Before we pray, let's first take a moment to listen to God's word and then we'll pray together. Today, I want to talk to you about appetite. Not the appetite that makes you crave your favorite meal or dessert.
I'm talking about the appetite of your soul. The deep cravings inside you. The desires of your heart that aren't always visible to others.
The things you long for in secret. The emotions and pursuits that keep you awake at night or that draw your attention again and again when no one's watching. We all have them.
And if we're honest, even as followers of Jesus, sometimes our appetites aren't aligned with what pleases God. Some of us crave validation more than we crave righteousness. Some of us hunger for attention more than intimacy with God.
Some of us reach for temporary pleasures instead of eternal promises. Even among those who faithfully attend church, who serve in ministry, who lift their hands in worship, it's still possible to carry a hidden hunger for things that do not honor God. And those cravings, if left unchecked, will quietly lead our hearts further and further away from him.
Some believers struggle with the appetite to gossip, not out of malice, but because talking about others gives them a false sense of connection or control. Some are drawn to conflict. They don't like the feeling of peace because drama feels more familiar.
Some of us, maybe without realizing it, are feeding an appetite for power, praise, or prestige. And if we're being real, we sometimes prefer the applause of people over the quiet approval of God. There are even leaders, pastors, and ministers who wrestle with secret cravings for wealth or recognition.
They preach truth, but behind closed doors, they long more for platforms than for purity. There are married men who, instead of cherishing the covenant they've made, find themselves craving the attention of women who aren't their wives. And yes, there are married women who find their hearts wandering toward men who are not their husbands.
Not because they want to betray, but because their soul is starved for something they haven't yet surrendered to God. Then there are others. Maybe this is you who are addicted to being seen.
You want to be noticed, admired, celebrated. You love when your name is called, when your post is liked, when your efforts are praised. And if you're not careful, that desire can slowly become greater than your desire for God himself.
But here's the sobering part. You can sit in a church pew. You can sing every lyric of every worship song.
You can lift your hands high and still be starving for something that is not holy. No one else may see it. You can carry a Bible and still be craving something far from God's heart.
You can pray out loud and still be hiding secret appetites that are pulling you away from the one you're praying to. Because appetites are invisible to the world, but they are not invisible to God. He sees what no one else can see.
He knows the silent desires, he hears the thoughts you never say out loud. And not only does he see them, he cares about them deeply. And so I ask you, what is your appetite?
What do you long for when no one's looking? What do you feed your heart with when you're tired, discouraged, or alone? Because scripture gives us a strong and heartbreaking warning.
In Romans chapter 1, we're shown what happens when people repeatedly reject God and continue feeding sinful cravings. Over and over, the word says, "God gave them over. " Verse 24, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts.
Verse 26, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Verses 28 to 32 go even further. It says, God gave them over to a depraved mind.
And then it describes what happened to their hearts. They became filled with greed, hatred, envy, deceit, gossip, pride, sexual immorality. And what's even more terrifying, it says they not only did these things, but they began to approve of others who did them, too.
In other words, they stopped fighting sin and started cheering it on. And this, beloved, is the danger of an unchecked appetite. When we repeatedly choose our cravings over our creator, eventually God may let us have what we're chasing.
Not because he stops loving us, but because we kept pushing him away because he doesn't force himself into hearts that are full of rebellion. He's patient. He's merciful.
But he also honors our choices. And so I say again, this is not a message of condemnation. This is a call to pause, an invitation to examine our hearts because what we feed will grow and what we starve will die.
If you've been feeding an appetite that leads you away from God. If you've been indulging in desires that make you feel distant from him. If you've been excusing behaviors that once made you uncomfortable.
Friend, it's not too late. God is not finished with you. He's not looking at you with anger.
He's looking at you with longing. He wants your heart back. He wants to take those unhealthy cravings and replace them with holy hunger.
He wants to give you new desires, ones that reflect his character, not just your circumstances. But that starts with repentance. It starts with saying,"Lord, I'm hungry for things that aren't good for me.
Help me to crave you again. " So, let's do that now. Let's invite God into those unseen places, the corners of the heart that no one else sees.
Let's ask him to cleanse our appetites, and help us long for more of him than anything else. Now, let's take a moment to pray together. Heavenly Father, thank you for being so patient with me.
For never growing weary of my questions, my wondering or my weakness. Thank you for loving me even when I don't have it all together. Even when I fall short.
Even when I forget your goodness and try to do things my own way. Today Lord, I bring you my heart. Every part of it.
The messy parts, the tired parts, the hurting parts, the hopeful parts. I bring you everything I've been carrying. Things I've spoken out loud and things I've buried deep inside.
You already know them all. And yet you still welcome me with open arms. You see all the things I long for.
Some of them I've prayed about, others I've been too afraid to mention. And still, you know, you see the desires I wrestle with. Some I don't even understand myself.
Some that scare me. Some that I'm ashamed of. Some that I've tried to bury because I didn't know what else to do with them.
But nothing is hidden from you, Lord. and what overwhelms me doesn't overwhelm you. So here I am, Lord.
If there's any desire in me that doesn't honor you, any craving that draws me away from your heart, please take it from me. Uproot it. Remove it.
Don't let it grow. I don't want to hold on to anything that hurts my soul or offends your spirit. I don't want to hunger for things that lead me into sin, that distort my perspective, or that numb my spirit.
Instead, I want to hunger for you, Jesus. Create in me a clean heart. Purify the places in me that have been stained by compromise or confusion.
Renew a right spirit within me. A spirit that delights in what pleases you. A spirit that chases after your presence more than anything else.
Lord, change my appetite. Let me long for prayer, not because it's expected, but because I miss you when I don't talk to you. Let me crave your word, not just for knowledge, but because it breathes life into my dry places.
Let my heart find joy in worship, not because of how it sounds, but because of who you are. Let my joy be found in simply being near you. Not in performance, not in popularity, not in praise from people.
Just you, Lord. just you. Your word in Ephesians 4 reminds us to walk in a way that's worthy of our calling, to walk with humility, gentleness, patience, and love.
So today, I ask you to shape me into that kind of person. A person who reflects your grace, a person who makes others feel safe and seen. A person who walks through this world with the fragrance of heaven on their life.
Jesus, help me walk away from the things that once trapped me, the things that looked so appealing but only left me empty. Help me not to be fooled by the shine of temporary pleasures. Let me see sin for what it truly is, empty, hollow, destructive.
Don't let me glamorize the things that grieve your heart. Instead, fill me with a holy passion. Let me be someone who burns with a desire to know you more.
Not out of religious duty, but because of love. Because you've captured my heart. Because nothing compares to the peace I feel when I'm close to you.
You said in John 7 37-38, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. " Lord, I am thirsty.
I am dry and I need living water. Fill me. Quench every false thirst.
Flood my heart with your spirit. Fill me with boldness not to draw attention to myself but to say no to sin and yes to you. Fill me with courage to walk by faith even when my emotions tell me otherwise.
Help me to keep praying even when it feels like nothing is changing. Help me to keep worshiping even when life feels heavy. Help me to keep believing even when I can't see what's ahead.
Let me be satisfied in you, Jesus. Let my identity, my peace, my joy not come from worldly success or validation, but from being known and loved by you. In 1 Peter 2, you call us to put away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, and to long for the pure spiritual milk of your word because it helps us grow.
Lord, I want to grow. I don't want to stay stuck in old patterns or old cravings. I want to mature.
I want to be transformed. Let your word nourish me from the inside out. Let it correct me, convict me, and comfort me.
And Father, I pray for anyone listening who feels stuck right now in an unhealthy appetite, in a cycle they can't seem to break. Maybe it's lust. Maybe it's pride.
Maybe it's addiction. Maybe it's anger. comparison or unforgiveness.
Whatever it is, Lord, break that chain in the name of Jesus. No stronghold is too strong for you. No bondage is beyond your reach.
Give them courage to fully surrender, to stop running, to stop hiding, to stop making excuses. Drw them back into your embrace. Holy Spirit, make their heart sensitive again.
Let their spirit feel uneasy when they begin to drift. Let their heart ache when they're far from you. And when they turn back, Father, run to them like the father in the story of the prodigal son.
Wrap them in your love. Cover them in grace. Restore what was lost.
Lord, I want to crave holiness. I want to hunger for righteousness. I want to feast on the bread of life.
I want to drink deeply from the living water. Let my deepest longing be this, to know you more, to love you more, to walk closely with you every day. Thank you for hearing my cry, Lord.
Thank you for never turning away. Thank you for being so patient with me, so merciful, so kind. Let everything I say and do bring glory to your name.
In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. If this prayer has touched your heart, please type amen as a sign of faith.
I pray that every blessing in this prayer is now upon you in the name of Jesus. And if you need a special prayer, feel free to let us know in the comments. We would be honored to pray for you.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
