April 20th, 2022
Have you ever thought about what sustains you? In the natural, the obvious answer would be food. To Sustain means “to strengthen or support physically or mentally.” We know our bodies are fueled by what we consume, and we are made to need regular sustenance. We need to eat, not just daily, but multiple times a day, to keep our bodies strong! The more nutritious our food is, the stronger and healthier our bodies will be. Now, there is a lot of food out there that tastes great and makes us feel full for a time, but actually has no value. It does absolutely nothing to nourish our bodies and actually leaves us feeling more weak and tired than we’d be without it, even if we don’t realize it. However, because it tastes good in the moment, our brains get trained to crave more of it (Hello, ice cream). Most of us know this, even if we don’t practice it, but have you thought about what sustains you spiritually, emotionally, and mentally?
Just as our natural bodies need to be fed regularly, our spirits need regular sustenance to grow and be strong. As believers in Jesus, we have been brought from death to life. However, just because we are alive doesn’t mean we’re mature! When we are first saved, we are like spiritual newborns. Paul talked about this in his letter to the Corinthian church, saying,
“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh.”
We understand from this and many other scriptures that our spirits are fed by the Word of God. Paul explained that he could only give the Corinthian church the milk of the Word, because of their immaturity. Thousands of years before Paul wrote the words above, Moses said,
“And [God] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:3)
It is the Word of God that sustains us. Now, what do you think of when I say the word of God? The obvious answer would be the Bible and that’s true! However, it’s possible to read the Bible with a carnal mind and never know the One who breathed it to life. Reading the Bible is absolutely necessary for a believer, but it’s not enough to just read it. We have to encounter the God of the Bible and truly feed on His word! That’s the only way to receive life. The Bible is how we encounter the Living Word—the One who’s life, death, and resurrection we celebrated this week on Easter. Jesus is the Word made flesh and that’s why He could say,
“…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him…This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 52:58)
The more we feed on Him, the stronger we will be. It’s exactly the same as it is with our natural bodies. The more real nutrition we consume, the stronger and healthier we will be. I have noticed in the natural that I don’t realize how strong or weak I am until I work out. I don’t know what needs work until I try to use those muscles! It’s the same in the spiritual. We often don’t realize where we are until something causes us to exercise our spiritual strength. Regardless of whether you’re a new believer or you’ve been a Christian for 50 years, there is always room for growth. God’s desire for us is to continually get stronger and go deeper in Him until we see Him face to face.
So, I ask you again: What is sustaining you? What have you been consuming? Have you been feeding on the meat of His word, spending time in His love and His presence, so that your Spirit is strong and full of His life? Or have you been consuming just enough of Him to stay alive, but not enough to be strong and grow? If you feel weak, it’s likely because you’ve been eating the wrong food! It’s easy to fill ourselves with things that numb our need for God. They make us feel full, just like sugar and carbs do for our natural body, but they leave us empty and undernourished. When our bodies are in starvation mode, every non-essential function is put on the back burner, as the body focuses all its energy on surviving! Too many Christians live like this in the spiritual. We’ve all been in those weary places, but that’s not where God wants us to live! Psalm 55:22 says,
“Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.”
God’s desire for us is to be so dependent upon Him that we feed on His word, His presence, His goodness, His love, and His life continually. Just as God sustained His people in the wilderness, giving them daily manna and not allowing their clothes to wear out, He will sustain for us. He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. He did not withhold the most precious thing He had, giving Jesus for our salvation, and He will withhold no good thing from those who love Him (Ps. 84:11)! I want to encourage you today, and every day, to consume His Word like you never have before. Jesus is the Word made flesh and He is the only one that will truly satisfy and sustain us! Be filled today, like you never have before. There is always more.
Just as our natural bodies need to be fed regularly, our spirits need regular sustenance to grow and be strong. As believers in Jesus, we have been brought from death to life. However, just because we are alive doesn’t mean we’re mature! When we are first saved, we are like spiritual newborns. Paul talked about this in his letter to the Corinthian church, saying,
“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh.”
We understand from this and many other scriptures that our spirits are fed by the Word of God. Paul explained that he could only give the Corinthian church the milk of the Word, because of their immaturity. Thousands of years before Paul wrote the words above, Moses said,
“And [God] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:3)
It is the Word of God that sustains us. Now, what do you think of when I say the word of God? The obvious answer would be the Bible and that’s true! However, it’s possible to read the Bible with a carnal mind and never know the One who breathed it to life. Reading the Bible is absolutely necessary for a believer, but it’s not enough to just read it. We have to encounter the God of the Bible and truly feed on His word! That’s the only way to receive life. The Bible is how we encounter the Living Word—the One who’s life, death, and resurrection we celebrated this week on Easter. Jesus is the Word made flesh and that’s why He could say,
“…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him…This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 52:58)
The more we feed on Him, the stronger we will be. It’s exactly the same as it is with our natural bodies. The more real nutrition we consume, the stronger and healthier we will be. I have noticed in the natural that I don’t realize how strong or weak I am until I work out. I don’t know what needs work until I try to use those muscles! It’s the same in the spiritual. We often don’t realize where we are until something causes us to exercise our spiritual strength. Regardless of whether you’re a new believer or you’ve been a Christian for 50 years, there is always room for growth. God’s desire for us is to continually get stronger and go deeper in Him until we see Him face to face.
So, I ask you again: What is sustaining you? What have you been consuming? Have you been feeding on the meat of His word, spending time in His love and His presence, so that your Spirit is strong and full of His life? Or have you been consuming just enough of Him to stay alive, but not enough to be strong and grow? If you feel weak, it’s likely because you’ve been eating the wrong food! It’s easy to fill ourselves with things that numb our need for God. They make us feel full, just like sugar and carbs do for our natural body, but they leave us empty and undernourished. When our bodies are in starvation mode, every non-essential function is put on the back burner, as the body focuses all its energy on surviving! Too many Christians live like this in the spiritual. We’ve all been in those weary places, but that’s not where God wants us to live! Psalm 55:22 says,
“Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.”
God’s desire for us is to be so dependent upon Him that we feed on His word, His presence, His goodness, His love, and His life continually. Just as God sustained His people in the wilderness, giving them daily manna and not allowing their clothes to wear out, He will sustain for us. He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. He did not withhold the most precious thing He had, giving Jesus for our salvation, and He will withhold no good thing from those who love Him (Ps. 84:11)! I want to encourage you today, and every day, to consume His Word like you never have before. Jesus is the Word made flesh and He is the only one that will truly satisfy and sustain us! Be filled today, like you never have before. There is always more.
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