Got Cravings? Here's Your Out

I have an addiction. It’s not a secret, hidden addiction. Merriam-Webster’s definition of addiction is “ a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly.” Before I tell you about my addiction, I want to preface this post by telling you it’s not just about my addiction. It’s about cravings we indulge in that only make us feel empty and want more. Addictions come in many different forms: addiction to social media, alcohol, shopping, addiction to self, gaming, exercise, or sweets (just to name a few). My addiction supports the sugar manufacturers of the world and also the clothing manufacturers since my addiction to sweets also causes a needed increase in my pants size.

I started the year by writing about struggling with self-control and realizing the root of my struggle was reliance upon myself. I discovered I couldn’t control myself because I wasn’t allowing myself to be God-controlled. I later found out, truth be told, sometimes I don’t want to be God-controlled because I want what I want. It’s ugly, but it’s the truth.

In the past year, my eating habits have been out of control. I’ve used all the excuses to eat whatever, whenever, without restraint. I’ve been treating my body like a garbage disposal, instead of a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Recently, a friend texted and asked how she could pray for me. I shared my struggle with healthy habits and asked her to join me in praying specifically for restraint in what I eat. She shared the Made to Crave: 21 Day Challenge plan on the Bible App with me.

I started Day 1 immediately and was brought to tears as I read the following words:

“There was a time when I felt utterly defeated in the area of food and health. I knew that I needed to make changes not because of the number on the scale or what clothing size I was. I knew it because of the battle that raged in my heart. I craved, I desired, I thought about, and arranged my life around food. Yet I was a Bible teacher. I was a woman who loved Jesus. Why couldn’t I figure this out? I had found victory in so many areas of my life, but this area eluded me.” Yassss!!!!! This pierced my soul and described me to a tee. I can’t get my stuff together and JUST SAY NO to that cupcake, or Dr. Pepper, or Wild Berry Skittles, or… well, you get the picture.

The same morning I asked my friend to pray for me, I came across this verse:

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 NIV

It is no coincidence that God put this verse in my path. The very morning I asked for prayer in this area, He showed me the perfect verse. I haven’t been walking by the Spirit. I’ve been walked on a leash led by my own desires. To walk by the Spirit, we need to:

1. stay in His Word,

2. take everything to Him in prayer, and

3. ask that our fleshly gratifications be replaced with spiritual gratifications.

Everything came to a head that morning. I realized how deeply entrenched I had become in my addiction when I reflected on my church's upcoming 21 Day Fast leading up to Easter. When our pastor presented this idea, I immediately thought of fasting from the sweets that plague me. But then, I talked myself out of it because I knew we would be out of town for Spring Break, and fasting from sweets would be way too hard. Wow! That got ugly real quick! I wasn’t willing to fast from sweets because I was more committed to those sugary devils than to God.

On Day 2 of Lysa’s Made to Crave devotional, she states, “God made us capable of craving so that we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we choose to redirect our misguided cravings to the only One capable of satisfying them.”

Nothing changes! When we “redirect our misguided cravings” to Him, I believe He delights in us requesting a hunger for more of Him. Most of us have cravings for something other than God. If you don’t know your craving, imagine yourself fasting from something and ask yourself what you wouldn’t want to fast from. Jackpot!!! That’s what you crave. We were made to crave, but we often fill that desire with insignificant, temporary pleasures. We constantly look for the instant gratification route and ignore the accompanying, negative consequences. These things we crave (social media, exercise, a sweet treat) aren't necessarily bad. What's bad is when we crave them., when they control us, and when we want them more than we want God.

Most recently, Galatians 5:16 has fought my craving battles. Every time I want to indulge in a sugary something, I retrieve that verse and repeat it over and over again… ”you WILL NOT gratify the desires of your flesh.” Scripture is starting to replace my craving, and isn’t that how it should be? When we have a self-destructive craving, shouldn’t we run to God and His Word? Instead of being sad and needing a Dr. Pepper, a Snickers, or a gallon of Ben and Jerry’s, shouldn’t we just need Him? Psalm 119:103 says of God’s word, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” There’s the replacement for empty cravings… God’s word.

Later in the week, after my literal come-to-Jesus experience, I was turning to 1 Thessalonians to check off the day’s reading assignment in my Bible reading plan when I felt this nudging to turn to Psalm 119 instead. This is my favorite chapter in the entire Bible. I have read over it several times and, with each reading, God brings a different section to life. On that particular day, the following passage jumped out at me:

“Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart towards your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” Psalm 119:33-37

These cravings we battle are the worthless things the psalmist was referring to. I’m going to start a wallpaper company specializing in wallpaper covered with scriptures we need to be reminded of over and over. That way, God’s word will be in our faces every single day. This passage will be one of the first Wallpapers of the Word creations. All kidding aside, we need this passage in our life every day! “Turn my heart towards your statutes and not toward selfish gain.” Amen and amen!!!!

Let’s get mad at our stupid cravings! Let’s stand up to those bullies and not let them win. Let’s pray that God reveals our superficial desires and replaces those pangs of hunger with a hunger for Him, His Word, and His will. What would happen if we all replaced these cravings with Him? There's a possibility Ben and Jerry’s could go bankrupt, but there's an assurance we would all be genuinely fulfilled.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:5