Feed often on the Word

God’s Word in its many forms (written, verbal, etc.) could more accurately be compared to FOOD rather than to an academic subject like geometry. After two or more readings, a geometry book is boring and burdensome. You know it now. But FOOD is something you need every day. You may have had chicken two days consecutively. So. Do you not need some food today, even chicken, perhaps? The only time food is boring or burdensome is if we are not HUNGRY due to lack of exercise (not using the food) or filling up on other things. Our enemy says, “You’re full. Eat less.” And then we die. Our Father says, “You’re full. Do my work!” And we live... and flourish. In the natural realm, our ability to function throughout the day and week directly corresponds to our level of food intake (Amen?). How much more in the spirit? Dig in!

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This was exactly what I needed to read today. I really appreciated the encouragement these words from another in the family of CHRIST gave me. I hope they will bless you as well!

God Bless
maryjane

I'm sure everyone has noticed that there is a supernatural avoidance within us all directed at God's Word. It seems everything is permitted for the Christian to consume - save for the Bible. Books about the Bible, theology, sermons, articles, conferences are all tolerated. But to sit down and actually devour God's Word - this is a fight. The fight is wholly spiritual and the opposition within us toward God's Word is very strong. It is almost like a magnetic polar-opposite that drives us away from the Book.

My three year-old son loves toy trains. He has a set where the wagons attach themselves to each other with magnets. If you flip a wagon over and try to attach it to another wagon, the polarity is reversed and it pushes the other wagon away. This always reminds me of how it is when I sit to read God's Word. There is a reverse polarity happening in the spiritual within me that abhors scripture. I know that it is not coming from my inner man, for my spirit is hungry and ever seeks the bread of God's Word. The aversion I experience is another sinister force, alive inside me, and barking persuasive commands into my mind. It calls me to make excuses, to procrastinate, to seek nourishment elsewhere - often through classical music and Christian books. These are all good in themselves, but they are no substitute for the real bread of God's Word.

And so there is a fight because the powers of darkness know very well what happens when a child of God becomnes divinely energized. The Word girds the mind and instills faith. It puts Satan's host at flight. We can occupy ourselves with the cause of why God's Word is so resisted in the world. But I wonder - do we occupy ourselves with the same gumption when it comes to God's Word being resisted within us? Quite frankly, I am more concerned about my own inner resistance than outwardly imposing the Bible upon our resisiting society.

If Satan so resists God's Word - that is, if he so categorically reverses our polarity whenever we deign to approach the table of Spirit-Banqueting - then there must be a good reason for it. There must be something about the Bible that spiritual darkness so fears. The hardest thing I've discovered in my walk with Jesus is overcoming the resistance to this force. I wish I could say I was always successful, but that would be hypocisy. The truth is that I have gone weeks without reading God's Word, and willfully starved my spirit rather than fight the flesh.

Brother Paul

greetings Paul

You wrote:The hardest thing I've discovered in my walk with Jesus is overcoming the resistance to this force. I wish I could say I was always successful, but that would be hypocisy. The truth is that I have gone weeks without reading God's Word, and willfully starved my spirit rather than fight the flesh.
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Thank you for sharing this. I very much appreciated the analogy of your little boys trains. I also appreciate your honesty in sharing these things with us. I have gone through similar times as you described and on top of feeling spiritually "sick" in those time I have had tons of guilt to deal with as well. I keep thinking if "I" truly love GOD why don't I want to read HIS words more. I feel like a failure and so the cycle goes. Reading through your post gave me a finer picture of this "sickness" in my spiritual life. I feel like it is a struggle between my flesh (self) and what I long to do unto the LORD. I need to and want to fight the flesh in this area of my walk and I feel better equipped to do so.

Again I feel very blessed by what the LORD has given you to share here and I pray others will be as well.

God bless
mj

I also appreciate your honesty in sharing these things with us. I have gone through similar times as you described and on top of feeling spiritually "sick" in those time I have had tons of guilt to deal with as well. I keep thinking if "I" truly love GOD why don't I want to read HIS words more. I feel like a failure and so the cycle goes.

The most mature believers will never hesitate in telling you and everyone who will listen how much of a failure they are and a grief before God. In reality, their lives may be fine examples of repentance and reliance upon God's grace, but in their eyes, they are the chief of sinners.

My real life is wretched in terms of faithfulness to God. I love Him and seek to please Him, but I am powerless for even one moment of victory without His grace. I see myself as totally undeserving, abysmally weak, traitorous to His love, harsh toward my family and selfish above all. I detest myself. But God has given me so much in spite of this. He has been so very good to me; indeed, the more wretchedly undeserving I am in my own eyes, the more He showers me with kindness, love and mercy. I simply can't escape His compassion - He is too good. His goodness ever brings me back to repentance. He clearly does not do things our way. If God were a CEO and I were an employee I would have been deservedly fired from the company a long time ago. If God were a Syndicate Boss and I were a soldier, I would have been "whacked" years ago. But God does not operate like this. After years of failure and betrayal, He promotes you instead!

But the promotion comes at a cost. To get real revelation on God's character in these areas, you have to go through some dark, dark nights. You really have to taste how wretched you are. When people say, "You shouldn't see yourself as a failure. See yourself as a Royal Prince instead!" I know they have no understanding of these things. Sure, we are royal princes and priests, but it is on account of Jesus Christ's merit, not yours or mine. It is really nothing to be proud of, because we didn't earn it. God is a Great King and like traitors we deserved the chopping block, but He blesses with with castles and titles of nobility instead. Where is the boasting in this? This is why Paul could say that he dare not boast in anything except the death of Christ whereby His nobility and riches were proferred.

This world is beset with sorrow, trials, failure, and a myriad of upsets for the believing follower of Jesus. The blood of Christ is like a balm that takes the edge off of all our sojourning misery down here. The grace of God is the magnificent power of the King which keeps us from utter ruin. The pain of defeat is so great down here; it will make the bliss of eternal victory in our glorified estates all the more sweet!

Brother Paul

Being in God's presence is certainly a choice. It's a deliberate act of availing ourselves to His Word and to His grace. It takes obedience and determination! It requires a girded-mind. In other words, it does not come about automatically. Of course, we cannot earn God's love and forgiveness, but to experience His glorious presence and to walk before Him with temptation-conquering grace throughout the day, this must be diligently sought after and acquired by a daily, calculated decision of death in seeking Him. Those who take up the challenge to seek after Him find Him. This burden to seek Him is what Satan desires to quench. This is where the fight is, and what makes the flesh so squeal in protest.

Some will say that what I do is legalism. I respond it is discipline. It is that holy war to triumph over the flesh. It is that buffering if our body to make it our slave.

By the way, I see "legalism" as what the term implies. People become legalistic when they start proclaiming what is lawful and what is unlawful on behalf of God. If a person is routinely waking up at 4:00 AM to meet with God in secret prayer, this is, of course, fabulous. It is no longer fabulous, however, if they proclaim that those who do not do the same are somehow incriminating themselves. And by incrimination I mean to say "upsetting" God by not measuring up to His alleged spiritual standard.

I have often told Brethren and sinner alike that have trouble sleeping that if they read the bible, they will be asleep before they reach the end of a chapter....guaranteed!!

The same is true with us. Our spirits are indeed willing to be united with God in prayer and devotion, but we so easily give into our slumbering flesh. It is a spiritual dynamic. When resisting the urge to sleep during those moments we are actually fighting wicked spirit beings. These dark angelic bodies constantly observe our actions and attack us at once when we try to open God's Word to eat or pray.

Remember this the next time you go to open your Bible to hear a fresh word from God. A major shift is occurring in the spirit realm where your efforts are trying to be aborted.

Brother Paul