The Secret to Refueling Your Hunger for God

The gnawing and the aching won’t go away, you know?

I tried it once – filling the ache with something weak, something small.

It’s like fueling your belly with M&M’s when you really need chicken & dumplings. The craving won’t leave, and you’ll be left hungry and weak and maybe a little grumpy.

There’s no nourishment in the M&M’s. Nothing sustainable.

Can I let you in on a little secret? The devil likes it when you believe that M&M’s are enough.

Let me rephrase that.

The devil loves it when you believe that anything but the grace & love of Jesus is enough to fill the gnawing hunger inside of you.

The Secret to Refueling Your Hunger for God

 

You’re in a battle here – a battle between believing this lie from the devil and taking a stand against it.

You’re in a battle and you have got to refuel your hunger for God.

How do we replace the gnawing with deep and lasting hunger for the Savior?

We need to experience Him.

An experience with God is like a slap in the face to the devil. It strikes him something fierce because he gets a glimpse of what eternity will feel like – an eternity full of believers tasting the sweet presence of God.

What is the secret to refueling this hunger & truly experiencing our God?

Well, we’ve got to understand love.

Love is a step away from simply knowing and a step toward experiencing. You can know about love all day long, but until you experience it, you remain empty and unchanged.

So how do we understand love?

We become love.

In John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So often it seems that love is reduced to mere words. But to truly refuel your hunger for God, you must become love to those around you.

Here are several practical ways to experience God through loving others.

Meet a need.

Love practically by providing for someone’s needs. Whether it’s through money, a warm meal, a knitted blanket, or a car ride to the doctor, this is a powerful way to show love and experience God.

Read Luke 10:25-37 for a story of practical, powerful love.

Speak truth.

There are many of us who are great at giving love, but we never get around to speaking truth. The truth can sting, so we avoid the pain and swipe away the conviction we feel from the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:15-16 talks about how speaking the truth in love causes the growth of the body of Christ. It will also cause the growth of your own heart as you experience God’s love through seeking your own truth.

Be a presence.

Sometimes we need to step away from doing and truly just be. Being requires immense faith, and will pull you closer to God than any amount of doing ever could. Consider being a presence to someone in need of love.

Luke 5:16 mentions that Jesus needed to be in the presence of His Father – without doing. Also, check out Isaiah 30:15.

Use encouragement.

Words can be a tremendous balm to the soul – and a powerful way of sharing love. As you speak these words of love and encouragement, consider how Christ talks to you. This is love. This is experiencing God.

1 Thessalonians 5:11-13 talks about encouraging those around you with speech.

The Key to Refueling Your Hunger for God

 

Remember when I mentioned trying to fuel my gnawing with something small & weak?

I woke up one morning and I didn’t take a stand. I didn’t choose to fight. I let the devil convince me that I didn’t need to lean into Jesus, that I didn’t need to be love to those around me.

I settled for the M&M’s. And my gnawing didn’t go away.

I learned the hard way that this love isn’t anything I’m going to produce on my own. The Holy Spirit must produce it in me – and in you.

Acts 1 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

This is the experience of God we need to fuel our hunger! We need the power of the Holy Spirit filling us with love so that we are able to become love.

Grow in your understanding of love. Grow in your ability to recognize when God is blessing you with a sweet experience of Himself.

That is the secret to refueling your hunger.


“Alison is a wife, graduate student, blogger, and Jesus-follower growing in grace and truth daily. She loves coffee in the morning, experimenting in the kitchen, camping with her husband, and reading in a hammock just about anywhere. Her blog – Life of Scoop – exists to encourage authentic community grounded in biblical truth. Basically, it’s some good soul talk in the midst of the mundane. Follow Life of Scoop on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.”

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9 Comments

  1. I love this, the refueling, daily the replenishing the flow of love from on high OUT to others who are in need . Thank you small things with great love like Mother Teresa said.

  2. This is good stuff here, Alison. I’ve always found that when I focus on meeting the needs of others, I’m so much happier and more fulfilled. So much better than M&Ms for sure! Thanks for these great pointers. And thank you, Arabah for being such a gracious host to share Alison with us.

    1. Thanks, Marva. Your words are sweet. I agree with what you’re saying about fulfillment! “Look to others more highly than yourself…” right? Hey, didn’t someone just write a beautiful post about that?! ;)

  3. Oh, I love this post, Alison and Arabah!
    What a good word!
    There is great joy in doing for others. It is more blessed and more sweet to give than it is to receive.
    I’m taking a friend to get her “hair did” today! I think I’m more excited than she is!
    Appreciate you both and the ministries God has given you~
    Melanie

  4. As a parent the analogy of living off M&M’s is very memorable. How many times have I told my kids, “Candy isn’t a meal!” Encouragement is my favorite way of expressing love to others.

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