
Believers are shaped by both desires and also by practices. The Bible speaks about the doctrine of regeneration as a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3). When regeneration takes place, God takes away the heart of the stone and replaces it with the heart of the flesh. And he puts in his Spirit which gives us a desire to follow his commandments (Eze 36:26). The Apostle Paul says that Christians are a new creation, all the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17).
In the book of Acts, after hearing the word of God preached by Peter they were convicted. They repented of their sins and they were baptized (Acts 2:38-41). After they were baptized, they were added to the church and they continued in the doctrine of the apostles, in prayer, in breaking the bread, and in fellowship (Acts 2: 42). They were given new desires and began to practice listening to the Word, and to pray and live in harmony with people where there were divisions previously.
Desires Shape Behaviors
The Bible is replete with incidents of how desires shape behavior (practices). But it must be noted, that the desire begins from the heart. The desires are mediated through the body and expressed externally through practices that please the Lord. Human beings are created to worship the Lord (Ex 20:1-4). The first commandment is to worship the Lord and desire him from within. One has to worship the Lord with his heart, mind, and soul (Mark 12:30-31). Because of the fall, the heart is tainted and marred by sin (Heb 3:13). Through the deception of the heart, instead of worshipping the Lord, the heart worships something and someone (idols). The root cause of the twisted hearts is the desire to worship self.1 The history of Israel is an example of how twisted hearts produced twisted practices. The practices are manifested through idolatry and self-worship.
When the pharisees raised the issue to Jesus, wondering why the disciples weren’t washing their hands before eating? Jesus poignantly said, all immoral things begin from the heart (Mark 7:21). When David saw Bathsheba bathing, he saw her and desired her (2 Sam 11:2). James says, when someone is tempted, they are tempted because of their evil desire and when the desire is conceived in the heart, it manifests itself externally in sinful practices and behaviors (James 1:14). And, ultimately, sin will bring forth death (James 1:15).2
Practices Shape Our Desires
The Bible also talks about how practices shape our desires. Because of the fellowship the Psalmist has with the Lord (practices), he desires to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). He desires to dwell in the temple. In Psalm 119:14-16, the psalmist says, “ I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices great riches (practices), I meditate on your precepts and consider your decrees; I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word (desires).
A person’s external behaviors impact his desires and vice versa. These are cyclical. Addictions are cyclical. If the desire to drink stems from the heart, the act of drinking further precipitates the desire to drink more.3 For example, if a child’s parents put high pressure on the child to get admission to an Ivy-league school and make him work hard ( practices) because he is used to pleasing his parents albeit under pressure, they may be shaped by how to please others.
Desires shape practices, practices shape desires. The Bible encourages us to desire the Lord more and more so that our practices are changed (by being drunk in the Spirit; Eph 5:15-18). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit, that both the desires and the practices can be changed.
1 Roberts, Pride, 26.
2 Emlet, Understanding the influences of the Human Heart, The Journal of Biblical Counseling, 52
3 Welch, Addictions, 21. ( Welch talks about how sin plays important role in shaping addictions (practices).
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