As leaders, it's so easy to get distracted by the demands on our everyday–the deadlines, the unforeseen circumstances that sap our time and energy. In the midst of our packed schedules, we can find ourselves chasing after that which is most pressing rather than that which is most necessary. We need to be intentional about pursuing God and seeking his voice in our lives. We need to stir up a hunger for God. And as we cultivate a hunger for him in our own lives, those around us will naturally become more spiritually hungry too.

Spiritual hunger points to a sense of discontentment, emptiness, a longing. The phrase "hungering for God" points to a solution–the very hunger and desires are meant to be satisfied in God. But how do we discover God in our everyday as the source of satisfaction and joy in this life?

First, we need to pray for the hunger. Asking, "Lord, please make me hungrier for you," is a prayer God doesn't say no to! God desires for us to long for him more than we could ever long for him.

Spending time in the Scripture and encountering those "aha" moments also stirs up the hunger to know God and seek him in greater depth.

But one of the biggest things we can do to stir our spiritual hunger is to simply talk about what God is doing in our lives and what we want him to do. If someone starts talking about Texas barbeque, the kind with the pulled pork that melts in your mouth, and a big cold tangy glass of lemonade, followed up with fudge covered scoop of homemade ice cream, I start to get hungry–even if I've just eaten! If talking about food makes us physically hungry, how much more does talking about God make us spiritually hungry?

How do you build a hunger for God in your life?

Margaret Feinberg is the author of several books, including her most recent, Hungry for God. You can follow her on Twitter @mafeinberg.