October 13th, 2021
Did you know that your taste buds not only process information about what you eat but change, based on the information they receive?
Sugar, for example, has the greatest effect on how we taste because it affects not only our tastebuds but the receptors in our digestive tract and the patterns of our brains. It actually changes your tastebuds, so that when you consume them, you will constantly need more sugar to taste the same level of sweetness that you tasted before. Think about it. An apple would taste extremely sweet after eating something salty, but if you bite into an apple after eating a slice of cake, it’s going to taste sour!
Why am I bringing this up, you ask? Well, the Bible says in Proverbs 27:7 that “one who is full loathes honey, but to the one who is hungry, everything bitter is sweet.” You see, our spirits can taste, just like our natural bodies can. The truth is that you can train your body to crave sugar or to crave what’s good for it, based on what you consume. Your spirit is no different. What you see and hear and consume feeds your spirit, and you will crave the thing you have a taste for! What are you hungry for? David says in Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” The goodness of the Lord is something that you can actually taste. His presence is something you can consume with all of your senses, and it is sweeter than absolutely anything you’ve ever tasted before. Have you ever tried to describe your favorite food to someone who hadn’t tasted it before? It’s pretty impossible. They have to taste it! It’s the same with the presence of God. You can tell someone about the goodness of God, about the power of His presence, about the sweetness of His love, until you have no words left, but until they’ve tasted His power, it’s only words. How could you explain to the blind what light is like? You can’t! The only way to understand light is to see it. How could you describe the sound of someone’s voice? Try it. You might use descriptors, like deep or high pitched, but would someone be able to recognize the voice you described in a crowded room? Of course not. The only way you recognize someone’s voice is if you’ve heard it before. It is the same with God—His voice, His goodness, and His presence. He can never be described. You have to hear Him. You have to touch Him. You have to taste of His goodness. 1 Corinthians 4:20 reminds us that the “kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power!”
When you do taste the sweetness of His presence, He will renew your spiritual taste buds. You will be ruined for every other flavor. When you’re hungry for the sweetness of God’s presence, nothing else tastes like anything. The only way you could go back to those other things is if you stop drinking of His presence and try to fill the void artificially, but God promises that He pours His Spirit on His children without measure. There is always more! We have to taste of His presence and His goodness every single day. The world is desperate, not for more words about God, but for an encounter with Him, whether they know it or not. It’s what we were all created for! Today, I’m asking God to make me hungrier for His presence than I’ve ever been—to taste His goodness, hear His voice and see Him like I never have before, and I encourage you to do the same. My friends, what are we hungry for?
Sugar, for example, has the greatest effect on how we taste because it affects not only our tastebuds but the receptors in our digestive tract and the patterns of our brains. It actually changes your tastebuds, so that when you consume them, you will constantly need more sugar to taste the same level of sweetness that you tasted before. Think about it. An apple would taste extremely sweet after eating something salty, but if you bite into an apple after eating a slice of cake, it’s going to taste sour!
Why am I bringing this up, you ask? Well, the Bible says in Proverbs 27:7 that “one who is full loathes honey, but to the one who is hungry, everything bitter is sweet.” You see, our spirits can taste, just like our natural bodies can. The truth is that you can train your body to crave sugar or to crave what’s good for it, based on what you consume. Your spirit is no different. What you see and hear and consume feeds your spirit, and you will crave the thing you have a taste for! What are you hungry for? David says in Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” The goodness of the Lord is something that you can actually taste. His presence is something you can consume with all of your senses, and it is sweeter than absolutely anything you’ve ever tasted before. Have you ever tried to describe your favorite food to someone who hadn’t tasted it before? It’s pretty impossible. They have to taste it! It’s the same with the presence of God. You can tell someone about the goodness of God, about the power of His presence, about the sweetness of His love, until you have no words left, but until they’ve tasted His power, it’s only words. How could you explain to the blind what light is like? You can’t! The only way to understand light is to see it. How could you describe the sound of someone’s voice? Try it. You might use descriptors, like deep or high pitched, but would someone be able to recognize the voice you described in a crowded room? Of course not. The only way you recognize someone’s voice is if you’ve heard it before. It is the same with God—His voice, His goodness, and His presence. He can never be described. You have to hear Him. You have to touch Him. You have to taste of His goodness. 1 Corinthians 4:20 reminds us that the “kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power!”
When you do taste the sweetness of His presence, He will renew your spiritual taste buds. You will be ruined for every other flavor. When you’re hungry for the sweetness of God’s presence, nothing else tastes like anything. The only way you could go back to those other things is if you stop drinking of His presence and try to fill the void artificially, but God promises that He pours His Spirit on His children without measure. There is always more! We have to taste of His presence and His goodness every single day. The world is desperate, not for more words about God, but for an encounter with Him, whether they know it or not. It’s what we were all created for! Today, I’m asking God to make me hungrier for His presence than I’ve ever been—to taste His goodness, hear His voice and see Him like I never have before, and I encourage you to do the same. My friends, what are we hungry for?
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