Are You Starving Yourself?

ARE YOU STARVING YOURSELF?

“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” John 6:33 New King James Version).

Jesus is our bread from heaven, and eating of heaven’s bread ensures eternal life. Jesus is also the Word (see John 1:1-18) made flesh. As I read God’s holy word, I notice many references between the Word and food. Taste and see God is good (Psalm 34:8); His words are sweet to our taste (Psalm 119:103); to desire the pure milk of the word so we grow (1 Peter 2:2). Jesus Himself said man couldn’t live by bread alone but by every word proceeding from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). How wonderful! We can read the Bible to become spiritually fed, as well as gain knowledge of God’s character. Just as food and drink nourishes our bodies, God’s word nourishes our spirits. Staying on a healthy diet of Scripture ensures we are getting enough milk and meat to grow.

God has equipped our bodies to process the food we take in with digestive juices and such, but He equipped our spirits to digest His spiritual food with prayer, praise, thanksgiving, worship and fellowship. All of this, together, works in conjunction to bring us understanding of who God is and what He does. It also keeps us spiritually on our toes, making us healthy. To have only part of the formula means we are missing so much more. It is not enough to just pray, or to just praise, or just simply enjoy fellowship…we are lacking precious nutrients which benefit our entire spiritual being by engaging in only one. We must participate in all of God’s spiritual digestive processes so we don’t miss the blessings He desires to give us; blessings of His voice, His guidance, and His purposes.

If we aren’t participants in every part of this, eventually we will spiritually starve. We won’t pray as much, spend time in praise or worship, or listen to Christian music. We would not be reading our bibles as much anymore, thus enabling the world to seep in. It is like eating only take out and junk food…we become malnourished; we won’t survive very long this way.

God is so gracious, because when we find ourselves starving, He’s got a banquet table prepared for us. He fills us anew, nourishing our starving spirits. He takes our hands, guiding us to His milk, meat, bread and water. He wants to do this for us. He wants us to draw ever closer to Him, to fellowship with Him over a wonderful meal full of knowledge, understanding, praise and thanksgiving! If you have been leaving out a portion of this healthy, balanced meal from God I encourage you to put in a worship CD, call on Jesus, open your bible and read, pray, sing and fellowship. Feast on the Bread of Heaven.

Let’s pray: Dear Sweet Wonderful Holy Father, we thank You for this day. We thank You for Your Holy Food, for Your Bread, Your living water, Your banquet table filled with love, knowledge, wisdom, and revelations of You. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for showing us mercy each day and allowing us this benefit and blessing. We pray and lift up those that are starving and have gotten into spiritual junk food. We ask for Your mercy and grace to cover them, we pray that they turn their hearts back to You to be filled at Your table. We ask that they seek out those areas that they are missing and turn to You to fill them. We need more and more and more of You each day. Please reveal Yourself to us, show us Your glory, be glorified through us! We love You, we thank You and we give You all praise and honor. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s Attitude of Worship: Examine your bible study habits and your prayer life. Do you spend quality time with God? Do you spend quality time in His word? Do you find yourself spiritually dry and thirsty? These are signs that you are starving yourself. Readjust your priorities so that you can spend quality time on kingdom things!

Additional Scriptures: Refer to passage

Yes, it is a press, certainly, but a press from which shall flow in inexhaustible streams, the most abundant and most marvelous liquor that has ever flowed to relieve the thirst of men! Through it, God will spread His Word. A spring of truth shall flow from it: like a new star it shall scatter the darkness of ignorance, and cause a light heretofore unknown to shine amongst men (Johannes Gutenberg).

Shalom,

Prudence