God wants each one of us to be healthy and strong, not only physically and emotionally, but most importantly, spiritually. Like Jesus, we can be ‘strong in spirit’ so that we are more than ready to handle the daily demands and pressures of life. However, this requires a commitment to certain disciplines and practices.
When tempted by the devil Jesus quoted an Old Testament Scripture and said, “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God (Matt.4:4. NLT).” God’s Word, as revealed in the Bible, is to be our ‘daily bread’. In the same way that we need food every day to be healthy and strong so we need to daily feed upon God’s Word to us. Then as we apply it to our lives we are adding exercise to healthy food, which results in good health and spiritual fitness.
Imagine the difference in your life if you could feed daily on the wisdom of the ages! God’s words are alive and powerful, able to not only feed your soul, but to renew your thinking and to give you insight for every aspect of your life and ministry.
One good way to establish the daily discipline of feeding on God’s Word is to follow a Bible reading plan (web site). It can be a catalyst to God doing some incredible things in your life. The aim is not just to ‘get through’ the reading program but to see that God’s Word ‘gets in’ to our hearts and lives, bringing about personal growth and positive change. Set some time aside each day to read the portion for that day. Then make some observations, think about how it applies to your life, then finish with praying to God about what he has spoken to you about.
Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32. NKJV)” and “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life (John.6:63. NIV).”
As each of us establishes the habit of hearing and applying God’s Word every day, we will experience the joy of knowing God better and of becoming healthy and strong disciples of Jesus Christ.