I noticed a large box in the back of a truck as I was leaving the office yesterday. Curiosity is natural, and I wondered what the box was for. But this curiosity gave way to a seed of darkness in my heart. It may not seem like a big deal, but I began wishing I had something that required such a grand box. I was envious of the mere potential that there was something I desired for myself in that box.
Isn’t that the way sin creeps in? I didn’t wake up yesterday intending to be envious. I was simply curious later in the day, but that uncovered a seed of envy that I didn’t realize was lying dormant in my heart. It got me thinking about desire and the dark side of desire. Desire itself is not evil. Pure desires are given to us by God Himself.
Delight yourself in Yahweh;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4 (LSB)
Desire alone is easily manipulated into sin. It must be paired with trust, gratitude, love, and submission to God. Psalm 37:4, when read in context, is not about getting what we want, but delighting in God. It is about trusting Him and cultivating faithfulness; when He is the object of our delight, the source of our joy, our desires begin to align with His will because He reshapes them.
When our desires are misplaced or disconnected, they lead to the shadow side of desire.
Desire detached from trust becomes envy. Trust rests in God’s wisdom, timing, and sovereignty. When trust is diminished or gone, desire turns sideways. When we struggle with envy, we ask, “Why did they get that and not me?” instead of “What is God doing in me?” Comparison replaces contentment and another person’s blessing feels like a personal loss.
“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”1 Timothy 6:6-8 (LSB)
Desire detached from security in God’s faithfulness opens the door to unrighteous jealousy. It becomes protective and anxious instead of grateful and confident. Jealousy is desire trying to protect instead of trust. “What I have could be taken away.” “I have to guard what I have or it won’t be secure.” Jealousy is often anxiety disguised as vigilance.
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”
James 1:17-18 (LSB)
Desire detached from gratitude becomes entitlement. Gratitude acknowledges that everything received is grace, not payment. When it’s gone, desire stops being hope and becomes demand. Blessings become expected rather than received in thanksgiving, and when they don’t arrive, offense follows.
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (LSB)
Desire detached from love becomes lust. Love seeks the good of the other and honors their dignity. Without love, desire becomes consumptive. Other people are no longer neighbors but objects. Use replaces honor. Possession replaces covenant. This is not limited to sexual desire. There can be a lust for power, attention, or control.
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”
1 John 2:15-17 (LSB)
Desire detached from submission to God becomes coveting. Submission trusts God’s ordering of boundaries, ownership, and calling. Without submission, we dispute God’s assignments with the thought that God put something or a position in the wrong hands. Here’s where envy becomes coveting: discontent hardens into moral rebellion and desire becomes willing-to-take.
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Colossians 3:1-2 (LSB)
Desire centered on self becomes pride. Humility places the self under God’s authority and alongside others. Without it, we set ourselves as the judge of worth. This results in self-exaltation. Correction feels like an insult. Dependence feels like weakness.
“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
James 4:6-10 (LSB)
Desire detached from hope becomes resentment. Hope believes God can still act, redeem, or restore. Without hope, desire hardens into grievance. We keep score because we think nothing will ever change. Bitterness becomes a companion. Forgiveness feels like surrendering leverage.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 (LSB)
“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord, seeing to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; that no ROOT OF BITTERNESS SPRINGING UP CAUSES TROUBLE, and by it many be defiled;”
Hebrews 12:14-15 (LSB)