Hunger for the Word of God

"I rejoice at Your Word." Psalm 119:162

Years ago I came across a passage of scripture that severely convicted me about reading the bible. Job 23:12 says, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” What do you do with a passage like that? I read that verse over and over and realized that no matter how I tried to spin it, it was one of those verses that I couldn’t claim. It just wasn’t true about me, but I wanted it to be more than anything. Think about it. What would your life look like when God's Word is as important to you as your physical food?

I knew what it felt like to be hungry from missing a meal or two, and I thought, “Oh, that I would hunger for the Word of God the same way!” If it’s been a while since you’ve felt physical hunger, I challenge you to do this: fast from one meal today. Get a glimpse of the hunger our hearts should have for the Word of God.

One of the hardest things about fasting is denying yourself of nourishment when it is so readily available right in front of you. And you can’t help but think about how crazy it is that we do the same thing spiritually every day! Even though God’s Word is free and easily accessible to us, we will starve ourselves daily without a second thought. Then, we wonder where God is in our life and why we don’t feel His presence like we used to.

Let’s set aside some time each day to nourish and rejuvenate our souls by reading God’s Word and praying. God wants to speak to us, and that’s the primary way He’s chosen to do so. Why wouldn’t we make that time as important as breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Complete Confidence

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

If we really want to walk the path that we know God has planned out for us, there must be complete confidence in the Lord to take care of us. We need to remember that we are merely passengers on the journey that God has mapped out. Imagine hailing a cab and then insisting that you drive because you know a better way.

Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us that we are to trust God with all our heart (not just part of it), and we're to acknowledge Him in all our ways (not just some of our ways).

One of the most powerful things that anyone has ever said to me is, “You can’t say, ‘No, Lord,’ and mean both words.” He’s either Lord, or He’s not. He’s either directing my paths, or I have once again taken up the reigns of my own life.

You can't say, "Lord, I want Your will in my social life, but I don't want Your will in my business life." Or, "I want Your will in my church life, but I don't want Your will in my relationships." God doesn’t want just part of your life. If He's worth part of it, isn’t He worth all of it?

What are you holding onto today? Why not give it all to Christ? Lay it all down, and you will find that instant obedience will bring incredible blessing.

Lord, whatever the question is, I say “Yes” to You today. Help me to lean on You only and not my own understanding. Help me to get myself out of the way so that You can work out Your perfect plan for my life. I give it all to You today.

Transformed Heart

Colossians 1:13-14

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

How is it that we have fooled ourselves into believing that if we make promises and behave a certain way, that we are living out God’s best for our lives? Usually it plays itself out with church attendance and comparing ourselves to others. “If I go to church all the time and I act better than I did a couple years ago, or if I’m better than other people who attend my church, then I must be good.” We love to compare our strengths to other’s weaknesses, and then we naturally grow confident in our goodness.

Others try to behave and modify their behavior because they’re afraid of hell and God’s wrath. They believe that if they are good enough, they can earn their way out of hell. The problem is that heaven isn’t a place for those who fear hell; it’s a place for those who love God.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t war against sin in our lives. I’m simply saying that the weapons we have are inadequate to overcome it. Without God transforming our heart and moving us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, we will simply pit sin against sin.

How many times have you seen people battling their fears and anxieties with control or manipulation; their lust with self-righteousness or apathy…no matter which one wins, sin still reigns.

Christ didn’t die to put us on a behavioral modification program, He died to transform us from the inside out. What if instead of focusing on changing our behavior, we focused on transforming our hearts? What if instead of trying to be better than someone else or better than we used to be, we tried to be like Jesus?

God, help us to trust in You alone to do in us what we cannot. Transform us from the inside out so that we can live the life that You created and redeemed us to live.

Seasons of Waiting

2 Peter 3:8-9

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness.” (ESV)

Do you ever feel like things aren’t happening within your timeframe? There have been certain times in my own life where I thought, “Shouldn’t I be further along than I am now? What are you waiting on, God?” There were many in the bible who might have asked those exact same questions.

-How many years from God’s promise to Abraham until the birth of Isaac?


-How many years from Joseph’s dream until he became second in command of all of Egypt?


-How many years did Moses spend tending sheep before delivering God’s people out of bondage?

-How many years between when David was anointed King of Israel and the moment he actually became King of Israel?

-How many years between the time Jesus first said “I must be about My Father’s business” and the beginning of His ministry?

-How many years from Paul’s conversion until he was sent out from Antioch?

I first responded to God’s call on my life at 13 years old. Now, 16 years later, I feel like I am just now stepping into some of what God spoke to me way back then. During that time I was often frustrated, anxious, and in a big hurry to get to what I knew God had planned for me...as if there were some kind of finish line I was racing toward.

Just like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, and even Jesus, if you’re in a long season of waiting, a season of prisons, caves, wilderness, pits, and carpenter shops, just know that you’re in good company. And God is always on time.

Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You during the long, hot seasons in the desert. We know that You have great things planned for each and everyone of us, and You are working out that plan in us even now. Thank You for never leaving us without hope in any situation we face.