Addressing Our AffectionsSample

As we conclude this devotional, my prayer is that you’ve been encouraged to identify and reorder your affections. There is nothing inherently wrong with having desires. The problem arises when those desires begin to consume us and take the place that belongs to the Lord.

I want to leave you with a personal example of how surrendering our affections to God can truly change us. I remember applying for a promotion at my job—one I had applied for multiple times with different teams. Each time, despite being qualified and interviewing well, I wasn’t selected. There was always something that disqualified me. If I’m being honest, I wanted the role for the salary (don’t judge me) and for the title—especially because I saw others with less experience step into the very position I had hoped for.

So once again, I applied. I prayed, like we all do—but after the interview, familiar thoughts crept in: “It’s going to be just like the last time.” For about a week, those thoughts consumed me, even in prayer.

Eventually, I reached a point of genuine surrender. I told the Lord, “If this is for me, it’s for me.” I had prayed words like that before—but this time, something shifted. I addressed my affection honestly and said, “You are the giver of promotion, not this role. I trust You—whether I get this or not.”

And yes, I did end up receiving the promotion. But the greater work God did wasn’t in my career—it was in my heart. My desire shifted from needing the promotion to trusting the One who holds my future.

That’s what surrendering our affections looks like. It doesn’t mean we stop wanting good things. It means we stop letting good things rule us. When our affections are rightly ordered, peace is no longer tied to outcomes—because our confidence is anchored in God.

This is what it means to truly abide in Him. Because He is the vine and we are the branches, we recognize that He is our source. And when He is our source, we trust that He will provide everything we truly need. As a result, the affections of our hearts are reshaped—not toward striving, but toward dwelling with Him.

We are no longer driven by our desires, but led by the power of His presence. The metrics of success begin to change—from the world’s standards of achievement and accumulation to heaven’s standard of obedience and faithfulness.

My prayer is that this devotional has been helpful and has stirred you toward deeper intimacy with God. There is no greater affection than a heart fully devoted to the pure pursuit of Him. Rightly ordered affections don’t lead us away from desire—they lead us back to Him.