The other day while praying for a friend of mine, I was led to pray that she get so close to God that she become addicted to Him.  As soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew that I needed the same thing for myself.  “Help me to be addicted to your Word, Lord,” I prayed.  I want to need it, desire it, and do all I can to get it every day no matter what.  I think it’s an addiction that all Christians should have.

My desire to become addicted led me to Job 23:12.  It says, “…I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”  Job points out that food is necessary for our survival, but the Word of God is, let’s say, SUPER necessary.  He also uses an interesting word to express his treatment of the Word–esteem.  I looked this word up and found out that to esteem something means to hide, hoard or reserve it.  Job was apparently taking in so much Word that he had built up a Word stash.  You weren’t going to find him suffering from Word withdrawal.  He had plenty to sustain him through the trials of life (he had a lot of those), and he kept his supply coming daily.  Talk about an addict.  Job set the bar high with this one.  How many of us can honestly say that we are that committed to the study of God’s Word?  That we treasure it more than the food we eat?  I know I can’t.  If I did, I would make sure that I partake of it as often as I partake of natural food, if not more–breakfast, lunch, and dinner and snacks in between–EVERY DAY like clockwork.  I do love God’s Word or maybe it’s more accurate to say that I have a healthy respect for it.  I get excited when I hear it, I can talk about it to others, and I even live it in most cases.  But do I really give it the respect that it deserves?  My prayer for myself and for you is that we will become addicted to the Word and STAY addicted.  So, besides praying for this total dependency on the Word, what is my part in ensuring that this becomes a reality daily?  I think a mind change is in order first.  I must see spiritual food differently.

I like to eat just as much as the next person, but my perspective on eating has changed a bit since I’ve been striving to lower my cholesterol and lose some excess fat around my mid section. What I’ve learned about a weight trainer’s diet is that it’s important to eat for fuel so that our muscles can grow.  That goes totally against what the food industry, the media, and every doughnut shop around me promote, which is to eat for pleasure.  I’ve found that healthy eating is not always a pleasurable experience because I cannot indulge in any and everything that tastes good, if it is not good for me.  It is easy to get bored with clean eating, and our flesh would have us to believe the same thing about the daily study of God’s Word.

While reading the Word of God is not always a pleasurable experience to our flesh, it is indeed spiritual fuel to help you function to your fullest God-ordained potential.  We need it to build ourselves up spiritually.  So no matter how dry or routine your study sessions may have been in the past, it can be a very fulfilling experience.  He rewards those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6)  So don’t give up.  Once you’ve tapped into revelation and have seen the results of quality time spent with Him, you won’t ever want to stop.  I know because I have been there before.  I just need to return to that place FAST.

I think it also goes back to being consistent.  I know in my heart of hearts that if I can spend an hour in the gym 4 to 5 days a week, then surely I can spend time each day in the Word.  I know which is more important, but it’s just like my Pastor says, the proof is not in what you know, it’s in what you do with what you know that matters.  My goal is to manage my distractions and prioritize my day to make God’s Word a priority, not just on Sunday morning or Wednesday night, but everyday.

If that isn’t motivation enough, think about this.  The enemy sure doesn’t want us to get to this point because he knows the outcome of a life filled with the Word–victory, blessings, good success, peace, and prosperity.  Yes, the Word of God is a powerful substance that can hook you if you let it.  But don’t worry.  This addiction will never lead to an overdose because you can’t ever get too much of it.

I’d like to hear your thoughts.  If you have already established a daily appointment with God and His Word, what is it like for you?  If not, what is your goal to establish this in your life?