Beliefs, Hopes and Wants

I've talked about beliefs being at the core of our lives.
Believe in the promises of God.
Believe you are more sinful that you even realize,
but more loved by God than you've ever dreamed.
When you get that foundation in place, you are set!

Then I talked about hopes.
It's OK to hope for God to do great stuff in and through your life.
Stuff like giving you health and success and safety.

But hope even more for what matters more- obedience. Contentment. Patience. Peace. Righteousness. Joy. Mercy. Love. Grace.

But what about wants?
Where do they fit in?
Wants are very important.
Wants are often god wake-up call in our lives.
God can do some amazing things through us when we start to want, really want, the things of God.

I'll tell you my lists of wants is far different now than it was as a teenager,
than it was as a young adult,
than it was when I was first married.
And I believe these wants are, by and large, more Godly and more selfless. The more I spend focused, intentional time with God in His word and in prayer, the more I believe my wants come into line with his will.

In your time with God make sure you explore you wants.

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Here are some "wants" I've been working out recently.

I want a Ministry Center for Connections, but I'm very open to how that might unfold.
I want the revenues of Connections to increase so we can explore hiring staff.
I want the new service to succeed, and I'm very flexible on what success might look like.
I want to go overseas on a scouting trip to explore a mission opportunity with my family.
I want to move forward without fear.
I want a new Connections T-shirt!
I want a new brochure for the fall.
I want the new website to be AWESOME (which it will be!)
I want to better discern how to parent each of my children, as they are all in very different stages right now.
I want to support Robin more in her amazing gifts.

I want to think less about what might have been, or what could be,
and I want to live more fully in the moment.
Yeah, that's the one!

How do "wants" fit into your beliefs and hopes?
What is God working in you to want for his Kingdom?