Stay Hungry

[0:00] Wow, it is really quiet. I don't know what happened, but praise God. He shut you off, I guess.

[0:22] ! He thinks he's playing something, but he's not. Hey, let's all pray right now. Let's pray. We had a tremendous move of God, and I don't know. Father, we love you. God, we thank you, Jesus, for what we just experienced, God.

[0:37] And there's still, your spirit's still moving, God. It's still lingering in this place, Lord. We love you, Lord. We thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

[0:49] Hallelujah. Amen.

[1:03] Amen. Amen. You know, this, you know, what just happened right now was pretty amazing. The last few services we've had have been because people have come hungry.

[1:22] People have come to this service hungry. And even our new guest, Josie, you know, she became excited and hungry. Amen. So good to have you.

[1:37] Please make sure you make up a point to go meet Josie. She's wonderful. But it's awesome how people have come hungry for a move of God, for something in their lives to happen.

[1:52] And I want to start a series this week. And the series is simply this. What got us here will still get us there.

[2:04] What got us here will still get us there. I'm not talking about methods. I'm not talking about, you know, church order or service order or strategy.

[2:21] I'm talking about the same spiritual hunger, obedience, prayer, sacrifice, surrender, all built on the promise from past generations.

[2:40] It's still going to move the promise forward in this generation. Amen. Can I hear an amen? Amen. Praise God. And today I want to, oh, thank you, Sister Sheila.

[2:53] Praise the Lord. I want to, um, I want to preach today for a few moments on this topic.

[3:04] Stay hungry. Stay hungry. You know, we came in and we were all excited and we got, you know, we felt the move of God. But I think it's, I think it's important to remember that even when the music dies down, we need to stay hungry.

[3:21] When the emotions go down, we need to stay hungry. When, you know, when all the tingles go away, we need, I'm going to preach a simple message. Simple message.

[3:31] But it's a reminder, you know, I had another message I was going to preach. And it was deep and it was theological. And I want to preach a simple message today. I feel the Lord is telling us we need to stay hungry.

[3:42] I don't know what season of life you're in right now or what season you're in. If you're dry, if you're high on the mountaintop, if you're feeling discouraged, if you're feeling inspired. I want to tell you, stay hungry.

[3:54] No matter where you are, stay hungry for the things of God. Amen, amen, amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. You ever notice how hunger can change people?

[4:12] You ever notice that? It really can. Skip a meal? Okay, I'm all right. A little, a little bothered, but I'm okay. Miss two meals?

[4:23] You're a little irritated. You feel it kind of creeping in the back of your head. Miss three meals? Woo! Man. Your hair's on fire. Your mind's on fire.

[4:34] Everything someone says, what? Someone says, thank you. What do you mean by that? You know, we came up with a word for that. You know what I'm talking about?

[4:45] Hangry. We made up a word for this kind of phenomenon. You know, and I, you know, I for one am not a believer of it, but I mean, I've certainly, my wife would tell you, I may not be a believer, but I'm sure I'm a participant.

[5:00] And evidence of that word, hangry. My kids will tell you the same thing. But it's crazy how, you know, we create a word for this phenomenon of hunger and how it does affect our lives.

[5:12] And when someone's really hungry, you know, they make it happen to get food. They'll make whatever they can to eat. They'll go wherever they can to eat.

[5:22] They'll borrow food to eat. Hey, can you spot me five bucks? I'm so hungry right now. They'll do whatever they can to eat. No one debates, but they're just so desperate and they move.

[5:36] Can I tell you, spiritually, it's the same thing. Spiritually, it's the same thing. Nobody drifts into revival. No one drifts into growth in God.

[5:48] No one casually walks into a breakthrough. Can I hear an amen? No one walks into a breakthrough with God. You know what happens?

[5:59] Someone gets hungry for their breakthrough. Someone gets hungry for a move of God in their life. Someone gets desperate enough and hungry enough to see the power of God move in their midst.

[6:14] Hallelujah. Can I get a witness this morning? Hallelujah. Praise God. Hunger. What is biblical hunger? Honestly, it's just this desire for God to move in your life.

[6:33] That you pursue Him. Hear this. Listen to me. You pursue Him above comfort. You pursue Him above sin. You pursue Him above self.

[6:45] You know, hunger is not about hype. Hello? Hunger is not about look at me. Look how hungry I am. Okay? It's not about that.

[6:57] Hunger is about this deep yearning for God in your life. That no matter what, at all costs, God, I've got to have you in my life.

[7:10] It's an appetite. It's an appetite. And I know we're at lunchtime. And I'm sure some of you right now can already taste the ribeye. You can taste the birria. You can taste the tacos.

[7:22] You can taste all of, you know, the pizza. I know Tom's licking his lips right now. It's an appetite for something crazy. And David said, As the heart panteth after the water break, so does my soul after thee.

[7:39] Oh, God. Hunger says, I want you more than I want ease. I want you more than I want comfort. I want you more than I want anything else, God.

[7:52] Lord, give me Jesus. Hallelujah. Revival and churches and lives have always been built not on comfort, but they've been built on hunger.

[8:07] They've been built on desperation. Hallelujah. And just by witnessing the last few services that we've had, there are some hungry, desperate people wanting to move God in their lives and in their church.

[8:24] Hallelujah. God, give us the hunger. If you've ever read Genesis any length of time or amount of times, you'll see after the first few chapters that famine and hunger keep appearing.

[8:46] A famine happens and a hunger happens. And it's not random and it's not an accident, but it's a strategic move that God is using.

[8:58] Everybody say famine. Everybody say hunger. Hunger. Hunger. God uses hunger to move his purpose forward.

[9:10] And it's the same today. Amen. And it's the same today. God used hunger then to move his covenant promise forward. And he uses hunger today in the church to move his covenant promise forward.

[9:24] Praise God. But if we look at a few people in the Old Testament, hunger did a few things in their lives.

[9:35] We look at Abraham. Father Abraham. Had many sons. Had many sons. We all know that song. Father Abraham. A man who was called out out of his home of idolatry and paganism.

[9:51] Hunger in his life exposed something. We look at Genesis chapter 12 verse 10. And there was a famine in the land. And Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there.

[10:03] For the famine was grievous in the land. Abraham had just obeyed God and he left his homeland of Ur. He stepped into the promise after hearing that his lineage, his line would be as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the seashore.

[10:20] And now the land is dry. And it's tough and he's in a tough situation. But notice that he flees into Egypt.

[10:33] Famine and hunger expose something about Abraham. He got afraid and exposed who we trusted the most. Hunger in our lives will expose what we truly and really trust.

[10:47] Amen. Amen. Do you trust God and his promises? Do you trust God and his word? Do you trust God and what he said for your life? Amen. I want to tell somebody today.

[10:59] If you're in a place of where you're not decided or you're struggling in your faith, hold on to God's promises. Hold on to God's word. Hallelujah. Hold on to what he said because he will see it through.

[11:12] Amen. But the famine exposed Abraham. He got afraid. Went down to Egypt. Lied about his wife. He tried to manage what God had promised him.

[11:27] Don't we do that sometimes? We try to manage what the Lord said or what the word of God said. We try to take things and matters into our own hands. But God protected Sarah. God preserved the covenant line.

[11:40] And God preserved that promise to Abraham. And it wasn't dependent on perfection. Isn't that the great thing about God? It's not dependent on us being perfect.

[11:51] That God moves things forward. Thank God. He doesn't rely on me to be perfect. Amen. And there's always a place of forgiveness. Praise the Lord. But here's how famine moved covenant forward.

[12:04] It revealed Abraham's weakness. But it revealed God's faithfulness to him. And sometimes hunger still exposes what's still in us.

[12:15] And what God is working out inside of us. Amen. I want to tell each of us, all of us, have got things inside of us that God is trying to expose in us, to us, and work out in our lives.

[12:28] And many times, most times, it's a hunger that's going to expose that thing in our hearts and in our lives. Amen. That's not punishment.

[12:41] That's God loving you. That's not punishment. That's God saying, I love you enough to say, hey, you know what? You're not perfect, but you got to work this out in your heart. Amen. Hallelujah.

[12:54] Weakness does not cancel God's promises. Amen. It doesn't do it. But God is more faithful. Amen. There's another man in the scriptures.

[13:05] Another man from the line of Abraham about a man named Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham's old age. But the thing about hunger and famine in Isaac's life is that it actually matures him.

[13:18] And it shows us a principle that I think is appropriate for today. Isaac, the son of Abraham, the one that God said, hey, go to this mountain and sacrifice him, thou son, thy only son.

[13:32] And who remembers what happened? God stopped him, right? The angels stopped the hand of Abraham. And they come down. Amen. That's Isaac. That's the Isaac I'm talking about. Genesis 26.

[13:44] And there was a famine in the land beside the first famine. Then that was in the days of Abraham. And the Lord appeared unto him and said, go not down into Egypt.

[13:55] He says, hey, don't be like your dad. Don't go down into Egypt. Okay. But stay where you are. Stay right where you are.

[14:05] It says, go not down into Egypt, but dwell in the land which I shall tell thee. Isaac wanted to run. He wanted to flee. He wanted to get away from the discomfort, from what was uncomfortable.

[14:20] And I would say that's like many of us sometimes, is that when it gets hard, when it gets difficult, sometimes we just want to leave. We want to go to where it's comfortable. But God is telling Isaac, stay right where you are.

[14:34] The scripture tells us in verse 12, that Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year a hundredfold and the Lord blessed him. Isn't that powerful?

[14:45] That he sowed in the famine. God told him, don't run. Stay where you are. Sow where you are. Sow in the famine.

[14:57] Abraham's famine made him run. Isaac's famine matured him. The promises weren't just inherited, but now it had become rooted.

[15:08] Because the famine moved covenant forward. And what it's telling us about Isaac's life is that breakthroughs and blessings does not come from relocation.

[15:21] I want to tell somebody this. Breakthroughs do not come from running away. Breakthroughs do not come from relocation or trying to find an easier place. But breakthroughs happen when you stay grounded.

[15:35] Breakthroughs happen when you say, I know it's hard. I know it's difficult. I know this is a hard time. And it would be easy for me to leave. It would be easy for me to go where nobody knows me.

[15:48] It would be easy for me to leave this church. Hallelujah. And find somewhere else where it's greener, where it's brighter, where it's flash. But can I tell you, God's word says, tells us that if you will stay grounded and you will sow where you are, here is a breakthrough with your name on it.

[16:08] Hallelujah. There is a blessing with your name on it. Stay where you are. Get rooted. Sow into the kingdom. Sow into the church.

[16:20] And your breakthrough is on the way. Hallelujah. Woo. Thank God for faithfulness.

[16:36] Hallelujah. Oh, God. If you're in a dry season, keep sowing. If you're in a dry season, keep praying. If you're in a dry season, keep believing.

[16:47] Hallelujah. God is not finished. With your heart and your life. But now we're not done. We're moving on to Jacob and Joseph. And here hunger multiplies a nation.

[17:02] Jacob is Isaac's son. And Jacob has 12 sons, a future tribe of Israel. And one of those sons was Joseph. And there is a long, long story about Joseph, the dreamer.

[17:20] Being betrayed. Thrown into a pit. His brothers sell him off into slavery. He's in prison. A woman tries to get him to sleep with her. She lies at him.

[17:30] He's thrown into prison again. He interprets dreams. And years and years pass. And he's then elevated to a position. And a famine hits Egypt because he's able to interpret this dream correctly.

[17:47] Because it was God that did it. He relied on God. Isn't it awesome when things happen because you rely on the Lord? Amen. Amen. Genesis 42 and 2 says, Get down thither and buy for us from thence that we may live and not die.

[18:06] This is Jacob now talking to his sons. Saying, hey, we're going to die here. You need to go to Egypt and you need to go buy some grain and some food.

[18:18] Because now Joseph is overseeing all what's happening in Egypt and filling the preserves, the reservations. And they think, the brothers think they're going for grain.

[18:32] But now God is reuniting this family that was broken through failure, through lying, through cheating, through lying to their dad, lying to, you know, all this.

[18:46] Doesn't that sound like some of our families? I mean, good Lord. Don't you love the Bible? I mean, it's just so raw and so real.

[18:58] And some of our families are all messed up too. But that's a great thing. God is able to restore. God is able to heal our families. Amen. Praise God. But God is now reuniting this broken family.

[19:11] And Genesis 46 and 3 tells us, Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will make of thee a great nation. And in Caden, there were 70 people.

[19:21] In Egypt, a nation grows and grows and grows. And the famine and the hunger moved this covenant promise forward.

[19:33] It forced reconciliation with the family. It forced relocation of the brothers. It positioned Israel to multiply in Goshen, in the land of Egypt.

[19:46] And without famine, they never go to Egypt. Without Egypt, there was no Exodus. And without Exodus, there was no nation prepared for Messiah. Hunger was the bridge between family and nation.

[19:59] And I'm trying to convey just what God is trying to get us all to understand. It's that we need a deep hunger for the things of God.

[20:12] Hallelujah. It's hunger that's going to move the church forward. It's hunger that's going to move the promises of God forward.

[20:22] Hallelujah. Yes, Lord. Hallelujah. What feels like scarcity is strategy from the Lord.

[20:33] What feels like pressure may actually be positioning. And for some of us here today, we're feeling that pressure. We're feeling pressure on our lives.

[20:44] Hallelujah. So you don't have to raise your hand or nod your head. But look, you know where you are. And you feel pressure coming from all sides. I want to remind us here. And preach to somebody this morning.

[20:55] The pressure you feel is God positioning you. The pressure you feel is God positioning you in your life for a breakthrough. Everyone say breakthrough.

[21:07] Your breakthrough is coming. Your breakthrough is on the way. Your breakthrough is around the corner. Just believe and hold on to the promise of God.

[21:20] He is not done with you. Don't listen to the lies of the enemy. He is not done with you. He is not done with your life or your children. He is not done working on you.

[21:32] He knows exactly where you are. Hallelujah. Oh, we thank you, Jesus. Oh, God, we love you today.

[21:44] Let's bring this closer. Because covenant historically matters if it connects to us. And we need to make this personal.

[21:57] I know we're talking about men in the scriptures. And different people in the scriptures. But we've got to take this personally and apply it to ourselves. Hallelujah. Because here's the thing.

[22:09] Hunger still changes people. Hunger still changes lives. Hunger still changes situations. Hallelujah.

[22:19] Or at least your perspective of life. Hallelujah. It's so true. Hunger changes your perspective on situations.

[22:31] On life. In Matthew 5 and 6, the scripture tells us, Blessed are they which you hunger and thirst at your righteousness. For they shall be filled.

[22:44] Hungry. Everyone say hungry. Hungry. Hungry people get filled. Not satisfied people. Not apathetic people.

[22:56] Not casual people. And I do fear sometimes that we come into church casually. Too casual. Sometimes. All right. I'm just going to throw this out there.

[23:07] Okay. If it applies to you. If the shoe fits. You know, they say where. If you come late to church. That's an issue. If you come in unprepared.

[23:19] That's an issue. If you come in a little too casual sometimes into the house of God. Where were the days of prayer before church? Where were the days of prayer before?

[23:30] Hallelujah. Before we got started in the house of God. Amen. I appreciate Brother Zeke. And praying in the sanctuary before service. I appreciate Pastor.

[23:41] And all those that come into the house of God early. And pray the power of God down. I appreciate that. Oh God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[23:54] Hungry people. Hungry people. There's a story in the scriptures. That furthers this idea of hunger. Luke 15 tells us.

[24:08] And when he had spent all. There was a mighty famine. Everyone say famine. There was that word again. A mighty famine in the land. And he began to be in want.

[24:19] And went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he said to him in the fields to feed swine. This is the prodigal son. He wanted his inheritance early.

[24:30] He wanted to go sow his wild oats as it were. And he went to Vegas. And lived it up. Partied it up. God is groove on. Okay. Went to the disco.

[24:42] I don't know if they call it that. He went to the club. Everybody was hitting up. Because he was popping bottles. Okay. Everyone was hanging out with him. And he spent all this money.

[24:53] All that he had. In no time. And there was a mighty famine. And the scripture. The Bible tells us that he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country.

[25:04] And he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly. With the husk. He was going to eat what the swine were going to eat.

[25:18] And no man gave unto him. And here's the hinge verse. And when he came to himself. And when he came to himself.

[25:33] Notice what the famine revealed in his life. The world will let you starve. Do you hear what I'm saying?

[25:44] The world will let us starve. Sin never feeds us. And independence is empty. This is what we're learning from the story.

[25:57] That the world will let us starve. Sin is never going to fulfill. Or feed us. And independence is empty. The Bible tells us that when he came to himself.

[26:10] Say that with me. When he came to himself. Say it again. When he came to himself. When this young man came to himself. This hunger in his life.

[26:23] That almost made him eat what the pigs were eating. That slop. Hunger brought clarity. The hunger brought clarity in his life.

[26:36] The hunger broke his pride. And his hunger restored identity. You see. He remembered his father.

[26:48] The hunger didn't destroy him. But it brought him home. It brought him to his senses. Let me stop here. I want to tell somebody that. Sometimes hunger is mercy.

[27:00] Sometimes hunger. God lets you feel the emptiness. So you'll remember the father's house. Sometimes you'll feel alone. You'll feel empty. And anxious.

[27:11] But I want to remind us today. There's always the father's house. To return to. And get back to. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. There's always the father's house.

[27:23] To go to. Hallelujah. He's not going to turn you away. He's going to kill the fatted calf. He's going to celebrate your return. And all of heaven is going to rejoice.

[27:35] As your repentance. Hallelujah. Thank God for the father's house. Hallelujah. So if you want a breakthrough. Get hungry.

[27:46] If you want restoration. Get hungry. If you want revival. Get hungry. Hallelujah. Oh Jesus. Help us.

[27:57] Get hungry again. God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh Lord. This isn't just a Bible story.

[28:09] This is our story. I want to read to you a little excerpt about our heritage. Of where we've come from. That what God is here.

[28:20] Will get us. There. In 1910. Brother Bell accepted. The editorship. Of a paper called. The Word. The Word and Witness. Prior to this.

[28:32] The paper had been called. The Apostolic Faith. That had been published. Sporadically. From Houston. And sometime later. In Fort Worth. Brother Bell.

[28:42] Was a highly educated man. Having graduated. From the University of Florida. And the Baptist Seminary. Of Louisville. Kentucky. In addition. He had. Pursued.

[28:52] Graduate work. In the University of Chicago. Despite his extensive. Formal training. However. Brother Bell. Became hungry. For more.

[29:04] Of God. And took a year's leave. Of absence. From his pastorate. For the express purpose. Of going to Durham Mission. In Chicago. He was determined.

[29:17] He was hungry. And he was determined. To stay before the Lord. Until he was. Quote. Endued with power. From on high.

[29:28] His congregation. His church. Was shared. In this same hunger. For God. Began special prayer. Sessions. In his absence. For 11 months.

[29:39] Everyone say. 11 months. For 11 months. He sought the Lord. At the Durham Mission. Before finally. Being filled. With the baptism. Of the Holy Ghost.

[29:50] Evidence. By speaking. In other tongues. Hallelujah. Can you say. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. He now determined. To spend eight days. In fasting.

[30:00] And in prayers. So that the Lord. Could blot out. From his mind. Everything he had learned. Concerning God. Which was not. Scriptural. And after eight days. Had lapsed. He began. Reading the Bible.

[30:11] On his knees. Before God. And as he read. He became amazed. At the important points. He had missed. Before. Here was a man. Back in 1910.

[30:23] Who was educated. Who had a position. But no one of that moved him. You know what moved him? It was his hunger.

[30:36] It was his hunger. For the things of God. It was his hunger. For understanding. Of the scriptures. It was his hunger. Hallelujah. And there are countless.

[30:47] Accounts. Of back in 1910. And the early. Apostolic movement. Of people. Praying. Fasting. For days on end. Eating potatoes.

[30:57] And that's it. But having church. Being persecuted. Shot at. Stoned. And several kinds. Of persecution. But because. They were hungry for God.

[31:09] Hungry for revival. It kept them. Where they are. And they stay grounded. On the promises. Of God. Hallelujah. It was that hunger.

[31:23] That shaped. The apostolic doctrine. The apostolic movement. That shaped. Pentecostal fire. It was hunger. That built. This thing. That we have. Today.

[31:34] Hallelujah. And I want to. Tell somebody. Here this morning. What built this movement. Was not. Programs. It was not. Personalities. It was not. Celebrities.

[31:44] It was not. Feeling. You know what it was? It was hunger. It was hunger. That built. Hallelujah. This movement. Praise God. Oh Jesus.

[31:59] Hallelujah. That's all stand today. Oh Jesus. Jesus. Hunger is not failure.

[32:12] Hunger is. Hunger is. Hunger is movement. We see in the scriptures. If your prayer life feels dry. Get hungry. If you want breakthrough in your family.

[32:24] Get hungry. If you want chains broken. Get hungry. If you want God to move in the church. Get hungry. If you want God to move in your finances.

[32:35] Get hungry. If you want God to move in your children. Or your grandchildren. Let's get hungry for God.

[32:47] Oh. Prayer hunger. Water hunger. Presence hunger. Holiness hunger. Hunger. Hunger is discipline. Fueled by desire. Hunger.

[32:59] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Scripture tells us that. From the days of John the Baptist until now.

[33:12] The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence. And the violent take it by force. The kingdom advances through hunger.

[33:23] Abraham moved because of hunger. Isaac matured because of hunger. Jacob multiplied because of hunger. The prodigal returned because of hunger.

[33:35] And brother Bell in 1910 was transformed and converted because of hunger. Hunger. I want to close this like this.

[33:48] What got us here was hunger. And you know what's going to get us to there? Is hunger. It still works.

[34:00] It still works folks. Having a hunger for the things of God. Oh. Hallelujah. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.

[34:15] For they shall be filled. If you're hungry. He will fill you. If you're hungry.

[34:26] He will fill you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I want us to. I know we've spent a lot of energy.

[34:39] But I would still like to invite us to this altar. And I'm going to like us to. To bring somebody. To. To. To yoke up with someone. Because we're going to declare.

[34:51] To God. Lord. I want that hunger in my life. I want that hunger in my life. Lord. Oh God.

[35:01] I want that hunger in my life. Oh God. God. I want that hunger in my life. Lord. Hallelujah.

[35:13] That's it. Let's come to this altar. Let's come to this altar. Lord. We love you today. Hallelujah. Jesus. God. We love you today.

[35:24] Yes. Jesus. Oh. You're living.