Famine – meaning starvation, deprivation, a shortage, in need, in want.
Famine is lack, insufficiency, hardship, distress
Famine is the opposite of abundance
In this chapter of Amos, God is pronouncing judgment on Israel. God showed Amos a basket of ripe fruit and He told Amos it was representative of the people of Israel, because they were ripe, or ready for punishment. God was tired; the merchants were keeping religious festivals, but not in the spirit. They couldn’t wait for the holy days and Sabbaths to be over so they could go back to making money. All they were really interested in was doing better for themselves, even if it meant cheating others; if it meant being immoral and deceitful; taking advantage of others. Their heart was not in worship, it was on themselves. They put on a religious front for others, but God knew their hearts, and He was not pleased. Because the people didn’t have an appetite for His Word, God said He would take it away.
There are many scriptures in the Bible that speak of famines and droughts. This particular scripture is speaking of a famine of the Word of God. This particular scripture is speaking of an absence of God’s Word; An absence, a shortage…A time of hunger and thirsting for the Word of God…running from sea to sea, from north to east, and to and fro, seeking and searching for the Word and not finding it.
Can you imagine that? Can you imagine what the world would be like if there was a spiritual famine? …what it would be like if the Word was not available. If there were people who were searching for the Word and could not find it….If people were searching and seeking for the Truth and found nothing….What would this world be like?
We would probably have mentally ill people walking the streets; prisons filling up; drug addicts going in and out of rehab without change, without Christ; AIDS spreading; new diseases, parents killing children, children killing parents, children killing children; children would be abandoned; there would be same sex marriages; there would be more divorces than marriages; people would be shacking up, fornicating and committing adultery; there would be hate crimes; terrorist attacks; people losing jobs, people losing homes, people starving, senior citizens would not be able to buy their medicine; there would be senseless wars; ... we would see all types of horrible events going on in the world day after day, getting worse and not better....If we had a spiritual famine in this land, men would be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
If we were in a spiritual famine.
I know what you are thinking..Gee it sounds a lot like the world today..It sounds a lot like America today…But it can’t be…We can’t be experiencing a spiritual famine..Not with all of the churches on every corner..Not with all of the Christians walking around…Not with all of the people professing to be witnesses and ambassadors of Christ. We could not be experiencing a spiritual famine, because that could only happen if there were no people hearing from God, and we know that people are hearing from God, because they say they are hearing from God. People are saying that God told them to tell you how you can get a new house and a new car and how you can have the best of everything because your Father is rich and owns everything.
So we cannot be experiencing a spiritual famine in this land, because people are on television telling us how to buy some cloths and purchase some water so we can be healed and we can be delivered and we can experience the power of God in our finances and in our home. There are prophets on television telling us that we can send them money and they will send us a prophetic word about our life. There can’t be a spiritual famine in this land.
With all of the church buildings and all of the church people, how could there be a spiritual famine in this land. Yes, I know that it looks like there it is a spiritual famine in the land; it seems that there is an absence of God’s Word in the land; it appears that there is a shortage of God’s Word for the lost, the hurting, the oppressed, the depressed, the addicted, the unsaved, the backslidden, the confused and abused.
It looks as if those who are searching for hope can’t find it…And those that say they have hope, won’t share it.
I suppose that if there were many people without food, and a few people who had food, but would not share it, it would appear that there was a famine in the land. If there was plenty of food, but the distributors of the food would not issue the food to those who needed it, there would still be a famine in the land.
Turn with me to Isaiah 58:6-12
In Isaiah chapter 58, again God was addressing the children of Israel. Again we are looking at false worship. The people went to the Temple everyday, and they made a show of coming to God and asking Him to take action on their behalf. They told the Lord, ‘We have fasted before you; why aren’t you impressed.’ The Lord told them, ‘ because while you are fasting, you are living for yourselves, you are concerned with yourselves; you are still fighting and quarrelling; you are still oppressing your workers; you go through the motions, and outwardly you look like you are right, but you ain’t!” God said if you really want to please, me you need to have a real fast…the kind of fast that causes change in you and in the world.
The fast that the Lord is calling, is to share your bread with the hungry…this is natural and spiritual bread..Jesus is the bread of life, and He says ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Jesus lets us know that we need natural bread, but without the spiritual bread, without Him, without the Word, we have no life, because He is the way the truth and the life. We are experiencing a spiritual famine.
v.7 continues by saying that we are to cover the naked. This is both natural and spiritual, giving them clothing if needed, but also sharing God’s Word, knowing that the Word exposes our sinfulness and our nakedness; and by reaching out, we are showing the love of Christ, and love covers a multitude of sins; the Word cleanses us and delivers us. Then we’ll call on the Lord and He’ll hear us. V.10 says if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul..(the amplified says, ‘if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life, for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness) We are the light of the world, is that right? We are to shine in darkness, is that right?…the light removes darkness.
God says, ‘ This type of fast; reaching out to others; sharing God’s Word; sharing God’s love; sharing God’s compassion; being doers of the Word and not only hearers; this will bless the land and this is true worship!! Then HE will water our lives when we are dry…We will be blessed and our children will be blessed. They will rebuild the deserted cities. God is not looking for fake worship…He is looking for people who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Then He can heal our lands. But there is a spiritual famine in the land
Either we share, or we will experience the famine with the rest of the world. Why? Because Jesus said, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?... If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.’ Then He said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Our light should help direct people to Christ, because they are in darkness. However if we do not use what we have learned and heard, for the Kingdom of God, we will lose what we have. But if we give and apply the Word, we will receive more. (with the same measure we use, it will be measured to us.) There is a famine in the land.
We are to share what God has given us, with the rest of the land, because if the land is in spiritual famine it affects us all. If the world is in a shambles, though we are not of the world, we surely are in the world. We can either make a difference and shed our light and share the Word of God with a hungry, thirsty, hurting land, or we can watch the spiritual famine take place, while God looks at us wondering where are My intercessors, where are My witnesses, where are My watchmen, where are My people. There a famine in the land.
Famine comes as a result of resources running out…
There is a famine in the land, not because there is no water and food available, but because we are not taking the water and food to those who are hungry and thirsty.
A spiritual famine is experienced by those who don’t know Christ, or they have turned away from Him, becoming lukewarm or cold Christians; they are empty, experiencing a void, which they don’t know how to fill. They try all types of worldy remedies; all types of relationships, addictions, hobbies, parties; they may get depressed, frustrated and confused, because no matter what they try or how hard they try it, nothing seems to work.
They are still hungry, still thirsty, and still void. Once they have run out of all of their resources and they have run out of themselves, they begin to realize that it is something else that they are hungering for, and it is not any of the worldy things that they have tried.
If only someone with the bread of life would come and tell them that they need Jesus! If only someone who had experienced the spiritual famine, but had been filled and saved, would just come and tell the hopeless, helpless, hurting, dying soul, that they do not need to thirst and hunger any longer, because there is enough spiritual food for everyone.
Turn with me to Ezekiel 3:1-4
The Lord came to Ezekiel in his vision and Ezekiel ate God’s message..He digested the Word of God…and he found it to be sweet as honey. We need to feed on God’s Word for our spirit, just as we eat natural food for our bodies. We have to digest God’s Word regularly, that we may live.
Ezekiel 3:16-21
We are watchmen. A watchman’s job was to stand on the city wall and warn people of approaching danger…a spiritual watchman warns people of the judgment to come. If we do not warn unbelievers and backsliders of the consequences, and penalty of rejecting God, we will be accountable. If we do not share God’s Word and His truth, we will be held accountable.
Jesus commissioned us to go and preach the gospel to every creature. There is a famine in the land. People are starving for God and some don’t even know it. They are dying in their trespasses from spiritual starvation and deprivation. They are dying with no hope, no chance, no expectation and no answers, when we could save them if we shared the Word that we have freely received.
There is a famine in the land, and it is in destruction. God wants to use us to save them. The Word of God says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But then the Word says, “ How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach(proclaim) the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’
The land could be healed and saved, if only they called on the name of Jesus; if only they ate of the bread of life; and drank the living water. But how can they call on Jesus if they don’t believe on Him; how can they believe on Him if they have not heard about Him; how can they hear about Him if you don’t tell them!! You say, ‘The Word says how can we go unless we’ve been sent.’ You have been sent…Jesus said, ‘ Go preach the gospel to every creature.’ Jesus said, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.’
You have been sent, but will you go. There is a famine in the land.
Jesus told us to go..We see the famine all around us and God is looking for His watchmen, because God’s Word says, He is not willing that any man should perish, but that all should come to repentence. There is a famine in the land.
You may say, ‘well I don’t know that much of the Word, I have not been saved that long myself…share what you know and God will feed more into you; as you give it shall be given to you. (give what you got, and I will give you more)
John 6:27,35
There is a spiritual famine, spiritual poverty, spiritual destitution in this land.
We can help put an end to the spiritual famine, if we would share our Jesus!!!…If we would share the bread of life, with a spiritually starving world…
We need to offer people an invitation to abundant life, new life, and a restored life…the word says in Isaiah 55:1-2 NIV
“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—its all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is food for the soul!
What the world spends money and time on, does not fill them, it does not satisfy them. The world looks for temporary relief, temporary happiness, temporary solutions. Temporary does not last; if you were hungry, you will be hungry again; if you were thirsty you will be thirsty again; if you were depressed, you will be depressed again; if you were unsatisfied, you will be unsatisfied again.
Listen brothers and sisters, there is a famine in the land. There is sin all around us; there are hurting people, hurting people; there are children raising children; there is an absence of morals and an absence of order. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. I’m not just talking about with money, I am speaking about those who are rich in the word, are just feeding on it and not sharing it, and those who do not have it, are not getting it!
This has become a land of ‘do what you want to do on Broadway’. This seems to be a land of anything goes and everything is o.k.
The world is trying to take care of the natural things of the world…But only the church can take care of the spiritual things of the world. We can’t sit back and give the church’s responsibility to the world. We cannot sit back and pretend, acting as though, we do not know there is a famine, because we are watchmen. We can’t close our eyes, because we are no longer blind. We can’t compromise, conforming to the world as though everything is o.k. We can’t be lukewarm, halfhearted and indifferent to what is going on. Jesus said be hot or cold…Don’t go to church and do nothing…if we are going to hear the word and profess to be Christians and ambassadors, witnesses for Christ, don’t talk about it, be about it!!
There is a famine in the land and the church has been supplied with everything needed to end the famine. We have been equipped, outfitted and prepared to go and do the works of the body of Christ. Nobody cares if we talk about our faith and don’t act on it. Faith without works is dead!!
The enemy doesn’t care about you sitting around talking about the famine in the land; talking about the evil all around; talking about the sin running rapid; talking about the unsaved; talking about the backsliden…..
Talking about it, has no power; and does no good!
What the enemy does not want you to do, is be a source to supply spiritual food, love, compassions and life to a destitute land, that is dying of starvation. What the enemy does not want you to do, is take a stand against the works of the devil, by witnessing and praying. What the enemy does not want you to do is put on the full armor of God and come against the darkness of this world. What the enemy does not want is for you to be a believing believer; a doer and not a talker; a dispenser instead of a sponge; what he does not believe is that you will do what the Word of God says, and then become a threat to the spiritual wickedness in this world!
Will you be a source of life or a bystander? Will you be a watchman or a secret agent; God is calling His people today. God is calling for His people so He can heal the land..
There is a spiritual famine and God is calling for His people today….
He says in II Chronicles 7:13-14
“When I shut up heaven and there is not rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
It seems that God is saying that His people have something to do with there being a spiritual famine in the land.
God wants to know today who will take a stand for Christ; who will be a vessel used to supply food for the famine; who will make a commitment to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only..God is calling for His people today to make a difference, to glorify Him; to stand in the gap and to stand on the Word. He is looking for someone who believes; someone who knows that sharing His Word with others, will change their direction, their course, and their path; He is looking for someone who believes that sharing His Word with others will save, rescue, recover and revive lives who are starving and dying from the famine in the land.
We don’t need to get hung up on each individual sin that is taking place in the world. We just need to recognize that the whole problem in the land is the famine; it is a lack of the Word being taught; the lack of God being sought; the lack of love given; the lack of Christians being driven; the lack of God being shared. The lack of our light shining everywhere.
We need less picketing and more witnessing; we need less complaining and more confessing; we need less sitting on the pews and more standing on the promises; we need less programming and more proclaiming; we need less Bible toters and more Bible teachers; we need less worldy solutions and more Godly results; we need less claiming to be Christians and more showing that we are Christians. ‘
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
God says ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us,?….” Will you say, ‘here am I Lord send me?”
Has God been there for you in your spiritual famine..When you were lost and in darkness, did God send someone to rescue you? Did God send His Word to you? Has God delivered you from any trouble; any destruction; has God healed your hurts and pains; filled your empty life with joy? Has God protected you and provided for you? Has God called you out and pick you up and turned you around? Has God moved on your behalf to give you favor and to give you strength and to give you hope when you had no hope? Has God shown you that He is God; that He is sovereign; that He is all powerful? Has God blessed your family; blessed your household; has He made a way out of no way?
If God has blessed you, you need to give Him praise; if He has answered your prayers, you need to give Him praise; If you are thankful for Jesus, you need to give Him praise….Don’t be afraid, don’t be ashamed…Let your light shine; Let God use you to supply hope for the famine in the land…
Are you experiencing a spiritual famine? Have you been trying everything to fill a void in your life? Have you been feeling empty and unfulfilled, distraught and dissatisfied? God is calling you today. He wants to end the famine in your life. He wants to save you, deliver you, heal you and restore you. In the beginning, Genesis tells us, the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. That is how we are without God. But praise God, God takes nothing and makes something…He replaces darkness with light, heartache with joy, pain with pleasure, confusion with understanding; He takes our old life and replaces it with a new life; HE takes our hopelessness and gives us hopefulness; God wants to take the life of lack and famine, and He wants to replace it with His fullness. He wants us to experience abundant life through Christ Jesus.
Peace that surpasses understanding; abundant joys, abundant grace, abundant power, abundant supplies and an abundant entrance in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Trade your famine for a land flowing with milk and honey.
