starvations
"Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!" —Amos 8:4
When we exploit the poor and put profits ahead of people, the Lord threatens to never forget a thing we have done (Am 8:7). He will turn our feasts into mourning and our songs into lamentations (Am 8:10). There will be no joy in our worship or in our lives. We will spiritually starve to death. There will be a famine, not "of bread, or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord" (Am 8:11). We will be anorexic and lose our appetite for the things of God.
This astounding prophecy of Amos is being fulfilled today. The people of the developed countries have mercilessly exploited the poor. We have sought after the things of the flesh and thereby have stifled the Spirit (Gal 5:17; 1 Thes 5:19). Our worship and lives are often devoid of joy. Because of our spiritual anorexia, we spend more time with the newspaper than with the Bible and love TV more than we love God. The first world faces a worse starvation than the third world, and our spiritual starvation makes us apathetic to physical starvation.
Prayer: Father, You don't want any of Your children to starve in any way. May I crucify the desires of my flesh by following Your Spirit (Gal 5:24-25; Rm 8:13).
Promise: "He said to him, 'Follow Me.' Matthew got up and followed Him." —Mt 9:9
Praise: George fasts so that his prayers may be more effective against the demons of our time.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Spiritual Anorexia on audio AV 101-1 or video V-101.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 29, 2009
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.