What Are You Feeding Your Heart?

"All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them—and that Rock was Christ."

(1 Corinthians 10:3-4)

The above passage speaks of the Israelites being led out of bondage by Moses in the wilderness. However, most of them complained against God and "lusted after evil things", and as the Bible says:

"With them God was not well pleased." 

Sadly, most of them were scattered in the wilderness—victims of their own hardened hearts, murmuring, and unbelief.

How's your heart today?

The condition of your heart is determined by what you are feeding it.

Last week we purchased some strawberries, blueberries, bananas, sunflower seeds, honey, and a huge jug of Rice Protein Powder. We've been talking about eating healthier for months. And I've really been wanting to start making myself a healthy smoothie again every morning, like I used to when I was in great shape. 

But you know how that goes. 

Sometimes it's so much easier to procrastinate and just continue to eat fast food.

Fast food.

It doesn't require any work on my part to sit there and eat fast food. You fill yourself and then just want to lay down and take a nap. Lethargic, sleepy, unmotivated, sluggish—these words can all describe a person who has gorged themselves on comforting, fast food.

"Just let me watch the football game!" you say to your spouse who asked you to take out the garbage.

When you eat fast food on a daily basis, you don't feel like working at all. You get fat. You get sick. Sometimes you get diseases. Your joints begin to hurt. It's extremely hard to be productive.

Now think about how it affects you when all you eat is spiritual fast food.

Spiritually, you get lethargic, sleepy, unmotivated, sluggish. You can get spiritually sick. You're unproductive. And it's hard to get anything done.

You have to feed your body healthy things just as you have to feed yourself healthy things spiritually.

What are you feeding your heart?

Making myself a fresh fruit smoothie every morning takes some work. 

I have to get up a bit earlier than usual. I have to wash the blender and its components. Then I have to get the fruit out of the fridge. Next; get out the protein powder and almond milk. I have to slice the bananas. Then I need to measure out two tablespoons of protein powder. I assemble this all in the blender, and then add some honey and cinnamon. And then, if my wife is still asleep, I need to take our super-noisy blender out to the garage to run it, so I don't wake her up.

It would have been so much easier to just have a bowl of Captain Crunch, or get an Egg McMuffin on my way to work.

But it has been my taking the lazy man's path of least resistance—eating fast and easy comfort food every day—that brought me to the place where I am now seriously overweight and out of shape. 

And that's precisely what my sin has been: the sin of laziness.

My physical body is now sick—lethargic, sleepy, unmotivated, sluggish. 

It's much harder now for me to be productive.

I know what I need to eat, and how much I need to exercise to be healthy and fit the way I used to be. So, I know what to do.

The problem is I'm just not doing it.

This year, I am resolute to never again make a "New Year's Resolution."

Making half-hearted resolutions on New Year's Day, which you know deep-down, you're probably not going to keep, is called a "faulty change method." 

*(See James MacDonald's study on change; "Week 1: Take Out The Garbage"): http://www.harvest5g.org/newsletterentry.aspx?entry_id=264747&site_id=10735

It's so easy to say, "I am going to change."

But actually making the change is a different story altogether.

The best book I read in 2012 is, "I Really Do Want To Change: So, Help Me, God." (James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel).

After identifying the top seven faulty change methods, MacDonald prescribes the only two things that can help us to actually change:

1.  Confess and admit to God—your problem is a Heart Problem.

2.  Turn to God—acknowledging that only He can change your heart.

Both of these prescribed things require that you go to God personally.

You have to get alone with Him, in a quiet place, and confess and admit that you have a heart problem. And then cry out to Him in desperation that you know that only He can change your heart. And then ask Him to change you.

He will absolutely meet you in that place if you truly come to Him in brokenness, humility and sincerity.

Feed your heart with the Presence of God. 

The Bible says, "Times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

As well as, "In Your presence is fullness of joy!" (Psalm 16:11)

The mistake that many people make in this instance, is to stop when they "don't feel anything."

You may feel something. Most often you may not.

It's not about feeling.  

It's about faith.

God promises in His Word—the Bible: "He is our very present help in time of need."

This is a Promise from our Father. It's not just text in an old book.

But remember, unbelief is what kept most of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before they finally died out there.

They refused to believe God.

Their hearts were hardened.

Remember, as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, our "Spiritual food and drink is Christ."

Our nourishment—our Life—is in Jesus Christ.

A personal relationship with Jesus is our only source of Life. He is your strength, your hope, your help, your joy, and your peace.

"And Jesus said to them: 'I Am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

But if you continue to feed your heart the same kind of evil stuff the wandering Israelites lusted after—fast, easy, worldly, spiritual junk food—you will only get fatter, lazier, more unproductive, and sicker. And you make yourself an easy target for the Enemy of your soul; who only comes to steal, kill and destroy you.

—What are you feeding your heart?

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.