitude towards God. These innocent desires, pursued for their own sake, protect us from the world's temptations and bring us closer to God. By appreciating the small joys in life, we acknowledge them as gifts from the Creator, fostering a deeper connection with Him. This practice of gratitude and enjoyment helps us see God's presence in everyday moments, drawing us nearer to Him. [06:32]

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (ESV): "I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man."

Reflection: What simple pleasure can you intentionally enjoy today as an act of worship and gratitude to God? How does this change your perspective on daily life?


Day 4: Loving God's Gifts
The act of loving something purely for its own sake is akin to loving a gift from the Creator. This practice draws us nearer to God and allows us to see His goodness and gifts more clearly through the experiences of others. By appreciating the beauty and goodness in the world, we cultivate a heart of gratitude and deepen our relationship with God. This perspective helps us recognize the divine in the ordinary, transforming our daily experiences into moments of spiritual connection. [07:47]

James 1:17 (ESV): "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Reflection: Think of a gift or blessing in your life that you often take for granted. How can you express gratitude for it today and see it as a reflection of God's love?


Day 5: Strengthening Will Through Joy and Discipline
Engaging in activities that bring joy and those that require self-discipline strengthens our will and prepares us for times of testing. By doing so, we train ourselves to surrender our will to God, allowing His desires to become our own. This dual practice of joy and discipline helps us develop resilience and spiritual maturity, equipping us to face challenges with faith and trust in God's plan. [10:24]

Hebrews 12:11 (ESV): "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Reflection: Identify one joyful activity and one discipline you can practice today. How can these actions help you align your will with God's and prepare you for future challenges?

Quotes


Now our desires can move us away from God when they are tied up with self-will, but they can also move us toward God when they are oriented towards home, towards what is good. We might think about two different basic kinds of desires: one is infected with ego or infected with self-will. [00:01:34]

And so it will involve things like greed or vanity or lust or concern for my own reputation or comparison with other people, and then there will be a desire for those things which are simply good, those desires which are not messed up by ego or self-will, and that move us towards gratitude or towards humility or towards joy itself. [00:01:49]

God doesn't just like you because you are one of billions of others. He likes the way that he has created you and the particularity of your life, your desires, your mind. So Screwtape goes on when he talks of their losing their selves, he only means abandoning the clamor of self-will. [00:03:27]

Once they have done that, he really gives them back all their personality and boasts, I'm afraid sincerely, that when they are wholly his, they will be more themselves than ever. Now this is whether there are the two kinds of desires, and so that brings us to death of self. [00:03:49]

We are called to die ourselves. Now a lot of people think about that as just awful news, that's terrible, there won't be any self left. No, the idea is not the obliteration of the self, it's the transformation of the self. Death to self is really simply nothing other than the willingness to choose the good over what I happen to desire. [00:04:11]

So that whether or not I desire something is no longer the primary driving force of my life. Desire is a good servant but a bad master, and the strange thing is when I let go of idolizing my desires, then I am giving back my desire as gifts. [00:04:30]

God has given you a nature. God has created you to love, to appreciate, to understand, to enjoy certain things, and that's a really good thing. And we are to surrender our wills, but when we do that, in the oddest way, we actually end up coming home. [00:05:14]

The deepest likings and impulses of any person are the raw material, the starting point, which the enemy God has furnished him with. To get people away from those is therefore always a point gained, even in things indifferent. It is always desirable to substitute the standards of the world or convention or fashion for a human's own real likings and dislikings. [00:05:37]

The person who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world for its own sake and without caring tuppence what other people say about it is by that very fact forearmed against some of our subtlest modes of attack. You should always try to make the patient abandon the people or food or books he really likes. [00:06:30]

To genuinely like something for its own sake is to love a gift from the giver, and that puts you real close to loving God himself. And we're all made to see a little different part of God and to love it and to name it, and when you do that, then I see God a little bit more clearly. [00:07:40]

Do something just because you want to, just because you love it. Maybe it's going into creation, or maybe it's cooking, or maybe it's music. I was with my sister and my brother not long ago. We have an old book of songs, piano music that our great aunts Fran and Dell gave us 50-plus years ago. [00:09:17]

Do at least one thing precisely because you would rather not do it, so that when the time of testing comes, you will not stand unnerved and untrained in the hour of dire need. Today, do something that requires the surrender of your will, an act of service for another person, running an errand for somebody. [00:10:18]

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Transcript
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