Physical cravings as physiologic needs  

Our bodies have physical cravings too. These cravings are better known as physiologic needs. For example, whenever we are hungry, we need to eat. Whenever we are thirsty, we need to drink water. When we are cold, we need to keep our bodies warm. When we are tired, we need to sleep. These physiologic needs or physical cravings are necessary for survival. The body signals to us what it needs to keep us alive. Resist the biological urge, and we die. Problems arise when we give over and beyond what our bodies need. 

Making wiser and Godly decisions  

In Proverbs 3, the Bible says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Prov. 3:7-8). How often have we made poor decisions concerning our physical cravings that have led to adverse outcomes? God made us consume food—not the other way around. We were created to have control over food rather than have food destroy us. However, we allow food to consume us when we cannot refrain from greed and gluttony. Obesity is a genuine problem, and many of us battle it, not knowing it is also a spiritual issue. We make foolish food decisions rather than choose to honor God with our bodies.  

Another way that we go over and beyond what our physical body needs is whenever we turn to resort to food, drinks, and physical comfort as a temporary fix. Have you ever sought to numb yourself with drugs or alcohol? Perhaps, you have been overeating because you are “stressed out”? Have you ever found yourself sleeping too much because you are too unmotivated? These are examples of how giving our body more than it needs can negatively impact us and even be dishonoring to God. Remember that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Besides, to take care of ourselves is to honor God with our bodies as a form of worship (Rom. 12:1). 

Physical craving is a yearning for physical touch 

Physical cravings can also refer to the yearning for physical touch and sensate pleasure. Several studies have strongly linked physical contact with our psychological well-being. Humans, after all, are social animals.1 We have always existed and will live in sociality with one another. Part of the reality of sociality is the inevitability and necessity of physical human contact. Physical touch constitutes hugging another person or feeling another’s a touch on our arm or shoulder, or simply feeling the presence of another when we’re in an elevator, exiting a train, or falling in line.  

 Sensate pleasure can feel that warm relief of entering a heated room in the middle of winter or drinking an ice-cold drink in the summer heat. Sensate pleasure is also that soothing feeling we get when we go for a massage after a long tiring day or the calming effect of the scent of peppermint oil in the middle of a stressful time. The capacity to feel physical pleasure through touch and our senses is a gift. It is a craving that, if satisfied through God-pleasing ways, can give us a sense of calm, peace, and joy. However, the need to meet such wants can stem from a much deeper desire, such as the need to feel secure and affirmed. When these physical pleasures begin to replace our hope and security in God, this is when these natural cravings become distorted and displeasing to God.  

Touch Deprivation  

Distorted physical cravings can come from illicit affairs, sexual harassment, and even mental health issues like depression. The heart and center of many distorted physical desires have to do with the concept of touch deprivation. Touch deprivation occurs when an individual has had minimal contact with others that they suddenly have a massive surge of craving for it. This is why while touch is an innate human need, people who have been deprived of it can crave it far too much resulting in aggression, inappropriate sexual behavior, depression, body image issues, and an ungrounded fear of attachment and commitment.  Touch-deprived individuals can also resort to self-harm, like self-cutting. This is because they desire so much to feel something because they have felt numbed by all the painful and traumatic situations they have experienced.  

For those of us who experience behavioral problems because of the depravities we have experienced, it is important to turn to God. Turning to God can be in the form of seeking psychological and behavioral help, for God uses doctors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals in caring for us and in empowering us to live an abundant life.  

WHAT ARE OUR THREE BIG CRAVINGS?                       

Have you ever had a craving that was so strong you didn’t know what to do? Maybe the harder you tried to stay away from it, the more it drew you in.

People have said that not getting what they want is one of the most uncomfortable things that can happen to them. As they are, cravings demand to be satisfied; they demand to be taken care of. All cravings are the same, no matter if they are for food, something physical, or even an emotional need. “Something you long for, want a lot, desire a lot, and beg for” is how the dictionary defines craving. ix Given this, it’s easy to see why people can feel very uneasy when they don’t get what they want.

Think about itchy skin. When you have an itch, you have to scratch it! The more you tell yourself not to scratch it, the more you will want to. The more you try not to think about it, the more it keeps coming back to you. In the same way, our wants are like this. It is a desire you can’t just ignore. But just like scratching an itch too much can hurt the skin, giving in to a craving too much and without thinking can hurt you emotionally and spiritually.

The Bible warns us repeatedly not to satisfy our cravings in a way that goes against God. 1 John 2:16, it says that our desires for things against God come not from God but from this world. The only way to keep them under control and make sure they still please God is to understand them better and look at them.

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Finding Satisfaction in God

“A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” Jesus says in Luke 12:15. However, why do so many of us place our self-worth in the type of car we drive or the type of house we live in? Why do we feel more important when we have the most recent gadget in our hands? Why do we feel secure having a certain amount of money in our bank account? We frequently act as if our sense of self is dependent on the things we own. We must, however, learn to find satisfaction in God rather than in our possessions.

Do You Trust God?

Putting our trust in God is evident in how we manage our finances and material possessions. We read in Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Why do you believe God promised us overflowing barns and overflowing vats? This is because God understands and respects our desires and cravings. God gave us the natural desire for satisfaction. It’s how we can enjoy the things He blesses us this.

God’s promise to fulfill our needs, longings, and desires is accompanied by a command. The fulfillment of the promise is not automatic. The prerequisite for this is to first honor God. This is consistent with Jesus’ command to seek God’s kingdom first, and everything else will be added to us.
Honoring God with our possessions results in God satisfying our longings and desires. If we refuse to use our wealth to honor God, we are acting greedily and using our worldly wealth to satisfy our cravings. We can honor God with our possessions in three ways: good stewardship, growth-orientedness, and purposefulness.

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Knowing God’s Discipline and Satan’s Schemes 

To satisfy our cravings and longings in a way that is pleasing to God, we must be sensitive to whether what we are going through is a discipline from God (a trial) or a scheming from the Enemy (a temptation). Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the distinction between a temptation and a trial. However, we must be fully aware of how a temptation differs from a trial. Knowing this helps us better understand how to respond to our longings and cravings.  

A trial is a time of testing. Times of testing are to be considered with joy. Why? Because problems are from God. They are a way to strengthen our character and fortify our faith. We rejoice amid our trials because they enable us to experience steadfastness and create in us a perfect and complete trust (Jas. 1:4).  

A temptation, on the other hand, is an enticement from the devil. It is not from God. As James 1:13-15 tells us, God does not tempt anyone. Instead, each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his desires and enticed.  This is the work of the Enemy.  The devil seeks nothing but to destroy us, create a victim out of us, and trap us in a cycle of defeat. This is why temptations are typically preceded by thoughts of self-doubt, self-pity, and despair, which give birth to irrational and sinful desires.  

Trials From God

Think about it this way. Losing your job can be a trial from God. It can reveal some areas of weakness in your personality or character, which can be strengthened. This will allow you to lean on God and trust Him to make you grow. After all, the Lord disciplines those He loves (Heb. 12:6). On the other hand, losing your job can result in temptation when you wallow in self-pity and self-doubt because this self-pity and self-doubt compel you to resort to sinful cravings. Engaging in ungodly activities, taking shortcuts, and resorting to alcohol to gratify ourselves can appear enticing—and this is precisely what the devil does. Moreover, he makes the ungodly things seem worthwhile. Apparently, Satan makes us settle for counterfeit pleasures. He makes sin alluring. 

We must remember that as much as God works in our lives, Satan does too. If God, through Jesus, gives us an abundance of energy and fullness of joy, Satan works in our lives by stealing, killing, and destroying everything that God has in store for us. He distorts our different desires and makes us resort to things outside of God.  

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