"Hungry?"

Are you hungry? I have done some periodic fasting recently. Most recently, my husband and I have been doing the “Daniel Fast” in conjunction with Isaiah62fast.com and the International House of Prayer KC. This is a movement supporting Israel through prayer and fasting for 21 days. It has been hard to give up meat as a source of protein, and I think even harder for my husband, who is a baker, to give up “sweet bread.” Honestly, this is probably one of the most challenging fasts I have done, but also one of the most rewarding.

Have you ever experienced a deep hunger for something? We all know the feeling of craving a particular food, how our stomach grumbles, and how our mouth starts to water just thinking about it. This same feeling of spiritual hunger is something that each of us can recognize and experience if we are attentive to it.

We are in control of our spiritual appetite!

God desires us to hunger and thirst after Him, but He gives us a choice. Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." This verse from the Sermon on the Mount emphasizes the importance of spiritual hunger and thirst for righteousness, promising that those who seek God with all their hearts will find Him and ultimately satisfy their hunger. Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” In other words, we must guard our hearts. If we feed on a steady diet of worldly things, we will start to crave them. The more we feast on the things of this world, the less room we have for spiritual food, and our spiritual hunger will diminish.

John 6:35, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." Jesus compares Himself to bread, a staple food, and says He is the sustenance for spiritual life. Those who believe in Him will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty again.

1 Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." We are encouraged as believers to crave the Word of God like a baby craves milk. The metaphor highlights the importance of regular spiritual nourishment to grow in faith and maturity.

Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." This verse reminds us that physical food is not enough to sustain us, but we also need the spiritual nourishment of God's Word. The verse also highlights the importance of listening to and obeying God's voice.

Just like a good meal can satisfy our physical hunger, the Word of God can satisfy our spiritual hunger. When we allow ourselves to feast on the Word of God, we can indeed start to experience the incredible presence of God in our lives. Setting aside time to get into God’s Word to pray, study, and commune with the Holy Spirit will be easy. We will naturally crave the comfort and guidance that we can only get from our Heavenly Father.

Therefore, it is important to remember that we are in control of our spiritual appetite. If we feed on the things of the world, we will crave the things of the world. But if we feed on the Word of God, we will naturally desire the things of God. The Word of God encourages us to keep our hearts and minds focused on Him. By doing so, we will experience a deep and abiding hunger for God that can never be satisfied by anything else. He will fill us with all of the spiritual nourishment that we need. As Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” ©Rita Larson 5/12/23

#CraveTheWord #StopTheHunger #TasteAndSee #OnWordandUpWord

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