Teresa Shields Parker - Sweet Hunger: Developing An Appetite for God

Copyright 2017 Teresa Shields Parker

SWEET HUNGER

DEVELOPING AN APPETITE FOR GOD

ISBN: 9-780-986-159-206

Published by Write the Vision | Columbia, Missouri

All Rights Reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations is permitted. Permission will be granted upon request. The author guarantees all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible is marked AMP. Copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from The Message is marked MSG. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible is marked NASB. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible New International Version is marked NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version of the Bible is marked NKJV. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation is marked NLT. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2913. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Living Bible is marked TLB. Copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Scripture taken from John: Eternal Love, The Passion Translation is marked TPT. Copyright 2014. Used by permission of 5 Fold Media, LLC, Syracuse, NY 13039, United States of America. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from Proverbs: Wisdom from Above, The Passion Translation is marked TPT. Copyright 2013. Used by permission of 5 Fold Media, LLC, Syracuse, NY 13039, United States of America. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from Letters from Heaven by the Apostle Paul, The Passion Translation is marked TPT. Copyright 2013. Used by permission of 5 Fold Media, LLC, Syracuse, NY 13039, United States of America. All rights reserved.

To Contact the Author:

www.TeresaShieldsParker.com

DEDICATION

To every person who desires to love
God more than a cookie,
but has no idea how to go about doing that.
To those whose deepest desire is to crave Gods presence,
but the brownies get in the way.
God sees you as beautiful and is waiting for you
to ask Him for help.
You are weak, that is true,
but in Him you are stronger than strong.
He is drawing you near.
Hes beckoning you to come to Him.
Hes calling your name right now.
Your deepest desires have been answered
not in the sweet foods that tempt you,
but in your souls deep yearning for
more of the reality of God.
It is the sweetest of all hungers
and only God can satisfy it.

When God fulfills your longing, sweetness fills your soul.
PROVERBS 13:19 TPT

T eresa Shields Parker has an incredible story of God leading her to lose over 260 pounds. Being her pastor for many years I have had the privilege of watching the development of her Sweet Series of books move from idea to publication. This book, the sixth in the series, brings together her story with eight Bible studies you can use for personal or group discussion. God has truly used her to touch many lives through her writing, coaching and speaking.

What I love about Teresas testimony is that she identifies a rarely discussed issue in the Church realm: unhealthy eating habits. I can say as a pastor I have seldom mentioned the sin of gluttony and certainly have never made a whole sermon about that issue.

Teresa, however, does address gluttony, as well as sugar and food addictions. With two-thirds of Americans overweight and obese it is a huge issue the Church as a whole is largely ignoring.

In Sweet Hunger: Developing An Appetite for God, Teresa takes normal everyday Bible stories most Christians are familiar with and helps us understand how God uses food to symbolize our need for His presence in our lives.

Of all the things people put on the throne of their hearts, our stomachs could possibly be the most damning. The line Teresa draws is not one of condemnation, but of exhortation from a lifetime of experience with the stronghold we many times allow certain foods to have in our lives.

She was seeking satisfaction not from Jesus, but from sugar and comfort foods. This addiction controlled her and limited her in so many ways. The sweet freedom she finally experienced came when the Holy Spirit revealed the truth of this idolatry to her.

In Teresas books youll not find a get-thin-quick scheme or a fad diet, but rather a wonderful story of how the sweet grace of God came to her in unexpected ways and helped her walk out her journey. Her story will encourage you, but even more, the insights, thoughts and questions she shares will help you delve more deeply into the issues which may also have you bound.

Whether you have an issue with food or not, this book, along with the content, questions and activities, will lead you on a journey of longing for the sweetness only God can provide in your life.

Journey with Teresa into the very presence of God as you learn to develop a never-ending appetite for Him.

Jeremy Risner, Lead Pastor
C2 Church, Columbia, MO

I ve made a firm decision to allow God to change my appetite. No longer do I crave the sweet foods I desired for most of my life. Today, I crave fellowship with God. I want to develop an even more ravenous appetite for Him, a hunger for the sweetest thing of allthe overwhelming, never-ending presence of my Creator, sitting in the heavenly realms with Him, even right here on earth.

When God realized I was serious about learning how I can be as hungry for Him as I am for certain foods, He began teaching me. He showed me how mentions of food throughout Scripture relate to seeking Him and His presence.

As I studied, God opened His Word in new ways to me. Everywhere I looked I saw how God uses examples of food to relate to Himself. I began to see what I was learning wasnt just for me. It was information for you as well.