Custom-Made Cravings

I was driving down the highway recently and saw a fast food restaurant's advertisement on a bill board. It read, "Crafted to Your Craving", with a larger than life photo of their newest cheeseburger next to it.  I smiled and thought about the pains the food industry goes to to ensure that you will continually crave their food so that they will keep getting your business.

Then, I thought of Satan, with plans more sinister than even the food industry can dream up. He has traps for each of us that are custom-made to our own personal weaknesses. Food may be an avenue in which He can trap us, but his tricks go far beyond food. He doesn't haphazardly toss a temptation to whoever might be standing near, but he "seeks whom he may devour". He knows what you crave, and he will not rest until he has caused you to succumb to that craving.

Satan is not out to just get your dollar and your loyalty. He wants your very soul, and hates the real so much that he will imitate it to perfection so that you never know what you're missing. He's convinced millions that their imitation product is even better than the real.

Earlier this year, I pledged to eat no fast food for a month. Drive-through runs had been frequent in earlier months and the convenience and taste of fast food called to me many times, but I stuck with my determination. At the end of the month, the smells and thoughts of the tastes associated with fast food restaurants almost made me sick. I had rejected the fake and eaten the real for so long that the cravings were gone.

Let's purpose to do that spiritually. Reject all the "fake" Satan offers you. Go for real love, real peace and real joy instead of his "imitation fare".