Login » Sign Up! » Search

Christian Hunger Strike

Get the discussion questions for Christian Hunger Strike

So this may seem a little morbid, OK maybe a lot morbid...but have you ever thought of ways you would or wouldn't want to die? C'mon, you have to admit it's probably crossed your mind a least a few times. I think one of the first times it happened to me was when I was swimming in a nice little cove off the Florida panhandle out of sight of my family. I was just minding my own business doing some shallow scuba stuff when suddenly I got caught in an undertow and put on a speedy course out to the sea against my will. As my momentum towards Mexico increased, of course my prayer life increased as well, but another thought in my mind was:

"I really don't want to go out this way!"

(You probably have figured out by now that I made it out alive...my brother got worried about me and rescued me in a boat - hooray for siblings!)

You know another way I wouldn't want to die? Starvation. I don't know if you've ever been really really hungry before, but it is not pleasant. I've done a 10 day fast, and believe me - after a few days of missing all meals, certain insects start to look appetizing.

Of course I knew that if I had to I could eat at any time. The golden arches and the late night bell were minutes away, so I can't say that I really suffered that much. But one thing I do remember...when you don't eat, you get about as weak as a kitten with pneumonia. Which is weak. Really weak. I'm telling you, I was using my toothbrush for weightlifting - that's how pathetically feeble I was feeling.

So answer me this. What would you think of a person who ended up starving to death when food was freely available to them at any time? Yeah, me too - dumb and dumber! The only people that purposely let that happen are crusaders on a hunger strike.

Guess what? I know Christians who are on a hunger strike - and they aren't even crusading for anything! No, no, they are getting their daily quota (or more) of physical food, but at the core of their being their souls are becoming weaker and weaker, even though there is spiritual food freely available to them.

Dumb and dumber.

That's why Jesus said this to Satan:

People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God (Matthew 4:4).

This scene happened when Jesus was being tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. Why? Because at the request of His heavenly Father, Jesus had not eaten a bite for 40 days! So a munchy little loaf would be very tempting at that point, especially when you have the power to make it happen.

But, obviously, Jesus wasn't dumb and dumber. He knew that real life does not come from knocking out the munchies, but from the care and feeding of our eternal souls. And that care and feeding is available in abundant plentitude all around us in the form of the best seller of all time:

The Bible.

That's right, Jesus said we need to feed off "every word of God" - and we have the very words of God right at our fingertips! When we don't regularly read and study the Bible, we literally go on a spiritual hunger strike! And just like our physical bodies, when we starve our souls, we get weak - which gives Satan a great advantage in bringing temptation, depression, anger, insecurity, and a host of other "life wrecking" things we could have fought off if we had just thought to feed ourselves.

Here's a suggestion. The next time you feel hungry (which is pretty much every few hours for me), remember also that your soul is hungry as well. I kinda doubt you would tell your body - "I can't feed you right now, because I don't have time to eat, I don't understand food, I don't know where to start in getting my food, and I think meals are boring and irrelevant" - right?

So why are you telling your eternal soul that?

Don't be a victim of spiritual starvation. Instead of dumb and dumber, let today be the start of full and fuller!

Head: What you need to know about this truth

The Bible contains the words of God, which is our spiritual food that we must regularly give to our souls so we don't starve to death!

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Just like we should feel privileged to have an abundance of food all around us, we should feel the same about the abundance of spiritual food all around us as well. I'm telling you, there are Christians in China who weep with joy when someone sneaks them a few PAGES from the Bible. If you think you don't have time, something is wrong with your schedule. If you think the Bible is boring or irrelevant, something is wrong with your attitude. If you think there is no one in your life that can help you understand the Word, something is wrong with your relationships.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Don't make Bible study complicated. Just ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes, then start reading. If you don't understand it, ask your pastor or youth leader. If you don't know where to start, ask your pastor or youth leader. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask your pastor or youth leader.