Hungry for God or guilty? • Deshen Daily

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. (Ps. 42:1 NLT)

Being hungry for God is one of the signs of a spirit that is alive, on fire and in a healthy relationship with God. Hunger is good, and it is put into our spirits by God Himself. The absence of hunger for spiritual things and for God is a sign that soul is ice-cold in the things of God, or slowly becoming spiritually dead.

Your Christian life and walk with God can slowly move from a relationship with the Father to mere religion with boring Christian routines. As believers, we understand we have to read the Bible, pray, go to church, and be engaged in the “work of God”. These things can be either out of a relationship with God, or we might be doing them “because Christians are supposed to do them”. This is Christian religion, where a believer is involved in the routines of Christianity without the life of it. One of the telltale signs of Christian religion is that failure to do those things result in guilt for missing to do what you are supposed to do. None of us feels guilty when we forget to take breakfast. When we do forget to eat, we do not feel guilty, but hungry, because food is a requirement for our wellbeing. When a believer in a healthy relationship with God misses time with God, Bible study, a church service, etc, he or she does not feel guilty but hungry for God’s presence. Because these things are not done to prove anything to God but have become an integral part of their communion with God.

Beware and guard against slowly slipping into Christian religion without noticing. Many older Christians end up rolling with the remnants of their past Christian lives with almost a dead relationship with God, though actively “doing the things Christians do”. Keep a healthy relationship with God at all times. God did not call us to come and “do these things”. He called us first to Himself. The things we do as Christians are secondary and a follow up of our relationship with him.

MEDITATE

The Word in your mind and mouth (1 Tim 4:15; Josh 1: 8)

Think on these things-are you hungry or guilty?

PRAY

Water the Seed (word) to grow. Invite the Spirit’s strength! (Isa 32:15; Zach 4:6)

Ask the Lord to rekindle the fire in your spirit and a hunger for him if you have lost your passion.

APPLY THE WORD TODAY!

Your door to a blessed life today is doing God’s Word. Refuse to be a hearer or reader only! (James 1:22-26)

Do not kill spiritual hunger in you. It is a sign of a healthy spirit longing for God. Encourage it to grow as you seek to allow God quench your hunger and thirst with His Word and His Presence.

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