5 WAYS TO STIR UP SPIRITUAL HUNGER

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

– Matthew 5:6 –

****REVISED *****

I’ve noticed something interesting this year. There has been quite an uptick in the number of views of this blog. Particularly in the number of searches for “How to Stir Up Spiritual Hunger". It shows me that many people are feeling worn out, dried up and they’re searching for something more. It is my hope that you find something worth chewing on here. And like everything I write, I’m hoping it points you to THE source of true nourishment, Jesus.

Are you hungry? Are you satisfied? There are two types of hunger. The physical kind, that buckles our flesh and pokes at our mind and body, reminds us of our need for nourishment. And there’s the spiritual kind that launches us into deeper exploration of meaning and purpose. For the most part, especially in America, we don’t even allow ourselves to ever really get physically hungry. Our bodies have been patterned to groan and ache, like an alarm, at the first sign of discomfort. We don’t eat when we are truly hungry. We eat when it’s time to eat. Breakfast time. Lunch time. Dinner time. Snack time. Second snack time. Third snack time. Late night snack time…You get the point. Basically, we do whatever we have to do to avoid hunger.

Physically, we try to stay satisfied as much as possible. The moment we start to feel hungry, we make it a point to get something to eat. For our whole lives we have trained our bodies and constructed our schedules for this very issue. We understand this concept in the physical, but often times we allow ourselves to take this path spiritually as well. We just want satisfaction. We eat when it’s “time” to eat. Like once a week on Sunday mornings. Or maybe even daily if we have some structured time set aside in the mornings or before bed. Is there more?

For many people, this is just the way it is. Spiritually, they’re just okay with eating when it’s time to eat. Unfortunately, just like in the physical, in the spirit, when you are satisfied, you often lose your hunger. And when you lose your hunger, you are unable to receive all that God has to give. In the Kingdom of God, when you are HUNGRY, He fills you up. And when you are filled up, you are hungry for more of Him. It’s actually the opposite of the physical world. When you take in Spirit food, you receive a supernatural hunger. And that hunger is what opens the door to faith. And faith is what propels you to step into your destiny.

In 2 Chronicles 16:9 it says The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. And in Hebrews 11:6 it says that God rewards those who earnestly seek (hunger for) him. It’s very clear that God desires for us to be hungry in our pursuit for things of the Kingdom. Sometimes we’re not. Sometimes we’re just satisfied. But if we want to continually be filled we must continually be hungry. When you are stagnant, here are 5 ways to stir up your spiritual hunger.

1. Remember a time when you experienced the presence of God

Whenever I’m feeling as though I’ve lost my spiritual hunger, I like to go to the book of Psalms in the Bible. David was called a man after God’s own heart. He was a man. With real emotions. And real feelings. And in his writings he often shares those thoughts, emotions and feelings with us. But something he always comes back to is the reality of his experiential relationship with the Father. Here’s a great example of how he brings himself out of a state of confusion or stagnancy and allows his past experience with God to ground him in truth.

Psalm 77:10-12 – And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.”

2. Get around people who’s lives are producing the fruit of an encounter with God

Maybe you’re in a place where you don’t feel as though you’ve had a real encounter or personal experience with God. Whether that’s entirely true or not, that’s okay. Someone else has. And one of the amazing beauties of this Kingdom journey that we’re on is that it’s built on relationships. And the great thing about Kingdom relationships is that when we allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in us, we get to share it with the other people in our lives. Our experience and encounter with King Jesus becomes fruit for someone else to eat and be filled.

Psalm 34:8 – “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.”

3. Worship Him

Maybe you’re not in the position of having other people to lean on. Maybe the fruit in the lives of the people around you isn’t good Kingdom fruit. You’ve tasted it and it didn’t bring life and joy and peace. If that’s the case, it’s very easy to get into a place of self pity and discouragement. But you want the blessing. The reward of earnestly seeking after God’s love and presence. I think this is the perfect time to try something you don’t “feel” like doing. Get out of your comfort zone and acknowledge His beauty and His glory and His goodness.

Psalm 40:2-4 – “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. “

4. Get Over Yourself

It often seems like a humongous hurdle to get over but many times your SELF can be the very thing that keeps you from seeing, feeling and experiencing the hunger-producing presence of God. We have such a tendency of making it all about us. When in fact it’s all about Him. We need to be HUMBLE. I like the definition Bill Johnson used for humility. He said it’s not a matter of thinking less of your self. It’s thinking of your self less. It may seem super simple, but the truth is, taking our focus off of us and putting it squarely on God and the precious people He trusts us to love, can really open up our hearts for more of Him.

James 4:6,10 – “(6)God gives grace to the humble. (10) Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.”

5. ASK HIM!!!

Maybe this should be number one. Okay, it definitely should be. But, lets be honest, we usually go to God when all else fails. And we live in such a world that we feel as though it’s our responsibility to fix it ourselves. Whatever seems to be broken. We will try everything in the book before we simply go into the bed room, close the door and fall like a crashing avalanche onto the bed and express to the Lord how we know that we are nothing without him. We know that He has the answers. We believe that He has what we need. But why don’t we expect that he will give if we would just simply ask, “fill me up, please.”

Ephesians 3:16-21 – For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.