Spiritual Appetite (Desire To Grow Spiritually)

Spiritual Appetite

(Desire To Grow Spiritually)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
 for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

Spiritual Appetite is the 4^th step

Spiritual appetite is the fourth step that gives a believer the staying power in the LORD, the power to pursue His righteousness.

To have a spiritual appetite is to hunger and thirst for God; to desire to grow in the LORD; to seek the LORD’s face with all your heart until you find Him; to desire to commune with God day and night so that  getting  to know God better each day becomes the most important thing in your life. This again is a human responsibility, to come to God with hunger and thirst for His righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ invites us to come:

 “… If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters.”  (John 7:37-38)

 There is no other way to quench your thirst but to come to the Lord Jesus and drink.  It is a pity that we waste so much time seeking water somewhere else, water which never satisfies.  We rely on people to complete us, to give us joy, peace, security, assurance, and yet they all end up disappointing us.  Why? Because it is humanly impossible to get what you expect from them.  They did not create a hole in your soul!  So no one else can fill the void in your heart.  Only Jesus Christ our Lord can satisfy the void in your heart.  No one else can.  You have probably tried that already, with family members, spouses, friends, even a boyfriend or girlfriend.  They cannot help you either.  In fact, sometimes they make things worse, especially when things do not work out.  Money doesn’t take the void away.  Sex doesn’t do it.  A car, a house, a job, a career, shopping, clothing…nothing and no one can fill the hole in your heart.

 What exactly is missing in your heart?

What is missing in your heart is what Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden. And that is what Christ came to give back to us.  That is what He is offering today, this very hour: an eternal communion with God, a daily relationship, a friendship, so that He may live in your heart and fill the void you have in your heart!

“Jesus answered and said to her… ‘whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’” (John 4:13-14)

And again:

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”  (John 6:35)

And again:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
      Come to the waters;
      and you who have no money,
      Come, buy and eat.
      Yes, come, buy wine and milk
      without money and without price.”  (Isaiah 55:1)

There is a promise that the Lord Jesus Christ has given to those who hunger and thirst for Him, and come to Him.  He promised to fill them.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
  for they shall be filled.”  (Matthew 5:6)

But with what shall they be filled?

“… If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters.” (John 7:37-38)

And in verse 39, John explains that the Lord Jesus was promising the Holy Spirit to those who are thirsting for Him.

“But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  (John 7:39)

And again:

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”  (Galatians 4:6)

And again:

“By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”  (1 John 4:13)

Let us, therefore, be hungry and thirsty for God so that we may attain the promise of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit may abide in us and guide us unto the paths of righteousness in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

We hunger and thirst for the LORD when we:

·        Pray at least three times a day or more;

·        Read and study the Word of God day and night;

·        Meditate on His Word throughout each day;

·        Attend church services. Not just one, but all services during the week;

·        Fast.  Not for material things, but for righteousness;

·        Spend quality time alone with God;

·        Seek His will to be done in our lives, not our will.

                                                                                                                                                                       

Even as David said:

“One thing I have desired of the LORD,
         That will I seek:
         that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
         all the days of my life,
         to behold the beauty of the LORD,
         and to inquire in His temple.”  (Psalm 27:4)

“Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4)

And the promises of God to those who hunger and thirst for His righteousness are:

·        To fulfill their desire, hear their cry and deliver them

“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
         He also will hear their cry and save them.”  (Psalm 145:19)

·        To satisfy their thirsty and bless them

“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
      And floods on the dry ground;
      I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
      And My blessing on your offspring.”  (Isaiah 44:3)

There is more to life than this world has to offer, a place where:

“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat.”  (Revelation 7:16)

Finally brethren:

“And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.’”   (Revelation 21:6)

 “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”  (Revelation 22:17)

 “You will keep him in perfect peace,
      whose mind is stayed on You,
      because he trusts in You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with your spirit.  Amen!

Meditation:  I am a wanderer on this earth.  It is in Christ that I find perfect peace!

Prayer points:  LORD, please reveal Yourself to me.  Teach me Your word, that I may know You better.  Help me to stay forever in Your presence.  I am hungry and thirsty for You, oh LORD!  Please fill me with Your Spirit; fill me with Your Holy Spirit oh my God!  For I ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  Because You promised to fill me with Your Holy Spirit if I come to You Lord Jesus, I commit myself to seek You with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, and all my strength, till I find You by Your grace, oh my God.  Amen!