6 Reasons Heart-Satisfaction Is Crucial
A crucial discovery
I can’t overstate how crucial this discovery was.
When I first saw it in the Bible — everything changed.
What I discovered was that God promises to completely satisfy my heart in Himself.
Here’s six reasons this discovery was crucial —
Because God created us with longings for heart-satisfaction, and this longing can only be met in God.
There’s nothing wrong with longing for heart-satisfaction. Throughout God’s Word He assumes this is what motivates us (John 4:13-14; John 7:37-39; Isa 55:2).
But our longing for heart-satisfaction will only be satisfied in God — not in what He gives, but in knowing and beholding and worshiping Him (Psa 42:1-2;Psa 63:5-6; Psa 73:25-26; Psa 90:14; 1 Pet 1:8).
So if we ignore our hunger for heart-satisfaction, we ignore the way God has wired us, and we won’t find true and lasting joy.
Because God is most glorified in us when our hearts are fully satisfied in Him (from John Piper).
Notice how many Scriptures link joy in God with glorifying God — Luk 1:46-47; Psa 105:3; Isa 41:16; Acts 13:48; Rev 19:7.
Why the link? Because the more intensely we desire something, the more we display its worth.
So — the more we pursue and experience heart-satisfaction in God, the more we glorify God.
Because Jesus taught that faith must include coming to Him for heart-satisfaction.
In John 6:35 Jesus says faith involves hungry people coming to Him as the bread of life — and that if we come to Him He will satisfy all our heart-hunger.
Which means heart-satisfaction is at the center of what it means to trust Jesus.
So if we have faith in Christ, then we will seek Him for our heart-satisfaction, and we will fight to keep other things from becoming our heart-satisfaction.
Because heart-satisfaction is behind all our desires and actions.
My father taught that whatever we trust to satisfy us the most is what we will desire the most, and whatever we desire the most is what we will obey.
That’s why God’s Word shows that FAITH (trusting Jesus to satisfy me) results in Christ-centered DESIRES (joy, peace, and hope in Rom 15:13) and OBEDIENCE (Heb 11:8).
So — if I neglect the question of heart-satisfaction, then I’m neglecting what most powerfully influences my desires and actions.
Because the way God changes our desires and actions is by changing what we’re trusting to satisfy us.
This is how the Holy Spirit changes us. As we fight the fight of faith he gives us a feeling-taste of Jesus’ glory so we trust Him as our all-satisfying Treasure and desire Him more than anything (2Cor 3:18; Phil 3:8).
And when we trust Him as our all-satisfying Treasure we will —
- Be assured that our satisfaction in Him is secured forever (Jude 1:24-25)
- Love Him more than anything else (Mark 12:30)
- Lay down anything else to gain more of Him (Matt 13:44)
- Rejoice in him with unspeakable joy (1Pet 1:8)
- Give lavishly to the needy (Luke 12:33-34)
- Be at peace — because everything in the future will bring us more joy in Him (2Cor 4:16-18)
- Give ourselves to His global purpose — because this will bring us even more joy in Him (1Pet 4:14)
So if our faith doesn’t include trusting Jesus as our all-satisfying Treasure, then we won’t experience the Holy Spirit transforming our desires and actions.
Because whatever I am trusting to satisfy me IS my God.
Paul taught that greed is idolatry (Col 3:5). So anything I’m greedy for — anything I desire more than God — is an idol. It functions as God to me.
That’s another reason heart-satisfaction is so important. Because I can agree that Jesus is the Son of God, and trust Him to forgive my sins — but if I am trusting applause as my heart-satisfaction, then Jesus is not my God — applause is.
Greed — for anything other than Jesus Christ — is idolatry.
So don’t neglect the question of your heart-satisfaction — that’s how you will know what your God really is.
Take-aways
- Don’t ignore your longings for heart-satisfaction. God wants you to pursue them — in Him.
- Our problem is not that we pursue joy too much — it’s that we settle for the tiny joys of the world instead of pursuing the infinite joy of God.
- Every sin is caused by seeking heart-satisfaction in something other than God. Which means the way to fight sin is by seeking heart-satisfaction IN God.
Thoughts? Comments? Feedback?
I’d love to hear them — feel free to leave a reply below. Thanks!
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Here’s some related posts —
- Read Augustine’s description of his conversion.
- Read how God satisfied Hudson Taylor’s heart when his wife died.
(Picture used with permission from everystockphoto.com.)
As always…you are such a blessing. Love your new blog, Steve. Grateful to be able to read your words of teaching and encouragement. Blessings on you and yours!!!! ~Cheryl
Thanks for your encouragement, Cheryl. And much blessing to all of you, too.
So the battle of whether to obey Jesus, or obey some temptation, comes down to which I trust will satisfy me the most.
That hurts. Its maddening to closely examine my heart. Clearly Jesus is most satisfing. I think other things, though less joyful, are much more instant in thier gratification, so maybe it comes down to maturity? Every morning I grab some coffee, and have my devotions, all the while my desire is for the internet. Sometimes like this morning, my internet time gets delayed, because of the sweet presence of the Lord, and it is ONLY THEN that I remember that there is nothing I want more than Jesus! When will I finally grow up, and fully believe?
Thanks Steve.
I love what you said happened to you that morning — how powerful! And you nailed it when you said the battle comes down to what I trust will satisfy me the most.
And what a battle it is! Tooth-and-nail, take-no-captives, hold-no-punches WAR. But He’s worth it all — so let’s press in.
Indeed a War and a War in which we are unwittingly a part of. We were not asked nor told about how hard it will all be and yet here we are plodding on and fighting every day without fail – and God gets the glory while we get to suffer.
Great arrangement.
Thanks for that. Struggled with addiction and temptation all my life. It’s hard everyday and sometimes I don’t think I will ever be as free as the Christians i fellowship with.
Steve,
Powerful, powerful! One of the biggest challenges for someone who is trying to overcome a sinful addiction or desire is the emptiness that results. As people say, nature hates a vacuum and when we simply remove an addiction or desire there is a vacuum. Unless we replace our natural desires with Christ-centered desires, we are doomed to failure. Desiring Him fills us with True heart satisfaction. I love the promise of Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
May I delight in the Lord and have joy in receiving the desires of my heart.
God Bless,
Craig
Hi Craig,
So glad you found this post encouraging. And thanks for sharing Psa 37:4 — really helpful. You summed it up perfectly — “desiring Him fills us with True heart satisfaction” — YES!
Thanks God that I found this site — it helps a lot. I can share all of this in our church. Very powerful topic to open up our spiritual understanding. Truly the God is working. He used you as an instrument so that His words will spread out. May the Lord continue to bless you and more will be blessed.
I am so glad you found this post helpful, Evelyn. Thanks for letting me know — and may the Lord deeply satisfy you in Himself.
Steve, I really like this line; “Our problem is not that we pursue joy too much — it’s that we settle for the tiny joys of the world instead of pursuing the infinite joy of God.” I also liked this section; “Because whatever I am trusting to satisfy me IS my God.”
Those parts resounded with me and I felt blessed by them.
I have a question about this:
“Because heart-satisfaction is behind all our desires and actions.”
What about when we act out of fear? To me it seems like that is born more out of a desire to avoid pain, punishment or loss than to gain heart satisfaction.
Hi Orion,
Great question about when we act out of fear. When I say we do what we do to gain heart-satisfaction, I am assuming that includes doing what we do to avoid pain. They are two sides of the same coin, in my opinion.
Blessings!
Steve
Can’t get the forum registration to work for some reason. What would you suggest to someone who has confessed Christ years ago and is full of theological knowledge but doesn’t feel they have truly repented and believed? If now they feel so hardened that they feel against God and like they can’t even feel their guilt but know this is wrong? I feel like I want to be in Christ, but like I’ve grown so hardened I can’t humble myself, and I know he resists the proud! Do you have any advice for how to humble a heart that feels like it can’t be humbled? How to see Christ as desirable to blind eyes? Please lead me.
Thank you I needed this on so many different level god bless you and glory to God
Thank you
Thank you Steve, found your teaching very helpful in dealing with sin and rather being truly satisfied in God which leads to ultimate satisfaction in life.
Thank you so much. In my seeking for God’s promise to me in Joel 2:19. I wanted to know what Father meant by being Satisfied. Your blog has added such richness to my study, it’s undescribable for words. I’ve come away truly satisfied this day.
Thank you again and God bless you.