As children of G.o.d, G.o.d does not want us to lose our hunger for spiritual things. As natural parents, we get worried when our child does not show the desire for food. So also, G.o.d does not want your spiritual hunger to abate.

Why did G.o.d create hunger? Why does He use those who hunger in the spirit? It is because when you are satisfied in yourself, you wouldn't want to go further; it is only a living child that can be hungry.

Experiencing the fullness of G.o.d is only for those who are spiritually hungry. G.o.d wants us to have a desire to want more of Him. G.o.d wants you to create a s.p.a.ce in your heart for Him to fill. But if you are already filled, nothing can be put there again. When a cup is full, nothing can be put there any longer, it will simply spill. G.o.d wants you to come to Him empty; having a desire to be filled. It is only when you are spiritually hungry that you will ask G.o.d to fill you with more of His spirit.

Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous in that state in which the born again child of G.o.d enjoys his favour and salvation are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, uprightness and right standing with G.o.d for they shall be completely satisfied.

Mathew 5:6 (AMP)

G.o.d blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

Mathew 5:6 (NLT)

Wanting more of G.o.d brings total satisfaction. Nothing humbles you like hunger and G.o.d made a judicious use of it for the children of Israel. When a man is stubborn, hunger humbles him quickly. G.o.d tests us to make us realize what is in our hearts. G.o.d knows what is in our hearts but we don't know ourselves; so G.o.d's tests reveal the true state of our hearts.

And thou shall remember all the way which the Lord thy G.o.d led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou knew not.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3

The above verse shows that the rate at which you get promoted in life does not depend on G.o.d (so to say), but on you. If only you can learn your lessons quickly, there is no reason for G.o.d to delay you in a cla.s.s. There is no reason for G.o.d to delay your promotion if He is sure you will not fail. G.o.d does not promote anyone on trial. Even in the natural, no one gets promoted without pa.s.sing a stage successfully first.

Once G.o.d is interested in you, if it takes you twenty years to learn His ways; that is how long your promotion will be delayed. That was why, for the Israelites, G.o.d allowed 11 days journey to become a journey of forty years. That was how long it took the Israelites to learn on their way to the Promise Land.

G.o.d fills you according to your capacity so let your desire for Him be much and He will fill you up. Whatever you have gone through is a set-up for your future, so be hungry for G.o.d. Once you discover G.o.d's purpose for your life, pursue it with all your zeal and great things will happen in your life. No sane father will give a gun to a ten year old boy; he waits till the boy is mature to handle it wisely. Pa.s.s the test of G.o.d and prove to heaven that you are qualified for His blessings.

In Deuteronomy, G.o.d gave a reason for what He did "that you may know that man does not live by bread alone..." No wonder the devil tempted Jesus with food when He was hungry. The devil tempted Jesus but Jesus answered "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceed from the mouth of G.o.d".

The devil wanted to take the advantage of the fact that Jesus was hungry to make Him fall for his temptation. As children of G.o.d, we are not to take advantage of people's misfortune. It is an act of selfishness to cash in on other's misfortune to enrich ourselves.

Sometimes ago, a medical doctor came to me to pray for his son who had crisis. After praying, the doctor offered me some money but I refused to accept it. I didn't reject the gift because I didn't need money or because I already had too much but I knew the danger of accepting money at such time. That was not the time to collect money from a man who the devil has been afflicting.

It is not wrong to be appreciated, but he can only appreciate me when he has testimony; not on a day we were both waiting on G.o.d, believing Him for a divine intervention. To me, collecting money in his misery is wickedness against G.o.d and humanity. Don't cash in on people's misfortune to enrich yourself. A mature man eats to live and to have enough strength to serve G.o.d but an immature man lives to eat.

If you are satisfied and complacent, things will only remain as they are; there will be no significant change. The G.o.d we serve is a G.o.d of over-abundance so if you think you are satisfied with what you already have, aspire to have more for the sake of others G.o.d wants to bless through you.

Though G.o.d's anointing was also on King Saul just like it was on David, Saul did not have the same hunger for G.o.d like King David. No wonder David walked in an unusual anointing with G.o.d. When Saul waited for Prophet Samuel to make sacrifice, out of panic that the soldiers might leave him, Saul could not wait any longer and he did the work of a prophet.

Saul performed the sacrifice because of impatience and frustration. And as soon as he finished making the sacrifice, Samuel came. Because of this act, G.o.d took the kingdom from Saul and gave his neighbour.

But when David became the king, he did the unusual. He ate the s...o...b..ead in the holy of holies, yet he didn't die. G.o.d had mercy on David because G.o.d saw his heart. King David functioned as a king, prophet and a priest; three offices for just one man. Why was this so? It was because he was hungry in his heart to defend the course of the G.o.d of Israel.

As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O G.o.d. My soul thirsteth for G.o.d, for the living G.o.d: when shall I come and appear before G.o.d?

Ps 42:1-2

Whatever you do for G.o.d today is laid up for your future; be hungry for G.o.d because the reward awaits you. Prove to G.o.d that you are hungry for Him and great things will happen in your life.

The reason why you have always got the same result is that you have always been doing things the same way. The reason why you are where you are is because you have always been doing what you have done. It is only an insane person that goes the same road thinking he will arrive at a different destination. When you do the same thing over and over again, you will always have the same result. That is why life requires a push. Until you desire to achieve more than what you have, you may not move to a greater height. Until you are hungry, you don't desire food. G.o.d wants you to ask for more.

The sons of the prophet realized that the s.p.a.ce they occupied was becoming too small but they didn't just wish for a change; they actually did their part by taking a definite action:

And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

2 Kings 6:1-2

Contentment and satisfaction are different from each other; contentment is that no matter where you are, you have the peace of G.o.d and it makes you grateful to G.o.d for what He has done for you. It gives you inward peace but it doesn't mean that you should stop going forward. It doesn't hinder you from desiring an addition to your life.

The reason for the failure of men is that they start comparing themselves with one another, and he that compares himself with another is not wise. Though G.o.d wants to do in your future more than what He has done in your past but you must also make a deliberate attempt to add value to your life. The sons of the prophet were no longer satisfied with where they were and they took a decisive step. Think about how to add some qualities to your life. What values are you adding to your life that will make things different from what they used to be? How do you want your life to end?

Some people never plan for their future; they only live for today, not minding what may happen in the future. Some women are even so foolish as to want to buy every cloth people offer them as 'aso ebi'. Buy wisely; don't spend your hard-earned money buying liabilities, get a.s.sets.

Many believers in this generation do nothing but to pray alone without any corresponding action. How can you claim to be a child of G.o.d yet, spend all you have today without thinking about the future? The level you are today is the worst level you can ever be. So, don't give up, you can do more than what you are doing presently. I challenge you to do more so you can go further in life.

Wealth is a reward for the problem you solve for people so look around you and ask yourself how much of the wealth of the land is coming to you as a reward for what you are doing. Enough of blaming witches and wizard for the financial mess you find yourself; come out of your comfort zone and do more so G.o.d can have something to bless.

Gone are the days when women are to be catered for by men; your being a female is not an excuse for laziness. As a single brother or sister, if you believe G.o.d for a good partner, then you must also prepare yourself to be good enough so your prospective partner will not regret marrying you.

n.o.body is supposed to be a spectator criticizing others; after all, any fool can criticise. With the present economy all over the world, you cannot afford to be doing only one job. Create something so you can increase and be an employer of labour. The sons of the prophet in the 2nd Kings 6 didn't have expansion until they took the right step.

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel....

Zech 4:10

Big things come out of small things so don't despise the day of small things because small in the hand of G.o.d can become big.

...tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.

2 Kings 4:2

G.o.d does not work with nothing; that was why Prophet Elisha gave the woman a specific instruction of what to do. You don't need to have much before taking a step of faith; all you need to do is to make use of the little you have and trust G.o.d to multiply it. If you claim you have no seed to sow, then you are saying G.o.d is a liar because the Bible says "He gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater". The little you have is just enough as a seed.

And it came to pa.s.s, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, there is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

2 Kings 4:6

The above verse shows that G.o.d was not the one that stopped the oil from flowing. How long the oil flows was determined by the woman. Had it been she borrowed more vessels, she would have, not only paid her debt but would have been the richest woman in Israel. She might have come out of debt, but she had not come out of poverty because she would finish spending the little money she makes out of the remaining oil.

In the book of Joshua, Joshua was fighting the battle of G.o.d. In the battle, he had victory yet with the victory Joshua had, when Joshua saw it was about getting dark, he spoke to the sun and the moon to stay still. Joshua meant the world should cease to rotate until he had total victory over the enemy and it was so!

A mortal man stopped the movement of the whole world and the galaxies because he desired total victory, not a partial one. Joshua acknowledged G.o.d has done him good by giving him victory but it was possible because he asked for more than the usual.

Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

Joshua 10:12-13

G.o.d is ready to expose you to what others see as challenge for your lifting. Don't be afraid of what looks like a problem because it may be a test necessary for your lifting. David was anointed by G.o.d and he was called to the palace to play the guitar for King Saul who was tormented by an evil spirit. You wouldn't consider that a good work to do would you? Yet, David did the job wholeheartedly. And to make matters worse, in the course of playing the instrument in the palace, King Saul attempted to kill David with a spear more than once; thank G.o.d David escaped. One may consider that to be dangerous, yet G.o.d was involved in it. G.o.d was training David to understudy how to run the kingdom and how to be a better king.

Moses was found in river Nile by Pharaoh's daughter and he was raised up in the palace, just like a prince. How could G.o.d allow Moses to be around King Pharaoh who wanted to kill all male babies of the Israelites? How can G.o.d allow the enemy around you? How can G.o.d place you in the care of your enemy? Many times we think it is risky but Moses wouldn't have fulfilled his ministry living as an Israelite in Egypt. G.o.d had to preserve his life by raising him up in the palace of Pharaoh, making Pharaoh think he was also an Egyptian.

Don't be afraid of what the enemy is doing; as long as G.o.d is with you, it is to make a better being out of you. Don't be afraid of the enemies' plan; G.o.d is bigger than them all and He knows how to handle them till you are victorious.

In this generation though, people desire good things but don't want to pay the price; they want certificate without going through the rigour of studying, no wonder they often resort to threatening or blackmailing their lecturers. They prefer enjoying other people's labour because of laziness. It takes time to build whatever will last; you can't become what you don't believe. Believe G.o.d's best and beyond what you have in mind; you will become what G.o.d has in mind.

The past is not powerful enough to hold you; you can only hold it with your mouth and your thought. The fact that you have failed in the past doesn't mean you will fail in the future. If you want to be a winner, you must not give up, no matter the difficulty you encounter on your way to the top.

Don't go through the whole year rehearsing what the enemy did the previous year. Dare it again, not minding the challenges on the way. Adam did not give up. After some time of grieving for Abel, he went in to his wife again and she became pregnant to produce Seth (meaning G.o.d has given me another chance). Your future is bright if only you can put more effort in what you are doing.

Therefore, you should let go of your past so that you can enter into your abundance. There is what is called stress limit; medical science teaches that we need some degree of pressure in our lives. Though there is a negative stress that can kill and destroy people, there are some hormones in you that rise up to react and do things when you are under pressure. And you wouldn't know the energy and strength that G.o.d has deposited in you until you are under pressure. You might never explore the ingenuity G.o.d has placed in you until you are hungry to have more.

Hear me when I call, O G.o.d of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Ps 4:1

Many people want enlargement without going through any stress. Most times, we run away from trouble but the truth of the matter is that trouble makes all of us. In retrospect, you will realize that whatever you have achieved in your past are gotten in the midst of challenges, hards.h.i.+p and stress. So if you don't give up, you will realize that troubles will become a platform for your lifting.

Do you know the children of Israel would not have left Egypt if not for the pressure they got from Pharaoh? If they had been comfortable in Egypt, they wouldn't have desired to leave Egypt. Just like the Israelites, there are things in our lives that cannot speak but teach us daily. Trouble gives us the opportunity to think deeply; it teaches all of us.

The dictionary meaning of distress is the state of being in danger or difficulties and needing help. If not for the fact that David killed Goliath, David wouldn't have been famous. He would have lived and died an ordinary man. If G.o.d wants to promote you, He will allow you to face some challenges. Spiritually, what humans call adversity is G.o.d's university for our promotion.

Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for G.o.d is with us.

Isa 8:10

You can also boast like Prophet Isaiah when you are sure of G.o.d's manifest presence. Despite the evil counsel the brothers of Joseph took against him, their counsel came to nought; it only worked for the good of Joseph on the long run. His brothers thought they were working against him, not knowing they were merely working towards advancing G.o.d's programme for him. May that also be your story in Jesus name (Amen).

There are some blessings that G.o.d's manifest presence automatically attracts to a man:

1. The presence of G.o.d is eternal: As a child of G.o.d, you don't need to pray that G.o.d should not leave you; He has already a.s.sured all His children of His continuous presence. All you have to do is to take advantage of His presence.

...for he has said, I will never leave thee, neither forsake thee.

Hebrews 13:5

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever.

John 14:16

2. The presence of G.o.d takes away selfishness. When G.o.d is involved in your life, you cease living for yourself alone because G.o.d takes over your life and you are rest a.s.sured He will do everything for you. When G.o.d's presence is with you, your thinking will change.

And it came to pa.s.s, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not take the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Exodus 34:29

Moses didn't even realise his face was s.h.i.+ning when he came down from the mountain. The more of G.o.d you know, the more attractive your life becomes. And the good news is that it can also happen to you; the secret is in the book of Corinthians.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a gla.s.s the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18

The more you read the Bible, the clearer you see yourself in the mirror of the word. The more you serve G.o.d, the more of divine manifestation you witness. When you look at the word of G.o.d day and night, it changes you and makes you to continually grow in spiritual things.

Adam did not recognize his nakedness because of G.o.d's presence. He never knew he was naked until he fell for the deceit of the serpent. May G.o.d's glory continue to cover your human weakness to avert any embarra.s.sment and shame in the name of Jesus (Amen).

3. G.o.d's presence drives away fear and death.

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou had been here, my brother had not died.

John 11:32

Mary made the above statement because she had confidence in the manifest presence of G.o.d; she was certain that her brother wouldn't have died if Jesus had been around. But even in the case that looked hopeless to her and her sister (Martha), G.o.d in human flesh (Jesus) came to the scene and Lazarus was raised up from the dead. You cannot be a victim of death when G.o.d is with you.

Several years ago, I just got my Ph.D certificate and I was travelling back home to rejoice with my family. The driver of the vehicle I boarded drove recklessly all through. Though everyone in the vehicle cautioned him, he wouldn't listen. Not too long, I had a word of knowledge that an accident was about to take place. And just as I heard, the vehicle negotiated a bend on top speed and somersaulted several times. But while that was happening, I just felt a gentle hand carrying me like a little child being carried by the mother. When the vehicle eventually stopped, I saw a small opening by the window through which I came out and I boarded another vehicle back home.

It was when I got home that I was told that almost all the pa.s.sengers in the vehicle lost their lives. In fact, it surprised people when I told them I was one of the pa.s.sengers; more so, I sat in front beside the driver. If not for G.o.d's presence and His mercies, I would have been one of the dead casualties.

Beloved, don't give room for pa.s.sivity or complacency in your spiritual walk with G.o.d. Prove to G.o.d you are hungry for more of Him and you can be sure of His continuous blessing and protection upon you and on all that are yours.