THE SINFUL NATURE: CONDITIONED APPETITES, CRAVINGS, AND DESIRES
“…I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t….I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. …” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).
“…Who will free me from this life that is dominated by SIN? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (the WORD OF GOD)…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT). “…if the Son (Jesus Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit)…shall make you FREE, ye shall be FREE indeed.” (John 8:36 KJV).
“... Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin...” (Romans 6:6 KJV).
“... I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me...” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).
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SCRIPTURE(S): “…I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t….I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. …” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT). “…Who will free me from this life that is dominated by SIN? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (the WORD OF GOD)…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT).
PURPOSE OR GOAL OF LESSON: TO LEARN THE ORIGINS OF ONE’S APPETITES, HUNGER, AND DESIRES.
APPLICATION OF LESSON: TO ALLOW GOD TO EMPOWER YOU TO LIVE HEALTHY IN ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE, INCLUDING YOUR RESPONSES TO CERTAIN CRAVINGS, APPETITES, AND DESIRES.
TOPIC DISCUSSION: DISCUSS SOME OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL CRAVINGS, APPETITIES, AND DESIRES THAT ARE THAT “NOT” GOOD FOR YOUR WELL-BEING OR HEALTH. ALSO DISCUSS WHY YOUR STILL DO THEM. ASK YOURSELF IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO OR YOU FEEL CONTROLLED BY THAT CRAVING OR DESIRE OR IT IS BOTH?
CRAVINGS are empowered by DESIRES or something the body of flesh or sinful nature longs for, lusts after, has a passion for, yearns, covets, or has an unnatural or dysfunctional hunger for. What is a CRAVING specifically? A craving is a POWERFUL and sometime “out of control” desire for something or someone.
What is HUNGER? HUNGER, on the other hand, was meant to be the original desire or PHYSICAL need for food in order to nourish the body of flesh and keep it working and healthy. APPETITE was its partner, originally, created to provide an healthy DESIRE for FOOD, which was meant to motivate the behavior necessary to go get it. What is an APPETITE specifically?
An appetite is the DESIRE to EAT or CONSUME something. An APPETITE to consume something is stimulated when something APPEALS to one’s DESIRES, through one or more of the five senses, for that thing or person.
Appetites can POWERFULLY motivate a person’s BEHAVIOR to DO what is necessary to SATISFY its demands. The body of flesh and the FIVE SENSES were created, for example, to SERVE the SOUL and help them engage, interact, and experience appetite in a way that regulates their ENERGY INTAKE for METABOLIC purposes.
HUNGER and APPETITE were created “GOOD” and were meant to work together to help KEEP the body of flesh properly fueled and healthy for the SOUL’S usage. HUNGER was a God-given need for food and APPETITE was the God-given desire for food. When “…God saw everything he had made……and, [said] … it was VERY GOOD…” (Genesis 1:31 KJV).
The healthy “desire” for food (appetite) was meant to motive healthy behavior to consume food (hunger) necessary to maintain a healthy body of flesh. God created GOOD and HEALTHY food for them. “...I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat...it was VERY GOOD...” (Genesis 1:29, 31a KJV).
The DESIRE for food comes THROUGH one or more of the FIVE SENSES. For example, the SOUL engages in EATING when it SMELLS certain foods and/or SEES certain foods. The DESIRE for food, when the body of flesh SMELLS or SEES certain FOODS can become a CONDITIONED response that motivates behavior.
A CONDITIONED response is LEARNED through associations between something in the environment and natural responses to hunger and appetite. The smell of certain foods or the sight of certain foods is associated or paired with “natural” hunger and appetite in order to motivate behavior necessary to satisfy the need to consume something.
The presentation of healthy FOOD was meant to naturally trigger a healthy hunger and appetite to motivate the appropriate behavior to seek after necessary nourishment for the body of flesh. However, the world is under the power of the EVIL ONE, and the EVIL ONE’s presentation of UNHEALTHY FOODS is meant to unnaturally trigger unhealthy hungers and appetites to motivate inappropriate behavior to seek after food NOT necessary for the body of flesh. The SMELL of certain, unhealthy foods and the SIGHT of certain, unhealthy foods NOW motivate behavior to satisfy those unnatural hungers and appetites.
For example, after years of learning, engagement, exposure, and indulgence, the SMELL and SIGHT of certain UNHEALTHY foods begin to TRIGGER unnatural hunger and appetite that will motivate the behavior to GO after it!
The CONDITIONED response to the smell and sight of certain UNHEALTHY FOODS becomes established and strengthen over years and years of engagement and can easily trigger unhealthy hunger and appetite patterns to motivate unnatural behaviors to seek after those foods. The original God-given and natural HUNGER and APPETITE totally disappears and becomes dysfunctional.
The learned HUNGER and APPETITE, in the world under the power of the EVIL ONE, becomes the FAMILIAR and CONDITIONED response to the SMELL and SIGHT of certain FOODS.
HUNGER and APPETITE linked together will MOTIVATE a person’s behavior to TAKE ACTION necessary to SATISFY the NEED (real or conditioned) for FOOD (healthy or unhealthy). It is HUNGER and APPETITE that the EVIL ONE perverts and uses it to MOTIVATE sinful behavior and influence one to TAKE ACTION to SATISFY the NEED, whatever IT IS.
UNDER the POWER of the EVIL ONE, HUNGER is PERVERTED to satisfy the PHYSICAL body of flesh and its MANY sinful CRAVINGS. APPETITE is also PERVERTED to satisfy the DESIRE to CONSUME the MANY sinful CRAVINGS using one or more of the FIVE SENSES. When UNDER the power of the EVIL ONE, the body of flesh engages in consuming many things in the natural world by SMELLING them, or SEEING them, TASTING them, HEARING about them, or TOUCHING them.
While the body is ENGAGED, or INTERACTING or EXPERIENCING the consumption of sinful things within the natural world, through the FIVE SENSES, the SOUL is learning something about what they are doing. Whatever the SOUL is learning, through the body of flesh and one or more of the FIVE SENSES, it SENDS that INFORMATION to the heart, which informs the mind that, in turn, form thoughts that direct or motivate behavior.
God created the heart to be the information center that STORES what the soul observes, perceives, learns, experiences, and make decisions about, withing, HIS CREATED WORLD. INITIALLY, the body of flesh, through the FIVE SENSES, helped the SOUL engage, interact, and experience God’s “GOOD” created world. For example, SIGHT helped with visual learning. HEARING helped with associating different sounds. TASTE helped with learning to discriminate one preferable thing from another. SMELL helped by providing memories. TOUCH helped with experimental learning. In the BEGINNING ALL of mankind’s FIVE SENSES were influenced by GOD’S GOOD CREATED WORLD. “….God saw every thing he had made… [he said], it was VERY GOOD…” (Genesis 1:31 KJV). A person is NOT born with a particular appetite, but an appetite is developed.
Appetite GROWS and CHANGES into particulars as one experiences the diversity of things, within the world, that can be CONSUMED when one is HUNGRY (real or conditioned) for “something.” HUNGER can be a GOOD thing and was God-given to HELP the SOUL properly care for the physical needs, of the body of flesh, in a WHOLESOME and HEALTHY Way! The FIVE SENSES were given to help the SOUL engage, interact, and experience GOOD things to consume that benefit them, especially spiritually.
The EVIL ONE perverted HUNGER and USES it to KILL, STEAL, and DESTROY the healthy eating habits of SOUL so they will NOT properly care for the physical needs, of the body of flesh, in a WHOLESOME or HEALTHY way. The FIVE SENSES are now PERVERTED and WON’T help the SOUL engage, interact, or experience GOOD things to consume, but harmful things that won’t benefit them, especially physically or spiritually.
Information within the heart, gleaned from the world under the power of the EVIL ONE, is responsible for associating specific, human, appetites with a reward system that satisfies the body of flesh in many carnal ways. Specific, human, appetites linked with a reward system that satisfies the body of flesh, most likely, provide an calming effect to the psyche. This calming effect reduces stress.
This calming effect that reduces stress makes the body of flesh FEEL better. The memories associated with specific appetites that have a reward system (like calming) becomes desirable to repeat. This desire, to repeat an unhealthy habit, turns into a craving when a specific appetite is satisfied over and over again, followed by a reward (like calming).
Thus, the desire, now an uncontrollable craving, becomes a POWERFUL behavior that gets OUT OF CONTROL. Trying to stop the “out of control” craving, through the body of flesh is like trusting in and depending upon the very thing that developed the habit in the first place.
Only God can truly DELIVER a person from entrenching habits or strongholds that have become established, “out of control,” cravings. Trying to replace “out of control” cravings with something else in order to stop the habit depends on how rewarding, calming, and desirable the alternative is. Using substitutes, alternatives, or modifications to stop “out of control” cravings associated with specific rewards, like calming, is “STILL” reinforcing the habit, though on a much smaller scale.
For the redeemed soul the key is “NOT” simply to BREAK the habit, but to walk in totally FREEDOM and DELIVERANCE from it. The EVIL ONE puts into the WORLDY environments many things that trigger, entice, manipulate, or reinforce mankind’s cravings, and make it almost impossible for them to BREAK habits.
GOD puts the indwelling Holy Spirit into the HEART of the redeemed soul, in seed-like form, in order to empower them to live and walk in FREEDOM and DELIVERANCE. The redeemed soul is FREE and DELIVERED from the POWER of triggers, enticements, manipulations, or reinforcements conditioned by the EVIL ONE through long established behaviors.
The problem with trying to rid oneself of established behaviors is experienced when demands or rules are placed upon the body of flesh that is incapable of conquering deep rooted habits or strongholds. The body of flesh is a vessel created to engage, interact, and experience the natural world through the FIVE SENSES.
It does what it does. It doesn’t obey God and it NEVER will. It is flesh. It is also a sinful nature. Trying to BREAK a habit, by attempting to discipline your body of flesh alone or without the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit will ONLY make the “out of control” craving more DESPERATE. Eventually, you will end up indulging in the established habit, AGAIN, even more to compensate for lost time.
Being DELIVERED from a habit by trusting in and depending upon the FREEDOM through Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to STOP an “out of control” craving. The sinful nature is dead and crucified, but the information stored in the heart by the sinful nature, sends the same information to the mind that forms thoughts that respond to triggers, enticements, manipulations, and reinforcements.
These triggers, enticements, manipulations, and reinforcements are everywhere in the EVIL ONE’S carnal environments, which makes it almost impossible to break “out of control” and established habits. In addition, indulging in, “out of control” cravings are easy, accessible, familiar, comfortable, and satisfying.
The EVIL ONE through one or more of your FIVE SENSES conditioned your body of flesh to have an appetite for unhealthy pleasures that reward you, calm you, and fulfill your desire until it becomes an “out of control” craving and an established, unbreakable habit. God does not come to REPAIR, FIX, ALTER, or REPLACE “out of control” cravings that have become established habits, he came to DELIVER and FREE you completely from them.
He came to EMPOWER, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the redeemed soul to walk and live in FREEDOM from “out of control” cravings and established habits. Trying to put RULES and REGULATION upon the body of flesh with “out of control” cravings and long established habits is a recipe for failure.
Ethical behavior is NOT spiritual behavior. “…The ...[body of]...flesh profiteth nothing…” (John 6:63 KJV). “…Human effort (through the body of flesh) accomplishes nothing….” (John 6:63 NLT). “…If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor (body of flesh effort only), and if I give my body to be burned (body of flesh effort only), but have not love (God is LOVE and the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT), IT PROFITETH ME NOTHING…” (1 Corinthians 13:2-3 ASV).
"… if the salt has become tasteless … It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out…” (Matthew 5:13 NASB). “…The sinful nature is always hostile to God . …” (Romans 8:1-14 NLT). “..[The sinful nature]... never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.…” (Romans 8:1-14 NLT). “...those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God…” (Romans 8:1-14 NLT).
Many go on diets from their “out of control” cravings and some are successful as long as they stick to the rules and regulations. It is always a struggle. On the other hand, some choose to have faith in God, the Holy Spirit to EMPOWER them to live and walk in FREEDOM from their cravings. Many, who have faith in God, have enjoyed overwhelming victory, from the cravings of the sinful nature, as long as they continually trust in and depend upon his indwelling Holy Spirit to EMPOWER them to WALK in FREEDOM.
“...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world...” (John 16:33 KJV). “... Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world..." (John 16:44 NLT). “...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid...” (John 14:27 KJV). “...we must [go]...through much tribulation [to]...enter into the kingdom of God...” (Acts 14:22 KJV). “...despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us...” (Romans 8:37 NLT).
Following rules and regulations to STOP “out of control” cravings and being DELIVERED from “out of control” cravings may MIRROR one another, for a while. However, the DIFFERENCE is the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS deliverance and HELPS the redeemed soul to LIVE and WALK in FREEDOM. “... [God’s] …Holy Spirit …is the SOURCE [of it ALL]…” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT).
Following rules and regulations is often LIKE trying to FIX “out of control” cravings and established habits whereas DELIVERANCE “IS” TOTAL FREEDOM from “out of control” cravings and established habits. For the redeemed soul, there are no rules and regulations, there is only belief and unbelief.
“... You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires...” (Colossians 2:20-23 NLT). “…Trust in (DEPEND UPON) the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto (DON’T DEPEND UPON) thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV).
“…The LORD will accomplish (take care of)…that which concerns [you]…” (John 14:31 NASB). “…He helps me…” (Psalms 28:7 NLT). “… The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness…” (Romans 8:26 NLT). “…You are my helper and my savior…” (Psalms 40:17 NLT). “…The steps (OF DELIVERANCE) of a good man (woman) are ordered (DIRECTED) by the Lord: …” (Psalms 37:23 KJV). “… THE LORD … is Your rock and Your fortress, your deliverer…” (Psalms 18:3 NASB).
When the redeemed soul is DELIVERED from “out of control” cravings and established habits the problem is NOT the body of flesh or its dictates anymore, but the struggle is “IN” the MIND (heart). “...Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there...” (Galatians 5:24 NLT). “… Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (through the WORD of God)….” (Romans 12:2 KJV).
Living and walking in DELIVERANCE and FREEDOM from the SINFUL NATURE requires exposure to the TRUTH. It is the TRUTH that sets you, the redeemed soul, FREE.
“…Who will free me from this life that is dominated by SIN? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (the WORD OF GOD)…” (Romans 7:14-25 NLT). Jesus had another name. “… His name is called The Word of God…” (Revelation 19:12-13 NASB). “… the Son (Jesus Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit. the Word of God)…shall make you FREE...” (John 8:36 KJV).
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