Matters of the heart are easier to digest in a heart that’s hungry.
You might have once been encouraged to just ‘follow your heart!’ Though well-meaning, the reality is that “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9a ESV). It’s so easy to think our ways are the best for us. That’s usually why we do what we do.
However, the best ways, from the right point of view, are always God’s ways. We need to be willing to learn from him and be directed toward him. Seeking his wisdom is like feeding our heart well.
Jesus often taught with analogies that had relatable figures such as bread, salt, and sheep. He also spoke in parables which needed some explanation. Not everyone who hears God’s truths will want to understand them, but those who hunger and thirst for him will crave understanding.
What is your hunger level for God’s truths?
Do you attend church on Sunday and feel full for the week? That would be a false feeling of fullness, because one day’s feeding is not enough spiritual nourishment for each day of the week. We need to daily worship God and nurture our faith, not once each seven days.
Do you attend a small group whose substance is akin to smearing butter on bread and stating its goodness? That would be a false feeling of encouraging one another in the faith. We need to chew on the truths in Scripture and minister to each other in the Lord.
Oddly, the feeding of our body, in contrast to our soul, often works in the opposite way.
We often feel “hungry” even though we couldn’t possibly be, since we just ate! It’s a false hunger, really. Our stomach growls and we think we need to eat. We smell delicious food and suddenly think we’re hungry. Our eyes land on a tempting food and we reach for it without a second thought.
What if we developed a hunger for spiritual matters? And what if we satisfied that matter of the heart with Jesus?
What if we craved time in God’s presence – reading his Word, seeking his wisdom, and asking him to examine our hearts?
What if we got rid of the substitutes we use to feel ‘good’ and instead turned to God who is good?
The Holy Spirit creates that hunger in our heart. Only God can satisfy it, and Jesus makes that possible.
Jesus told his disciples, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6 NASB). Ask Jesus to satisfy your soul.
Use a Heart Training Bible verse study and memory workbook to feed your spirit each day with God’s truths.