As the Lord leads me to address my diet (again), I ran across some information that I thought was extremely spiritually applicable. In the digestive system there are receptors that signal the brain to tell it when to feel hungry and when to be satisfied. When one consumes highly concentrated nutrients, the body's hunger centers are easily satisfied, resulting in fewer cravings and less hunger. This is the reason why you can eat a lot of refined "empty nutrition" bread or other carbs because carbohydrates do not trigger the brain hunger centers as readily. Therefore, when the body is getting all the nutrition it needs, the cravings go away. Cravings only occur when you are missing certain nutrients.
Just as it is in the natural with our bodies, I believe the same principle applies in the Spirit. When our spirits are not receiving "sufficient nutrition" we start to crave things that are outside of the Will of God. Things that aren't healthy, things that we know are not good for us. And sometimes, even if we don't indulge or engage in certain activities, in our heart and soul, we still long for it, we still crave it; we're just not in a position to satisfy it. All of this grows out of spiritual malnutrition. There's something in our soul and in our spirit that we're not getting that's leaving us vulnerable to these "longings of the soul" and these "cravings of the spirit". For this reason we want to address "The Significance of Spiritual Nutrition".
In addressing this issue, we need to first recognize the difference and distinction between the soul and the spirit. A lot of times, even in the church, people tend to think that these two invisible entities of the human composition are synonymous and interchangeable. That is incorrect. The scripture lets us know that this is not the truth (Hebrews 4). The soul consists of one's Will, Emotions and Intellect (or Mind). The spirit consists of one's Values, Beliefs and Convictions (the summation of one's faith). The reason it's important to distinguish between the two is because you could be feeding one in the name of nourishing the other and wonder why your soul is famished and your spirit is languishing.
In order to address your soul, you've got to address your feelings and emotions and what sponsors them from your past. There are plenty of people that are "spiritual" (genuinely so) but, as my counselor told me years ago, lack what is called "emotional intelligence". Don't try to use your faith in God and your walk with Christ to compensate for your emotional deficits. You'll suffer from malnutrition of the soul no matter how hard you pray and fast. Get in touch with your feelings and let God lead you accordingly.
In terms of Spiritual Nutrition, if you want your spirit to be strong and healthy, you've got to read the Word of God daily, you have to have a Prayer Life (not just pray occasionally, particularly just when you have a problem) you have to be a Worshiper, and you have to develop a lifestyle of fasting. If you're lacking in any one of these areas, I can almost guarantee you, you're walking around spiritually malnutritioned. Thinking thoughts you shouldn't be thinking. Going places you shouldn't be going. Saying things you shouldn't be saying. Watching things you shouldn't be watching. And listening to things you shouldn't be listening to. Now mind you, everybody does all of these things at some point or another. But that's just like somebody eating a piece of chocolate cake once every six months and somebody who eats six pieces of chocolate cake a week (been there, done that). So you get the point. Bottom line, are there things in your spirit for which you're either engaging or longing that you know are not of God? If there are, I would strongly encourage you to examine those areas in your life that reveal The Significance of Spiritual Nutrition.
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