Last Days Spiritual Famine and Spiritual Eating Disorders

Amos 8:11 says, ” Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not famine of bread, nor thirst for water, but hearing the words of the Lord.”
In these current days the American Church does not suffer from famine for water, bread or even “preaching”, but a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. American Heritage Dictionary defines famine as, “a drastic and wide-reaching shortage of food. A drastic shortage; dearth.” The Hebrew word for famine is ra’ab(raw-awb) which means “hunger”, “dearth”, “famine”.
All across America people are going to church. And on the surface with mega-churches showing membership of 5,000-20,000 plus members, major church conferences generating revenue for conference registration, ministry product sales, special seed offerings for prophetic word or healing, super-star preachers and gospel recording stars, it all seems to have all the worldly success (Revelation 3:14-20). People are following the most popular preaching and teaching that the church world has to offer. However, people aren’t hearing the Word of the Lord. They are hearing things that cater to their carnality, and not the spiritual man. Preachers that give the Word of the Lord are supposed to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Timothy 4:2). They are to do whatever is needed to be expressed by the Spirit of God if the congregation needs a message of correction, rebuked, or encouragement to build the saints up spiritually. But most church goers have itching ears; they don’t want sound doctrine that will bring repentance and maturity and impact the world with the gospel, while transforming them into the image of the Son of God Christ Jesus. The American Church are more consumers, in that they want to go to a church that fits their specific selfish wants and desires, versus being consumed with the passion and fire of God to advance the kingdom of God. They have no want to be a vessel that will follow heavenly assignment to have an impact in the earth like Jesus did.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that a large membership roster or the place where all secular celebrities claim membership make a great church. You know, the place that Christian celebrities go to sing and preach. However, if Jesus and His Word aren’t being celebrated, and you’re not seeing a visible change in the life of the people, and people do not turn from sin, then it is obvious that Church is quite possibly in major state of “spiritual famine.”
Let’s examine spiritual famine (starvation), and spiritual eating disorders of spiritual anorexia nervosa, spiritual bulimia nervosa, spiritual binge eating. This examination will see if somebody is getting a healthy spiritual diet, or is starving spiritually and has spiritual eating disorder that may cause spiritual death.

Spiritual Famine

Just because a person is going to a church does not mean he or she is properly eating spiritually. If the Word is not being preached and taught, and s/he is sitting under pseudo psychological preaching and teaching, or vain man made philosophical preaching or teaching, it is not Christ-centered. It is man-center. If it is man-center then spiritual famine reigns over that church, it is spiritually immature and unproductive, and influence by the flesh and satanic powers.

Characteristics of people who are in spiritually famine

1. They do not see the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit reigning in their life (Galatians 5:22:23). Instead, there would be the manifestation of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).
2. A spiritual famine person hates eating the “bread of life” which is the Word of God and consumed by serpents/demonic powers (Numbers 21:5-6).
3. They have an uncircumcised ear to hear the Lord (Jeremiah 6:10). You can’t have faith in God if you can’t hear Him (Romans10:17)!
4. They love lies instead of the truth (Jeremiah 5:31).
5. They are prideful. They walk in agreement with other people in the same famine condition (Amos 3:3).
6. Idols reign in their heart (Ezekiel 14:3). They are naked and blind and live in self-deception that they are spiritually minded (Revelation 3:17).

Spiritual Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is when person is below normal body weight, starve themselves, and have excessive weight loss.

A person that suffers from spiritual anorexia nervosa refuses to eat good spiritual food coming from the Word of God. They go through the motions of religion, and never come to eat of the Master’s body and drink of His blood (John 6:50-53). These people starve themselves from studying the Word, and applying the Word to daily life. Therefore, they suffer spiritually, not maintaining a “healthy spiritual weight” of knowledge and wisdom of God, zeal, ministry, living upright, witnessing, having love, joy, peace, patience, discipline, self-control (temperance), and active participant in the kingdom of God.

Spiritual Bulimia

Bulimia is eating disorder that is a cycle of eating large portions of food, and then causing self-induced vomiting of that food.

A person who has spiritual Bulimia sits under great preaching or teaching where truth is revealed by hearing the Word and refuses to apply that Word and/or repent. Because they intake the Word, and do not apply it or make necessary changes in their lives, these individuals “vomit out” life changing Word. If they had continued to walk in that Word they would have produced spiritual life. A person that returns back to foolishness, is like dog that returns back to its vomit (Proverbs 26:11, 2 Peter 2:21-22). Unfortunately they don’t maintain the Word which is good food, but vomit out the good food, only go back to eat the vomit of sin and mediocrity which equals spiritual starvation. The end result is spiritual death. The only thing that needs to be purged is sin. The Word gives us spiritual health.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder is compulsive over eating. These individuals typically hide food, eat rapidly, and stuff themselves until they’re sick.

An individual who suffers from a “spiritual binge eating disorder”, goes from conference to conference, reads a lot of Christian books, watches a bunch of Christian television, attends seminars where they take a lot of notes, have stuffed themselves with a lot of information. However, they do not utilize it to be blessing to kingdom of God. Instead they hide their talent (Matthew 25:25). They are so stuffed with information, they fail to use it to edify the spiritual body (Ephesians 4:12).

Conclusion

Spiritual famine and spiritual eating disorders can be avoided if an ear is given to hear what the Spirit has to say (Revelation 3:13). There is no need to run to and fro from every prophesy line to get a prophetic word from some false prophet who wants to profit off of you (unscriptural/Amos 8:12). You have more sure word of prophecy that is within the Holy scriptures (2 Peter 1:19-21)!

Let the Chief Shepherd Jesus and His under shepherds (Pastors) feed you, and you never have to go a day without being in a spiritual famine. Ezekiel 34:23,25 says, “And I will setup one shepherd over them, and he will feed them, even my servant David; he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beast to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.” By being taught, and receiving the Word, the Lord will make a covenant of peace, that the evil beast (demons) will cease control of your marriage, family, children, health, finance, and your ministry. You will live in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.