ARE YOU A SPIRITUAL ANOREXIC?

"Although we have a natural, innate appetite for God and spiritual things, we may not be experiencing the sensations that would tell us we are hungering for Him. Why not? Maybe it's because we have been depriving ourselves of spiritual food for way too long. Are you refusing to feed yourself spiritually? If you don't actively seek God and instead ignore this yearning from deep inside, cravings can, and eventually do change.

When we are physically hungry, our body sends signals through our hunger pains and cravings that tell us we need to eat. If ignored, these signals at first grow stronger in hopes of pushing us to fulfill the need for food. But if we continue to ignore this appetite for long enough, it will eventually begin to fade and we can actually convince ourselves that we really aren't hungry anymore. That's exactly what the anorexic does. He/she tells themselves they aren't hungry and ignores the signals the body is sending to them. Eventually they will have completely numbered their cravings to the point they no longer desire food. They have so effectively convinced themselves that they are not hungry that their body is no starving to death. Yet they don't even realize the danger. So too when we squelch our hunger for God.

This it how it can be with our spiritual appetite. When we are spiritually hungry, we experience the beckoning of the Holy Spirit within us to feast on the things of God. If we ignore our craving for God long enough, we will find the craving for Him eventually begins to fade. We are capable of convincing ourselves that we are doing 'just fine,' yet we are starving our spirit to the point of spiritual death. Our desires for the things of God fade, and we are no longer able to experience the draw of the Holy Spirit because we have so numbed ourselves to His call. Without even noticing it, prayer has become less important, we no longer thirst after God's Word, and we convince ourselves it's no be deal to miss church.

Both types of anorexics refuse themselves the nourishment they need to sustain life. [If you are suffering from spiritual anorexia] the only way for you to heal and regain a healthy appetite that will grow is to pull up to the table to eat. Are you feasting at the banquet table of God? If you want to cultivate and grow your spiritual craving, you must feed it. Psalm 34:8 says, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good,' When you come to the banquet table to feast on the things of the Spirit, you will find that the Lord is good and that He satisfies completely. And, although the Lord does completely satisfy, once you taste of Him, you will find yourself wanting more and more of Him."

from FEEDING YOUR APPETITES ... Take Control of What's Controlling You by Stephen Atterburn published by Integrity