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A Balanced Diet for Believers - The Word

by Jerry Ousley  
8/29/2009 / Christian Living

I've never been good at balanced diets. I suppose that's why I'm a little overweight today. It's not that I don't want to do the right things but folks I just like food. Okay I know I'd probably be better off if I'd eat right. But for some twisted reason I just can't seem to justify living a longer life if I can't have any fun with it. I just can't help it; sometimes I've got to run out and find somewhere where I can get a trans-fat fix, you know? By the way that's getting harder and harder to do these days.

I've had to pay for some of those splurges. There have been times I've battled upset stomachs, heartburn, and a host of other things that I probably shouldn't mention in public.

Debbie tells me that I've got a cast iron stomach. But I know that cast iron does rust very easily and one of these days I'll have to start watching what I eat. It's just hard to do when the sight of those foods I love so dearly are blinding me. I suppose I do watch what I eat to a degree; I watch it as I put it in my mouth.

As I said, I'll probably have a debt to pay someday but right now I'm enjoying every minute of it. They say I'll feel better if I'd balance my diet but I can't imagine feeling any better than I do right now.

However when it comes to spiritual things a balanced diet is essential. If we want to grow in Jesus Christ it is imperative that we partake of a balanced diet. A balanced spiritual diet consists of a three course feast of the spirit.

In Matthew 4 Jesus had climbed a mountain and fasted for forty days. The devil, being the deviously sly creature he is, didn't try to temp Jesus during His fast. He waited until the forty day period was over. Jesus could eat now. He had ended His fast. Satan wasted no time.

He went straight to Jesus and told Him, "If You are the Son of God then it would be an easy thing for you to just turn these stones into bread. You've finished Your fast; it's okay for You to eat. Who would know? Go ahead and feed Yourself; You deserve it.

Jesus refused to use the power of God for such a trivial thing and even though the temptation to feed His hungry body had to be great He said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD" (Verse 4). That is the first course of a balanced spiritual diet The Word of God.

We here in the United States don't really appreciate the Bible. God has allowed for us to have this wonderful Instruction Guide to teach us how to get through life as a Christian. But all too often the Bible is allowed to collect dust and we tend to rely just on what we hear from the pulpit and on the radio and TV. While these things can be very informative and good and God has given them their place in our teaching process, nothing can serve as a substitute for reading the Bible under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It is food to our hungry spiritual souls. It is nourishment that builds strong bodied believers in every spiritual way.

We can't substitute. While I have poked fun at myself in my bad eating habits I know that I may get away with my physical diet. But we cannot grow in Christ and expect to be strong believers in Him aside from this first course of the balanced diet for Believers.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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