We must handle our desires with Godly wisdom

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

- Hosea 4:6 (NIV)

Something inside each of us whispers we are destined for something greater than we are. We have a longing desire deep within our hearts to do something outstanding, but sometimes we are ignorant as to how to fulfill that desire within.

God created man for great things. Looking back at the past 100 years, we witness how man's greatness was revealed when we enjoy all our modern inventions.

However, our search for greatness oftentimes guides us in all the wrong places. Misled youths might join gangs looking for power, prestige and a sense of belonging to something.

Young girls may abandon their dignity when their search for love gets them entangled with the deceptive notion that they must attract the opposite sex with seductive glamour rather than being themselves.

Before you know it, their wrong perceptions cause them frustration and they manifest in all sorts of dysfunctional behaviors such as drinking, eating disorders and a host of others.

One of the most prominent figures of the Bible was a man named Moses. As Moses grew, he also knew God was calling him to do something great with his life. One day, he realized the dream in his heart was to become a leader and free the Israelites from their bondage of slavery in Egypt.

So, when he saw an Egyptian fighting with an Israelite, Moses decided to defend the Israelite by murdering the Egyptian. After that, he realized what he had done was wrong - he hadn't handled the situation with wisdom.

Fleeing for his own life and searching for a new start, he wandered away and spent 40 years in the desert learning to cultivate a new way of thinking. Then, he went back and became the leader God intended him to be.

Oftentimes, in our desire for greater things in our lives, like Moses, we feel the desire to express the greater things within our hearts, but go about it all wrong. Without the wisdom of God to hold a marriage together, cultivate friendships, minister to others, our lives are empty and futile.

Handling our desires with Godly wisdom keeps us from destructive mindsets and helps us find the significance we are searching for.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.