Ravenous Realities: What's Eating You?

                  

Have you ever considered that our present reality is merely the shell of a deeper spiritual existence—a realm where the Kingdom of God sets the true order of all things? According to Ephesians 6:12: 
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Imagine for a moment that in this current realm, an ecosystem of unseen creatures roam, each embodying the vices that shape who we become. None of these creatures bring life, nor can they be controlled by us. However, we may decide which ones we feed—though we are not always aware of those that feed on us.

The Predatory Nature of the Internal Wilderness

Stephen King’s IT provides a vividly terrifying view of how this ecosystem could operate. The greatest threat isn’t claws or teeth; it is the way the entity preys on what is already inside us. It feeds on fear, distorts perceptions of pain, and disguises itself as our own desires before feeding on our flesh.

Long before cinema presented these horrors, scripture helped us understand this concealed actuality residing within us. The Apostle Paul described this internal war in Romans 7:20–23, noting that even when he willed to do good, evil was present within him, bringing him into captivity to the "law of sin."

To understand these elements is to understand yourself. Consider the four layers of spiritual distortion:

  • Sin: Missing the mark of who we were created to be.
  • Iniquity: The inward distortion and bending of the heart.
  • Transgression: The willful crossing of God’s established boundaries.
  • Wickedness: A settled pattern in which wrong begins to feel right.
When Desires Become Appetites

In this environment, sin and the devil are not the only predators. When we forget we are image-bearers of God, the resulting distortions consume us from the inside out. The spiritual dimension turns predatory when there is no governing truth guarding our defining parts.

Disorientation leads to consumption. We are taught to cherish our hopes and motivations, but without spiritual governance, they transform into dangerous appetites:

  1. Hope for the future can consume your present contentment.
  2. Dreams of ministry can eat your love for actual people alive.
  3. Fear of failure can gorge itself on your God-given courage until only anxious bones remain.
James 1:14–15 warns that we are tempted when drawn away by our own desires. When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when full-grown, brings forth death.

The Radical Reorientation

The only way to stop being devoured by these internal beasts is to trust in a greater Power. In this spiritual domain, we are saved by losing. As Jesus noted: 
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it - Matthew 16:25
Resistance is possible. Those being consumed can be restored. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, responds to this devouring with a radical reorientation—not self-reliant determination, but transformation by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). This requires:
  • New patterns of thought.
  • New objects of attention.
  • New things to treasure.
Choosing Your Hunger

Spiritual life is not the absence of appetites and hunger; it is learning to hunger for the right things—things that do not devour you in return. Philippians 4:8–9 instructs us to meditate on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, and lovely.

The question is not whether something has your attention. Something always has your attention. The question is whether what holds your gaze is edifying you or eating you alive.

How have you seen a "good" dream or desire start to consume your peace? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Darnell Sheffield



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