Why God Might Be Thwarting Your Cravings

A preview of December's email-only article.

Kevin Turcios

Do you ever have cravings?

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and this month we're talking about why God might be thwarting those yearnings you have. (If you'd like to join the club, fill out the form below. It's free!)

Here's how the article starts:

I think nearly every craving we have is an expression of a genuine, legitimate need whether physical or otherwise. 

The surface-level desire might be a bastardization of that need, something that won't solve the underlying problem at all or even make the problem worse--like my craving for a bag of salty chips when what I really need is a glass of water.

My subconscious brain knows I need to consume something, but what, exactly, gets lost in translation.

I bring all this up to paint a backdrop for an interesting verse in Proverbs. The verse reads, "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked" (Pro. 10:3). Seems simple on the surface, right? 

But we leave a lot of meat on the bone if we only take one bite and move on. So let's pause for moment and see just what kind of implications this verse has for us.

 
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Our Relationship Status with Food: It's Complicated

Photo by Grant Barker

Did you know I write a monthly article for my email subscribers?

This month I wrote about how food can aid our knowledge of spiritual things. Here's how it begins:

No matter how you slice it, our relationship with food has always been complicated. The food that tastes the best also seems to be the worst for us. Too many doughnuts and cheeseburgers will render us obese and lethargic. Too little food? You’ll surely die. 

Spiritually speaking, our dealings with food might be even more bizarre. In the beginning, Adam and Eve tasted fruit they weren’t supposed to touch, even though they didn’t have to eat at all since death was not yet a thing. 

Because of those bites, we lost paradise, God cursed the ground, and suddenly not only was food now required for survival, it also became difficult to obtain. 

And that’s just the beginning. 

We don’t even have time to address vegetarianism, clean and unclean food, manna and quail in the wilderness, the Passover lamb, unleavened bread, food sacrificed to idols, Nazarite vows, our daily bread, cooking goats in their mother’s milk, fasting, eating with sinners and a whole multitude of other issues. 

Nevertheless, food provides a critical conduit for spiritual knowledge and realization, both as a metaphor and in the actual act of chowing down. This isn’t some sort of new age mysticism I’m hawking here, but stick with me as we focus in on two specific Bible passages with eerily similar wording. Coincidence? I think not, but I’ll let you be the judge.

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Maybe Vegetarians Know Something We Meat-Eaters Don't

Fifteen years ago I almost died. Not literally, but I felt like death, and I may have been okay with that outcome. What happened?

I stopped eating meat.

Photo by Monica Infiesto

This was one of those Lenten convictions I had back in my more pious days. And what better to give up for Jesus than the one thing I love the most? What’s next? Coffee and football?

I know I’m making light of it, but I assure you the decision was born out of a desire to please God and get nearer to Him, and I think I accomplished that goal.

But when I do something, I like to do it right. So I gave up eggs and fish too. But not dairy. Then I literally would have died. Suffice to say I ate a lot of Mac and Cheese and minestrone those forty days. (If only I had known about hummus back then.)

I felt drained and fatigued much of the time during those forty days. These sensations were perfect for accomplishing my Lenten goals of relying on God more, but as a way of life? I shudder at the thought.

On the other side now, I wonder how vegetarians and vegans do what they do and survive. Thrive even. One of my favorite athletes, hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, turned pseudo vegan while still playing professional football, consuming only 20% of his protein from animals—primarily fish.[1]

And yet, as untenable as it sounds to me, maybe vegetarians are on to something. Maybe deep down they know something we carnivores don’t understand.

So, It Turns Out the Fall of Man Is Even Worse Than We Thought

After high hopes for a productive day, all seemed lost when the clock read 3:03 PM and Katie and I were already exhausted. It was at that point we realized we had devoted nearly the entire day to food.

Dave McKeague (CC)

Upon waking we acquiesced to the children’s demands for breakfast. Overripe bananas and Peanut Butter Crunch. Then we proceeded to appropriate funds for the month during our monthly budget meeting in which we designated a grotesque sum for groceries and eating out. Shortly thereafter we planned meals for the week, then assembled a grocery list accordingly.

By this time it was the lunch hour, so we dressed and drove to the nearest eatery all six of us could stomach on our way to the supermarket. Never grocery shop on an empty stomach.

At the market we did our worst, traversing the aisles and playing Santa to our list. After paying, we made the trek home and unloaded the groceries. “Just leave those out.” I said to Katie. "I’ll need those things when I cook dinner."

It was disheartening to dedicate such a large part of our day to something so fleeting as food. In a few hours we’d be hungry again, nullifying the two meals we’d already eaten. And in a week, all the groceries would be gone.

Part of this scenario is the reality of four children in the house. But another part is the reality of being human. Food, as pleasing as it can be, is simply a mechanism for survival. If you don’t eat, you die, and your body will make sure you’re aware of the fact. But has it always been this way?

Why Solomon Couldn’t Take His Own Advice (and Why You Should)

Did you ever wonder how a man so wise as Solomon could have such a sad ending to his story?

Here’s a man revered by the world: the son of David, rich, discerning. Christians and Jews alike still admire his proverbs, and just to tip my hand: Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books of the Bible.

Sue Clark (cc)

Yet in his latter years we get this from 1 Kings:

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. (11:9-10)

This is the same man who, essentially, discovered the meaning of life:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecc. 12:13)

So this man King Solomon, son of David—the wisest man ever to grace the planet—sought out and actually discovered the meaning of life, yet he, himself, didn’t actually do it?

What gives?

Why You Can’t Cook a Baby Goat in Its Mother’s Milk

The Old Testament is so quirky.

Perhaps you’ve come across this immortal passage from Exodus or Deuteronomy in your own studies:

Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. (Exo. 23:19b)

This mandate actually occurs three times, so it’s probably important. But what does it even mean? What a bizarre command.

Bunky's Pickle (CC)

It seems superfluous, unimportant, out of place. As if Moses had ADD and just threw it in there for fun. But as part of the Holy, inspired word of God, it’s there for a reason.

3 Essential Tests That Will Transform Your Heart Forever

My wife and I have a weakness, and that weakness is called leftover pizza.

Leftover pizza is the one thing that will never go bad in our house. Sure, it might be tucked away in aluminum foil far back in the recesses of the fridge. But we know it’s there, calling out to us.

We’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or maybe a late night snack. I literally had a slice of pepperoni and black olive just before writing this post. I wasn’t hungry, but I ate it anyway. Why? Because it was there. And it was delicious.

Alberto G. (CC)

If I have such a hard time resisting cold, leftover pizza, I wonder what it was like for Jesus in the wilderness when he underwent temptation. At forty days without food, He was at the weakest he could be.

Then came Satan.

And it wasn’t just with food that he tested Jesus. In all, the enemy administered three tests he thought for sure would ensnare the would-be messiah.

These three tests are tests we all face on some scale or another. And they are essential tests God uses to transform our hearts.

How to Prove to the World That God Is Good

Have you ever been to Sam’s Club or Costco on a Saturday?

If you have, you already know where I’m going with this. If not, you gotta go.

threelayercake (CC)

If you can brave the herd of people meandering the oversized aisles buying their oversized goods, it’s worth the trip.

Why?

The First Step You Absolutely Must Take When Walking with Christ

So you've said the prayer. You've bowed the knee. You committed your life to Christ. Now what?

Gonmi (CC)

It may have been hard to swallow your pride and admit you have sinned, that you rebelled against God. But now that you’re in the fold it can be even harder to know what to do next.

Believe it or not, the answer involves food.