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Spiritual Food for Spiritual Strength
Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you need spiritual food for spiritual strength. The Bible describes itself as spiritual food — the water, milk, bread, and meat of our spiritual lives. It’s everything you need for sustenance.
If you were a construction contractor, you wouldn’t consider sending out a guy who hadn’t eaten anything in two weeks. If you were a commander in the Army, you wouldn’t send a person into battle who hadn’t eaten in a month. Right? We need to feed ourselves to have the strength to accomplish the tasks ahead of us.
You’re not going to have much success in winning the spiritual battles you face if you’re starving yourself to death. That’s why we need to feed ourselves on the Word of God.
Unlike eating physical food, whenever I feed on the Word, I get even hungrier. The more I taste and see how good God is, the more I want.
The Bible says in Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (NIV). Paul is telling us to let the Bible take up residence in our lives in a rich, profound, and life-giving way.
So how do we feed ourselves on the Word of God and allow that to happen?
• Receive the Word with your ears. Commit yourself to go to church and listen to God’s Word being preached.
• Read the Word with your eyes. As I said, having a Bible in your house is not going to bless your life. You have to have the Bible in your heart.
• Research the Word with your hands and mouth. When studying the Word of God, keep a pencil in your hand. Write down what God teaches. Talk about what you’re discovering with other believers in a small-group environment.
• Reflect on the Word with your mind. Think about and chew on God’s Word.
• Remember the Word with your heart. You’ll rarely have a Bible with you when you need it. Commit God’s Word to memory.
This devotional © 2014 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you need spiritual food for spiritual strength. The Bible describes itself as spiritual food — the water, milk, bread, and meat of our spiritual lives. It’s everything you need for sustenance.
If you were a construction contractor, you wouldn’t consider sending out a guy who hadn’t eaten anything in two weeks. If you were a commander in the Army, you wouldn’t send a person into battle who hadn’t eaten in a month. Right? We need to feed ourselves to have the strength to accomplish the tasks ahead of us.
You’re not going to have much success in winning the spiritual battles you face if you’re starving yourself to death. That’s why we need to feed ourselves on the Word of God.
Unlike eating physical food, whenever I feed on the Word, I get even hungrier. The more I taste and see how good God is, the more I want.
The Bible says in Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (NIV). Paul is telling us to let the Bible take up residence in our lives in a rich, profound, and life-giving way.
So how do we feed ourselves on the Word of God and allow that to happen?
• Receive the Word with your ears. Commit yourself to go to church and listen to God’s Word being preached.
• Read the Word with your eyes. As I said, having a Bible in your house is not going to bless your life. You have to have the Bible in your heart.
• Research the Word with your hands and mouth. When studying the Word of God, keep a pencil in your hand. Write down what God teaches. Talk about what you’re discovering with other believers in a small-group environment.
• Reflect on the Word with your mind. Think about and chew on God’s Word.
• Remember the Word with your heart. You’ll rarely have a Bible with you when you need it. Commit God’s Word to memory.
This devotional © 2014 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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About this Plan
The Bible is your bread and water and will sustain you for a lifetime of faithful service. But you have to do more than just read God’s Word! In this series, Pastor Rick walks through the steps of effective Bible study and application so that you can build your life on the solid foundation of God’s Word and let it change the way you live.
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