The Seven Longings of the Human Heart

God created every person with deep longings that only He can fill. We all long for beauty, for greatness, for fascination, for intimacy. We all long to be enjoyed, to be wholehearted, to make a lasting impact. When we realize that these longings are godly and that God wants to fulfill them, we begin to find new freedom and joy. To encounter God in these areas is to be fully alive. We are not to repent of these longings, but to repent of seeking to satisfy them outside of our relationship with Jesus.

God has placed deep longings in the heart of every human being. We all long for beauty, for greatness, for fascination, for intimacy. We all long to be enjoyed, to be whole-hearted, to make a lasting impact. Many of us have been taught to deny these longings. We've been told they are not of God. But the problem is not the longings—they are given of God and cannot be denied. Problems only arise when we attempt to fulfill godly, legitimate longings in ungodly, wrong ways. Only God can fulfill the longings He has given to us. Only God can truly satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. When we realize our longings are godly and God wants to fulfill them, we find freedom and joy. We experience intimacy with God in ways we'd never thought possible.

Mike Bickle is the director of the International House of Prayer of Kansas City (IHOP–KC), an evangelical missions organization based on 24/7 prayer with worship. Mike is also the founder of International House of Prayer University, which includes full-time ministry, music, and media schools. He is the author of several books, including Passion for Jesus, Growing in the Prophetic, The Pleasures of Loving God, After God’s Own Heart, and Prayers to Strengthen Your Inner Man. Mike’s teaching emphasizes growing in passion for Jesus through intimacy with God, doing evangelism and missions work from the place of night-and-day prayer, and the end times.