What Do You Want?
What Do You Want? Discovering God's Eternal Purpose for Your Life
There's a question that cuts through all the noise of our busy lives, piercing straight to the heart of our existence: What do you want?
It's a simple question, but the answer reveals everything about where we're headed and whether we'll find the peace, joy, and fulfillment we're desperately seeking.
The Eternity in Your Heart
Scripture tells us something profound in Ecclesiastes 3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has planted eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
God has placed eternity in your heart. Think about that for a moment. The Creator of the universe has embedded something eternal within you—a longing that transcends the temporary, a desire that reaches beyond the material world.
This means that what you do with your life matters forever. Your choices, your dreams, your purpose—they all carry eternal weight. Whether good or bad, the impact of your life extends into eternity. That's why discovering what God wants for you is so crucial.
Faith Over Feelings
Before we can truly understand what we want, we need to establish a foundation: faith is based on the Word of God, not on our feelings.
Hebrews 11:1 reminds us: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Feelings are fickle. They change with circumstances, with the weather, with a movie we watch or news we hear. Circumstances can shift on a dime, and if our faith is built on feelings, it will crumble just as quickly.
But when faith is anchored in God's Word—in His unchanging promises—it becomes unshakeable. God's Word cannot fail. It cannot lie. If God said it, it's true. If God promised it, He will fulfill it.
This is the kind of faith that brings miracles into your life. This is the faith that sustains you when everything around you is falling apart.
The Room Illustration
Imagine checking into a hotel late at night, exhausted from a long day. You receive your room key, drag yourself upstairs, open the door, and discover someone is already sleeping in your bed. Embarrassing, frustrating, but it happens.
Now imagine this: What if Jesus came to you and said, "I want the whole room"?
Most people, if they're honest, will clean out a drawer for God. They'll make a little space in the closet. They'll invite Him to visit, to be a roommate, to share the space for a few minutes.
But God doesn't want to be a visitor in your life. He wants the whole room. He wants to come in, clean out the clutter, throw away the junk, and make your heart His dwelling place.
Here's the beautiful part: when you give Him the whole room, He invites you to be His guest. When He's Lord of the house, everything changes.
The Clutter of Accumulation
Many of us have filled our lives with so much stuff—both physical and emotional—that there's no room for God to work.
We see something others have, and we think we need it. We buy it, go into debt for it, struggle for years to pay it off, and then realize we're not even using it. Meanwhile, all these accumulated things have crowded out the space where God wanted to plant dreams, give wisdom, and reveal His purpose for our lives.
God doesn't mind if you have nice things. He's not against prosperity or enjoyment. But He must be the priority. He needs to be in the house—not the garage, not the outhouse, but in the main dwelling place of your heart.
Dreams That Last
When we're young, we have all kinds of dreams. Maybe it's owning a car, getting married, having a family, taking nice vacations, or buying a lake house. These aren't bad desires, and many people who work hard can attain them.
But here's the truth: most of those things will fade away. They won't satisfy the deepest longing in your soul. They won't last into eternity.
Family relationships—those have eternal value. The spiritual investments you make—those matter forever. But the temporary pleasures and possessions? They're fine to enjoy, but they can't be your ultimate goal.
Consider the story of a woman who, at ten years old, heard a missionary speak about Africa. God planted a dream in her heart that day—a dream to serve in Africa. She didn't know how it would happen. She thought maybe she'd marry a missionary and move there permanently.
Instead, God led her to nursing school. She became a nurse, worked for years, and eventually went on a medical mission trip to Rwanda at age 45. Later, she connected with a pastor from Africa who was building orphanages and churches. Though she never moved to Africa, she became instrumental in coordinating support for his ministry, helping to care for dozens of orphans and supporting 50 churches.
God fulfilled the dream He planted when she was ten years old, but in a way she never imagined. That's how God works. He plants eternal purposes in our hearts, and if we stay faithful, He brings them to fruition—often in ways that exceed our expectations.
The Weight of Glory
Throughout Scripture, we see moments when God's presence becomes so heavy, so overwhelming, that people physically cannot stand. Daniel fell on his face before the glory of God. John the Revelator went down "as a dead man" when he encountered the risen Christ.
This isn't about emotionalism or manipulation. This is about the genuine, weighty presence of the Almighty God. When His glory shows up, it's unmistakable. It's transformative. It's an experience that marks you forever.
These divine encounters remind us that God is real, He is present, and He desires to meet with His people in powerful ways.
What Are You Longing For?
So let's return to the original question: What do you want? Is it popularity? Fame? Wealth? Or is it something deeper—peace, joy, contentment, purpose, meaning?
Many of us are merely existing, pursuing distractions that temporarily fill the void created by our lack of direction. We've settled for what's easily available instead of fighting for what will truly last.
The fix isn't always easy, but it is simple: replace what you've settled for with what you've been longing for.
If you don't know what you want, you'll always be searching. But when you discover God's purpose for your life and align your desires with His eternal plan, everything changes.
Ask, Seek, Knock
God wants to bless you. He wants to give you dreams and visions. He wants to use you to accomplish great things for His kingdom. But first, He needs to be Lord of your life—not just a visitor, but the Master of the house.
Ask Him for wisdom and understanding. Seek His direction and insight. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
God might want to make you a millionaire—not so you can hoard wealth, but so you can bless His kingdom. He might want to use you in ways you've never imagined. But it all starts with surrender.
Give Him the whole room. Let Him clean out the clutter. Allow Him to plant eternal dreams in your heart. And then watch as He orchestrates your steps, fulfills His purposes, and gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding.
The question remains: What do you want?
More importantly: What does God want for you?
The answer to both questions might just be the same thing.
There's a question that cuts through all the noise of our busy lives, piercing straight to the heart of our existence: What do you want?
It's a simple question, but the answer reveals everything about where we're headed and whether we'll find the peace, joy, and fulfillment we're desperately seeking.
The Eternity in Your Heart
Scripture tells us something profound in Ecclesiastes 3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has planted eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
God has placed eternity in your heart. Think about that for a moment. The Creator of the universe has embedded something eternal within you—a longing that transcends the temporary, a desire that reaches beyond the material world.
This means that what you do with your life matters forever. Your choices, your dreams, your purpose—they all carry eternal weight. Whether good or bad, the impact of your life extends into eternity. That's why discovering what God wants for you is so crucial.
Faith Over Feelings
Before we can truly understand what we want, we need to establish a foundation: faith is based on the Word of God, not on our feelings.
Hebrews 11:1 reminds us: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Feelings are fickle. They change with circumstances, with the weather, with a movie we watch or news we hear. Circumstances can shift on a dime, and if our faith is built on feelings, it will crumble just as quickly.
But when faith is anchored in God's Word—in His unchanging promises—it becomes unshakeable. God's Word cannot fail. It cannot lie. If God said it, it's true. If God promised it, He will fulfill it.
This is the kind of faith that brings miracles into your life. This is the faith that sustains you when everything around you is falling apart.
The Room Illustration
Imagine checking into a hotel late at night, exhausted from a long day. You receive your room key, drag yourself upstairs, open the door, and discover someone is already sleeping in your bed. Embarrassing, frustrating, but it happens.
Now imagine this: What if Jesus came to you and said, "I want the whole room"?
Most people, if they're honest, will clean out a drawer for God. They'll make a little space in the closet. They'll invite Him to visit, to be a roommate, to share the space for a few minutes.
But God doesn't want to be a visitor in your life. He wants the whole room. He wants to come in, clean out the clutter, throw away the junk, and make your heart His dwelling place.
Here's the beautiful part: when you give Him the whole room, He invites you to be His guest. When He's Lord of the house, everything changes.
The Clutter of Accumulation
Many of us have filled our lives with so much stuff—both physical and emotional—that there's no room for God to work.
We see something others have, and we think we need it. We buy it, go into debt for it, struggle for years to pay it off, and then realize we're not even using it. Meanwhile, all these accumulated things have crowded out the space where God wanted to plant dreams, give wisdom, and reveal His purpose for our lives.
God doesn't mind if you have nice things. He's not against prosperity or enjoyment. But He must be the priority. He needs to be in the house—not the garage, not the outhouse, but in the main dwelling place of your heart.
Dreams That Last
When we're young, we have all kinds of dreams. Maybe it's owning a car, getting married, having a family, taking nice vacations, or buying a lake house. These aren't bad desires, and many people who work hard can attain them.
But here's the truth: most of those things will fade away. They won't satisfy the deepest longing in your soul. They won't last into eternity.
Family relationships—those have eternal value. The spiritual investments you make—those matter forever. But the temporary pleasures and possessions? They're fine to enjoy, but they can't be your ultimate goal.
Consider the story of a woman who, at ten years old, heard a missionary speak about Africa. God planted a dream in her heart that day—a dream to serve in Africa. She didn't know how it would happen. She thought maybe she'd marry a missionary and move there permanently.
Instead, God led her to nursing school. She became a nurse, worked for years, and eventually went on a medical mission trip to Rwanda at age 45. Later, she connected with a pastor from Africa who was building orphanages and churches. Though she never moved to Africa, she became instrumental in coordinating support for his ministry, helping to care for dozens of orphans and supporting 50 churches.
God fulfilled the dream He planted when she was ten years old, but in a way she never imagined. That's how God works. He plants eternal purposes in our hearts, and if we stay faithful, He brings them to fruition—often in ways that exceed our expectations.
The Weight of Glory
Throughout Scripture, we see moments when God's presence becomes so heavy, so overwhelming, that people physically cannot stand. Daniel fell on his face before the glory of God. John the Revelator went down "as a dead man" when he encountered the risen Christ.
This isn't about emotionalism or manipulation. This is about the genuine, weighty presence of the Almighty God. When His glory shows up, it's unmistakable. It's transformative. It's an experience that marks you forever.
These divine encounters remind us that God is real, He is present, and He desires to meet with His people in powerful ways.
What Are You Longing For?
So let's return to the original question: What do you want? Is it popularity? Fame? Wealth? Or is it something deeper—peace, joy, contentment, purpose, meaning?
Many of us are merely existing, pursuing distractions that temporarily fill the void created by our lack of direction. We've settled for what's easily available instead of fighting for what will truly last.
The fix isn't always easy, but it is simple: replace what you've settled for with what you've been longing for.
If you don't know what you want, you'll always be searching. But when you discover God's purpose for your life and align your desires with His eternal plan, everything changes.
Ask, Seek, Knock
God wants to bless you. He wants to give you dreams and visions. He wants to use you to accomplish great things for His kingdom. But first, He needs to be Lord of your life—not just a visitor, but the Master of the house.
Ask Him for wisdom and understanding. Seek His direction and insight. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
God might want to make you a millionaire—not so you can hoard wealth, but so you can bless His kingdom. He might want to use you in ways you've never imagined. But it all starts with surrender.
Give Him the whole room. Let Him clean out the clutter. Allow Him to plant eternal dreams in your heart. And then watch as He orchestrates your steps, fulfills His purposes, and gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding.
The question remains: What do you want?
More importantly: What does God want for you?
The answer to both questions might just be the same thing.
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