The Bible provides us with principles and instructions on what we should do and not do if we desire to spend eternal life with our Father and to see Jesus reign in the glory which He had, before the foundation of the world. The Bible also gives us ways in which we can overcome some of life’s most challenging obstacles. For example.

Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

This scripture provides a direct incentive connected to praising the Lord. Basically, God is telling us: “When you come to my house, come in with expectation; come in thanking me. It does not matter what is going on, on the outside of my house. I invited you to my house for a reason. If you thank and praise me while you’re inside of my house, I can take care of what is going on – on the outside of my house. Don’t come in here complaining. I already know what you have gotten yourself into. I already know what is going on in your life.  Don’t come to my house with a defeated attitude. I don’t lose and I don’t breed losers. Everything I created was good. My children are more than conquerors because they know who their daddy is.”

Romans 8:37 (NKJV)
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Oh my Lord. I imagine God saying that to us, but sometimes when I enter the praise and worship service, I feel heaviness. I do not feel a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude. I could equate that to being able to discern the burdens of life that some may be carrying but I cannot seem to infer that or make that connection. Here is why.

I believe that our flesh has become an appetite suppressant for the Spirit to move in our lives and for us to conduct ourselves as children of the Most High.

“The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.” Galatians‬ ‭5:19-21‬ ‭CEB‬‬

We must have an appetite for serving the Lord, for who He is and not for what He can provide in the natural realm. In other words, our spiritual relationship with Christ is tied to how we understand our need for Him. Realistically, we don’t feel we need Him if he is not giving us something that we desire. Or we only need Him for a relationship, a job, a place to live and utilities. We enter his gates thinking about what we need God to pay or what bill collection notice we have received, which suppresses our appetite for loving our Father unconditionally.

Psalm 34:8  (NKJV)
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

• If you have not tasted and seen how good Jesus is, then you can’t hunger and thirst for Him.
• If you have not tasted, seen, and understood the sacrifices made on our behalf, then you really are not hungry for righteousness.

What does this mean?

We must have an experience – an encounter…a RUDE awakening to understand the miracle and the blessing of this blessed assurance we have been given. Honey!! You telling me I can SIT in heavenly places, on earth? Jesus you saying that in the midst of chaos and confusion in every corner of this universe…I. CAN. SIT. IN. HEAVENLY. PLACES WITH MY SAVIOR?

Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV)
and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Yes, but it is only in Jesus and through my appetite for loving Him.

1. I can write until my fingers turn blue.
2. I can speak a message that can rain down the presence of God like a thick fog

but if you have not come to the realization of who Jesus is in your life, personally and what He has done for you, all this here is foolishness to you.

Because Jesus loved me, when I rejected Him. He saved me, when I did not want to be rescued. He literally, PULLED me out of despair and destruction! That is enough to desire to get know Him and why He loves me so. What about you?

The conclusion of the matter is this: God still gets the glory because of WHO He is and because of who He is, I have an insatiable appetite to know more about Him. Why?

I. AM. SAVED.

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.