I am reaing a book now called “Habits”.  The basic premise of the book is that we can change our performance by changing our habits. The key to establishing a good habit is to identify a craving that we have and connect the habit to the craving in our mind and then anticipate the reward of the craving being satisfied when we do what we are trying to establish as a habit. Interesting question to reflect on, “what are my cravings”? I decided that I would declare what my cravings are because that is what I want them to be not what my flesh craves.

The ultimate craving of my life is God. I want to know Him more. I want to sense His presence around me more. I want to sense His pleasure in me more. Psalms 42:1-2, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”. So I will verbally reward myself when I read the Bible that I have grown closer to God. I will declare  when I worship well at church gatherings that I have indeed grown closer to God. I have a list of spiritual disciplines that I want to establish as strong habits in my life that I know would result in a growing intimacy with God.

Other cravings; I crave to be more and more righteous and holy in my heart, my character. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be satisfied”.  I crave to do more and more with my life that matters for all eternity. To do more with my life that influences people to move closer and closer to God. I want to bear much fruit for God. I want to accomplish more in the next ten years of my life than I have in the previous 38 years of ministry. I want to love my wife the way Jesus loves the church. I want to be the kind of father to my children and grandfather to my grandchildren  that God is to me.

Those sound like good cravings to me. I think I will pursue them diligently.