“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 NKJV
Few weeks ago, I wrote a post titled when I no longer desire God. And I shared how vital it is for us to create time for God amidst our very busy lives. This is one area where most of us don’t like to hear because we would rather someone pacify our flesh and “understand” why it’s so hard not to be able to do this. Inasmuch as we want to relate with honest posts, the reality is that how we feel isn’t going to make God change His word. It’s good to be honest. However my blog isn’t just about how I do things. It’s mainly about how God wants us to do things. To be able to do this, I have to always speak the truth even when it seems harsh. I’m not here to make people feel good about where they are. My aim is to challenge and push them to that place that God wants them to be.
Anyone who wants to grow knows correction comes with growth and maturity. No one wants to remain a baby forever. Every parent want to see their kids grow up. So does God. And to achieve this, stern tone has to be used sometimes. Inasmuch as I want it to be relatable, I am not on here to entertain and pacify people. There are enough platforms already for that.
With that being said, our scripture for today talks about having a hunger and thirst for righteousness.
To hunger and thirst for righteousness, is to be consumed by the desires of God. It’s to pursue holiness with our heart, soul and strength. It’s to consciously choose good over evil. It’s not to sin against God knowingly. It’s disciplining our flesh to become submissive to the spirit. It’s creating time to spend with The One we profess our love for.
““Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.”
Isaiah 55:1-2 NLT
Spending time with God isn’t the same thing as spending time on blogs (whether Christian blogs or not). It can be very easy to fall into the trick of filling our quiet time with reading other things. I feel the devil is doing all he can do these days to keep us occupied with everything except our bibles. I know I said this in my last post but I will say it again. The words of men can never be as powerful as a word directly from God. I am not saying God cannot speak through men. But it’s wise to always compare every word from humans with the bible. If you have the time to read this post and other blog posts, you sure have the time to read and meditate on a verse of the bible. I would rather you unfollow me and spend that time with God because I don’t want my blog to be an idol that has replaced God in your life. My mere words can’t do much for you. But the bible sure can.
The words of men can never be as powerful as a word directly from God.
In the above scripture from Isaiah, God is telling us to come to Him if we are thirsty. You see, the response to thirst and hunger for God is seeking God. If you are struggling to seek God, it isn’t because you do not have the time. It’s because you have no desire for Him. If you did, you will run to Him because you already know where to find Him.
Another big trick to fall into as Christians is when we only spend time with God so we can have something to share. It really doesn’t work like that. God cannot be deceived or mocked. What we put in is what we get out of it! We cannot do it anytime we feel like it and ignore it whenever we don’t feel like it and then expect to be full on for God. Ermmm sorry no. That isn’t how it works. Just as a sip of water will not quench our thirst when we are very thirsty, so also doing the bare minimum when it comes to our time with God won’t do much for us. I’m not criticising anyone but I’m not here to rub anyone’s ego. The truth confronts and sometimes offends. But it’s aim is to bring about correction.
Am I guilty of the above? Yes.
What am I doing about it?
- Accepting the truth that I lack desire for God.
- Consciously creating time for God daily
- Ensuring I am doing all I can to remain focused and not to be carried away with worldly pleasures
- Accepting the help of the Holy Spirit as I believe I can do all things because He strengthens me.
There is so much more to say but I already said all of these in my previous posts which I will urge you to read.
The blessing attached to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness is that they will be filled.
God is not wicked or unjust. If we reach out to Him, He will come near us. This filling is what brings about peace and joy. When God fills us up, nothing else matters to us. The experience is so calm, sweet and intoxicating at the same time. It’s an experience we never want to cease having. This makes us abide there because it is treasure worth more than silver and gold.
The word of God comes to stir our spirit and not to condemn or scare us.
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Matthew 6:21
Thanks for reading. Please click on the link below to read more topics on this series.
Amen! You go, girl—tell it like it is! 👍🏼
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Well there’s no other way to say it. Thanks for your encouragement sis🙂
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Amen! No sugar coating here…which doesn’t help anyone. Thank you, Efua. This is a post, as my grandma would say, is tough love…which I sometimes need! I was convicted while reading this…I need to make sure I’m not asking God for more of Him just so I have those experiences to share. I prayed this very morning to have more, experience more, and know more of Him. And now I realize I need to keep an eye on my motive, my heart; to want to grow closer to Him, just to be closer to Him. Thank you again, dear Sister. May God continue to bless you as you speak His word with great boldness.
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I’m glad you got something from it Sis. And amen to watching our motives! That bit spoke to me too. It’s easy to get caught up sometimes. But we all have to be watchful. Thanks my sis. God bless you❤️
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God bless you too!
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I am enjoying this series. Thanks for it
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That is good to know. Thanks for reading🙂
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So true that is a frequent struggle of many I believe if we’re honest! Thank you for your candor!
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I agree it’s a frequent struggle. I think realising the problem is one thing and doing something about it is another. Remembering to rise quickly after every fall is vital too. Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a beautiful day🙂
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Very good!!!
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Thank you🙂
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❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ I can't love this enough!!!! Sis, YES!! You caught the truth of what it means to give God our time and you laid it down. We can't run away from it. We have to admit what our daily walk with Him is. He deserves that from us, even if we struggle to be honest.
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I love how you said He deserves that from us. That speaks volumes. Thanks sis
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🙂
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Ouch and Amen my friend.
“Accepting the truth that I lack desire for God” – WowzR that’s truth for me. In my heart of hearts all I want to do is know him but I get distracted easily. We really are without excuse right?
Thanks for sharing Efua
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I’m sure by now you are familiar with my stern tone. Certain things I feel need to be said the way it is. Especially if we claim we are no longer babies in faith. It’s a hard pill to swallow but if we need to be well then we need to swallow it. We have no excuse bro!
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Efua you are a spirit filled woman of God. I finished my prayer this morning and I thought to myself I am going to read your post as my devotion I read a few and sat in my settee with my Bible next to me , and was thinking to myself do I need to do my own study of tbe bible this morning. But I said to myself let me just read this last post and then this ministered to me.
“Spending time with God isn’t the same thing as spending time on blogs (whether Christian blogs or not). It can be very easy to fall into the trick of filling our quiet time with reading other things. I feel the devil is doing all he can do.” Thank you so much🙏
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Very easy trick to fall into. I do fail in it at well sometimes. I just keep reminding myself that I have to do better and make conscious decision of making good choices with my time. I am glad this ministered to you🙂
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Nice post!
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Thanks a lot for reading and commenting🙂
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