Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on
Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation
Showing 3151 to 3175 of 4959 results
Sermon
James Merritt
... , teenage prostitution, drug addiction, or family destruction, you can see the devil's handiwork in the lives of lost people everywhere. But the lost man is also controlled by the flesh. "Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind," (v.3) The world will teach you to sin, the devil will tempt you to sin, but the flesh will take you to sin. The lost man is not only corrupted from the outside in, he is also corrupted from ...
3152. Body Building at Its Best
1 Corinthians 12:13-27, Ephesians 4:1-6
Sermon
James Merritt
... . That one Spirit indwells every believer, whether Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, or Charismatic. That indwelling of the Spirit is the basis of our spiritual unity. When that one Spirit fills every believer, you will then have practical unity. You see, the Holy Spirit has one desire to glorify the Son of God. The Holy Spirit leads in one direction to identify the will of God. The Holy Spirit has one design to magnify the Word of God. The Holy Spirit has one determination to edify the church of God. To ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... way he shouldn't go. Children must understand, for the time that they are young, that obedience is not an option, it is an obligation. Now they may not like you from time to time because you make them obey, but I learned a long time ago that although I desire my kids to like me, I demand that my kids respect me. But notice that it is not just for the parents sake that children are to obey, it is for God's sake. He said: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord." Now what does that mean? Well, Col ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... . Jesus said in Jn. 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Paul said in 2 Tim. 3:12, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." The brutal truth you need to learn is, you may be walking on water today, and wandering in the wilderness tomorrow. That may be exactly where God leads you. So just imagine three days in that hot arid Arabian Desert ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... much do you really love God? Incidentally, I can tell you what will happen to you when you really really love God the way you ought to. When you love God the way you ought to, you will have a hunger for the word of God, you will have a desire for the house of God, and you will have a passion for the people of God. II. There Is an Outward Love That Will Be Exercised Now Jesus goes on to say, "You shall love your neighbor." (v.39) If you love God, you cannot help but love others. I ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... stones on the other side of that boat. Then something very interesting happened. As the stones hit the water beyond the boat, they created ripples which pushed the boat back toward that boy. Even though the stones disturbed the smooth water, they achieved the desired result. That is exactly the way God's discipline operates. When we drift away from Him on the "sea of sin" or "the pond of unrighteousness", He throws out the disturbing stones of his loving discipline, sending out ripples of love, pushing us ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... Him unless there had been some previous influence on my mind to make me seek Him....I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me....I desire to make this constant confession: "I ascribe my change wholly to God."4 II. We Are Governed by a Sovereign Love Now the next phrase in some versions says "sanctified by God the Father." But that's an unfortunate translation because the best manuscripts have the word "beloved ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... Us Jude wanted to write not just about his salvation, but about "our common salvation." Salvation is what brings us together, binds us together, builds us together, blesses us together. Any church or any denomination that is united around a common salvation and a desire to carry that salvation to a lost world, will be an immovable object and an irresistible force. We are to be diligent extenders of the faith. II. Be Devoted Contenders For The Faith Rather than simply declare the faith, Jude was compelled to ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... they did not keep to their divinely appointed position. They rebelled against the will of God and turned their lofty position into a lustful perversion. These spirits became apostate angels. They turned away from the will of God to carry out their own selfish desires. As I thought about this, it hit me that God has given to professors in Christian schools, and preachers in Christian churches, a high position and a lofty purpose. A professor in a seminary has the position of training his students to preach ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... and hunt with the hounds. He wants Bible believers to pay his salary for him to write books that only infidels will read. The apostate gets into religion only for what he can get out of it. Like Balaam, he is motivated by money, driven by desire, and has an obsession with possession. You watch out for these television preachers who try to get you to buy their prayer handkerchiefs, and their holy water. You also watch out for a preacher who won't preach on certain things because he might offend the money ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... took place in several stages: First of all, there was the proposal. The groom would leave his father's house and he would go to the home of his prospective bride, and he would seek out that bride and let that bride know of his love for her and his desire to marry her. Then there would be the purchase. The groom would sit down with the bride's father and there he would negotiate a price. Because he had to pay a price set by the father for the bride. When that price was agreed upon the groom and the ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... number one ambition must be to fulfill whatever His ambition is for your life. The cross always comes before commitment. The cross always comes before the crown. Jesus makes it plain. If you're not willing to die to yourself, to your ambitions, your goals, your desires, and surrender your life totally to Him you cannot be His disciple. If you want to win a popularity contest in this world, don't bother following Jesus. The world mocked Him and it will mock you. The world scorned Him and it will scorn you ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... . With a forlorn look, and tears coming down her cheeks, she looked at him and said, "I do declare, it would be easier to just have another one, than it would be to clean you up." When the going gets tough, the tough keep on praying. It is God's desire that we "always pray and not lose heart." 1 Thess. 5:17 says "we ought to pray without ceasing." Now that does not mean that we are to do nothing but pray. But it does mean we are to do nothing without praying. You see, prayer is not to be ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... can insure an eternity with God. "No." This word spoken to Jesus Christ can insure an eternity without God. Now you have already learned by now how badly Solomon wants his children to be wise. But he tells us one of the specific reasons why he desires a heart of wisdom for his children: "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice indeed, I myself; yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things." (Prov. 23:15-16) With their heart Solomon wants his children to think wisely ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... on its edge I'm going to study." The sluggard is the person who is always going to "get around to doing the job," but he never "gets around" to "getting around." The fourth mark of a sluggard is this: He is a big dreamer, but a little doer. "The desire of the slothful kills him, for his hands refuse to labor." (Prov. 21:25) His favorite refrain is "One day..." You can just hear him now: "One day I am going to hit it big." "One day I am going to settle down to one job." "One day I am ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... of a preferable future imparted by God to his chosen servants, and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances.1 My definition would be a little more succinct and a little more simple. Vision is a God-given plan that He desires to become a man-made reality. God makes the vision possible; man makes the vision real. With God vision is a dream that can come true. Without God vision is a nightmare that should never happen. This vision that the people of Israel had was definitely ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... said, "Every morning make sure he gets a good healthy breakfast; have him come home for lunch every day and feed him his favorite meal; make sure you feed him a good hot dinner every night; give him a massage before he goes to sleep; be romantic whenever he desires it; and don't let him do any chores around the house. Finally, you keep the house spotless and clean so he doesn't get exposed to any unnecessary germs. When they got in the car to go home, the husband said, "Well, what did the doctor say?" She ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... of the marriage ceremony is lost. Feminist movements abound. Increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general. Acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion. Refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities. Growing desire for, and acceptance of, adultery. Increasing interest in, and spread of, sexual perversions and sex related crimes. 1 Zimmerman said that those are the family marks of a culture in inevitable decline. Couple that with what ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... , and yet they ended up with expensive bikes that their daddy wanted to buy them the whole time. The greatest place in the world to be is in the center of God's will for your life. God's will begins with you being saved. For the Bible says, "God desires all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth." When you get saved and get into the greatest place in all the world, that is when the joy and the blessing really begins. [1] Money, September 1995, Volume 24, pp. 126ff. [2] Bartlett's Familiar ...
3170. Whatever It Takes
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Sermon
James Merritt
... bums. Always remember whenever you say, "I am willing to do whatever it takes" keep in mind that the "it" always takes from you. "It" always charges a price, and always comes with a cost. Paul knew that. Paul knew that if he was going to achieve his passion, his desire, his goal of winning people to Jesus Christ, he would have to give up some things. Because that's what it takes. I. Paul Was Willing To Give Up Preferences "…and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... , said, "Son, you do want to be a nice clean little boy don't you?" Her little boy said, "Yes ma'am, but Mama can't you just sort of dust me off?" Well, our hands are dirty because of the deeds we do. Our hearts are dirty in the desires that we have. Our heads are dirty in the deliberations we consider, in the thoughts that pass through our mind. If you want God to forgive you, you must allow God to cleanse you. I believe that God does not forgive without cleansing. Let me tell you the difference between ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... men would like to be God, but imagine God wanting to become a man. Yet, that is exactly what happened. When they were building the Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th Century, locomotives put forth so much smoke that the downwind side of the tracks on the cars was less desirable, and it generally was on the poor side of town. That's where we get the phrase, "The wrong side of the tracks." When the Lord Jesus left Heaven, He came to be born "on the wrong side of the tracks." He left a throne on the right ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... in effect, launch what would become a worldwide ministry. Why was Barnabas willing to take second billing? Why was he willing to be number two? Why was he willing to go behind the curtains and put Paul out on the stage? Because he was an encourager who had one desire, and that was to bring blessings to others. II. Be A Person Who Breaks Barriers for Others "And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple." (9:26 ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... added to the church daily those who were being saved." The Philippian jailer said to the Apostle Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts. 16:30) Rom. 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 1 Tim. 2:4 says, "God desires all men to be saved…" You see, we were all born lost, and that's why every person needs to be saved. As a matter of fact, David said in the book of Psalms that we began to speak lies from our birth. Now I often have wondered how a ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... children. II. Inspire Your Children to Revere the Lord "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." (v.5) We are to teach our kids to love God, but there is a special kind of love that God desires, God deserves, and God demands. We are to love the Lord fervently—"with all of our heart." Nothing breaks the heart of God more than the sin of a half-hearted love. We've got too many Christians who love God just enough to come half a day on Sunday ...
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