What Are You Filling Yourself With?

INTRO

Food is vital for sustaining life.

When we are starving there are some things that happen:

Our sense of smell heightens.

We’re always thinking about eating.

We get pains and it eventually affects how we act and our emotions.

We want something delicious.

Not everything that smells good, is good for us.

When we’re full some things also happens:

Smelling food make us feel sick.

We have no desire to eat anything else.

Some of us feel content with what we ate.

Others regret eating what they did.

Statistic: Teens Eating:

Studies show that 80% of U.S. teens have an unhealthy diet.

Teens get roughly around 25% of their calories from junk food.

What Are We Eating?:

What are your favorite snack?

When do you typically eat snacks? (day, late at night)

Are there particular junk food that you’re emotionally tied to?

Why do we eat junk food instead of regular food? (lazy, not enough time?)

calories from junk food.

Most of us know that junk food is bad for us, yet we still continue to eat it, why?

Junk Food vs Nutritional Food

There are seldom any good nutrients that come out of junk food, but nutritional food provide nutrients that the body needs to survive and grow.

EATING HEALTHY

May help you live longer

Keeps skin, teeth, and eyes healthy.

Supports muscles.

Boost immunity.

Strengthens bones.

Lowers risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Helps the digestive system

Boosts your mood.

Give you more energy.

So Why Do We Hate Nutritional Food?

We think that nutritional food takes too long to make.

We think that nutritional food is boring.

It’s expensive.

Not as accessible as junk food.

SPIRITUAL FOOD VS WORLDLY FOOD

Much like with physical nourishment, Without proper spiritual nourishment, the human body becomes weak and cannot function properly.

Christians must take care of their spiritual bodies through eating right and consuming key nutrients so that they can not only just survive, but to thrive in our relationship with God.

Jesus emphasized the importance of spiritual food when he was tempted by Satan.

Matthew 4:4 (NLT), “But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone,     but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Spiritual food = “every word that comes from the mouth of God”

The children of Israel felt the same way.

THE SPIRITUAL FOOD OF GOD

God’s Word provides milk (1 Peter 2:2)

God’s Word is meat (1 Corinthians 3:2)

God’s Word is bread (Deuteronomy 8:3, Job 23:12)

God’s Word is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103)

Jeremiah said this in Jeremiah 15:16, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.”

We see so many metaphors that tells of the importance of ingesting God’s Word.

It is not enough to merely study or read God’s word, it must be eaten by God’s people.

When we read the Word, we must also pause to “chew on it” a while, meditating on it then reflecting on the mean and application of what we read, (Psalm 1:1-3)

ANOTHER TYPE OF SPIRITUAL FOOD

A few times, Jesus spoke of another type of Spiritual food.

When he spoke to the Samaritan at the well. His disciples brought him food from town, but he didn’t eat it saying “I have food to eat that yo know nothing about” (John 4:32)

Their minds were stuck when Jesus an explained to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34.

We also see Jesus feeding the 5,000, Jesus referred to faith, salvation and His sacrifice using a food metaphor, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. (John 6:54-55)

Quote: “Are you aware that your spirit needs to be fed? Did you know that your spirit would be delighted to partake in a feast of spiritual food? How about a plate full of prayer? Or maybe a few hours of succulent self-reflection. Perhaps a piping-hot selection of spiritual literature, served by the side of a lake or under a tree, would satisfy your spiritual hunger. Can you imagine feasting for a few hours on spiritually uplifting music? What about some forgiveness à la mode, topped with compassion? You cannot imagine how much your spirit would enjoy it.”-Iyanla Vanzant

Living is sustained by feeding. We must support the spiritual life by spiritual food, and that spiritual food is the Lord Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon

CLOSING

What are you full of?

Are you full of the world’s junk food or full of the nutritional spiritual food of the Word of God?

Too many Christians are malnourished.

Are you starving to receive God’s Word

When you hear worship music, or read a scripture, is it like a sweet aroma?

Alot of times we want to eat at a wordly buffet, sampling eveything the world has to offer instead of