The Lord reminds me of that story from time to time so that I'll never forget the highest aim in life. It's a hunger for righteousness. The same kind of hunger that drove Jodi to bite the bread right out of Michelle's mouth. We have to stay that spiritually hungry.
Jesus talked about it in Matthew 5:1-7:
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Notice that Jesus always had thousands following Him. Thousands show up at my meetings too. But success isn't measured by how many come. Success is determined by how many commit themselves; how many discipline themselves to a local work and become a part of the body of Christ.
Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness
In Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus taught on how to be blessed. Verse six is the verse on which I want to focus: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
He never said that if you hunger and thirst after righteousness - right standing with God - you might be filled. No, He said ...they shall be filled.
For years, people told me that I had to live in the ditch of life. They told me the devil could whip me anytime he felt like it. But Jesus said that if I searched for righteousness, with Jodi's childlike hunger, I would be filled.
What is the highest aim in life? To search for righteousness. To become so full of it that nothing else fits. If you're full of righteousness, you ought to have a hard time sinning. When you see righteousness, you should eat at the buffet until you're consumed with the fullness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Of course, the devil will tell you that you'll never be full. That's because he's empty. The devil is spiritually dead. But you're spiritually alive. I learned a long time ago that I don't need to put on boxing gloves and go into the ring with Satan. I'd have to take him out from under my feet to fight him. The Lord told us to resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
Don't Drink From An Empty Cup
So why aren't more people filled with the righteousness of God? Simply because you can't quench your thirst by drinking from an empty cup. I tried it for years. I sought a sleek and satisfied religion. I tried it in the Catholic church. I tried it as a Baptist. I tried it as a Methodist. I tried it as an Assemblies of God. As a schoolboy my friends used to ask, "What religion are you?" I'd say, "Pick one man, I've been there."
I knew what it was to eat the host, and I knew what it was to drink the wine. I'll never forget growing up as a Catholic. The Protestant churches gave you a cracker, but the Catholic Church gave you a host. You weren't supposed to bite it, because it represented the body of Christ. Everyone left church trying to get the thing unstuck from the roof of their mouth. When I got to the Protestant church, they gave me a cracker and something to drink with it. I thought it was wonderful!
But I was confused, and I didn't know God. It wasn't pleasant to realize that I'd been seeking a sleek and satisfied religion. I couldn't quench my thirst from an empty cup any more than you can. I did everything the church told me to do, but I was always hungry; I was always thirsty. Why? Because they were feeding me religion, and religion is nothing but an empty cup. There is a vast difference between religion and meeting Jesus - the great I AM. He is God, and He will fill you, pressed down, shaken together and running over until you hardly recognize yourself. Before you know it you'll be praising God in public. "Glory! Hallelujah! I'm full! I'm full!"
The Unity Of The Faith
After a while, your flesh becomes so crucified you have a hard time sinning. You're not looking for another woman; you're looking for another nugget of God's truth. I go to all kinds of churches that have nuggets of God's truth. But I don't try to get them to believe my doctrinal issues. God never said we were to come together in the unity of our doctrines. He said we were to come together in the unity of the faith.
Baptists are going to believe the "once saved, always saved" doctrine whether the Assemblies of God like it or not. The Assemblies of God are going to believe in speaking in other tongues whether the Baptists like it or not. The Baptists are going to have a fit when they get to Heaven and find out that Heaven is Pentecostal. But that's not the point. Arguing about doctrine is an empty cup. What's important is that we all believe that Jesus is the Son of God; that He was without sin, yet He paid the penalty for our sin on the cross; that He died and was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of Father God.
That's where we are to unify our faith.
It doesn't matter what our doctrinal differences are. Jesus said that when we hunger and thirst for righteousness we would be filled. That means you can't wait until the doors of the church are open. It means that before the alarm clock can ring at 5:30 in the morning, you're up and praying.
If Jesus made a trip to your house, what would He find? Would he find fellowship, or would He find sin? Are you satisfied drinking from an empty cup? Or are you ravenous for a real relationship with God?
You can't witness to others from an empty cup. Witnessing requires more than just words. God wants that person to see Him in us. Demonstrations of His love and His power will quench their thirst. Everywhere you go, God's light will dispel the darkness.
I want to be so full that people can drink from my life at any time.
Don't Seek Goodness, Seek Righteousness!
I'm looking for more of God. I'm not looking for another woman. My wife has credit cards. I don't need another woman in my life. I heard a man say, "I want a woman with a hard body." Yet, his body was hanging over the chair and onto the floor. That's just ego. Recently, I saw a guy in an airport bathroom trying to cover a bald head with three hairs. It can't be done. I told my wife, "I don't care how old you get. It makes no difference. You can't stop the aging process."
The same is true for you. They can suck your guts up and make your belly flat. They can tie your face up behind your ears. But that doesn't change your internal clock. Someone is going to look behind your ears and see all that wrinkled skin. Don't hunger and thirst for another time and place. Hunger and thirst after righteousness, and you'll be blessed with all the blessings of the New Covenant.
I know a lot of people who hunger and thirst after goodness. But goodness is a far cry from righteousness. A lot of very good people will split hell wide open. Before I got saved, I couldn't understand Cathy's need for it. I said, "Cathy, you're a good person. You're a good girl. You don't drink. You don't smoke dope. You're good."
"Jesse," she said, "I wasn't going to hell for any of those reasons and neither are you. I was going to hell for rejecting Jesus. You aren't going to hell for drinking, smoking dope or snorting cocaine, because He forgave those things before you ever committed them. You'll go to hell for rejecting Jesus. That's the only reason anyone will go there."
But no one will ever go to hell being saved. Isn't that a blessing? If you're born again, you don't have the nature of the people in hell. You don't fit there.
Colossians, chapter 3 says, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (v. 2). Why aren't we to set our affections on earth? Because everything on earth is going to perish, and I intend to complete my destiny. That's why I stir up my hunger. I stir up my thirst. I'm shooting for the highest aim in life.
Stir Up Your Hunger
Have you ever noticed that as soon as you go on a diet you immediately get hungry? You could have eaten 30 minutes before, but your body says, "Feed me! Get me to McDonald's quick!"
I've learned to do that with my spirit. I say, "Spirit, we're going to a buffet!" My spirit starts salivating. It says, Yeah, give me some fruit of the Spirit. I'm hungry!
I want you to understand something, though. Ministers of the gospel don't have a supernatural infusion of spiritual hunger. We are human. We have to stir up our own hunger and thirst. There are times when we want to stay at home just as much as you do. There have been times I wanted to call some pastor where I was scheduled to preach and say, "Put on a videotape. I'm staying home." But feelings have nothing to do with it. Not for me, and not for you. Tomorrow, when you wake up, you may not feel married, but you are. You may not feel like going to work, but you will.
We can't go by our feelings in any area of life. Are you one of those Christians who say, "The devil has been whipping me hard today. I don't know if I can make it this week!"?
If so, you won't make it.
The devil's going to kick your head off unless you hook your faith to the Word of God that says, "...he that endureth to the end shall be saved (Matthew 10:22)."
Christianity is a lot more enjoyment than it is enduring. You might have to endure persecution, but you don't endure God. You enjoy Him. He's a blessing. He's wonderful, and He likes you. Too many of us have been taught to approach God like this, "Most heavenly Father, don't beat me down. Please don't whip me. I'm nothing but a low-down piece of trash. I'm just a low-down dirty dog."
No, you're not! You're the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He paid the highest price of all for you. He gave you dominion over all devils. He said, Say to the mountain, Be thou removed, not doubting in your heart. Believe those things you say shall come to pass, and you shall have whatsoever you say. Stay steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord for your labor is not in vain. You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. You are more than a conqueror. If God be for you who can be against you?
That's what God said about you. All you have to do is believe Him and walk in the light of His words. You're not serving a wimp God. He is the God who is More Than Enough. He never said, "I'll just meet your needs." He said, "I Am El Shaddai." He is more than you can even think. And He can handle your needs, wants, dreams and your desires. He can handle your mortgage. He is More Than Enough.
God Deals With Us According To His Promises
I've heard people say, "You know how God is. Sometimes He does, and sometimes He doesn't." That's an insult to the integrity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible said you can ask anything of the Father. Which are you going to believe? Religion? Or God? Religion says, "Let's not get carried away with this. Let's ask for little." Those people are living on Christian bouillon cubes when they could be eating pot roast.
Why do some people expect so little of God? Because they expect Him to deal with them according to their performance. And they know how they perform even if no one else knows. But God doesn't deal with us according to our performance so much as He deals with us according to His promises. The blessings of God come when He finds someone who will seek to believe Him and obey Him. That's why He said, Blessed is he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
I'm a blessed man, but sometimes my performance hasn't been good. I'll never forget when I started preaching. Those people had to endure. During my first message, sweat ran down the back of my legs. I prayed for the rapture all the way through that sermon. My performance was junk, but God didn't deal with me according to my performance. He dealt with me according to His promise. He said, "I put a call on your life, and you'll walk in the light of it."
I said, "Lord, I don't want to ever preach again." My mind agreed with the devil. Let them go to hell. They aren't going to get saved anyway. My performance was severely lacking, but I was in good company.
Abraham's Promise
Abraham's performance wasn't too good. God had told Abraham, 'You're going to have a baby.' He just failed to mention that it wouldn't happen until he was 100 and Sarah was 90. When Abraham finally figured out what the Lord had in mind, he said, 'Sarah's dead, and I'm a dead man myself.' His performance wasn't up to par.
What about you? What would you do if a 90-year-old woman in your church said, "I think I'm going to have a baby!" You'd laugh all the way out the door.
I met a man one time who looked to be about 59 years old, but he was 93. He still drove and traveled with his wife who was 93. "What's the secret of your longevity?" I asked. He looked at me like I was some kind of a Bozo brain and said, "Haven't you ever read the 91st Psalm? You know, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. "Yes, Sir."
"I think you'd better read it again."
I decided to lighten things up with a joke. "Are you all planning on having any more babies?"
He looked me right in the face and said, "We're thinking about it." Then he walked out of the church. That man didn't just visit the secret place of the Most High from time to time. He dwelled there just like Abraham did.
God said, Abraham, through Sarah shall the world be blessed.
"God," Abraham asked, "have you looked at Sarah lately?"
Sarah knew there was no way she was going to get pregnant at her age. She told Abraham, "Listen, we can't have any babies, because you're an old man and I'm an old woman. Take my servant, Hagar."
"Okay, Sarah," Abraham said. "But I'm only doing this for you."
That lying dog. He loved Hagar. He wanted her. After he'd gotten her pregnant, it caused a fight in the camp. Sarah said, "Get her out of here!" Sarah would have let her and Ishmael die in the desert, but that isn't God's way. Man's judgment is to kill and destroy. God chose to bless them both, but through Isaac, He would bless the world.
Abraham's performance wasn't always right, but he was learning to add patience to his faith. He never had any trouble believing God, it was the waiting on the promise that got him in trouble. Abraham learned that faith will give you the manifestation, but patience will keep you going until it appears.
Obtain The Blessing
People are always asking me why I'm so blessed. I'll tell you why. It isn't because of my performance. It's because God looks in my heart and sees that I'm seeking Him. I'm hungry and thirsty for righteousness. When anyone seeks, obeys and believes, they will be blessed by God.
I'll never forget when I began to study the Word of God. I wanted to be a Greek and Hebrew scholar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a scholar, but over the years, I've learned that there is a better way to read the Bible.
You need to read it in the Holy Ghost. That's a lot more important than reading it in Greek or Hebrew.
Take tongues for instance. You can't speak in tongues apart from the Holy Ghost. I've had people ask me, "How do you speak in tongues?" I do it the same way I speak in English. I talk. God won't shake your throat. He'll simply give you utterance. You're the one who does the talking. I can't speak unless I push air out of my lungs, over my vocal chords and move my tongue to speak English with a Cajun accent.
A friend of mine wanted to be baptized in the Holy Ghost, and I prayed for him until I was worn out. He was praying, "Give it to me! Give it to me!" Other people were praying, "Give it to him! Please give it to him, God. He's killing us!" That man had worn out nine sets of saints.
Finally, I'd had enough. I grabbed him and said, "You're going to be filled with the Holy Ghost tonight!"
"Do you think so?" he asked. "I came tarrying."
"Quit that tarrying stuff, you're killing everybody!" I said. I began to pray and the Spirit of God hit that boy. He sounded just like a Comanche Indian. "Hi yi yi hi ya..."
I thought, That's not right! But the Holy Spirit spoke up on the inside of me and said, It's right. He got filled with the Holy Spirit with his eyes wide open. He stills speaks in an Indian dialect to this day. We were in a service once where some Indians heard him speaking their own language.
Run Your Race
He was hungry for the Spirit of God. We've each got to be hungry, and we've got to stay hungry. Don't let anything in life cause you to lose your thirst for righteousness. Inevitably, faith is lost when life's responsibilities slow you down to a quiet jog on an easy road. The less strenuously we seek after righteousness, the less strongly we believe in it.
I've heard people say, "I've seen it all. Nothing excites me."
That's a slow jog on an easy road.
I don't like people who are satisfied with that.
There are people all around them going to hell, while they just quietly jog instead of running the race they were called to run. Paul said, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). He was 60 years old when he said that and still going strong. The devil tried to kill him. People stoned him. He was drowned, starved, frozen and snake bitten. He just wouldn't quit.
Paul said, "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24).
When Paul had fulfilled his destiny he said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep this ministry going. I'm running a marathon. Sometimes I think, Why don't I just quiet down to a jog along an easy road? There's no use killing myself.
Then, I remember. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing it for Jesus, the Messiah. He bore the cross so that the world might be saved. I will do my part. I will fulfill my destiny.
I've seen a lot of "Spirit-filled" churches doing a quiet jog along an easy road. They're usually critical of people who are going on for God. When it comes to the things of God, we must never, ever be satisfied.
Set Your Faith For Hunger
"Brother Jesse," someone asked, "how can I become spiritually hungry?"
Your faith operates like a thermostat. When it's 96 degrees outside, the thermostat says, "Cool this building or cease to exist." The thermostat is set. It will not move. It will burn that unit up if it has to, but it will continue sending the signal, "Cool this place now!"
If you're facing cancer, diabetes or high blood pressure, set your thermostat to 1 Peter 2:24, "By His stripes I am healed." I'll tell you what will happen. You're going to start sweating. Why? Because the pressure and heat of life is going to come against you. But that thermostat won't move unless you move it. Once it's set, don't touch it!
In the same way, set your faith for spiritual hunger on "ravenous." Don't be satisfied with McDonald's when God has prepared a table before you.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness.
It's the highest aim in life.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Jesse Duplantis is a dynamic evangelist who has traveled throughout the world since 1978 preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM), which has its International Headquarters in America and additional offices in the United Kingdom and Australia. 
