What do you crave?
Published: December 2, 2009
Everyone has “cravings” … desires and needs that must be fulfilled. If they aren’t, then our lives themselves seem unfulfilled. It seems that no matter how much we have, or experience, we always want more.
Maybe these cravings, which can’t be satisfied adequately by any of the things in this world, aren’t there by accident. Maybe they are there to encourage us to look for something even greater.
In this video, Erwin McManus introduces his book Soul Cravings. We encourage you to watch and explore our Soul Cravings website if you’re interested in learning more.
Do you identify with having “soul cravings”? Have you felt frustrated as you try to fill them with things that ultimately don’t satisfy? Feel free to contact us by email or comment below if you’d like to share your thoughts.
This is really interesting. When I think about what Erwin is saying, it makes sense that we crave intimacy. I guess it really helps explain some of how our intense reactions to relationships.
i crave for god, and my husband craves for porn how do i handle this. The more closer I get the more he watches porn. we used to watch together, and now he do not want to lose that part of our relationship but i am no longer comfortable with porn. I tried to suggest praying while making love and he look at me like I had three heads. I feel a bit of trouble coming to our door…
I’m sorry for the pain you are experiencing. Porn is so destructive and causes endless hurts. We have many people that write our mentors and share the terrible pain porn causes in their lives. If you desire someone to come alongside you, we have mentors who want to talk to you. You can contact us at: http://powertochange.com/discover/talk-to-a-mentor/
[…] What do you crave? […]
I have a huge craving right now for love and intimacy, which will bring me happiness. That’s not unusual for anyone because God created us to desire intimacy, but mostly intimacy with Him. I have shared intimacy with Him, but since being divorced seven years ago I’ve encountered much heartache and though I’ve tried to stay faithful to God, I have begun to distance myself in the that I don’t read scripture as often, I sometimes wonder why all of this happened to me when I was so on fire for God. I continued to serve Him no matter what until recently I’ve come to a point that I’m so weak from the hurt. I don’t understand why the one’s I love the most don’t return that love to me, making me feel so alone and without happiness and intimacy
Rebecca you have correctly identified your craving for love and intimacy but the question that I see is who are you wanting to meet those cravings. God has created us to desire that intimacy with Him because He is the only one that will always meet that cravings. People will always disappoint as you have unfortunately found out.
You are asking ‘why?’. Instead of asking ‘why’, ask ‘what now?’. What is it that you can learn from this and what is it that God wants you to do now. Asking ‘why’ only discourages and disappoints and we don’t ever get answers to those questions. He wants to meet your craving for intimacy….let Him do that in your life.
We have online mentors that would love to walk this journey with you. If you are interested, just fill out the form on this page and one of our mentors will email you. http://powertochange.com/discover/talk-to-a-mentor/
A couple months back I would have said I crave success. But as of right now I crave a strong faith. A faith so strong that no obstacle cannot be overcome. I recently had a daughter. she is 3 months old today and I have noticed that her eyes move from side to side. Ive being doing research and I keep running into nystagmus, which can lead to severe vision loss and permenance of the roaming eyes. her doctor’s appointment is next monday and im extremely nervous. everyone keeps telling me to remain calm but all the info and vids i have seen describes and depicts her symptoms. im so scared. there are different levels of this eye disease and its said to be permamnent. but ive also read stories of people who’s have disappeared or is barely noticeable and it doesnt affect their lives. my fam said to stop reading all this info and just wait to see what the doctor says. but the waiting is killing me! I feel like if I had a stronger faith, I would not be so distraught and worried and I also would feel like no matter what happens i will deal. I have to be strong for my daughter no matter what the outcome. I want everything to be ok but i also crave the strong faith to deal with this. I crave to know God better and to know that he hears my prayers and that he cares about me and my daughter and this situation. I need Him more than ever :(
Dear Alicia,
I’m sorry to hear about what you’re going through with your daughter. It must be difficult to be so unsure of what’s wrong. A stronger faith is a great thing to pray for and God will strengthen you. As a mother you will always be concerned for your daughter. Looking out for your child and wanting the best for her is natural for a parent. You’re asking God to hear your prayers and I want to encourage you with this verse, Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Know that no matter what happens at the doctor, the Lord hears your prayers. Reading through all the available information on this condition may be making you more anxious and even though it’s hard, I pray that God would give you peace about your daughter’s future.
I would also like to pray for you.
Lord God, I pray for Alicia and her daughter. I pray that you would strengthen Alicia in her faith and that she would be able to give up control of this situation to you. In your word it says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) I pray that Alicia wouldn’t worry but that you would have your hand on her daughter through this time. Whatever the diagnosis is, I pray that you would give Alicia strength to walk through it looking to you. Thank you that you’ve given her the wonderful gift of her daughter and I pray that you would strengthen their bond. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
thank you so much jpete. I know youre right and I need to just focus on God, because he has overcome this world. I will hold on to that and try to stop obsessing. Thank you for the prayer
You’re so welcome Alicia. I’m happy to have encouraged you today. I will continue to pray for you and your daughter.
I crave to be loved by my partner. We had a very rough year and a half where we fought almost weekly. I split up for several months and are currently trying to work our issues out through pastoral counseling. I pray a lot that God will give me the strength I need to change and that He will change my mind and heart. I also pray that I will truly forgive him for the things he has done in our relationship and that he can also forgive me. I have learned through God’s word and through my Christian friends that true forgiveness takes the hurt away. I want that type of peace in my life. So I would have to change my answer and say I crave for not only love in my life but true forgiveness as well.
dear penny–God i pray for peace that passes all understanding for her and for strenght and for reconcilitation on both parts give them both forgiveness that is eternal, i pray for open minds on her part and his as well that they wiull want to start again in this marriage with you God, i pray all of this in JESUS name amen. i am praying for you both. love sharon
I pray that my husband and i can go back to serve th Lord with a clear coscince.He cheatd on me while Pastoring me and my family.H slpt with another woman and went on for years as if nothing ever happned.now he is not Pastoring a church but i crave to go back to ministry just being a church isnt feeling right to me and i feel its not doing him any good either.
Father I pray for Thandi and her husband as they deal with the consequences of his infidelity. Lord You are able to take the messes we create and You make miracles happen. I pray that as You lead Thandi and her husband on this next part of their life together that they would find the joy in serving You in the place that You call them to. Use the gifts in them that You have given to serve other people for Your glory. Guide their steps and give them joy in walking with You. Amen.
Thandi, I don’t know the circumstances of your husband’s infidelity but I do know that God has not put you guys on the shelf. There is a way that He will make use of you whether that is in full-time ministry in a church or perhaps in some other ministries or vocations. Rather than focusing your attention on being back in the same kind of church ministry fix your eyes and heart on knowing God and looking for His call on you right now. What are the people and places that He has put in your life to minister to today. Mother Teresa was called by God to love the person that was in front of her. As she was faithful with that God just brought more and more people in front of her so that soon she was a global figure of love and faith. Follow God’s leading today and watch how He will expand your circle of ministry in your life.
I crave for my husband’s attention and love. Its been a year when he shut his connection from me without any explanation at all. I know I’ve made mistakes but I know its not reasonable enough for him to turn his back on me. I am missing him but the more I bug him, the more he would say he’s just busy, reasons that never satisfy me. I dont know what to do now, but I hope something wonderful would come our way soon thru Jesus!
God other than that chocolates for what i crave
I crave for the closeness of God and knowledge of the Bible.
The wonderful thing about craving for the closeness of God, Benicia, is that by doing the second thing you crave for, spending time in the Bible and getting to know it better, You will also learn more about God AND grow closer to Him at the same time. Like any relationship, when we spend time communicating together we grow closer.
We also have wonderful online mentors that would love to walk alongside of you in your spiritual journey. Just fill in the form on this page and one of them will email you back.http://powertochange.com/discover/talk-to-a-mentor/
thank you so much…just when i needed it the most.
Thank You Lord that You have put within us all a craving for Truth, something solid and unchanging upon which we can set our hearts and our hopes. Thank You that You are that Truth, the solid rock upon which we can stand!
i crave God’s presence and approval. I know the Bible well and know scriptures, but I still don’t feel as though I have his spirit shining through me and working through me. I crave a spiritual experience with God that I can stand on. I crave to know my purpose.
I crave to have meaning and purpose in my life. Like Jaci Valesquez sings, most times I feel like Im soaring in the wind. Most times I wonder why on earth Im here. There must be a purpose God intended me to fulfill and I crave to know it. Once I discover it, I’ll find meaning joy and satisfaction in my life again.
…and a craving for love and a deep connection with someone. Following my divorce, I keep wondering whether there is a chance for me ever again, or Im sentenced to die an old miserable spinster. I love for true love.
Hi Nyangi, I totally understand your desire to know God’s purpose for you. I have often asked God to show me what His purpose for me is so I can get to work on it now. Can I suggest that often in our search for our grand purpose in life, we miss God’s purpose for us today, right now? I am becoming more convinced that Paul’s encouragement to “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) means that we that we take each moment with the anticipation that He has a plan for what He wants to accomplish in our lives right now. As we faithfully walk in those moments we find our craving for meaning satisfied and we enjoy an intimacy with God that cannot be matched. Sometimes He will lead us to plan long-term and other times we will walk blindly into divinely ordained moments. Because we have been practicing our moment-by-moment walk we will be ready to respond to His leading and follow Him in obedience.
My encouragement to you is: don’t wait for the writing on the wall that says “Your life-calling is…” Instead live every moment looking for God’s meaning in the NOW. Train your eyes, ears and heart to focus on the Holy Spirit every moment of your life and you can be sure that you will discover and thrive in the meaning and purpose He has for you.
I crave a happy healthy peaceful house with joy some place I can walk downtown from where it’s not noisy like it is where I currently live and get my sleep disturbed often.some place I can have my cat I crave a new church that I can feel fed in and feel loved and welcomed in and can relate to others with a great pastor who is a wonderful teacher.
to Anne prayer father God I do pray for Anne for her hearts desire to live in a nice place so she can have a cat and a good church and a happy, peaceful house God you see on what she is craving I pray that she can enjoy all of this soon I pray for a miracle for her in this. I pray all of this in JESUS name amen I am praying for you— sharon