spiritual anorexia
“I could not talk to you as spiritual men but only as men of flesh, as infants in Christ.” —1 Corinthians 3:1
Many times God’s people are sick, “in the grip of a severe fever,” and unable to serve God and His people (Lk 4:38-39). We become sick and non-functional when the body of Christ is dislocated and divided. Our debilitating divisions are partially due to our immaturity. Our immaturity and spiritual retardation are partly due to our lack of spiritual nourishment (see 1 Cor 3:2ff). Our lack of spiritual nourishment is partly due to spiritual anorexia. We have lost our appetite for the things of God because we have stuffed ourselves with the things of the flesh. “The flesh lusts against the Spirit” (Gal 5:17), and “lust indulged starves the soul” (Prv 13:19).
We must let the Spirit lust against the flesh (Gal 5:17) and crucify our “flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24). Then we will not only “be as eager for milk as newborn babies — pure milk of the Spirit” (1 Pt 2:2), but we will also be hungry for the bread (Mt 4:4) and solid food (Heb 5:14) of God’s Word. Then, when we are nourished spiritually, we will be mature, be united and healthy, and be able to serve the Lord and His people in power. Let the Holy Spirit crucify your flesh, heal your soul, and change the world.
Prayer: Father, may I be more hungry for Your Word than for my favorite food (see Ps 119:103).
Promise: “To other towns I must announce the good news of the reign of God, because that is why I was sent.” —Lk 4:43
Praise: Sister Norma spoke kindly to a woman who was browsing New Age books in a bookstore. Sister bought her a Catholic book and gave it to her as she left the store. The woman read the book, accepted Jesus into her heart, and joined the Catholic Church.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Seek First the Kingdom, order, view or download our leaflet on our website.)
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