“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”
Deuteronomy 8:3 KJV
“And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
Luke 4:4 KJV
Man shall not live by bread alone but food is addictive. It is considered one of the highest priorities for human survival. There are so many mixed messages about food, it can be quite confusing. As children of God, we must prayerfully take a position, and get understanding about food, place the right value on it, and develop a perspective on food, so we can be about “my father's business“. ( Luke 2:49)
Food is an essential item for human survival. It is easy to fall into the use of foods that have little value, are over-processed, and highly preserved. We consume food, which is a common behavior in privileged cultures like America, which as a result, yields a high rate of disease. We also do not have an awareness of hunger and the food messages that the human body sends. Hunger has varying degrees of intensity:
Habitual hunger - an alarm in the brain that goes off because you eat this time every day. The habitual hunger is close to the line of the standard American diet. This diet is typically a schedule of three meals a day with two snacks. Whether one is hungry or not. It’s just what we do. And because of this, we have a high prevalence of obesity and of what could be considered overconsumption of food, which leads to chronic diseases and chemical/emotional imbalances as well.
The body is weak - a hunger that yields a lack of strength, a chemical imbalance and/or negative emotional response to lack of nutrients. This is typically caused by unplanned sporadic eating or poor meal selection, heavy physical exertion, or diabetes. This would have been the case with Jacob and his brother Esau. Irrational thinking, impatience, confusion, no joy, and anger, Esau had all the signs and traded the blessing of his life for a bowl of food. Weak body hunger robs you of thought.
Believers must identify hunger and respond to it with a disciplined way of eating that lines up with living well and on purpose for God. Some mature believers can be so focused and committed to their work (purpose) and in love with what they are doing that food is seen as an essential resource needed by the body to maintain the body’s immune function. It is a discipline because if it were not, the person would forget to eat or override the hunger for a later time. Jesus was like that at times, for example when he was in Samaria with the woman at the well. The disciples wanted him to eat. He said to them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” John 4:32 KJV. For this bunch, food is not a priority. It is an essential resource that is made available for body temple maintenance. At times in scripture, we see that Jesus was so nurtured by the inner man and focused on his assignment that he did not think of eating. However, many of us believers are not quite there and struggle with food addictions, habits, and cravings that seem so fixed in our minds.
Food today is a multi-purpose item. It attaches itself to events and relationships.
Food has always been seen as a part of what we do, and it is within our culture and our nature. It is rarely associated with the power that it can have over us.
We also see that food was a weapon Satan used to appeal to Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis. He also attempted to use the same strategy on Jesus, who had gone 40 days without eating as stated in Luke 4:4. The Spirit of God reminded Jesus, " And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4 KJV) This is a very old and successful approach to weaken and win the battle for control over believers, who have more power than we realize. We see in the book of Daniel, that Daniel successfully rejected the king's food and could also be found fasting with just bland food basics.
Food continues to be a weapon of the enemy by using something as legitimate as food to destroy us ... physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Here are 10 words of wisdom regarding food:
Redefine why you eat food. Do you eat for pleasure, to be social, or to nourish the body? Once you have gathered this information, you can craft and recite your new position.
Do not succumb to the culture's way of eating, food selection, or presentation. All food issues should be led by the Holy Spirit. You will need wisdom, restraint, and humility to accomplish this.
Seek first the kingdom of God. Seek God's will in all you do, which is by faith, a part of that kingdom. Give us this day our daily bread.
Remember the power of food. Food can be medicine or it can be poison. Avoid overeating and stress eating.
Eating is an experience that impacts us emotionally, mentally, and physically. Physical weakness caused by a lack of food can cause chemical imbalances. Make every morsel count with nutritional value.
Less is best. Make sure that the little you choose, is of high nutritional value.
Pure is sure. Read labels. Only eat foods you know to be food.
A snack is a little meal. Value, not volume.
Eat early during daylight. The body burns more calories during the day.
Pray for guidance when you are gathering and preparing your food. Pray grace to ask God to bless your effort to honor his temple.
What About Fasting?
When fasting, that is consciously not eating or drinking (except for water), plan. This is typically a prompting by the Holy Spirit when a believer is in need of more spiritual capacity which, strengthens their faith and focus. The planning idea simply refers to activities like; 1st-meal-after-fast, adjusting your schedule, making meal arrangements for your family, and having drinking water on hand.
When ending your fast, be gentle with your body. The body has been in a "go in and shut down" mode. So you will need to gently perk it back up.
Gentle treatment after fast
Start with a cup of warm lemon water
This will stimulate the stomach for digestion and prepare the brain to emit digestive juices to the stomach.
1st-meal-after- fast
fresh fruit or vegetable juice, smoothie or soup
After 15 to 30 minutes, have a small portion of a regular meal. Avoid fried or spicy foods.
Surina Ann Jordan, Ph.D. is the author of The Seven Disciplines of Wellness, The Spiritual
Connection to Good Health.
Comentarios