It’s likely if you’ve been around Christian circles for any length of time you’ve heard it said that God created us with a “God-shaped hole” in our souls that only the Creator of the Universe can fill. Sadly, mankind spends years futilely pursuing the proverbial fix hoping to fill that void with earthly things like alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, food, etc. You name it.
This topic is the subject of a book I’m currently reading called, Made to Crave, Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food, by author and speaker and President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa Terkeurst.
In her book, Ms. Terkeurst states: “We were made to crave—long for, want greatly, desire eagerly, and beg for—God. Only God. But Satan wants to do everything possible to replace our craving for God with something else.”
Satan tempted the first humans, Adam and Eve, and he repeatedly tempted Jesus. In his attempt to steal our focus away from God, Satan oftentimes begins his assault on us as early as infancy.
I recently bore witness to this fact when I attended a birthday party for a one-year-old. This child is being reared by parents who take special care to feed their child healthy foods. This little guy’s knowledge of sweets is extremely limited as his parents have taken great pains to avoid all things sugar.
However, what would a first birthday be without cake and those precious Kodak moments of baby’s first face plant into a cake covered with thick, gooey icing? For a child that’s had no experience with cake and icing, baby Noah did what comes naturally. His first fistful of cake went straight to his mouth and he instinctually went back for more. He sucked frosting from his fingers like he’d been created for that purpose. He ended up with cake and icing from head to toe and down the front of his diaper.
This baby’s introduction to frosting brought home to me the point that Ms. Terkeurst made in her book. Satan wants to whet our appetites for the things that are bad for us as soon as possible, hoping to addict us at an early age, making us dependent on anything other God.
For me personally, I never met a cake I didn’t like. God may have created me to crave Him, but my flesh craves chocolate … and Oreos and cake! My own sugar addiction likely began early on in my life. As much as I want to crave God and deepen my relationship with Him, the pull of all things sugary renders me weak and powerless. In my own strength, I fear continual failure; which is why I’m thankful that God wants to help me carry this burden.
Ms. Terkeurst states in her book: “Moment by moment we have the choice to live in our own strength and risk failure or to reach across the gap and grab hold of God’s unwavering strength.”
Regardless of how much my soul seeks after God, every day for me is a struggle to bridge the gap between my sugar addiction and God’s presence. Every day I have to choose to live in God’s strength not mine because my own strength frequently disappoints me. Thankfully God reminds me, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” (Luke 18:26-28 NLT)
Are you trying to fill that God-shaped hole by stuffing it with your own cravings or addictions? You’re not alone. Satan wants to separate us all from God because he knows what our souls really long for is the Savior. Lean on Jesus and rely on His strength and let Him fill your void.
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com
Beautifully written sister! I have never thought of my own addiction and struggles in such a way before. Perhaps, now when I struggle with my own unhealthy cravings I can remember this and turn my focus and dependance on God. Thank you!
Thank you for the encouragement to lean on Jesus and not on our own cravings to satisfy the longings of our soul.