Using Credit Cards to Satisfy Emotional Hunger

"Many times spending takes the place of feeling," says Cynthia Yates. "People run rampant out there with a little plastic card. They don't stop to consider what their income might be. It's not even a factor. The idea is they need that next fix. They need to go out and buy something. They need to reward themselves."

In our culture, buying things is a way to "feel good" if only for a short time. Sometimes people go out and buy things they can't afford to feel good about having new things, to feel good because they are one step ahead of the neighbors, to feel good about getting back at a spouse who shares the credit card, or to feel good because they know they can buy almost anything they want. That kind of "feel good" isn't worth much at all. It's short-lived, it's shallow, and it never truly satisfies. If you have an empty space inside you, buying things will never fill it.

"Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?" (Isaiah 55:2 Msg).

God can fill you. He can satisfy your emotional hunger. Hold on to your money and use it wisely, and turn to God when you have the urge to buy something to make you "feel good."

"Jesus replied, 'I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst'" (John 6:35 NLT).