How to be patient and control our cravings and passions
Do we ever say to God: “Make it happen now, Lord. Now!”
It’s so hard to wait for things, whether it is finding a lifelong partner, a special meal, a holiday, a new car, a new computer or phone, or a change of job or house.
Our culture does not tend to like patience because it is seen as a weakness, but it would be good to know what God says about patience.
Table of Contents:
(This article is based on Noah in Genesis 8:11-17 which is included at the foot of the page)
1. Noah needed patience
After the Flood had receded and the Ark was perched on top of Mount Ararat, Noah must have thought: ‘How much longer do we have to stay inside the Ark in these very cramped conditions!’
The land looked dry when looking out of the Ark, but it was not dry enough down in the valleys, and the vegetation had not regrown back.
It was so hard to wait for God to say ‘Okay, you can now leave the Ark!’
Can you imagine being confined to a boat full of noisy, smelly animals for over twelve months, then finally the door is opened, and you look down at the dry ground?
But the Lord says nothing, nothing at all!
Not wait, but nothing!
Noah knows in his heart that it would be wrong to act now.
Perhaps you are in a situation that seems to be saying ‘Okay’, but in your heart, you’ve got a restraint.
Now, is the time to trust the Lord.
‘Does He really see me, in my situation?’
‘Is God really King of my life?’
Noah had to look at that dry ground for weeks, and weeks.
The animals were getting restless, but Noah had to wait for almost two months before the Lord gave the command to leave the Ark.
That must have seemed cruel to wait for so long.
But God knew that the ground needed to get a lot drier.
So God may appear to be slow in His dealings, but He knows the best time.
2. The Now Culture. It’s so hard to have patience and wait
We live in a ‘now’ culture, where a person with patience is almost ridiculed, or at least looked down upon, as being weak.
It’s the tough, ‘I get what I want now’ type of image that seems to impress.
But that way of life only feeds the self-centred life.
It also provides no restraint for instant gratification and erodes all Godly barriers and boundaries.
‘Instant credit’ is regularly used without much thought, but its root is greed.
Sex before marriage has its roots in: ‘I want instant gratification, why should I have to wait?’
The reason for waiting is because God says so!
He has put a boundary line there for us not to cross over.
It will require patience and self-control, but that is where God‘s blessings are, within His boundaries. Paul wrote:
Put to death therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5 NIV
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”
The ‘I want it now’ culture, is far more corrupt than it first appears.
Patience may have gone out of vogue, but it is still high on God’s list of priorities.
3. Having patience when feeling hungry
Many people dive for the snack cupboard when they feel peckish.
Those little feelings of hunger become bigger and bigger, but to wait half an hour for a meal just seems to be too much – there is no patience, no self-control!
This actually happened to Esau in the Bible and it had devastating consequences:
Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob,
Genesis 25:29-34 ESV
‘Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!’ (Therefore his name was called Edom*.)
Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright now.’
Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’
Jacob said, ‘Swear to me now.’
So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
[Edom* sounds like the Hebrew for red.]
We may think: ‘So what if Esau sold his birthright for food? It’s no big deal being born first.’
But the birthright, in a biblical context, carried spiritual blessings.
It was a total contempt of God’s order for his life.
And because of this, Esau is described as profane, or godless:
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
Hebrews 12:16-17 NIV
Afterwards, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected.
Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”
He could have got a cheaper meal among the other tents, but he saw the colour of the stew, and he just couldn’t deny himself the satisfaction of eating that stew, which he had fallen in love with!
He had no patience, he wanted his appetite to be satisfied immediately!
Whatever the cost, he just couldn’t deny himself.
He was a servant to his appetite, his cravings and passions.
4. Sensual appetites, cravings and passions, need patience and self-control
Gratifying the sensual appetite is the ruin of thousands of people.
A thesaurus 1 will tell us that the word appetite has these synonyms (I’ve not included all of them):
- cravings
- greed
- longings
- lusts
- passions
- yearnings
They are very powerful and work for either our good or our bad.
Obviously, a passion for serving in God’s Kingdom is brilliant, but combating addictive cravings is exhausting and depressing.
An article in Psychology Today explains what some cravings can be and how to combat them:
Cravings are those sudden strong urges for a cigarette, a drink, to binge, to cut, for porn, to shop, etc…
‘How to Conquer Your Cravings’ by Bob Taibbi. Psychology Today 2
Have substitutes:
Conquering cravings isn’t about white-knuckle willpower but having a replacement behaviour at the ready to take its place…
Know your sensory triggers:
Situations and senses trigger cravings. Seeing the computer on the kitchen counter can trigger shopping or porn, junk food on top of the refrigerator could trigger binging…
By knowing in advance what you are particularly susceptible to, you can work around those triggers—keep the computer out of sight, move the liquor…”
I remember one situation where I was in an emotional hole and started on a path that would derail my life and I actually prayed en route saying to the Lord that I didn’t want to do this but Lord help me!
The end result was that I was saved from that situation!
I believe one key for Christians, in robbing the old self-life of its power, is fasting.
It is good occasionally, to go a day without food.
You plan which day, and when it comes, you say to your stomach: ‘No, you are not going to have your way. I am master over you.’
I am not promoting anorexia or undisciplined meal times.
Eating healthy food, regularly, is good discipline, which some people are prone to be slack in.
So, employ your willpower, get regular good meals, and then choose the occasional fast day.
You will find peace, and blessings when you do these things.
When you can win in this area of wanting food immediately, then it can give you power to overcome in other areas.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one get’s the prize?
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
The question to ask ourselves is: ‘Are we masters of our appetites, our cravings or are our appetites and cravings masters of us?’
But, we are not on our own, Hebrews, talking about Jesus, tells us:
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
Hebrews 4:14-16 NSV
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Seek help and mercy from Jesus.
If you are his, then his throne is not one of judgment, but of grace and mercy.
Here are the Bible verses where Noah had to have so much patience in waiting for the Lord to let them depart from the Ark:
When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in it’s beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!
Genesis 8:11-17 NIV
Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.
He waited 7 more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.
By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth.
Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.
By the twenty seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.
Then God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark’”
[1] God is consistent, reliable and totally trustworthy.
[2] Many people use their position of power, however small, to put others down.
[3] Are you fed up with work, it is God’s will for us not to be lazy.
[4] God doesn’t let us get on with working alone – he plays his part!
[11] How to please God – a sweet-smelling life
[12] Being consistent, no problem!
References and credits – open in new tabs:
First two drawn images: thanks to Serif Art CD.
‘How to Conquer Your Cravings’ by Bob Taibbi. Psychology Today 18 December 2022. ↩