Esse Quam Videri (Greg Isaacson)

Desire. At the very mention of the word, immediately images and ideas begin to flood the minds of every individual. For some it is the driving force behind all they do, while for others they are distant dreams that are seemingly never to be attained. Yet there is a battle in everyone to fulfill the desires in our lives. While desire is not a bad thing, there is a constant struggle in the nature of man between the desires of our SELF and the desires of our SOUL. It is a struggle that as we draw closer to God, the gap between these also closes. It is the central theme of being Christ-like, not simply doing His will, but His will becoming YOUR will. There are many things that we do in His name but they are not the things we would do “if we had a choice”. They are right and true, yet many times they go against the SELF desires, our SELF being emnity and all. (Rom 8:7) But how do I “die out” to my own selfish desires while relentlessly pursuing the souls sincere desire. In one (self) we feel accomplished, yet in the other (soul) we find fulfillment.
Why is it that human nature causes us to pursue accomplishment over fulfillment? Yet in the fulfillment we accomplish more than could be attained in and of ourselves. It is then that we understand that He will give us the desires of our hearts. We must first go through a heart transplant, having our selfish heart replaced with a heart for the things of God. It is then that we find ourselves living, doing and accomplishing the very things that fulfill our desires. It is only then that we can “Do justly, love mercy, and Walk humbly with our God”. (see Micah 6) It is the essence of BEING, not simply an empty shell life. Esse Quam Videri...TO BE, rather than to appear.
As our self desires are fulfilled we continually paint the picture of accomplishment, showing that we have what it takes to succeed. But when we simply BE, our measuring stick of accomplishment quickly turns from accomplishment to fulfillment. Our work becomes play, and we are truly free to pursue our hearts and souls desire. (Mark 8:34-37) This is a dying picture today in the “Church”. We have become so enamored with fitting the Kingdom of God into accomplishing our goals and riding the wave of success for our own gratification that we have become lost in the Gospels true meaning. The Gospel has become another medication to take when the symptoms of “sin and self” are evident, but remains in the cupboard when we are “making it” by ourselves through the daily tasks. This lack of faith is the very thing that is driving people from all walks of life out of the church and into the open arms of accomplishment and self-fulfillment. There must be a resurgence and true understanding of Faith that gets inside the hearts and minds of every born again child of God. This is the Holy Ghost power at work. It is also the only way we can and will be saved. When our faith is increased, our ability to walk in and live by faith is increased and the work of the Spirit can be fulfilled. “The just shall live by faith”. “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him”... “Faith without works”...
It is through faith that we enter into the Kingdom, and begin to live and fulfill the work that is set before us. We take I Cor 13 to heart so much that because “now abideth Faith, hope, and love but the greatest of these is love”, we emphasize loving before we have gotten the Power to love. This is not to diminish Love in any way. But to truly love and to understand real love, you must first KNOW the source of Love. This only comes through Faith. This is pleasing to Him, and in turn it opens the door for all the others aspects of BEING in the Kingdom. When we can BE, we don't have to fluff it up and over emphasize our superficial love, but are free to live and fulfill our true desires. This ends the internal struggle for who and what we really are and unleashes us from selling ourselves short of our souls desires. Esse Quam Videri...