Just like every child looks forward to growing into an adult and finally getting to do those things he or she couldn’t do as a child, so every new Christian ought to desire spiritual growth.
It is not rocket to know the role feeding plays in growing. Our bodies need to feed well to grow properly. Our spirits also need to feed well to grow well.
The Lord Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God. That gave us a clear insight into how we ought to conduct our lives on earth in terms of sustenance for our bodies and our spirits.
The Lord’s statement acknowledges that the human body is sustained by food while the human spirit is sustained by the Word of God.
The Bible teaches that God expects that the regenerated spirit of the believer should take the lead in man. This is because the Spirit of God is domiciled in the spirit of everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, the one who has been born again.
Therefore, the concept of being led by the Spirit is that the Holy Spirit leads man through his spirit. As a result, of the three components of man – spirit, soul and body – the spirit ought to be the leader. The ideal order for every Christian is that signals (instructions & verdicts) coming from the spirit are interpreted in the soul and the implementation happens in or through the body.
A Christian’s will, mind, emotions, and five senses should not have ruled over him. None of these should ever be the final authority. For this to be done, the spirit must be well-fed consistently. It needs to be empowered by God’s Word to stand and ensure that the entire human complex follows the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual growth happens when a Christian consistently feeds his spirit with God’s word, diligently follows the leading of the Holy Spirit and carefully obeys the Lord’s commands no matter the cost. And the secret to achieving these is desire.
The Word before food
To buttress the point about the need for a Christian to prioritise the feeding of the spirit over the feeding of the body, let’s look at a statement made by Job in the Bible.
“I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food,” Job said as recorded in the Book of Job chapter 23 verse 12.
I particularly like the phrase, “necessary food” because it highlights how important food is to the sustenance of the human body. No matter how spiritual you are, you cannot avoid eating for a very long time. Fasting must always be within a timeframe and with an understanding that God needs your body here on earth for His will to be accomplished.
So, Job is simply saying: “I need food. But I need God’s word more.” So, the idea is not to reckon food as not important but to reckon God’s word as significantly more important than food, no matter how delicious and special, I must add.
Mind you, desiring God’s word here does not mean just reading or studying the Bible. It is that but it entails much more. It includes spending time in prayer, communing with God and meditating on His word.
When you pray, you don’t just talk to God, you must wait for His response. Always desire to hear from God when you pray. Like Apostle Arome Osayi says often: “God does not talk much, but He answers much.” Feedback from God is part of prayer. That feedback is part of what Job was referring to.
An important question to ask yourself often is: What was the last instruction God gave me? Have I complied? Acting on God’s instruction is part of what Job considers more important than his necessary food.
Second Peter Chapter 2, verse 2 says: Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.
Think about it: Do you crave God’s word? Do you prioritise it over your breakfast?
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