How to Stay Hungry for God - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - May 14, 2023

How to Stay Hungry for God
By Rick Warren

“You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.” 1 Peter 2:2 (NLT)

Are you hungry for God?

It’s possible to maintain a spiritual hunger for God for the rest of your life. Here are five ways to sustain a spiritual appetite.

1. Remind yourself how much God loves you.

The more you understand how much God loves you, the more you’re going to love him. The Bible says in Ephesians 3:18-19, “May you have the power to understand . . . how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (NLT).

2. Stop filling up on junk food.

You are a spiritual being with a God-shaped hole in your heart that only God can fill. When you try to fill it with salary, status, success, passion, possessions, power, prestige, or anything other than God, it’s not going to be fulfilling.

Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (NLT).

3. Make knowing God your number one goal.

Happiness is a byproduct of knowing God. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well” (NCV).

4. Get into God’s Word every day.

The Bible is food for your soul. Eating just one meal a week won’t keep your body healthy. In the same way, you need to feed on God’s Word every day.

“You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT).

5. Surround yourself with other believers.

If you hang out with people who only care about politics, you’ll care about politics. If you hang out with people who only care about sports, you’ll care about sports. If you hang out with people whose focus is knowing God, that will become your focus too.

That’s why you need to join a small group of Christians for support—because whatever you talk about when you’re with others is what you’re going to be hungry for. Proverbs 2:20 says, “Follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous” (NLT).

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Point Little Lives to God’s Big Plans for Them!

Help the children in your life understand God’s Word and discover his incredible plans for their life with Pastor Rick’s God’s Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible.

This 223-page hardcover book includes 40 beloved Bible stories to help kids get excited about God’s love, truth, and purpose for his children. A great gift for your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or even the kids in your neighborhood, each Bible story includes . . .

• An introduction just for kids from Pastor Rick
• A closing thought to help kids apply what they learn
• Beautifully illustrated pages kids will love

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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