When was the last time you were hungry for God? For instance, when was the last time you were awakened in the middle of the night with an urge to pray, and you didn’t just roll back over and fall to sleep? I want to stir up the flame of hunger in you once again. I want to get that zeal for God bubbling in your spirit. David was a man after God’s own heart. David would often sing songs to God while watching his father’s sheep. David was so full of zeal that when he saw Goliath attacking his people, he stood up and declared before them all, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that comes against us. David’s hunger for God led him to defeat Goliath, thereby saving the Israelites from destruction and bondage. David also demonstrated his hunger for God by refusing to retaliate against Saul for trying to kill him even though all his comrades advised him to retaliate. The Prophet Samuel’s hunger inspired him to slay Agag, the Amalekite king, whose people were among Israel’s chiefest enemies.
A hunger for God will produce boldness and strength and a desire to fulfill God’s call even if others don’t and even when you don’t understand. In Acts 13, the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, desired an audience with Paul in order to hear the Word of God. However, a man named Elymas stood between them to keep the proconsul from hearing the Word of God. Paul, filled the Holy Spirit and filled with a hunger for God to spread the Word, said to Elymas, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? [...] Now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time” (vv. 10, 11). The Bible records that Elymas immediately became blind. The proconsul, seeing and hearing these things, believed. When we are hungry for God, we can expect results in our life. We can expect mountains to be moved when we speak. We can expect blinded eyes and lame legs to walk. Oh my friends, are you becoming hungry yet?
Jesus was so hungry to fulfill the call of God when he walked on the earth that he didn’t let what others said about him deter him from His Father’s plan. Your hunger for God can become so strong that you will ignore the name-callers. You will ignore the voices of discouragement and confusion that surround you.
A hunger for God will cause you to rise up and speak up for those issues that are on God’s heart. A hunger for God will make you get into the Word of God and find out the truth and not settle for the norm. Again, are you hungry for God? A person who is hungry for God will not just settle for a snack they want a buffet; they are looking for ministries, churches and people they can get acquainted with to help them stir those flames of passion and zeal for the things of God.
I believe with my whole heart God is calling for believers who will hear the voice of God, and will answer and obey and fulfill his mission. I believe God is calling believers like you who are reading these weekly blogs and are asking God what can I do to help people hear His voice in these last days? What can I do to bring forth an awakening in my church, family, and nation?
I now want to tell you some practical steps to stir up your hunger for God. First, make a decision to have a consistent prayer life. Start out by giving God a certain time each day to spend alone with him. Second, make studying the Word of God a top priority. As you feed on God’s Word, you are feeding your spirit the food it needs to get results when you’re faced with difficult situations. Third, make a commitment to attend church regularly. Fourth, ask God to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Praying in tongues is a vital key. When you pray in tongues, you are building yourself up spiritually in order for God to reveal mysteries to you. Finally, make a commitment to God that you will not return to your old ways. Have a Joshua attitude: as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Oh God in heaven, in the Name of Jesus, give us this day a hunger and thirst for Your Word, for Your will and for Your plans. May we keep our eyes focused on you, pressing toward the mark of excellence in every area, looking forward to receiving the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Bless you and may you continue to hear His Voice.
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