Full But Never Satisfied

Hebrews 11 : 6, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV

We all know that even Christians sometimes struggle with issues in their lives. Since we're all humans, we also have the frailties that are associated with our humanity. One of the issues that many Christians (and non-Christians) battle with is over indulging. You will know that you are over indulging in something when it places you in bondage to it. Millions of Christians are deeply in debt, because they're seeking to fill a void in their lives with material objects.

Any place in your life that has over indulgence (or abuse) of something is really a void in disguise. The mistake that we tend to make when addressing the issue of over indulging is trying to medicate it with something or someone. This might seem strange, but the thing that you desire isn't a desire at all; it is the absence of faith. The more you learn to trust the Lord, the less you will be driven by desires.

Anytime you want to know the root cause of something that you, as a believer, are wrestling with, just go to Genesis (Occasionally, the Lord sends me there too). Humans weren't created in the image and likeness of God to be dominated and manipulated by our desires. In fact, if you will read about Adam before the fall, you will see that God anticipated and supplied all of Adam's needs and desires even before Adam asked for them. (Gen. 1, 2)
The need to be desire-driven occurred when Eve believed the lie that the serpent told her about the character of God. The serpent began weaving his web of deceit by challenging the Word that God had spoken concerning the Tree of Knowledge. After he challenged the truth, the serpent continued on by replacing the truth with a lie. He told her that if she partook of the fruit, she would become like God. The lie that she chose to believe caused her to DOUBT the Word of God which, in essence, made her question the character of God.

The lie of the serpent broke the trust that Eve had placed in her Creator. If you will read Genesis chapter 3, you will see that the moment her confidence in God's Word being the truth was crushed, she saw that the fruit as something desirable. She replaced her trust in God for a desire. She desired the creation more than the Creator. As Christians, if we struggle with a lack of trust, then we will tend to worry, doubt and/or be afraid. Worry can lead to over indulgence as a form of self-preservation. It can become our security blanket while living in a fallen world. 

What is the answer to over indulgence? The more we fill our hearts with the presence and the love of God, the less we will need external things to fill our lives. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that if we will hunger and thirst for righteousness, the Lord will fill us. Jesus also tells us in John 4, if we will drink of the water of life that He offers us, it will spring up as a well out of our inner being. In order for you to begin to experience the fullness of God in your life, you will have to trust Him. When He instructs you to put something down, simply obey His voice. It will be your trust and willingness to obey that will please the Father, and He will be allowed to reward you. Once you trust the Lord to the point of being free from the desire, the Lord might just give it back to you. He does this to show us that it isn't the thing that is evil; it is the lack of trust in our heart that is evil.

If you desire to trust the Lord, but thoughts of doubt prevent you from stepping out in faith, just ask the Lord to help you with your unbelief. All God is looking for is a sincere heart that chooses to love Him more than self. Once He finds such a person, because He seeks after true worshipers, then He will fill that heart with His love, liberty and presence.

Seeking After the Lord,
Pastor Asa