Last week, we paved the foundation for our journey through Unshakable Leader: The Simple Yet Amazing Power of Alignment. Today we will begin our journey with Alignment Component 1: Spiritual Hunger.

A for-real, alive relationship with Jesus Christ is where true alignment begins. In Matthew 22:36-37, Jesus was asked “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

Working on our relationship with God and cultivating an ongoing spiritual hunger helps us in so many ways, not the least of which is understanding our identity is not what we do for God, but rather we belong to God. We are adopted by Him in love as precious sons and daughters.

Let’s spend some time paving a pathway to develop and nurture hunger for God. This pathway starts with understanding the following principles:

 

Spiritual hunger is not for a select few

Scripture tells us that we all can pursue an active, alive relationship with God. (Matthew 22:36-27; Isaiah 26:8-9). The key is to cultivate this relationship intentionally and strategically. Hunger for God rarely if ever happens by accident. Hunger comes to those who are purposeful. Which leads to the next principle . . .

Spiritual hunger flows from our habits

We humans tend to think hunger precedes habits. We’re suggesting that habits precede hunger. Making space for meaningful connections with Jesus on a regular basis is the starting point. The more consistently we spend time with Jesus, the hungrier we get. The more sporadic we are in spending time with Jesus, the less hungry we get.

We encourage regular, daily time for spiritual habits such as worship, prayer and Bible reading/study. If this is something you’re just beginning, it’s okay to start small. But once you get consistent with the small things, try to expand the length and depth of this over time. Does worship music help you during time spent with Jesus? Then create a playlist for your quiet time. Does journaling keep you in touch with what God is doing during prayer times? Then keep a pen and paper nearby.

Spiritual hunger grows when we share our story

Sometimes we get so busy with leadership responsibility we forget to tell others what Jesus has done for us in our personal lives. It’s important to share our stories for so many reasons:

• When we tell our conversion story, those near us have a better chance of following Jesus. When we don’t their chances decrease.
• Sharing our story of how we met Jesus reignites our spiritual passion and brings us back to that moment of conversion over and over again. The family that I married in to is very good at this. Whenever we gather, we talk about the goodness of the Lord in our lives in the past as well as what He is currently doing. I always walk away rejuvenated and encouraged in the Lord.

Hunger for God is contagious

A growing spiritual hunger cannot be contained and will spill onto those in close proximity to us—our family, our team, our church, and the organization we lead.

 

Our depth of spiritual hunger impacts our leadership in a deep and meaningful way.

 

It’s possible you’re reading this and feel unsure about all of this “Jesus-stuff” or maybe never had a for-real relationship with Jesus, you can begin today. Romans 10:9 tells us that “…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’” To begin a relationship with Jesus, simply believe God raised Him from the dead and surrender your will to His. A sincere prayer containing those two things gets you started into a meaningful relationship with Jesus and on the road to getting aligned personally.

Here are some soul-searching questions to help you deepen this component of alignment:

• Am I giving sufficient time and attention to the cultivation of my inner life? If not, what changes do I need to make?
• Do I need more passion and hunger in my walk with God?
• What am I willing to do about starting it today?

 

Hopefully these thoughts and questions will encourage you on your path to alignment today! Join us next week when we unpack the second component of personal alignment . . . taking care of our bodies.

 

Rooting and praying for you,

John & Jaime