David Sper writes in his book Designed for Desire, “The root of all sexual perversions and immorality begins with the desire to relieve one’s pain with pleasure.” It’s natural for us to be seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. So when pain doesn’t go away when we try to satisfy our cravings, we seek bigger and bigger pleasures to satisfy them, to override and erase our pain.
Every sin is the result of an appetite going astray and seeking fulfillment in something other than what God intended. First, we experience that something is missing inside. Then, we begin seeking ways to compensate for the void. This becomes especially destructive when we try filling an emotional or spiritual void with something physical.
We want to believe the reason our appetites get out of control is that we’re deprived of something we really need. We may say, “If I just had enough money to pay my bills, I wouldn’t need to drink like this.” Or, “If I had someone to love me, I wouldn’t need pornography.” Harry Schaumburg writes, “When people seek a taste of heaven by their own means, they create a living hell of uncontrollable desires.” He’s absolutely right!
Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness is something you need to learn how to do. The Bible tells us to do it first! Otherwise, you’ll misdiagnose your problem and seek the solution in sin. Learn to direct your temptation to a redemptive end by letting it drive you to Christ.