63 Bible Verses about desires
Most Relevant Verses
For the music director; a well-written song by the Korahites. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God! I thirst for God, for the living God. I say, "When will I be able to go and appear in God's presence?"
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you."
A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. O God, you are my God! I long for you! My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Yes, in the sanctuary I have seen you, and witnessed your power and splendor. Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself, my lips will praise you.read more.
For this reason I will praise you while I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. As if with choice meat you satisfy my soul. My mouth joyfully praises you, whenever I remember you on my bed, and think about you during the nighttime hours. For you are my deliverer; under your wings I rejoice. My soul pursues you; your right hand upholds me.
But do not accept younger widows on the list, because their passions may lead them away from Christ and they will desire to marry,
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow. I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.
You must not desire another man's wife, nor should you crave his house, his field, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, or anything else he owns."
I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts."
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones,
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor."
The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the faithless will be captured by their own desires.
For this is God's will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor,
For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians desire. You lived then in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries.
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.
A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth, good favor more than silver or gold.
For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error.
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every respect.
But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
If you had known what this means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Tell me what I should give you." Solomon replied to God, "You demonstrated great loyalty to my father David and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, may your promise to my father David be realized, for you have made me king over a great nation as numerous as the dust of the earth.read more.
Now give me wisdom and discernment so I can effectively lead this nation. Otherwise no one is able to make judicial decisions for this great nation of yours." God said to Solomon, "Because you desire this, and did not ask for riches, wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies, and because you did not ask for long life, but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king, you are granted wisdom and discernment. Furthermore I am giving you riches, wealth, and honor surpassing that of any king before or after you."
For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said, "Tell me what I should give you." Solomon replied, "You demonstrated great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne. Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David's place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.read more.
Your servant stands among your chosen people; they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning mind so he can make judicial decisions for your people and distinguish right from wrong. Otherwise no one is able to make judicial decisions for this great nation of yours." The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request. God said to him, "Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, I grant your request, and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. Furthermore, I am giving you what you did not request -- riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. If you follow my instructions by obeying my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, then I will grant you long life."
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.
Go and learn what this saying means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Above all, understand this: In the last days blatant scoffers will come, being propelled by their own evil urges
But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.
among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest
Pursue love and be eager for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.read more.
The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be strengthened.
"I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies! Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves. Take away from me your noisy songs; I don't want to hear the music of your stringed instruments.read more.
Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.
especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority. Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones,
Now you are Christ's body, and each of you is a member of it. And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues. Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they?read more.
Not all have gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all interpret, do they? But you should be eager for the greater gifts. And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison.
Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming -- and now is here -- when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.read more.
God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
So when he came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. "Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in. "Then I said, 'Here I am: I have come -- it is written of me in the scroll of the book -- to do your will, O God.'"read more.
When he says above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them" (which are offered according to the law), then he says, "Here I am: I have come to do your will." He does away with the first to establish the second. By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again -- sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy.
This saying is trustworthy: "If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work."
Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.read more.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.
Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. You make that quite clear to me! You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings. Then I say, "Look! I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me. I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts."
And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers. The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.read more.
Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness.
You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God's image -- in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.
May the Lord your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf! Because of your God's love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them, he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions."
So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.
But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct,
Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul,
So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, in that he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires. For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians desire. You lived then in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries.read more.
So they are astonished when you do not rush with them into the same flood of wickedness, and they vilify you. They will face a reckoning before Jesus Christ who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.
But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want.
For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.
Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you?
From Thematic Bible
Communion with God » Saints » Desires
For the music director; a well-written song by the Korahites. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God!
I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,
Desires » Select readings, psalms 42; 84 ps 42; 84 » General references to
I have asked the Lord for one thing -- this is what I desire! I want to live in the Lord's house all the days of my life, so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord and contemplate in his temple.
I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.
And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation,
Desires » Evil
Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol's; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples.
among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest
Now the mixed multitude who were among them craved more desirable foods, and so the Israelites wept again and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
The appetite of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor is shown no favor in his eyes.
The leech has two daughters: "Give! Give!" There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, "Enough" --
Desires » What the lord desires
Then Samuel said, "Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.
For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
"Indeed, God does all these things, twice, three times, in his dealings with a person, to turn back his life from the place of corruption, that he may be enlightened with the light of life. Pay attention, Job -- listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. read more.
If you have any words, reply to me; speak, for I want to justify you.
Certainly the Lord has chosen Zion; he decided to make it his home. He said, "This will be my resting place forever; I will live here, for I have chosen it.
When Jesus heard this he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do. Go and learn what this saying means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Desires » Select readings, psalms 42; 84 ps 42; 84 » For companionship
When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.
He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed.
Make every effort to come before winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.
Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill.
Make every effort to come to me soon.
Desires » What the lord does not desire
Then Samuel said, "Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.
For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
When Jesus heard this he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do. Go and learn what this saying means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things; you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. No one can thwart you! I want to declare them and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount! Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. You make that quite clear to me! You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. read more.
For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. So when he came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. "Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in. "Then I said, 'Here I am: I have come -- it is written of me in the scroll of the book -- to do your will, O God.'" When he says above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them" (which are offered according to the law), then he says, "Here I am: I have come to do your will." He does away with the first to establish the second.
Desires » Select readings, psalms 42; 84 ps 42; 84 » Spiritual thirst, examples of
A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. O God, you are my God! I long for you! My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
I thirst for God, for the living God. I say, "When will I be able to go and appear in God's presence?"
Be certain of this, the time is coming," says the sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land -- not a shortage of food or water but an end to divine revelation!
Desires » General references to
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you."
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
You open your hand, and fill every living thing with the food they desire.
Desires » What to desire
Pursue love and be eager for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
Now you are Christ's body, and each of you is a member of it. And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues. Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they? read more.
Not all have gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all interpret, do they? But you should be eager for the greater gifts. And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison.
And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, if you have experienced the Lord's kindness.
Desires » What not to desire
Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them; for their hearts contemplate violence, and their lips speak harm.
When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you possess a large appetite. Do not crave that ruler's delicacies, for that food is deceptive. read more.
Do not wear yourself out to become rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely make wings for themselves, and fly off into the sky like an eagle! Do not eat the food of a stingy person, do not crave his delicacies; for he is like someone calculating the cost in his mind. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you; you will vomit up the little bit you have eaten, and will have wasted your pleasant words.
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.
Desires » Desiring the lord
Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth. My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.
Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow. I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.
Desires » Who desires
The sluggard will not plow during the planting season, so at harvest time he looks for the crop but has nothing.
The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing, but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied.
Desires » Who shall have their desires fulfilled by the lord
The Lord is near all who cry out to him, all who cry out to him sincerely. He satisfies the desire of his loyal followers; he hears their cry for help and delivers them.
Desires » The desire of the righteous
What the wicked fears will come on him; what the righteous desire will be granted.
What the righteous desire leads only to good, but what the wicked hope for leads to wrath.
Desires » Who desires evil
The wicked person desires a stronghold, but the righteous root endures.
The appetite of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor is shown no favor in his eyes.
Desires » The wandering of the desire
It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one's heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile -- like chasing the wind.
Desires » Evil concupiscence
So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Desires » The time when the desire comes
Desires » The desire of the slothful
What the sluggard desires will kill him, for his hands refuse to work.
Desires » The desire accomplished
Desires » The desire of a man
What is desirable for a person is to show loyal love, and a poor person is better than a liar.
Desires » The desire of the wicked
When the wicked see this, they will worry; they will grind their teeth in frustration and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.
Desires » Who does not desire God
"Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, even increase in power? Their children are firmly established in their presence, their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe and without fear; and no rod of punishment from God is upon them. read more.
Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They allow their children to run like a flock; their little ones dance about. They sing to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp, and make merry to the sound of the flute. They live out their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. So they say to God, 'Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain if we were to pray to him?'
Evil » Results of » Desires
Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol's; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples.
among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest
Now the mixed multitude who were among them craved more desirable foods, and so the Israelites wept again and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
The appetite of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor is shown no favor in his eyes.
The leech has two daughters: "Give! Give!" There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, "Enough" --
Topics on Desires
Desires For Holiness
Matthew 5:8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Desires Of The Heart
Acts 7:39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,
Evil Desires
2 Timothy 2:22But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
God's Desires
Psalm 51:6Look, you desire integrity in the inner man; you want me to possess wisdom.
Imagination, Inward Desires
Proverbs 4:23Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.
Spiritual Desires
Isaiah 26:9I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.