“WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?”
“WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?”
Your Hunger Determines Your Direction!
THIRSTY THURSDAY blog 5 minute read
Have you ever stopped to consider what is determining the direction of your life?
What is pulling you forward? What is stirring your heart? What are you pursuing when nobody is watching? What occupies your thoughts, consumes your time, and influences your decisions?
Could it be that where we go from here is directly connected to what we are hungry for?
Our spiritual hunger is more than an emotion. It is an appetite that influences our pursuit, determines our priorities, and positions us for encounters with the living God.
Jesus made an extraordinary promise:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6, NIV)
Notice that Jesus did not say blessed are those who occasionally think about righteousness. He spoke of those who HUNGER and THIRST.
There is a difference between being interested in the things of God and being hungry for Him.
Interest may cause us to visit. Hunger causes us to pursue!
1. HUNGER DETERMINES WHERE WE GO
What we hunger for influences where we invest our time, our attention, and our energy.
If we hunger for recognition, we will pursue platforms. If we hunger for possessions, we will pursue acquisition. If we hunger for the approval of people, we will spend our lives trying to satisfy expectations.
But when our hunger is for God, our direction changes!
David understood this kind of spiritual appetite.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1, NIV)
David was not describing a casual interest in God. He was describing a desperate desire for His presence.
Psalm 63:1 continues this thought:
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
David’s circumstances did not determine his pursuit. His hunger did!
We must ask ourselves: Are we pursuing God because of what He can do for us, or because of who He is?
There is a place in our walk with God where His presence becomes more precious than anything He can place in our hands.
Where do we go from here?
We go deeper!
2. HUNGER POSITIONS US FOR INTIMACY WITH HIM
God never intended our relationship with Him to be built upon occasional visits, religious routines, or Sunday morning experiences alone.
He desires fellowship with us.
Jeremiah 29:13 declares:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (NIV)
Notice the condition: WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
Intimacy requires intentional pursuit.
James 4:8 gives us another wonderful promise:
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (NIV)
Our hunger moves us beyond knowing about God into knowing Him.
Consider Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42.
Martha was occupied with many responsibilities. Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His words.
Jesus identified Mary’s choice as the better portion.
Both women were in the presence of Jesus, but their priorities were different.
This is an important distinction for us today.
We can become so occupied with doing things for God that we neglect spending time with Him.
Our service must never replace our intimacy.
The Word, prayer, worship, and quiet fellowship with the Father are not interruptions to our responsibilities. They are the foundation from which we fulfill them.
Where do we go from here?
We move from religious activity into relationship!
3. HUNGER PROMOTES US
There is a spiritual principle worth considering: what we continually pursue determines what we become equipped to carry.
Spiritual hunger creates a willingness to grow, learn, surrender, and be transformed.
Look at Daniel.
Daniel 1:8 tells us that Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.
He made a decision about what would influence him.
His convictions positioned him for God’s purposes in a foreign kingdom.
Later, Daniel 6:3 tells us that Daniel distinguished himself above the other administrators because of his exceptional qualities.
His promotion was not simply the result of ambition. His life demonstrated faithfulness, wisdom, integrity, and an excellent spirit.
Consider Joseph as well.
Joseph’s journey took him through betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and imprisonment before he was elevated to leadership in Egypt.
Genesis 41:39–41 records Pharaoh recognizing the wisdom God had given Joseph and placing him in authority.
These examples reveal something important.
God can use seasons of preparation to develop the character and capacity required for future assignments.
Spiritual hunger keeps us teachable.
It keeps us pursuing the Word rather than settling for what we already know.
It positions us to recognize opportunities, respond to God’s direction, and become faithful stewards of greater responsibility.
Promotion is not always a change of position. Sometimes it is an increase in spiritual maturity, wisdom, authority, and responsibility.
Where do we go from here?
We grow up in Him!
4. HUNGER GETS GOD’S ATTENTION
Scripture repeatedly reveals God’s response to those who earnestly seek Him.
Psalm 107:9 says:
“For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (NIV)
What a beautiful promise!
God is not indifferent to our spiritual appetite.
Isaiah 55:1–3 extends an invitation to everyone who is thirsty to come and receive what only God can provide.
The invitation is not to purchase His goodness with human effort. It is to come, listen, receive, and live.
Look at the woman at the well in John 4.
She came to draw natural water, but Jesus introduced her to something far greater.
He spoke of living water.
In John 4:13–14, Jesus explained that the water He gives becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
She arrived with a natural need and encountered the Savior who could satisfy her deepest spiritual thirst.
Then something remarkable happened.
She left her water jar, returned to her town, and began telling others about Jesus (John 4:28–30).
Her encounter became a testimony!
That is what happens when our hunger brings us into an encounter with Him. We do not leave the same way we came.
Our hunger is answered by His presence, and our lives become a testimony of His goodness.
5. SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM AND WATCH WHAT HE ADDS!
Here is where our spiritual priorities become especially important.
Matthew 6:33 is one of the most powerful instructions Jesus gave concerning the order of our lives.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)
SEEK FIRST!
Not seek occasionally.
Not seek when everything else is finished.
Not seek only when we have a problem.
SEEK FIRST!
Jesus was teaching that our Heavenly Father knows what we need. We do not have to spend our lives consumed by anxiety over provision.
Our priority is His Kingdom and His righteousness.
And what does He promise?
The things we need will be added.
This is not an invitation to pursue God as a means of manipulating Him into giving us material possessions. It is an invitation to put Him first and trust His faithful provision.
Consider 3 John 1:2:
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (NIV)
Consider also Psalm 1:2–3.
The person who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on His Word is compared to a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season.
This is a picture of a life established, nourished, fruitful, and sustained.
God’s desire is not that we live spiritually impoverished lives while chasing the things of this world.
He calls us to seek His Kingdom, grow in His righteousness, and become fruitful in every area He entrusts to us.
Our prosperity begins with the proper order of our priorities.
HIS KINGDOM FIRST!
6. SO, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
We go where our hunger takes us!
If we are hungry for His Word, we will make room for His Word.
If we are hungry for His presence, we will make room for intimacy.
If we are hungry for righteousness, we will pursue a life that reflects His character.
If we are hungry for His purposes, we will become available for His assignments.
If we are hungry for the things of the Kingdom, our priorities will begin to reflect the heart of our Heavenly Father.
We cannot continually feed on the distractions of the world and expect to maintain an appetite for the deep things of God.
What we feed grows!
What we neglect diminishes.
Perhaps this is the moment to examine our spiritual appetite.
Are we satisfied with yesterday’s revelation, yesterday’s encounter, and yesterday’s growth?
Or are we still hungry?
Paul expressed this beautifully in Philippians 3:12–14. He acknowledged that he had not already obtained everything or arrived at his destination. Instead, he pressed on toward what God had called him to become.
There is always more to discover in our walk with the Lord.
More of His Word to understand.
More of His character to reflect.
More of His love to demonstrate.
More of His purposes to fulfill.
We are not called to become spiritually stagnant.
We are called to grow!
A PERSONAL CHALLENGE: CHECK YOUR APPETITE!
Take a moment today and ask yourself:
What am I hungry for?
Where am I investing my spiritual energy?
Have I allowed responsibilities, disappointments, distractions, or even ministry activities to crowd out my intimacy with the Father?
What would change if I made seeking His Kingdom my first priority?
Do not simply ask God to change your circumstances.
Ask Him to deepen your hunger for His presence.
A PRAYER FOR GREATER HUNGER
Heavenly Father,
Create in me a deeper hunger for Your Word, Your presence, and Your righteousness.
Forgive me for the times I have allowed the demands of life to take priority over my relationship with You.
I do not want to become satisfied with religious activity when You have invited me into intimacy.
Teach me to seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness.
Give me a heart that is teachable, a spirit that is willing, and an appetite that cannot be satisfied by the temporary things of this world.
May my life become fruitful, my character reflect Yours, and my decisions demonstrate that Your Kingdom comes first.
I want to know You more, hear Your voice more clearly, and fulfill the purposes You have placed before me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
THIRSTY THURSDAY DECLARATION
I WILL NOT SETTLE FOR A SPIRITUALLY STARVING LIFE!
My hunger determines my pursuit.
My pursuit positions me for intimacy.
My intimacy transforms my life.
My priorities reflect His Kingdom.
I will seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, trusting Him to provide all that I need.
I am pressing forward, growing in His Word, and becoming fruitful in His purposes.
WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? DEEPER! And it’s unfolding in our midst!
My desire is to be so filled with the Glory of God, that people would only see Him and be blessed, saved, healed, delivered!
Because there is always more of Him to know.
❤️ Keep your heart full of love, grace, and mercy. And whatever you do, stay hungry for His presence!
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