How Is My Appetite? | Hungry | Week 1

January 15th, 2023
by Lydia Long

Sermon Notes

How Is My Appetite? | Hungry | Week 1
Pastor Dave Pretlove

1. Am I truly hungry to experience and know God more?

Matthew 5:6 NIV and MSG
Psalm 42:1-2

2. What is suppressing my spiritual appetite?

Matthew 5:6

3. How can I increase my spiritual appetite?

Matthew 17:19-21
Matthew 6:16
Fasting says:
- A. God, I am (or want to be) hungry for you!
- B. God, I want you more than I want what I am giving up!
- C. God, I need you more than what I am giving up.
  - Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭19-21‬ KJV
- D. God, I'm broken for my city, state, and nation.
  - Nehemiah 1:1-4
- E. God, I'm really sorry!
  - Jonah 3:3-5
- F. God, I don't know what else to do!
  - Acts 9:6-9

Resources

Fasting and Prayer Resources
We’ve put together a webpage all about prayer and fasting! Find Scriptures about fasting, ideas and encouragement of how to start, and more on this webpage.

Podcast: To Starve The Flesh And Feed The Spirit by John Mark Comer
This teaching by Pastor John Mark Comer gives us the what and why behind fasting and explains what fasting is and what fasting isn’t. A very helpful listen!

Group Questions

If you’ve fasted before, reflect on that experience. If you’re comfortable, share your experience with the group. What was difficult and what felt easy? How did you experience the presence of the Lord? Or if you knew someone who had fasted regularly, what stood out to you about that person?
Jesus models fasting for us! Read Matthew 4:1-11 as a group and discuss what you see. What patterns or themes do you see in how Jesus fasts?
On Sunday, we talked about things that suppress our spiritual appetite. If you’re comfortable, share what’s suppressing your spiritual appetite in this season.
We also want to increase our spiritual appetite. Maybe process how you can support each other abandoning what suppresses and embracing what increases your spiritual appetite. How will you do that together this week?
Pastor Dave began our weekend’s message with a question. He asked, “Am I truly hungry to experience and know God more?” No matter where you find yourself on your spiritual journey, there is another small step you can take toward God. What is one small step you can take toward God this week?
Who is someone you can share this teaching with this week? Or who can you invite to pray and fast with you?

A Prayer

“Lord, in asking for fervour we are asking for yourself: for nothing short of you, O God, who has given yourself wholly to us. Enter our hearts substantially and personally and fill them with fervour by filling them with you. You alone can fill our souls, and You have promised to do so. Enter into us and set us on fire, after your pattern and likeness.”
- John Henry Newman via Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book

Journal/Prayer Prompt

If you’re not a journal and pen person, open your notes app and type a few sentences. “Journaling” doesn’t have to be a complicated thing! Allow yourself to have a few minutes to reflect and talk to God.

What does my soul want to say to God today?

Write a few sentences about what your soul wants to say to God. Not your mind or your intellect. Sit still for a few moments and bring yourself to the awareness of God’s presence. Your soul has something it wants to say to God – let it!

Something To Think About

I’m grateful God led me into a season of fasting toward the end of last year. Each day that I chose to fast, I would pick a topic or idea that I was going to focus on in prayer and then a verse or two that I would meditate on that day. I’m a big index card girl! So one of my index cards said “align my spirit with you” on the front and on the back I wrote out Romans 13:14: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Something like this may be helpful for you as you fast and pray this week! Determine how you will renew your hunger for God and choose a verse that can focus you when those hunger pains well up! Praying for you to be so aware of God’s presence with you this week.

Blessings,
Lydia Long
Adult Ministries Pastor

Posted in Digging Deeper