HUNGRY

I am hungry. My whole self cries out to God, my body, mind, and heart all are dissatisfied at where I'm at. In my devotional time I feel dry. I was praying for revival, on fire, but how, in the course of a week and a half,can that fire die out??? This weekend I am going to Springfield, to preach at the district Fine Arts Festival. The sermon I wrote comes from my heart, which I have determined to pursue God. I still feel almost guilty for being dry and yet getting in front of a bunch of people and preaching God's word. This desperation, this "dry spell", could it be God testing me to see whether or not I really have a heart after Him? Mature, on fire Christians, your guidance would be appreciated, powerful scripture verses are encouraged. Please don't turn this thread into a debate... :-) In Christ,Chad Lough3-5-2004 2:06pm

Brother Chad,It sounds to me as if you are in just the right place. I know that the dry times SEEM hard and as if you are without the Spirits power. The truth is you are not. The Lord does indeed cause us to feel as if we are without Him from time to time. Why? Because God can do in you ONLY (my opinion) what you hunger and thirst for. Matt 5:6, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled." Where there is no hunger, no thirst, there will be no filling. I could go into LONG details on this topic but for the sake of space I will make it brief.Since you mentioned "Fine Arts" I'm assuming you're A/G - fantastic. I'm an A/G pastor - so I know that something you know much about is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Listen brother there is much more than one infilling of the Spirit, and with every infilling of the Spirit you're name, identity and everything will be changed. Study Sauls journey into the identity of Paul in Acts 13. (Pay careful attention to when he is first called Paul - it is after a fresh filling of the Spirit came.) There are constant and recurring fillings of the Spirit brother.2 Cor 3:18 - "And we . . . are being transformed into His likeness from Glory to Glory..."There is to be a consistent and continual filling of the Spirit that means we will be continually changed.But remember, God can only do in you (my opinion) what you hunger and thirst for. Meaning that prior to every new level of Glory we jump to, prior to every new filling, the Lord must take our hunger level from glory to glory. The Lord must take our desire for Him to a higher level than it has ever been before.Brother it sounds to me as if the Lord is preparing you for a fresh encounter with Him. It sounds to me as if God is creating in you a capacity to receive more from Him. If you ever get to a point where that hunger is gone, fall on your face and cry out for a fresh "baptism" of hunger!Burning, Jeff

Brother-- Thank you for that insight. Reading that made me want to come apart with happiness!! I smiled, because the truth I knew was verified, you know? Yes I am A/G- I attend a church with an awesome pastoral staff- one of the best, and that's not biased. My leaders are phenomenal. There is a member here you may know as Everlast, she is one of my youth sponsors. She rocks. ANYWAY...Thank you for responding. I've gotten lots of views, but only one response. Maybe few care or few know what to say.

Chad,don't worry- I post all the time and sometimes never get a response. Sometimes people don't know how to respond- but still what we post affects others.If you were never dry or hungry- then you would never cry out to God. This is necessary! Get used to it. :-) It comes in waves. You will learn to appreciate these times too- for you know you have somethig to look forward to- His filling you with new bread and life-giving water! It's always a learning time. A "leaning" time- to learn to lean on Him alone.In His perfect love, Chnain

Hi Chad,In total agreement here, you are in the right place, if you weren't hungry there would be cause for concern "Blessed are those who hunger..."This may be of some help, I was just reading it again this morning:"What is the reason for our poverty? The reason lies in the lack of discipline from the Spirit and the lack of restrictions of the Spirit. We must remember that every enlarged person has gone through some experiences before the Lord. They have a certain amount of history before the Lord. Their experiences and history become the riches of the church. Many sicknesses are present in order to increase the riches of the church. Many problems are present in order to increase the riches of the church. Many obstacles and hardships are present in order to increase the riches of the church. Many Christians live in peace, yet their end is spiritual poverty. When other brothers and sisters are faced with problems, they cannot understand and render any spiritual help to them. They do not have a history before God, and the Holy Spirit has no opportunity to manifest the reality of Christ through them or to wrought Christ into them. They may have heard many teachings, but teachings cannot replace the work of the Spirit. With those who do not have the work of the Spirit, the Lord’s riches cannot become their riches, and they have nothing to give to others. Therefore, whether or not we are useful in God’s hand depends on whether the Holy Spirit has done a work in us. A Christian must not be so fallen as to have no intervention from the Holy Spirit, as if he is destined to poverty. We believe that the Lord does not let go of anyone who commits himself into His hands. We believe that every trial is for enlarging and enriching us. Once a man passes through a trial, he becomes that much richer. Every time a man faces a distress, he knows God that much more. In this way, he becomes gradually qualified to supply God’s children in the church."The Holy Spirit and Realityby Watchman NeeWill dig up the link and edit it back in here, the whole of it is well worth reading.Edit:The Holy Spirit and RealityYou can read the first chapter there.(Acknowledgement to Eagleswings again for first bringing this to our attention)Mike

Chad,When are you planing on preaching this weekend?Time's, Both days?Let us hold up your arms Brother.

When are you planing on preaching this weekend?As his youth sponsor, I can tell you that Chad is out of town tonight, but will be preaching either during the early morning or late to mid morning. He won't find out his time until he registers tomorrow. Please also pray for the other youth involved, not only with short sermon, but music (singing and instrumental) as well as other writing pieces. I am excited to see what God is doing in our youth group. We went from only 2 people participating in Fine Arts a few years ago, to over 20 this year in a variety of categories. Praise God that there are youth today with a desire to use the talents God has given them to bless others. Thanks.

Thanks Shelly,This is so good to hear!Will keep you all in prayer.Mike