What do you hunger for? Is it justice or revenge? Is it peace or division? There’s a verse in the bible that pretty much sums up our daily walk as believers. It all comes down to hunger! We are what we eat and only what we feed will survive. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. Galatians 5:17 Strange how winning the battle over flesh and spirit comes down to what we eat. Here are 3 ways to a healthier diet that will help you win the war.
1. Fasting
The groan you just made may have been your voice or your stomach. January is coming up and we all know that means a required corporate fast will soon be at our door demanding sacrifices and challenging our faith. It’s no big deal! How can such a small ask create such a big reaction? We simply have to stay away from certain foods, it shouldn’t be so hard but, what’s really going on is spiritual. It’s a shock to the system that brings awareness to our relationship with food and our relationship with God. It’s possible to be a believer and use food as a coping mechanism instead of going to God for our concerns.
Our physical appearance in terms of weight gain or unhealthy weight is a sign of what’s going on within, and spiritually we can’t afford to abuse our bodies when God needs them for the fulfillment of His purpose. Fasting is the requirement for a healthy spiritual life because it takes the focus off our physical bodies and gives us the chance to have a spirit check-up.
2. Watching
There’s a brutal bible verse that advises believers to cut off any parts of them that are causing them to sin. Ouch! Matthew 5:30 gives us insight on how important it is to be vigilant about the ways in which sin can take over our lives. What do you spend most of your time watching or listening to? Write it down if you have to. This is a black and white, clear and straight to the point reality for our lives; what we see and hear is either feeding our spirits or our flesh. We get to decide when and how often our spirits get the nutrients God’s word provides. In war, there are casualties and Jesus asks us to sacrifices those parts of us that would pull us farther from Him. A sin of epic proportion when Jesus gave His life to be so close to us.
3. Waiting
In the midst of our present reality, it’s difficult at times to remember what we’re waiting for. There’s an end game here; the return of Christ! The warring between our flesh and spirit is one that we must win because we have a King to answer to. His agenda supersedes our cravings and bad eating habits that starve our spirits. We are what we eat and more importantly, what we don’t eat. Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life John 6:35, what He gives sustains us, invigorates us, and satisfies our hunger. As we wait for His return let’s be encouraged to know that victory isn’t in the fight it’s in the food and we have access to the King’s table.