HUNGER THAT LEADS TO HOLINESS

In a world constantly vying for our attention, where notifications ping endlessly and the next meal is never more than a few minutes away, we rarely experience true hunger. Yet there's a kind of hunger that transforms us from the inside out—a hunger that doesn't leave us empty but fills us with something far more sustaining than any physical food could provide.

The Wilderness of Testing

The Gospel of Matthew presents us with a striking scene: Jesus, fresh from His baptism and filled with the Holy Spirit, is led into the wilderness. Not by accident. Not by the enemy. But by the Spirit Himself. For forty days and forty nights, He fasts, experiencing the full weight of human hunger and vulnerability.

Then comes the tempter with what seems like a reasonable suggestion: "If you are the son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

Notice the "if." The enemy always questions our identity, our security in who God says we are. But Jesus, having spent intensive time with the Father, responds with unshakeable confidence: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

This wasn't just a clever comeback. It was a declaration of where true sustenance originates.

What Really Rules You?

Fasting reveals what rules us. It's not about creating weakness—it's about revealing the weakness that already exists. When we remove something we depend on, whether it's food, social media, entertainment, or constant connectivity, we discover what we've been using to fill the God-shaped void in our lives.

Think about it. What can't you live without? What makes you anxious when it's taken away? That thing, whatever it is, has become your functional savior. And fasting exposes that reality with uncomfortable clarity.

The beautiful paradox is this: God's strength becomes perfect in our weakness. We can only discover the real power and presence of God when we recognize how fragile and dependent we truly are. Fasting isn't punishment—it's positioning. God isn't trying to deprive us; He's trying to provide something better.

Redirecting Our Appetite

We live in a culture that's hungry for all the wrong things. We're hungry for power, prestige, success, and validation. We're hungry to be right, to win arguments, to make sure everyone knows where we stand. We're hungry for attention and affirmation from people who are just as broken as we are.

But what if our hunger was redirected?

What if we became hungry for unity instead of division? What if we hungered to see people the way God sees them—as beloved sons and daughters created in His image, regardless of their politics, background, or social status? What if we hungered for righteousness, for justice, for the transformation of our communities?

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." This isn't a hunger that leaves us perpetually empty. It's a hunger that leads to deep, lasting satisfaction because it aligns our hearts with God's heart.

The Love Ethic Over the Like Ethic

Here's a challenging truth: God calls us to a love ethic, not a like ethic. We don't have to like everyone. We don't have to agree with everyone's politics, lifestyle choices, or worldview. But we are commanded to love them.

Real love doesn't require agreement. It requires seeing the image of God in another person and honoring that, even when it's difficult. It requires creating space for conversation instead of condemnation. It requires humility instead of superiority.

This is especially challenging in our current cultural moment, where everything is polarized and everyone is expected to take a side. But the kingdom of God transcends our political divisions. The same Jesus died for all of us—rich and poor, black and white, citizen and immigrant, conservative and progressive. There is no hierarchy in God's love.

When we fast from the constant barrage of information telling us who to hate and what to fear, we create space for God's voice to reshape our perspective. We begin to see that many of the things we thought were essential are actually distractions from what truly matters.

Creating Space for God to Speak

Prayer isn't meant to be a one-way conversation where we dump our requests on God and then rush back to our busy lives. Real prayer involves creating space—intentional, quiet space—where God can speak to us.

Fasting is one of the most powerful ways to create that space. When we turn away from the things that typically fill our time and attention, we make room for God to fill us instead. We discover that we can actually live without the things we thought were necessities. We learn that God's word is more sustaining than physical food.

This isn't about religious performance or earning God's favor. It's about realigning our hearts with His. It's about weakening the flesh so the Spirit can strengthen the heart. It's about discovering that less of what we want makes room for more of what God desires to give us.

The Practice of Surrender

Fasting is fundamentally an act of surrender. It's saying to God, "You are more important than my comfort. Your voice is more important than my cravings. Your will is more important than my preferences."

This practice of surrender changes our dependency matrix. Instead of depending on physical sustenance, entertainment, or human approval, we learn to depend on God. We condition ourselves to live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Imagine if this practice started in childhood—learning early that we don't need everything we want, that God is sufficient, that spiritual sustenance matters more than physical comfort. What kind of adults would we become? What kind of faith would we develop?

The Invitation

The invitation today is simple but profound: redirect your hunger. Stop chasing after things that can never truly satisfy. Stop feeding appetites that leave you empty. Instead, hunger for the things of God.

Hunger for righteousness. Hunger for unity. Hunger for transformation—in your own life and in your community. Hunger to see people the way God sees them. Hunger to hear God's voice above all the noise.

What you deny your body can deepen your dependence on God. What you sacrifice creates space for what God wants to release in your life. Some breakthroughs only come through fasting and prayer.

The question isn't whether you're hungry. You are. We all are. The question is: what are you hungry for?