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I am a big fan of those wood-fired pizza places that let you build your own pie. I love getting unlimited toppings as I seek to recreate Peter’s vision in Acts 10, where he sees all the world’s animals and is commanded to eat. I’d also like a bit of raw veggies on top after it finishes cooking, but that’s not an option. Health regulations require everything to go through the fire so that no contamination remains.

That’s the way things work in the kingdom of heaven. Tainted desires lead to tainted outcomes, but what God gives us in His grace is a blessing without pain. We see this in the alcoholic and the compulsive gambler, but it’s just as present in the person who dreams that the next promotion will give them the significance they crave, the person who imagines that the next date will fulfill them, or the pizza aficionado who imagines that just a few more spicy toppings will bring culinary satisfaction instead of heartburn.

But those are all lies. The Bible calls it idolatry and offers a solution: give it up. Doing so demonstrates that God has given us more than we need. This is a part of why we give to God, not because He needs our money but because we need to release it. Just as the oven cooks food and the refiner’s fire purifies metal, so also the act of offering up our excess turns what could be a worldly addiction into something that brings joy and blessing as it passes through the cleansing fire.

Of course, God has other options. He can withhold from us what we desire more than Him. Or He can relent and say, “Fine, your will be done,” until our desires enslave us, and we call out for deliverance. Either way, only after we humble ourselves and seek God’s kingdom first is it fitting for Him to add all the other things we call for.

So, what in your life do you mistakenly believe will bring you joy, safety, meaning, or blessing? Let those things pass through the fire so God can cleanse you of any unhealthy dependence.