Have you been taking your Vitamin-C? Yes, drinking your orange juice every morning is important, but that isn’t the Daily Dosage I’m referring to.
I mean, are you stuffed from a full course of the Gospel, or are you spiritually malnourished?
Excuse the puns. Let me speak in the literal sense for a moment.
We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 KJV), meaning the Lord took great care to make us who and how we are, in each aspect, whether we appreciate every one of them or not (and we should).
I do believe He is pleased when we take up the responsibility as stewards and physically care for our bodies by eating healthily and regularly, getting a solid night’s rest (guilty), and having some form of exercise.
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| Doges Palace, Venice, Italy |
However, what we intake or exert through our physical senses is only half of the effort needed to stay spiritually healthy.
Just like John 6:27 (ESV) states, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you…”
We must keep our faith active and our spiritual brains sharp and in shape too.
One way to do that is to clear our minds first thing and ask the Lord to help us see and think like Him throughout the day.
According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV), our bodies are God’s temple–His dwelling place.
As His tenants, not only are we required to tend to our habitations and keep them clean–we are also told to take the best care of the sanctuaries in our hearts like the gold they are supposed to be.
He asks that these sacred grounds be fit for a King’s character to reign in (2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV).
This can’t be accomplished well enough by maintaining a constant diet of fast food, so to speak.
Sure, there are times when a quick snack can satisfy our hungry hearts momentarily–a brief reading of the daily verse provided by the Bible app on our smartphones, for instance. But if this is all we allow ourselves for days, or weeks, at a time, our spiritual immune system is bound to be depleted by all the garbage we are bombarded by.
Without spiritual exercise, we won’t be able to build our faith muscles.
Without these, well, I think most of us have experienced what can happen. We get lazy, we get restless, we become worriers instead of warriors, and so forth.
Thus, reading the Word and praying keeps our souls strong and our spirits enlightened. And your spiritual meter will tell you if you’ve had enough to face the day or not.
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| Yellowstone National Park, WY |
As a reminder, the Apostle Paul specifically said to RUN the race before us (Hebrews 12:1). This doesn’t seem like a suggestion. He didn’t say jog or briskly walk.
I’m pretty sure he meant, put some passion into it! Dig into the Scriptures and actively seek out God’s purpose for your energy.
What do you usually want to do after working out extra hard or pumping iron?
Down a gallon of H20 and then eat, right? Stuff your face.
And you should, otherwise your body can’t rebuild itself.
We are fighting battles we cannot visibly see the majority of the time. And whether we are conscious to it or not, they drain us.
Just like Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) explains, we’re up against spiritual demons of darkness every minute, which is why the next verse says we need to suit up in God’s armor to defend our souls.
Like any soldier who has exhausted his mental and physical limits, we need to replenish our spirits, feeding on the Daily Bread, in order to be empowered and refreshed in Christ.
Otherwise, we become weaker, and the Enemy, much like a virus or plague, makes his moves based on the holes in our health.
As I know I’ve said before, my mother is a nutritionist. I am well-acquainted with the term “you are what you eat.”
Life, like your diet, is all about balance. As most of us know, if all one eats are juicy steaks without fibrous vegetables and fruits to offset the high protein and fat content, the results will likely be sluggishness, along with the rest of its synonyms, as the body tries to process the dense substance.
There is nothing wrong with the steak (or even a bowl of ice cream for that matter…), for our enjoyment, but it’s the quantity that is key.
Likewise for our spiritual digestion.
If we are constantly absorbing heavy information or entertainment from the world, or focusing too much on intense, intellectual, controversial topics, we will feel burdened or disturbed, as if our figurative equilibrium is off and our spirits are struggling to take it all in.
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| Yellowstone National Park, WY |
In this kind of condition, how can we expect to stand firm against the blows of Enemy punches aimed at our thoughts?
The moral is this: Whatever we intake with our 5 senses, let’s be sure to balance it out with the Word of God, or else we’ll find ourselves off-kilter and easy to be swayed or knocked down.
Basically, the more of God’s positive strength we build ourselves up with, the better our power over negative thoughts and opposition.
Here’s to a healthier heart, a fitter faith, and a sustained spirit! 🙂
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