As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?     Psalm 42:1-2 HCSB

Let me start by saying that I am not a big fan of drinking water. But, I have learned that if I drink water, I begin to crave water. I am a big fan of Dr. Pepper, if I drink Dr. Pepper, I begin to crave Dr. Pepper. Funny how that works, isn’t it. I am a big fan of chocolate. I have also learned that if I eat chocolate, I begin to crave chocolate. If I refrain from chocolate then the cravings subside. The same happens with Dr. Pepper.

This is the problem with any type of addiction. Some drugs are instantly addictive. Some have to be used a few times. We can suffer addiction with anything good or bad. We can become addicted to water and foods that are healthy if we focus on eating them. We can become addicted to sugar if we eat too much of it, which is not so good. We can become addicted to carbonated drinks. We can become addicted to chips and starchy foods.

If you sit on your sofa all day, you will want to sit on your sofa all day. If you exercise each day, you will begin to yearn to get up and exercise each day.

We are told it takes 30 days for something to become a habit. I have noticed when I diet that if I give up a certain food, like those high in sugar for 2 or 3 weeks that I no longer want them or I can eat a small amount occasionally and be perfectly satisfied.

The same is true with our desire for spending time with God. The more time we spend with God and the more we learn about His goodness, the more we want. The more time we spend communicating with Him through Bible study and prayer the more we want to be in His presence.

If you have ever mowed a large lawn on a hot summer day in southeast Louisiana, then you know what it is like to crave an ice cold glass of water. I found it to be a lot like that when I really began trying to get into a deeper relationship with my Lord and Savior. The more I knew about Him, the more I craved Him. I crave His word. I crave being able to study HIs word. I crave being able to worship and praise Him. I crave being able to kneel down and pray to Him. I want to tell Him all the things I am thankful for and also know that I can faithfully bring my requests to Him.

I would like for you to do something for me right now. Think about what it is that you crave? Do you crave approval from other people? Do you crave attention from the opposite sex? Do you crave money? Do you crave certain types of food? Do you crave alcohol or some other type of drug? Whatever it is you crave, I beg of you to replace that craving with craving more and more time with your Lord and Savior. Crave a deep, intimate relationship with Him. Crave a relationship that is grounded in trust and obedience. The more we trust and obey the Lord, the deeper our relationship with Him becomes. Have you entered into that type of deep relationship? If so, then you know what I am talking about. You have come to the point where you crave more and more of Him.

The world will let us down. We are seeing all type of evil and depravity in our world today. But, praise God, we can turn to Him. He will shelter and protect us (Psalm 91:1). He will keep us safe amidst the storm. Even the winds and the waves obey Him (Mark 4:41). The more you lean on God and trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6), the more you will want to obey Him and turn all your troubles over to Him.

My friend, I don’t know what it is that you crave today, but I pray that you will crave an intimate relationship with your Lord and Savior. I pray that you will crave more and more time spent with Him through Bible study and prayer. I pray that you will crave time spent worshiping and praising Him and gathering with other believers.

James 4:8 says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. This is just the beginning my friend, as we grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus we crave Him more and more. Only He can satisfy that craving that is deep within your heart. Comfort food, junk food, alcohol, drugs, whatever it is that you are using to satisfy your cravings will never, ever completely satisfy you. You will never be able to get enough.

But, when we turn to Jesus and trust and obey Him, He satisfies the longing of our hearts (John 6:35, Psalm 107:9). Won’t you turn to Him today? Replace those bad cravings and habits for a deeper relationship with Him.

Have a great day!