Series 2 - Lesson 10 - Annotation 18
What is the difference between desire and will?
18. Desire is an activity in the subconscious phase of our being. It is a state of mind resulting from adding feeling to thinking about a specific need, or rather the fulfillment of some need, made apparent through a sense of incompleteness in some area of our being. The book Charles Fillmore Prosperity 27 gives an interesting definition of "desire":
It is a feeling after something, a longing or a craving for some good in order to satisfy a need. In the book LESSONS IN TRUTH, in the chapter on "Faith" we read:
"Desire in the heart is always God tapping at the door of your consciousness with His infinite supply — a supply that is forever useless unless there be demand for it."
Will is the faculty in us that enables us to make the demand based on this desire. The will is first of all an activity in the conscious phase of mind (intellect) which may accept or reject, say "yes" or "no" to the good that God offers to His children.
Desire governs the shape of our good, but the will accepts or rejects it. One may desire some good but until he wills to accept it, it does not manifest in his life.
"If you desire a thing you set in motion the machinery of the universe to gain possession of it, but you must be zealous in the pursuit in order to attain the object of your desire" (Charles Fillmore Twelve Powers Of Man 131).
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Preceding Entry: What is it to be reconciled to God? Give three affirmations that have helped you to bring about this reconciliation in your own consciousness and in your body and affairs.
Following Entry: Explain how Jehovah is the "judge" of all the earth. What is the "earth"?
