Hunger for God

Hunger for God
Blessan with Katherine

Hunger for God. What an amazing subject. When we look at the Bible, the expression of passion for God is different from person to person, for example, Moses is different from Abraham and the apostle Paul is different from Peter. Moses was a conscientious type, Abraham was steady, Peter was influential and Paul was dominant. Of course their personalities are different, but their level of intimacy with God also varies. They all loved God and made a difference amongst the people in that generation. We could call them history makers. They were normal people. Most of them had family backgrounds that were not so great. Some of them didn’t even know about the existence of God. If we look at the life of Abraham, his father was an idol worshipper and his job was making idols. But when God called him, he obeyed and followed what God asked him to do.


John 5 v 6 says “Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be filled”. From this scripture, Jesus is saying if you want to be filled you should have hunger and thirst. In the same way if you don’t have physical hunger or thirst you can’t eat or drink. If we do eat we won’t enjoy it. God is asking us that when we come before his presence to come with a hunger and a thirst. The righteousness will be established through a hunger for the word of God and a thirst for his Holy Spirit. You cannot eat or drink beyond your hunger or thirst limit. In Acts 2 we can see the disciples were waiting and waiting in the upper room in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. At the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit there were only 120 people inside the room though history says after the resurrection of Jesus, thousands of people were waiting for something to happen but only those 120 waited with a real hunger and thirst. They were praying and encouraging each other and in the midst of all kinds of discouragement, pain and sorrow they waited with hunger and thirst. They turned the world upside down. What happened to those other people? Where did they go? Why did they go and when did they go? I don’t think they all left at once. Imagine one businessman waiting in Jerusalem, and when other people discouraged him he said he would stay longer. When he met these discouragers again, they said “Man, you’re wasting your time. If you work you could be making money. We’ve already started working. Don’t be a fool by saying you’re going to wait. The majority of people are working and getting on with their responsibilities. Man, think if nothing happens, you’ll become a fool in the community”. At first he didn’t reply. The people left him. After that he started thinking, in many ways they are right, so it’s better to leave and start working. This is a really challenging time for us. When we wait upon God for the fulfilment of his promises and to renew our strength in the spirit, we can hear hundreds of comments, discouragement from our friends and family and our communities. You need to face some sort of persecution. Persecution doesn’t have to be physical; sometimes persecution can be emotional pressure, putting doubts and struggle in our life. We need to learn how to overcome these kinds of situation in our life. Don’t be afraid to face persecution. God can use that time to mould you and make you into a strong man or woman of God. Where are you now? Are you a waiting person or a wandering person? Remember that your waiting time is not a wasting time.

After my salvation experience, when I was reading the Bible I felt the importance of being anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. I prayed and waited upon God day and night for the anointing. Nothing happened in the beginning days. Sometimes I felt really discouraged. I doubted myself about my salvation. Am I really saved I asked myself? Do I need to ask forgiveness for any areas to receive the power of the Holy Spirit? This doubt started growing in my mind like a cloud. As I was reading Acts Chapter 2 and different scriptures connected to the Holy Spirit I saw that it happened at different times. Some people were anointed at the time of their baptism, some were anointed after many days. That really encouraged me to wait upon God and one day it happened. It was beyond an emotional feeling. I really felt and came to know that God has anointed me. One evening I was attending a church meeting and the preacher was preaching about the anointing. He explained the qualification to be anointed as having a heart that hungers and thirsts. I started crying out to God, “Lord I need that. Don’t send me away from this meeting without anointing me with your power!” When I was praying this prayer, I felt my body temperature start rising. I knew something was happening but I was not able to control myself. I started speaking in tongues. I had never spoken in tongues before. Even after the meeting I felt that I was carrying something like a mantle or covering. This is my personal experience, but from my ministry experience some people simply receive the anointing without any physical manifestation. Don’t judge your anointing on behalf of a physical experience such as shaking, electric shocks, feeling of fire all over the body, or being slain in the spirit. In some occasions you can silently receive the Holy Spirit’s anointing. If you earnestly ask from your spirit according to Luke 11 v 10-13 then you will receive. And James said when you pray you must “believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1 v 6).

Luke 1 v 53: “He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty”. If we look at the scriptures thousands of people came to listen to Jesus with different motivations. Some of them came to fault-find and accuse him. Some of them came to receive physical healing, and some came simply to be entertained. But verse 53 says that he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. So Jesus chose to bless the people who came with a hunger for His word. That means that Jesus knew those who came to Him hungry. Jesus knows when you are genuinely seeking Him with hunger. This happens in every situation such as your personal devotion with God, a small intimate house group meeting or a large meeting. God always reveals His glory to the people who really hunger and thirst. Moses was a man who was really crazy for God’s presence so he’s the one who experienced God’s glory again and again. In Exodus 24 v 15 God appeared before Moses on Mount Sinai and the glory of God covered that mountain for forty days and forty nights while he spent time with God. Nobody else in the whole of Israel spent this much time in God’s direct presence. Moses could have been proud and compared himself with other people, and he could have been satisfied and happy with his experience of God. But in Exodus 33 v 17-23 Moses is asking God to show His glory again. God didn’t promise that whenever you ask me to show your glory I will show you. God didn’t command Moses to ask for His presence but Moses was really hungry for God’s glorious presence.

John 7 v 36-37: “On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let everyone who is thirsty come to me and let the one who believes in me drink as the scripture has said out of the believers heart shall flow rivers of living water’”. As we enjoy His presence our hunger will increase more and more. That’s why the Psalmist says in Psalm 34 v 8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good”.

Isaiah 55 v 1-3: “Ho, everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you that have no money come, buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight yourself in rich food”. All these scriptures encourage a passionate response from our side. We need to be actively involved in seeking God.


Hindrances against hunger and thirst

Past experiences
I counselled many ministers of God who were really excited about His work, and the promises they have received through prophecies or directly from God or from the word of God. After some time, when they were not able to see the fulfilment of the promises they started to get discouraged. This is the time the devil will try to fill their hearts with negative thoughts, thoughts like “you will not be a success”, “you won’t be able to overcome your financial difficulties,” “you are in the wrong place”, “God is not with you” and “God is disappointed by your previous ministry so He’s no longer going to support you”. The devil will also compare your previous ministry and present ministry and your performance with other Christian ministers; for example, he could speak to our hearts, “You were really powerful when you started your ministry but now your ministry is sinking. Look at your friend: he has more meetings, more salvations, more healings and wealth than you such as a big car and house and a beautiful wife or husband”.

Some people become really discouraged with their married life eg. their wife is not passionate, not supportive like other ministers’ wives, not capable of singing or leading worship, and shy to minister alongside them. I know some who even doubt that they made the right decision about their wife; some who might have prayed and prayed before choosing their wife, and still feel discouraged by their wife so wonder, “Why did this happen to me?” In such situations you need to avoid dwelling on the negative all the time and ask God to give you a mind for the positive. Maybe you could ask God to show you the ways in which your wife is a blessing to you and then encourage her in small ways in those areas. You should trust and believe in God that God always gives the best. Search your own heart and see in what ways you have contributed to the difficulties in your marriage. If it is not working, ask advice from your spiritual leaders. God accepts you with all your strengths and weaknesses; that’s why He died for us even when we were sinners. So that should be an incentive for us to accept the people God has placed in our life, even in the midst of their own weaknesses.

Wrong information
Some people are fearful to face criticism from other ministers and the public. These people are thinking they should maintain a good reputation from the community otherwise it might affect their ministry. Furthermore, they are trying to please people not God. Sometimes people get wrong information and become jealous or judgmental about your ministry or job and family relationships. If you know that you are right with God and that you have a pure conscience before God, shake the dust and move forward, without dwelling on the negative things that people are saying. If you are still struggling, share with your mentor or someone that you feel comfortable to ask wisdom and advice from. I still remember one occasion when I was ministering in one Middle Eastern nation amongst people from my own ethnic group. At one meeting I was preaching at an anniversary event of one Christian organization, and there was a time of thanksgiving for the things that God had done in the past year. I praised God for the fact that I was single last year and now I was married, and said that maybe next year I would have a baby. Because I did not use some specific spiritual words such as “By God’s grace” or “If God allows” one of the ministers interpreted this to mean that I was not giving glory to God but I was trusting in myself. This minister then spread this negative interpretation to some of the other ministers whose churches or ministries I was going to preach at in the following days, perhaps because of jealousy. This was my very first meeting in this nation so the devil was trying to discourage me and to subdue my hunger and thirst. When I was praying later, God specifically encouraged me to focus on the purpose and mission for which God had called me there. Later some people even called and said sorry for their wrong thinking or misunderstanding. Remember that Jesus was the most criticised and rejected person in the history of mankind, so He knows and understands our own pain but doesn’t want us to be overcome by such situations.

Unfocussed life
Always remember your call, not your situation or financial status. Remember who called you and the purpose of His calling. Sometimes we could be deviated by many things such as trying to do too many things for God but not focussing properly, and trying to get acceptance from God by doing more and more. This could lead to a waste of years. Without your knowledge you could be leading an unfocussed life. If God called you as a businessman be faithful there and don’t try to compare yourself with other business people or full-time ministers; if God called you as a pastor be faithful as a pastor and don’t try to be an apostle or a celebrity evangelist. God is looking at your faithfulness not at your successfulness according to the world so be focussed.

Desire for the things of this world
Once you start to receive blessings from God you should maintain a proper distance from this world. In John 17 v 14-18, Jesus is praying for His disciples, “I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of this world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” Our life in this earth is like a ship on the water. Without water the ship cannot move, but if the water comes inside the ship it will destroy the ship. In the same way when we are on this earth, we cannot live without this world but we should keep ourselves away from worldliness like greed, hedonism, desire for wealth and money, desire for power and domination. These things will work as a cancer. Without your knowledge, they will eat away at you and kill your hunger for God and you will be out of focus. Through money you can do ministry. Using power you can run a church, business or organization but if it is not according to God’s purpose or ways then it is worthless. 1 Corinthians 3 v 13 says that, “the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire”. God really wants you to enjoy your life on this earth by enjoying the righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. Whatever you do or think should be acceptable and glorify His name.

How can we overcome? How can we maintain and increase our hunger and thirst?

Spending time with God is the most important thing to keep you hungering and thirsting for the things of God. That is what Jesus did; even in the midst of all kinds of discouragement, blasphemy and persecution, He always made time to spend with His Father who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12 v 2). In practical terms, spend time with people who are passionate for God, not people who are critical and always finding fault. Spending time with your mentors and spiritual leaders will strengthen you, even when you are going through difficult situations. Try to remember God’s promises. It’s not possible to remember all the promises so it’s good to write down or record the promises. It will help you to read and to listen to the promises of God, especially when you are going through trying times. Speak to the situations using your authority in Christ and command the mountains to be moved. Read books by people who are passionate for God. Your constant fellowship will determine your future. If you’re constantly spending time with passionate people you will be passionate, if you’re constantly spending time with critical people you’ll be critical. So try to spend time with visionaries, those who have a heart for the Kingdom of God. Be a God-chaser. Ask for the nations. Never give up.