I can remember last Fall listening to a radio program where they asked their listeners what their favorite comfort food was. A comfort food is something you like to eat that makes you comfortable. It is your “go to” food on a cold winter day. Many people like stews or soups because they are usually hearty and have the ability to “hit the spot.” Regardless, the reality is food is important for life, not just for comfort on a cold day. We need it for energy and if it tastes good, it gives us satisfaction and even joy!

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 your spirit to live.

If you were a hockey coach, you wouldn’t consider sending out a player out on the ice 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 in your life if you’re spiritually 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 God’s Word, the Bible, 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”. 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? Is it simply reading or is there more?

The first step in feeding ourselves is we need to receive the Word with our ears. Commit yourself to go to church and listen to God’s Word being preached. Prov. 23:12 says, “Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.” We live in such an individualistic culture that many Christians believe they can grow without being a part of a fellowship or church. But we were never created to be “Lone Rangers,” rather we were created to be in relationships, with God, and with others.

Secondly, we need to learn to read the Word with our eyes. Most homes used to have a Bible in them. But a home is not going to be blessed nor is your life just because of that. You have to have the Bible in your heart. You need to open it and allow the words to impact your life. Deuteronomy 6:6 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” The Bible is not absorbed by osmosis. You need to ingest it and to do that, you need to read it.

A third way to feed yourself is to 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. There are many different ways of learning but the Bible can be complex and other information might be needed. Ways to do that are to talk about what you’re discovering with other believers in a small-group environment or looking at various academic resources. Acts 17:11 says, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” When Paul preached to the people, they didn’t take it as truth without first examining it against what they knew from the Bible.

Another step is to reflect on the Word with your mind. Think about and chew on God’s Word. 1 Kings 3:11-13 says, “And God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.’” One of the biggest mistakes people make when studying the Bible is they neglect to pray. When we pray and ask God to give us discernment, He will.

Lastly, the result of all this is we remember the Word in our hearts. You’ll rarely have a Bible with you when you need it. Commit God’s Word to memory. Deuteronomy 11:18 says, “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Over and over I have experienced times where in a time of need, God’s Word comes to mind to comfort, battle and empower.

So, what does that mean for us? Back in 2004, a man named Morgan Spurlock made a movie in which he ate from McDonald’s for an entire month. That movie was called Supersize Me. On the outside, he looked fine. He was eating three meals a day! But the reality was, inside his body, many things were going wrong. His organs were suffering. He was getting very sick. What was the problem? He was feeding himself the wrong things.

Many Christians today are the same. We look good on the outside. We say the right things. We may do the right things, but inside we are spiritually empty. Why? Because we are not feeding ourselves the proper things… that is the Word of God.

The Bible is the most important book ever written. We see its influence in both law and culture. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it  says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The question is, “Are you feeding yourself by following all of the points above, or do you normally just stop after the first?” What changes do you need to make in your life so that you are spiritually nourished? What spiritual battle are you fighting today? Have you turned to God’s Word for sustenance?