Excerpt from Divided Desire: Chapter 10 - Fulfillment in Desire

All of this being the case, there is a very tough issue to wrestle through, which if I do not address, I would be dishonest. The same Jesus who promises to grant the desires of our heart, also said something that seems to fly in the face of our desires being granted by Him. When His own disciple Peter was rejecting the idea that Jesus must go to the cross to die, Jesus responds, treating Peter’s analysis as being from the Devil himself. Then He says these words,

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 

Mark 8:34

How do these words fit with the words “He shall grant the desires of your heart”? I will admit that I do not know how. I am too inexperienced and full of desire myself—both the Ultimate and the essential—to know how. Since I know it is the same Jesus who said these words, and who promises to grant the good desires of our heart, I assume that in His sovereignty He works denying self and following Him, together with delighting in Him and seeing our desires granted. Perhaps following Him in denial, and taking up our “crosses,” is part of Him becoming our ultimate desire. I could look to more experienced Christians and other sources for immediate answers, but for now I’m content to comment on what I know best, and leave it to God Himself to teach me personally how these two work together.

Copyright © 2013, Kenny Damara. This article is an excerpt from the book - Divided Desire.