Cultivating Spiritual Hunger
I. DEFINING SPIRITUAL HUNGER
A. When thinking about the reality of cultivating spiritual hunger we must start by asking two main questions—what is
spiritual hunger? And, how do we cultivate and maintain it throughout our lives?
B. Though there are quite a number of definitions of what constitutes spiritual hunger, I would say spiritual hunger has
everything to do with an inner longing; an inner craving; a deep thirsting for the things of God; a voracious appetite to
experience or encounter the very presence of God. To some this may seem extreme do to a lack of this being a prime
motivator on the inside, and to others, it describes their thirst to know God exactly.
C. Is spiritual hunger something we just create on our own or is it a gift of God?
1. It absolutely is a gift of God to us. Any desire we have for God has its origin in the heart of God first. We don’t
just will ourselves into spiritual hunger and finally get to a place where God takes notice of us. I like the way St. John
of the Cross says it “If you are seeking after God, you may be sure of this: God is seeking you much more. He is the
lover, and you are His beloved. He has promised himself to you.”
2. God is the one who initiates desire in us for Himself.
"10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins." (1 John 4:10 NKJV)
"19 We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19 NKJV)
D. The journey of hungering after God, although begins with God, must however, be maintained by our intentional and
consistent heart responsiveness to Him. That is to say, we must cultivate our own spirituality based on the principles
and commands of scripture, rather than some watered down, diluted version of New Testament Christianity,
which is pervasive all over the church in the west. This is evident in terms of the revolting and alarming level of sin
that is rampant in our churches, which has weakened our impact and the witness of Jesus. When we substitute culture and
opinions of men above the clear teachings of scripture we suffer inwardly which diminishes our lack of spiritual vitality or
vibrancy.
E. If you are a believer, the work of God has truly begun within you. He has already put His spirit in you and has already
won your heart in measure. The gift has already been given and your heart has already been awakened. All we have to do is
respond to the constant wooing of God that is working in us.
"6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day
of Christ Jesus. " (Philippians 1:6 NASB95)
"13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. " (Philippians 2:13
NASB95)
II. SETTING A VISION BEFORE YOU
A. We must have a vision set before us, if we are to cultivate our spirituality. So many are suffering from spiritual boredom
and demonic oppression, that has so dulled their spiritual sensitivity and desire for God.
"18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. "
(Proverbs 29:18 NASB95)
B. God desires to give us the highest vision for our lives. He wants to be the pinnacle of our dreams and inner longings.
God knows that the greatest gift to us, is Himself!
" 1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am
your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”" (Genesis 15:1 NKJV)
1. When God was moving Abram from all that was familiar and comfortable to the land of promise, God spoke to Him in
a vision and said that He would be Abram’s exceedingly great reward. This is stunning and gives us an understanding about
God. God desires to be our very own reward!
2. We want to be motivated in the highest measure possible, with the greatest vision set before us, which is for the very
being of God—God Himself to be fully ours!
C. God has a great desire or dream in His heart for us to be wholly His.
"30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and
with all your strength.’ " (Mark 12:30 NASB95)
"6 “Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as
severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD. " (Song of Solomon 8:6 NASB95)
1. God’s dream for you and I is to be fully given, absolutely abandoned, in our love for and towards Him in the deepest
way possible. That God would be the supreme affection of humanity in every expression possible.
2. Spiritual passions that are awakened in us can not compare to the passion in His heart for us. When we encounter the
God of fiery love and burning zeal for us to be wholly His, we in turn are awakened to feel the same way back to Him.
III. JESUS DESCRIBES THE ULTIMATE QUEST
"3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. "
(John 17:3 NASB95)
A. Jesus defines eternal life as an eternal discovery of the knowledge of God. That our supreme quest is an eternal
treasure of experiencing the magnificence of God’s beauty, the awesomeness of His power, and the eternal pleasures
of His unfathomable love.
B. The mystery of God is freely available to all that desire to know Him more
"9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered
the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 For to us God revealed them through
the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of
a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the
Spirit of God. " (1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NASB95)
1. The mysteries have yet to even enter the heart of man
2. The mysteries can only be given by a revelation of the Holy Spirit
3. The mysteries are freely ours in Jesus
IV. INVITATIONS VS. DISCIPLINES
A. We not only need to have vision set before us, but we also need to learn how to live out our vision; how to apply our
inner desires and dreams in a lifestyle of pursuit.
B. Typically, we love the idea of becoming more intimate with God, but where the tension often lies in the actual ‘doing’
of intimacy. We can not just settle for a theology of Intimacy without a corresponding life that actually pursues it. This is where we
enter into the equation in our responsibility of cultivating our spiritual hunger.
C. When I speak of invitations vs. disciplines, I am primarily looking to change the way we view the necessary components
of spiritual cultivation which include prayer, fasting and study of the word.
1. Disciplines—tend to have a negative connotation, in that they speak of sacrifice, suffering and loss. The emphasis is on
the price that must be paid in order to gain a reward, rather than the reward itself.
2. Invitations—connotes a reward; it speaks of something to be hoped for. The emphasis is on the reward to be received,
rather than on the process involved in receiving it.
D. When we look at the process of cultivating spiritual hunger we have to embrace the most fundamental and primary
means by which this is stirred up in us:
1. Prayer—this is the vehicle that connects us to God. Our spirit fellowshipping with His Spirit. If we look at it
through a disciplined paradigm, we may find it difficult based on the nature of prayer, in that much patience is involved
and our lack of ‘feeling’ God, especially in the beginning can be discouraging. However, if we see prayer as an
invitation to encountering the heart of God, this becomes more exciting to actually pray, because the reward
energizes us.
"1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, "
(Luke 18:1 NASB95)
2. Fasting—this is probably the hardest activity to do and the least likely to be employed due to the physical
discomfort involved. Once again, if we see fasting mostly as denying ourselves or our personal sacrifice for God,
we will never enjoy the power and pleasure of fasting. But, if we see it as it really is, which is ‘feasting’, than we will
be more apt to doing it regularly. We may be physically fasting, but we are absolutely feasting spiritually.
The reward of becoming more tenderized to the presence of God over time should be very inviting.
"15…? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. "
(Matthew 9:15 NASB95)
3. Study of the Word—we are in great need to have the truth permeate our very thinking processes. Our spirit
man can only grow by the power of the word being written on the inside.
"2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may
prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. " (Romans 12:2 NASB95)
V. HUNGERING FOR THE LOVE, KNOWLEDGE AND POWER OF GOD
"1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive
to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for
understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern
the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. " (Proverbs 2:1-5 NASB95)
A. Proverbs gives the practical expression of hunger and its reward
1. The word—treasuring God’s commandments by meditating on His word.
2. Prayer & fasting—when we lift our voice; when we cry out; when we seek for her as a hidden treasure we will be
rewarded. Although fasting is not directly mentioned it is certainly implied. To seek God in the Bible has always included fasting.
3. Promise of reward—God promises us that we will encounter Him if we respond to Him in this way. This is how we learn
how to seek Him. He gives us basic principles and if we do them, we grow in our actual experience of God, which is the very
vision we long for.
Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God
B. Psalm 63—the very heart cry of David while in the wilderness
"1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry
and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your
glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as
I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. " (Psalm 63:1-4 NASB95)
C. Three dimensions we long for from God, and three prayers that are very helpful in expressing these desires back to God.
1. God’s love—we so long to ‘feel’ empowered by His love for us, and also our desire to love Him back.
"19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of
God. " (Ephesians 3:19 NASB95)
2. God’s knowledge—we long to know the many dimensions of God’s being, which include His attributes and ways.
"9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you
may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, " (Colossians 1:9 NASB95)
3. God’s power—we long to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in two ways: 1) the inner dimension of overcoming
sin. And, 2) the external dimension of power demonstrated in healing, signs and wonders, and revival.
"29 “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all
confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your
holy servant Jesus.” " (Acts 4:29-30 NASB95)
VI. CONCLUSION: POSSESSING THE ATTITUDE OF PAUL
"10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death; 11 … but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of
by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have
this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. "
(Philippians 3:10-16 NASB95)
A. Paul had an enormous craving for God—he so longed to be more intimate with God. God was absolutely his
great reward. Whether it was resurrection power demonstrated in his life or it was through the wilderness of suffering, he
knew that God was his great prize in all of it.
B. Paul reached forward—he didn’t look back at either the victories or failures of the past, rather he chose to
reach forward in God, knowing that as long there was more time for him, there was more opportunity to draw nearer to God.
C. Paul considered this desire spiritual maturity—Paul speaks of his inner longing for God as having a perfect or
mature attitude towards God, in fact he basically says that if we don’t think like him, God would reveal the importance of
possessing this reality on the inside.