Life Appetites Test
Ask almost any Christian audience to tell you what attracts the presence, attention, and favor of God and they will offer up the right answer (or answers since there is more than one thing that God responds to). Listen carefully and you will hear people shout out answers like “prayer,” “holiness,” “worship,” “faith,” “humility,” “compassion,” or “unity.” And you know what? They are all right.
But if the presence of God is essential to Transforming Revival, and we know how to attract this presence, then why is it that so few communities are experiencing a divine visitation?
The answer is simple. If the presence of God is absent in our lives or communities, it is not because we have an ignorance problem. It is because we have an appetite problem.
When you made your way to this website today you arrived with an invisible list of life hungers. You were probably not thinking consciously about these appetites, but they were present nonetheless.
Some of the hungers on your list are what we call “Base Appetites,” and they are common to all human beings. They include things like food, sleep, water, and sex. They are called base appetites because they are essential to our survival as a species.
In addition to these base appetites, you will also have another type of hunger on your list. These are called “Selective Appetites” because they are unique to your individual personality and choices. Examples of selective appetites include a hunger for things like control, security, reputation, and comfort. When these selective appetites are combined with our base hungers, it can make for a very long list.
The question before you is this: Where on this invisible list of life appetites is your hunger for the presence of God? If you approach this question in all honesty, would you say it ranks number three on your list? Number eight? Number twenty-six?
Most people assume their hunger for God’s presence ranks higher on their list — often far higher — than it really does. This is why we are sometimes confused by the apparent lack of divine activity in our individual lives and communities.
The following test will give you an opportunity to think about the weight you have given to certain life interests and needs.
As you prepare to take this test, ask God to reveal your heart to you as he sees it. This is what David did (Psalm 7:9, 44:21, 139:23-24), and it is the only way to get an objective assessment of ourselves.