Hunger is a gift. In this part of the world where I’m from, there’s an adage that says “whoever the gods want to kill, they make mad”. Recently while meditating on this subject of hunger, I found myself rewording that adage to say;
“Whomsoever God wants to bless He makes hungry”
I think this is so powerful! When God wants to change and invade your life, He makes you hungry.
Hunger is a signal that God is setting you up for an encounter with Him. Hunger is a divine invitation for an encounter.
It takes hunger to be successful in the things of the Spirit. It takes hunger to remain successful. Spiritual success isn’t determined by human yardsticks and indices. It’s simply living in the centre of Gods revealed Will for your life per time.
Hunger is the one single most important factor in determining success. Nobody becomes successful by chance. The difference between men is in their hunger.
I once read the story of a young man who wanted to be a successful businessman so he sought out a much older successful mentor he could learn from. One day, his mentor sent for him and asked that they go fishing. As they sat the brink of the river, the mentor positioned his fishing line in place waiting for a catch. Suddenly the older man shoved his head under the water for what seemed forever. Just at the point he was about passing out the man brought him up to get some air. This he did three times. Frustrated, the young man cried out, protesting this unfair and unwarranted cruelty. Then the old man with a corny smile on his face said to the young man, ‘until you want success so badly as you wanted that breath of air it will elude you’
“Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;”Proverbs 6:30
Hunger is desperate and does desperate things. The blessing of hunger is the desperation that comes with it.
Obviously we know that Solomon isn’t giving an excuse for stealing however he shows how far a man will go to satisfy his hunger.
And men may even give him a pass because they know that he did it because he was truly hungry.
How hungry are you for what you say you truly want? I think many people have wishes. Some have desires. Very few are hungry. What are you willing to do to satisfy your hunger?
Faith couple with hunger is explosive. Prayer couple with hunger is atomic. Hunger changes the face of everything.
Hunger has an attitude.
You don’t eat with poise and style when you’re hungry. You aren’t selective when you’re hungry.
“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”Proverbs 27:7
You can tell how hungry people are by just looking at their attitude in prayer, in worship and when receiving the ministry of the Word.
Hunger is a sign of life.
Every living thing grows and growth has demands. Hunger is one such demand. If you stop being hungry, you may be dying.
Hunger is a sign of good health.
One of the first signs of ill health is a lack of appetite. Check and track your hunger and appetite for spiritual things. It’s always an indicator of your spiritual health.
Hunger is a sign of humility.
The proud man is full of himself. He has no sense of need for more. When you realize that you don’t know all you should know and you’ve not seen all you can see, then you’d remain humble and stay hungry! Humility and hunger are two sides of the same coin.
Hunger has opportunity costs.
The proof of hunger is what you’re willing to give up for your desire. Many want an anointed ministry and yet they eat like gluttons. How ironic! Jesus said,
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”Matthew 7:6
Legitimate desires become less important in the face of hunger. Entertainment, leisure, food, sleep etc are all legitimate desires but these are the opportunity costs of Hunger.
Interestingly, many are hungry enough to be successful but not hungry enough to remain successful. Some taste a little success and victory and they rest on their oars. They loose their drive and passion for more because of the little they’ve seen. How unfortunate!
This is the tension we have to live in, that many haven’t mastered. It’s walking the thin line of gratitude for today and a discontentment with status quo. It’s the tension of being full and yet staying hungry.
“He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.”Luke 1:53
“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”Psalm 107:9
Heaven responds to hunger. Heaven detests the self-satisfied.
“Those who hunger for him will always be filled, but the smug and self-satisfied he will send away empty.”Luke 1:53 TPT
HOW TO BE HUNGRY
In the natural, you eat to satisfy your hunger. In spiritual things, you eat to grow your hunger.
God can sovereignly work on our hearts to make us hungry. I however believe that fir the most part we must work on our hunger.
To develop your hunger, you must feed on the very things you want to be hungry for. For example, I always knew that the Lord had committed a ministry of the supernatural to me. To be hungry for this, I have consumed tons of materials on the supernatural, from the Bible, to Christian books, reading about revivals, watching miracle service videos etc. The more I feed on it the hungrier I get.
As with everything in the kingdom, Hunger must be nurtured. Get Hungry!