{"id":3916,"date":"2026-09-06T16:12:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T23:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=3916"},"modified":"2026-09-06T16:12:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T23:12:59","slug":"the-desires-of-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2026\/09\/06\/the-desires-of-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"The Desires Of The Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>9\/6\/2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"9\/6\/2026 The Desires Of The Heart\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1224455382?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>## Sermon Info<\/p>\n<p>* **Speaker \/ Pastor:** Rev. Douglas Dill<br \/>* **Church \/ Location:** Mountain View Lutheran, Phoenix<\/p>\n<p>## Scripture References<\/p>\n<p>* **Exodus 20:17** &#8211; read as the commandment **&#8221;You shall not covet&#8221;**, framing the message.<br \/>* **Matthew (chapter read aloud)** &#8211; Jesus&#8217;s response about the **greatest commandments**: love God with all your heart, soul, mind and love your neighbor as yourself; used to connect coveting with broken relationships.<br \/>* **Romans 3** &#8211; cited to remind listeners that **all have sinned** and are redeemed by God&#8217;s faith and grace in Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>## Central Message<\/p>\n<p>Desire and coveting damage our relationships with God and others; instead we are called to reorient our desires toward a faithful relationship with God and life-giving relationships with one another, trusting in God&#8217;s mercy and forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>## Key Points<\/p>\n<p>1. The commandment **&#8221;Do not covet&#8221;** means resisting jealousy and unhealthy desires for what others have.<br \/>1. Coveting breaks relationships\u2014between neighbors, families, congregations\u2014and even damages our relationship with God because the Holy Spirit dwells with us.<br \/>1. Common temptations (gambling, alcohol, pornography, money, social media, possessions) can displace God as the focus of our hearts.<br \/>1. True priority is loving God first and loving neighbor as yourself; coveting is contrary to that love.<br \/>1. Although desire is powerful and sin affects everyone, **God&#8217;s grace through Jesus** saves and restores; boasting is excluded because justification comes by **God&#8217;s\/Jesus&#8217; faith** and grace, not our works.<br \/>1. The speaker encouraged openness to change and relationships (a pastoral appeal about community strategic planning was mentioned), connecting healthy desires to life-giving outcomes where others flourish.<\/p>\n<p>## Notable Quotes<\/p>\n<p>&gt; &#8220;Do not covet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&gt; &#8220;Jesus loves you and forgives you no matter what.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&gt; &#8220;Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&gt; &#8220;You are forgiven.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>## Application<\/p>\n<p>* Reorient desires so they draw you closer to God rather than toward envy of others.<br \/>* Protect relationships by avoiding jealous thoughts and actions that harm others.<br \/>* Be mindful of activities and habits (games, social media, addictions) that can become sinful when pursued for the wrong reasons.<br \/>* Embrace life-giving desires that allow others and yourself to flourish.<\/p>\n<p>## Prayer Points<\/p>\n<p>* Prayer asking God to **relieve us of jealousy** so we can have good relationships with family, friends, and strangers.<br \/>* Thanksgiving and assurance in God&#8217;s faithfulness, mercy, and the redemption offered through Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>## Reflection Questions<\/p>\n<p>1. Have you ever wanted something very badly\u2014how did that desire affect your relationships?<br \/>1. What desires of the heart have led to harm or brokenness in your life or in the lives of others?<br \/>1. What would it look for your desires to be ordered toward closeness with God and life for others?<br \/>1. What past examples (like David\/Bathsheba or Jezebel) remind you of the consequences of coveting?<br \/>1. How does the truth of God&#8217;s forgiveness change how you approach lingering sinful desires?<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>9\/6\/2026 ## Sermon Info * **Speaker \/ Pastor:** Rev. Douglas Dill* **Church \/ Location:** Mountain View Lutheran, Phoenix ## Scripture References * **Exodus 20:17** &#8211; read as the commandment **&#8221;You shall not covet&#8221;**, framing the message.* **Matthew (chapter read aloud)** &#8211; Jesus&#8217;s response about the **greatest commandments**: love God with all your heart, soul, mind &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2026\/09\/06\/the-desires-of-the-heart\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[101,76,246,274,223,253,21,10,180,52,329,92,83,39,150],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","post","publish","author-admin","post-3916","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-change","category-commandment","category-commandments","category-covet","category-cross","category-devil","category-faith","category-jesus","category-mercy","category-reconciliation","category-relationship","category-satan","category-sermon","category-sin-2","category-sinner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-11a","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3124,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2023\/08\/07\/you-shall-not-covet\/","url_meta":{"origin":3916,"position":0},"title":"You Shall Not Covet","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"August 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"August 6, 2023 Commandment Sermon Series James 4:1-3 (NIV)Romans 7:7-12 (NIV)Exodus 20:1-2, 17 (NIV)","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Acceptance&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Acceptance","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/acceptance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3610,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2025\/12\/12\/priorities-today-tomorrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":3916,"position":1},"title":"Priorities Today &amp; 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