When Cravings Point Us Home
Paired to the right source, the sound comes through clean. Let the Holy Spirit set the connection of the heart today.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More, Ray Stedman
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Romans 1:24 speaks of God giving people over to what they insist on pursuing. It is not God throwing people away. It is God letting a rebellious crowd walk the road they chose so the road itself can teach them it does not satisfy. Ray Stedman helps us see how this plays out in real life. When a culture trades worship of the Creator for worship of created things, the first cracks often show up in how we treat our bodies and each other. The deeper issue is not just behavior. The deeper issue is misplaced worship and empty hearts.
This is not a call to wag a finger at the world. It is a mirror held up to the human story, mine included. We all know how desire can promise connection, identity, and joy, then leave us hungry. The Bible is not shaming our humanity. It is exposing the lie that anything less than God can carry the weight of our longing.
Here is the kindness. The Lord does not leave us to ourselves. In Jesus, He has opened a way back to true worship and true wholeness. He places His Spirit within all who believe so the power to live clean and honest lives does not come from white knuckles. It comes from union with the Living One.
So when Romans 1 says God gave them over, I hear an invitation beneath the warning. Come home to the One who made you. Let the Holy Spirit redirect desire toward the only fountain that satisfies. This is how real change takes root, not from shame, but from the indwelling life of Jesus expressed through willing people.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I call you to set your mind on things above. You died with Christ, and your life is hidden with Him in God. I draw you away from idols that promise fullness and deliver emptiness. I renew your mind so you present yourself to God and walk as a living sacrifice. Your body is a temple, and you are not your own, for you were bought with a price.
I teach you to walk by the Spirit so you do not gratify the desires of the flesh. I lead you to put to death the deeds that once mastered you, not by striving, but by My power. I pour the love of God into your heart. I produce fruit that rules desires with kindness, patience, and self control.
I remind you that you are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. I work in you to will and to act for the Father’s good pleasure. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Seek first the kingdom. In My presence is fullness of joy. Incline your ear and come to Me, hear that your soul may live.
Scripture references: Romans 1:21 to 28, John 4:23 to 24, John 14:20, John 15:4 to 5, Colossians 3:1 to 4, Galatians 5:16 to 24, Romans 8:5 to 13, Romans 12:1 to 2, 1 Corinthians 6:12 to 20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 to 5, Ephesians 2:1 to 5, Titus 3:3 to 7, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:6 to 14, Philippians 2:13, Matthew 6:33, Psalm 16:11, Isaiah 55:1 to 3, Ephesians 3:16 to 19, Romans 5:5.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a Bluetooth speaker. When your phone is paired to the wrong device, the sound is faint and distorted. Pair it to the right speaker, and the music comes through clean without you fiddling with the settings. Desire works like that. When the heart pairs with lesser things, noise grows. When the heart pairs with the Holy Spirit, love and purity flow because Jesus supplies the life.
Try this today. If you face a moment of temptation or a pattern that used to master you, pause and re pair your attention. Say, Lord, I trust You to express Your holy love through me right now. Then act from that quiet trust. Maybe it looks like closing a tab, sending an honest message, or walking away from a joke you would have told before. Expect the Spirit to carry the tone and the choice.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Your Son I am not given over to desire that empties me. Thank You for placing Your Spirit within me so I can walk clean, honest, and free. I receive this day as a place for Jesus to be seen in my words and choices. Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me in this moment.