Food Perspective
Scripture Reading - Job 23:11-12 KJV
11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
We (ihlcc) decided in this lesson and the following series of lessons to approach the subject of “food”. In our first lesson we mentioned that God is the source for all good “food” so it is better to eat the “foods” already (previously) ordained by God. We highlighted the fact men will put profits ahead of health so be disciplined in your eating and your selection of “food” because some “foods” are truly good for your body while other “foods” are not. In today’s lesson we desire to focus on our attitude about “food”. We see in the scripture above that the child of God ought to desire God’s Word over “food” because that is the “proper perspective”. Why? Some may ask, thinking that if I don’t eat I could physically die. Yes, this is true, however if you don’t eat God’s Word you are dying spiritually. This prolonged spiritual separation from God’s Life (His Word) is also causing physical death just at a slower rate. Therefore it is in our best interest to consider “God’s natural food” secondary in comparison to “God’s Spiritual food” of His Word as our primary desire in life. This is why, some choose to fast when they need to be more sensitive to God’s heart. While putting the flesh under through the lack of “food” can help the spiritual man become more stronger by not being food (carnal, physical or natural) minded all the time. The one problem with “food” today is that man puts too much emphasis on eating. We see cooking shows, eating demonstration and proper food preparation shows on public media (TV and internet) all day long. Moreover, we know many people (believers included) that strongly admire (highly esteem) “food”. They take pictures of what they eat to spread the gospel of “food” to others. However, as faithful wise believers in Christ Jesus we should operate according to our new position in Christ which follows Luke 4:4 KJV, “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”. Dear believer, our life is not found in “food” but rather our life is spiritual. Yes, so spiritual that when we speak forth words of life we produce His Life in our life. This more spiritual attitude about “food” will prevail over the subliminal voices of “food” calling attention to itself. The natural eyes team up with the natural taste buds to demand more food more of the time. This continual calling of “food” to our mind does causes some problems for the less disciplined. If your spirit man is weaker through a lack of God’s Word your natural man (the flesh) will be stronger because the two are diametrically opposed to each other. Remember we are to cast down every high thing (or thought) that exalts itself against the knowledge of God’s Will accord to 2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV which reads, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” For sure the word of God cannot be improved upon so we should take these truth literally to mean that thoughts, words and actions are critical to our success. We (ihlcc) want you to be successful in life and even better than us God wants you to be successful in life but He (The Lord) needs your cooperation with God’s Word to see the results of God in your life. Yes, the Lord delights in us and carefully listens to our words but do we delight in Him by spending time studying His Words of Life? If the Lord puts it on your heart to eat later or skip a meal to spend time with Him, would you do it? Similarly if a fellow believer needs some help at dinner time would you put off dinner until later to help your Christian family member or would you decide to not help because the sacrifice of dinner is just too much? While we are still looking at examples, if an unbeliever was looking for your counsel at lunch time could you skip lunch for that day for their sake? These are everyday issues we face in the normal course of life that many believers would select “food” without even a second thought. Ihlcc has this healthy attitude about “food” but we must admit if our guard is down we too will place “food” over loving someone else. Truthfully speaking we must always be ready to show our love for God by coming to Him at His beck and call. We have even found that the Lord Himself doesn’t need to tell us, “Don’t eat right now to spend some additional time with Me” because we make that decision when our heart is right with God whenever we deem it necessary. Yes, we determine how much time we spend with God and the analogy that if we would think about God as much as we think about food we would be awesome faithful Christians is probably true. Practically speaking, this would mean at least three times a day we would have God on our mind and interact with Him. This is not common in the Body of Christ because we know many people who don’t even spend any consistent time with God on a daily basis. This truth would even help those who over eat because they are not able to fully crucify the flesh in the area of “food”. This is a sensitive area because no one ever wants someone to feel condemned due to their outward appearance but we do however, want those same individuals to conquer “the lust for food” because if you remove the lust the victory over “food” is always forthcoming. This means removing the desire to crave “food (or glorify food)” will place the believer in the victorious position to rule over their body, as opposed to their body ruling their diet. Many years ago we (ihlcc) too needed some help in forming this “Godly Attitude about food” in our heart so we searched the scripture to find comfort and strength in God’s Word. The following verses shared in this link “The Bread of Life” will strengthen your resolve if you eat them faithfully (spiritually) as unto the Lord. In conclusion, dearly beloved of God, please consider “God’s healthy food” good for the physical body but know with all confidence that God’s Spiritual Food from His Holy Word is good for the Spirit, soul and body because God’s Word is life and it is health to all our flesh according to John 6:63 and Proverbs 4:20-22. Amen!