Are You Spiritually Hungry? Here Are 3 Things That Could Be Holding You Back

In today's episode we will discuss being hungry for God. I will go into spiritual hunger and pair it with scripture and prayer.

First, I want to say a quick prayer: "LORD, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please open up our eyes, our ears, our hearts and our minds to you, LORD. I pray that you open up our spiritual eyes to see that we are hungry for you LORD and that you are the only one that can sustain us. You are our Daily Bread, our Portion, our Sustainer. You are the Bread of Life, Jesus. We thank you so much for everything that You've done. Holy Spirit consume me, use me as a vessel for Your work, and move me to do the will of God the Father. I love You with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen."

First let's get into some scripture:

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” -Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh." -Luke 6:21

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!" -Psalm 34:8

"For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things."

-Psalm 107:9

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again. -John 6:35

God put eternity in all of our hearts. We all should have that spiritual hunger for the LORD. The only one that can fill that hunger is the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. There are so many people in this world right now that are just not hungry. They don't even want to know Jesus, because they are not hungry.

Here are 3 reasons why someone wouldn't be hungry for Jesus:

1. Distractions

   - There are so many distractions in this world. Everywhere you go there are distractions like work, tv, football games, coffee, etc.

   - The devil loves to keep us distracted. If he can keep us distracted then he can keep us from being spiritually hungry, from reading our Bible, and from getting in our quiet place with God. If the devil can keep us distracted than he can keep us away from the only one who can truly fill us, Jesus Christ.

   
   

2. False Idols

   - All throughout the Bible it talks about false idols and false gods.

   - Specifically in the US, a lot of our false idols and false gods are not going to be obvious, because they don't look like how they did back in those days or in other countries where they actually have physical gods that they had made for themselves that they worship.

   - The things that I am speaking of in specific are idols that you may not even have an idea that it is an idol in your life or a false god that you are worshipping.

   - These will be different for everyone. Some idols in our lives could be tv characters, celebrities, food, coffee, work, and even family.

   - Anything that you are putting above God in your life is an idol in your life and that is keeping you from being spiritually hungry and from being filled by Jesus.

   
   

3. Feeding on the wrong things

- These wrong things you are feeding on, could be things that are good but they are not the source.

- Maybe you are reading your Bible everyday. Maybe you have a checklist of all the "Christian" things that you feel like you need to do. Maybe you have been living your life, you have believed in a works based gospel, and you think you have to work your way into heaven. So you're doing all of these things, you are "feeding yourself" with all of these things that seem great and seem like it is what you are supposed to do to get into to heaven, but you're not being truly filled, because you're not actually going to the main source. You're not going with all your heart and spending time with our Creator and with our Savior Jesus.

- You are not truly being filled if you are just reading your Bible, going to Church, volunteering, and doing all of the "Christian things", but you're not getting in your word and truly meditating on it, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and show you truth, asking for wisdom, knowledge, discernment, spending quiet time with God, and just being in His presence, listening to Him, asking Him to speak to you, and just letting yourself have quiet time with our Savior. You are just going through the motions of a "Christian life" but your heart is not actually in it and you're not actually hungry for the true Bread of Life.

The other day I was in my quiet time with God and the LORD said to me "Be careful what you are feeding yourself with. I am the sustainer." It really got me thinking, "What am I feeding myself with everyday?" "What am I hungry for?" "What are the things that I am spending most of my time dwelling on and wanting more than anything?" These are things that I want you to really reflect on today and ask yourself.

Now more than ever, it is so crucial for us as Christians to get serious about our relationship with God. The LORD has so many things that He wants to tell you, and He is your sustainer. In order for Him to fill you, you have to be hungry. You have to come to Him to be filled and He will fill you with His Spirit, with revelations from the Holy Spirit, and with truth, discernment, knowledge, and wisdom. All of those things come from God and Him alone. In order for us to do the work that God has for us and to be used by Him, to be a vessel for His work, and to make an impact in others' lives, we first have to come to Him and be filled. We have to allow Him to show us what to do next and then step out in faith, be obedient, and do what He's called us to do.

So take some today to really think, "Am I hungry for the LORD?" If the answer is "no," then think "Why am I not hungry?" Have you been distracted? Do you have idols in your life? Have you been feeding yourself with the wrong things? Really reflect on this today...

I want to close out with a prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, we come to you in the mighty name of Jesus. Our hearts are open to you LORD. Please open up our eyes and our ears to hear and to see the truth. Jesus you are the Bread of Life. You are the only one that can fill us. You are our Sustainer. Thank you LORD for everything that You have done and everything that You will continue to do. I pray that each person reading this right now, will have a spiritual hunger for you and they will come to You with all of their hearts and they will seek You. They will seek guidance from You, and that everything that they do, they do it for Your glory, honor, and praise LORD Jesus. Holy Spirit consume us. Fill us with Your fruit. Reveal the Fruit of the Spirit in our hearts, and allow us to portray that fruit to others. LORD I pray that You reveal Yourself to each person reading this. Reveal to them who You truly are and help them to see that You are the only one that can sustain them. You are the only one that gives them true and abundant life. You are the only one that we truly need. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace. Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins. Thank You heavenly Father for loving us so much and having so much compassion and mercy and not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to Jesus and be saved by Him. Thank You Holy Spirit for showing us truth, directing our steps, guiding us, and speaking to us the words that You hear only from God the Father. LORD, I love You with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Alright, that is it for today's episode. Stay tuned for next week's episode.

I love you guys so much.

Never forget to choose faith over fear.

-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)

p.s. If you'd rather listen to Faith-based, spiritual growth, mindset, and mental health tips, then check out my podcast. There I will share my personal experiences, stories I've never told before, and bring you along with this hot mess life of mine. New episodes every week.

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Scripture taken from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.