Craving God's Word: The Key to Spiritual Growth

Jul 20, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Crave the Pure Milk of the Word

Just as a newborn baby instinctively cries out for milk, so too should believers develop a deep, earnest longing for the Word of God. This craving is not a casual interest but a vital, life-sustaining hunger that fuels spiritual growth and maturity. When we have truly tasted the kindness and grace of the Lord, our hearts are drawn again and again to the nourishment found in Scripture. The Word is not just information; it is the very source of strength, hope, and transformation for our souls. Ask yourself if your approach to the Bible reflects this kind of desperate need, and consider what it would look like to pursue God’s Word with the same intensity as a hungry child. [49:39]

1 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV)
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to increase your hunger for God’s Word, making it a non-negotiable part of your daily routine?

Day 2: Lay Aside the Old Self

Coming to Christ means intentionally removing the old patterns and desires that once defined us—malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander—and embracing a new way of living. This is not a one-time event but an ongoing process, like taking off dirty clothes and putting on something new and clean. God’s grace cleanses us, but we are called to actively participate by letting go of what no longer belongs in our lives. As we lay aside these things, we make room for the Spirit to shape us into the likeness of Christ, reflecting His character in our actions and attitudes. [44:19]

Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

Reflection: What is one “old garment” (attitude, habit, or behavior) you sense God is asking you to lay aside this week, and how can you intentionally put it away?

Day 3: Spiritual Growth Is a Lifelong Journey

Salvation is not the finish line but the starting point of a lifelong journey of transformation called sanctification. God’s desire is not just to save us but to continually change us, making us more like Jesus day by day. This growth requires intentional pursuit—craving the Word, allowing the Spirit to work, and being willing to go deeper even when it’s challenging. Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen by accident; it is the result of consistent, ongoing engagement with God and His truth, leading to a life that increasingly reflects His love and holiness. [46:04]

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Reflection: In what area of your life do you sense God inviting you to grow deeper, and what is one way you can cooperate with His work of sanctification today?

Day 4: Beware of Spiritual Junk Food

Just as physical junk food spoils our appetite for what truly nourishes, filling our lives with the distractions and empty pleasures of the world can dull our hunger for God’s Word. When we consume more of the world’s content than God’s truth, we become spiritually weak and unprepared for life’s challenges. The call is to examine what we are feeding our hearts and minds, to recognize when we are settling for less, and to intentionally feast on the truth that brings life, strength, and clarity. [58:24]

Psalm 119:103 (ESV)
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Reflection: What “spiritual junk food” do you need to cut back on or eliminate so you can make more room for God’s Word in your daily life?

Day 5: The Word of God Is Alive and Powerful

God’s Word is not a static book but a living, active force that penetrates our hearts, reveals our motives, and equips us for every circumstance. When we neglect Scripture, we neglect God Himself and miss out on the wisdom, peace, and strength He longs to give us. The challenge is to recognize the centrality of the Word in our spiritual health and to make it a priority, trusting that it will prepare us for whatever lies ahead and draw us closer to the heart of God. [57:36]

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Reflection: When was the last time God’s Word spoke directly to a situation in your life? How can you position yourself to hear from Him more clearly this week?

Sermon Summary

In a world filled with uncertainty, distraction, and spiritual hunger, God’s grace remains more than enough for every circumstance. We gather as a people who have tasted the kindness of the Lord, not just to find refuge from the chaos, but to be reminded that God is intimately involved in every detail of our lives. He knows our needs before we do, and He calls us to lean into His grace, trusting Him fully in every situation.

As we look at 1 Peter 2:1-12, we see a call to spiritual growth that begins with a deep craving for the “pure milk of the Word.” Just as a newborn instinctively longs for milk, so should we, as followers of Christ, yearn for the nourishment that only God’s Word can provide. Salvation is not the end of our story—it’s the beginning of a lifelong journey of sanctification, where God shapes us into the likeness of Christ. This process requires us to lay aside the old garments of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, and to put on a new hunger for God’s truth.

Yet, many of us struggle to maintain this hunger. The distractions of the world, the “junk food” of culture, and the busyness of life can dull our appetite for God’s Word. There is a direct correlation between our love for the Word and our intimacy with God. When we neglect Scripture, we neglect God Himself, and our hearts grow cold. But when we consistently seek the nourishment of His Word, we find strength, hope, and the power to face whatever comes our way.

The challenge is not just to know about God’s Word, but to crave it, to let it shape us, and to allow it to be the source of our spiritual nutrition. This is not always easy, and it may require us to go deeper, to embrace the more difficult or complex truths of Scripture, rather than settling for what is simple or shallow. But the reward is a life that grows in maturity, love, and purpose—a life that glorifies God and draws others to Him.

Key Takeaways

1. Craving God’s Word is Essential for Spiritual Growth Just as a newborn cannot survive without milk, we cannot thrive spiritually without a deep longing for the Word of God. This craving is not a one-time event but an ongoing, earnest desire that fuels our growth in Christ. If we have truly tasted the grace of God, our hearts should yearn for more of His truth, allowing it to transform us from the inside out. [49:39]
2. Laying Aside the Old Life is a Daily Responsibility Peter calls us to “put aside” malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander—removing the old garments of our former selves. This is not a passive process; it requires intentionality and honesty about the things that hinder our spiritual progress. As we lay these aside, we make room for the Spirit to cultivate new desires and habits that reflect Christ’s character. [44:19]
3. Neglecting Scripture Leads to Spiritual Weakness There is a direct connection between our engagement with God’s Word and the vitality of our faith. When we neglect Scripture, we neglect God, and our hearts inevitably grow cold and distant. The “dust on the Bible means frost on the heart”—a warning that spiritual anemia often results from filling up on the world’s distractions instead of God’s truth. [56:25]
4. Spiritual Maturity Requires More than Simplicity While our culture often seeks what is easier, faster, and simpler, true spiritual maturity sometimes demands that we embrace the deeper, more challenging truths of Scripture. We must resist the temptation to “dumb down” our faith and instead pursue a robust, thoughtful engagement with God’s Word, trusting that He will meet us in the complexity and lead us into greater understanding. [32:31]
5. The Word of God is the Only Reliable Source of Spiritual Nutrition All other sources—opinions, social media, even well-meaning advice—fall short of the life-giving power found in Scripture. God’s Word is alive, powerful, and able to pierce to the deepest parts of our hearts, equipping us for every trial and shaping us for His purposes. If we truly want to grow, we must make the Word our daily bread, trusting it to sustain and sanctify us. [1:00:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[11:35] - Opening Prayer and Grace for Uncertainty
[24:29] - Ministry Updates and Community Life
[26:24] - The Problem of Overcomplicating Life
[29:16] - Simplicity vs. Complexity: Nursery Rhymes and Faith
[32:31] - Embracing Depth in Spiritual Growth
[36:03] - Reading 1 Peter 2:1-12
[38:53] - Our Identity in Christ: Chosen and Set Apart
[40:12] - The Need for Proper Spiritual Nutrition
[42:44] - Laying Aside the Old Life
[44:19] - The Process of Sanctification
[48:18] - Craving the Pure Milk of the Word
[49:39] - What Does It Mean to Long for God’s Word?
[53:33] - Personal Testimony: From Indifference to Hunger
[56:25] - The Dangers of Neglecting Scripture
[1:00:07] - The Only Source of Spiritual Nutrition
[1:03:50] - Do You Really Want to Grow?
[1:07:33] - Prayer for Spiritual Hunger
[1:11:12] - Closing and Next Steps

Bible Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: Craving God’s Word for Spiritual Growth

Bible Reading

1 Peter 2:1-12 (ESV)

> So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Observation Questions

According to 1 Peter 2:1-3, what are the specific things Peter tells believers to “put away” or “lay aside”?
What does Peter compare our desire for God’s Word to, and why is that comparison significant?
In the sermon, what does the pastor say is the result of neglecting Scripture in our lives? ([56:25])
What does Peter say is the purpose of craving the “pure milk of the Word”?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Peter uses the image of a newborn baby craving milk to describe our relationship with God’s Word? What does this say about the intensity and necessity of our spiritual hunger?
The pastor mentioned that salvation is not the end of our story, but the beginning of a lifelong journey of sanctification. How does this perspective change the way we view spiritual growth? ([44:19])
The sermon warns that “dust on the Bible means frost on the heart.” What does this mean, and how does it relate to our intimacy with God? ([56:25])
The pastor talked about “junk food” from the world dulling our appetite for God’s Word. What are some examples of this, and why do they make it harder to crave Scripture? ([58:24])

Application Questions

The sermon says that craving God’s Word is essential for spiritual growth, just like a baby needs milk to survive. How would you describe your current hunger for God’s Word? Is it strong, weak, or somewhere in between? What might be affecting it? ([49:39])
Peter calls us to “put aside” things like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Which of these do you find most challenging to lay aside in your daily life? What practical step could you take this week to address it? ([44:19])
The pastor shared that when we neglect Scripture, we neglect God Himself, and our hearts grow cold. Have you ever experienced a season where you felt distant from God because you weren’t in His Word? What helped you return? ([56:25])
The sermon challenges us not to settle for a shallow faith, but to go deeper—even when it’s hard. Is there a part of the Bible or a spiritual truth you’ve avoided because it seemed too difficult or complex? What would it look like to engage with it this week? ([32:31])
The pastor mentioned that “junk food” from culture can dull our appetite for God’s Word. What is one specific distraction or “junk food” in your life that you could cut back on to make more room for Scripture? ([58:24])
The sermon asked, “Do you really want to grow?” What is one area of your life where you want to see spiritual growth? How can you use God’s Word to pursue that growth this month? ([01:03:50])
The pastor prayed that we would be a people who hunger and crave the Word of God. What is one practical way you can build a daily habit of engaging with Scripture, even when life is busy or distracting? ([01:08:16])

Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God to give your group a deeper hunger for His Word, to help you lay aside old habits, and to grow together in maturity, love, and purpose.

Sermon Clips

32s

#ShedTheOldSelf

“Peter says, okay, you're in a relationship with Christ now, and you've got to get rid of some stuff in your life. You've got to take some stuff off. You've got to put aside this old garment of who Clay was before Christ. And you've got to move away from what were your fleshly desires, your fleshly cravings, if you will. And you've got to begin to crave something else.”

45s

#WhyNotCraveGod

“Why do so many professing followers of Christ find it so hard to stay hungry for the word of God? And I know, I've talked to enough of you to know that that's a struggle in your life sometimes. So, why, why is it so hard to stay hungry for the word of God? It's not hard, it's not hard to stay hungry for sweet tamale corn cakes. As a matter of fact, you take me there right now, I'll get them. But, but why is it so hard to stay hungry for this? When God says, this is the very source of life for you, the source of strength and energy and vitality. Why is it so hard?”

25s

#NeglectingGodHurts

“When the only record we have of the revelation of the mind of God is neglected, God is neglected. Now, you don't have to be able to spell sanctification to know that that ain't good. That can't be good, to neglect God in my life.”

39s

#DustOnBibleFrostOnHeart

“Dust on the Bible means frost on the heart. Now listen to me, in 35 plus years of ministry, I have not ever seen a single time where that statement was not true. I can tell you there's a direct correlation, love for the word of God equates to love for God. God's word, the importance, the centrality of the word of God in my life draws me closer to him, makes me feel more intimate to him, opens up my communication to him more clearly.”

59s

#JunkFoodSpirituality

“If you have a hard time staying motivated to take in the word of God, part of the reason could be because you've been filling up on the world's junk food. If all you find yourself consuming are the things of this world, whether it's the latest Facebook post, or somebody's blog, or 67 Reels, or whatever it might be, I'm not saying that some blogs are great and people write articles and it's fantastic, but if that's the only thing that you're feeding, you're feeding on, then it may not be a surprise that you find yourself spiritually anemic, spiritually weak, spiritually unprepared for whatever's coming your way today or tomorrow or next Tuesday, right?”

29s

#ChooseSpiritualNutrition

“If this is where I find the nutrition that I need, for the power that I need, for the strength that I need, for the hope that I need, for the peace that I need, for the confidence that I need, for the on and on and on, if this is where I'm going to find God, and my walk and relationship with Him, and understanding it more fully and more deeper, then why would I not want it? And so the question could be asked, do I really want this? Do I want to grow up spiritually speaking?”

34s

#MilkForSpiritualLife

“In the same way a baby cannot survive without milk. We cannot survive in this thing. We will be weak. Spiritually speaking, we will be anemic in our faith because we have not tapped into the source that provides the strength, the nutrition that we need to be healthy, growing followers of Jesus.”

16s

#StrengthForTrials

“None of this will eliminate the trials or difficulties or hardships. Making commitment to do that won't eliminate those, but it will empower me, equip me, prepare me for what comes ahead of me.”

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