Starve Your Flesh, Feed Your Spirit (3)

Late last year, I was on a fast. On this particular day, a work day, I was really stressed out. I just wanted to be done with work and go home.

But deep down within my spirit, I knew God wanted me to drop by my church and take some time to pray before heading home. It was a big struggle. My flesh needed food, but my spirit needed fellowship with the divine.

At last, I succumbed and went to church and I was glad I did, for different reasons:

One, the hunger that made me feel like I couldn’t stay another hour without eating dissipated, and I went about the activities I needed to do at church and went home—at my own convenience, even after praying.

Secondly, I had time to pray. And even though it wasn’t lengthy, that experience taught me that it wasn’t really about the length of my prayers but my obedience to God.

As believers, if we must be well nourished in the spirit, we must learn to submit to God’s instructions fully (James 4:7). We must learn to starve our flesh of its cravings l, no matter how legitimate, and yield to the demands of the Spirit.

Becoming strong in the spirit won’t happen in a day. It begins from little acts of obedience to the nudging of the Holy Spirit; keeping shut when all you want to do is talk back, apologizing when clearly you aren’t wrong, and so on.

The Bible warns us not to “suppress the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). This means that,when God’s message speaks to us, regardless of how our flesh takes it, we should obey and submit fully.

To the flesh, this is almost impossible. Yet, as we commit to renewing our mind daily (Romans 12:2), and filling up ourselves and atmospheres with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 5:18-21), we will be able to walk in this path of starving our flesh and feeding our spirit fat, successfully.

Remember,

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV)

And, on days when you’re not sure what God is really instructing you to do. Take a pause and ask again. In silence, listen for His voice and

Whatever He says to you, do it.

John 2:5 (NKJV)