ARE YOU LOSING YOUR APPETITE?

Dear Believer,

One of the commonest symptoms of sickness is lack of appetite. Food, which has given so much pleasure, now becomes tasteless, bland and even irritating.

The sick person often sees food and turns away saying things like, “It doesn’t taste good,” or “Oh, it is bitter.”

In reality, nothing is wrong with the food, but something is wrong with the man.

That is just the way it is for someone who has developed a spiritual illness. The bread of the spirit, which is the Word of God, becomes tasteless to them.

There are so many backsliders out there telling the world that the Bible is full of myths and contradictions. The truth is, they are spiritually sick. The problem is not with the Bible, the problem is with their spirit.

When you stop delighting in the Word of God, you are getting sick. The Word of God must be received and ‘eaten’ eagerly and with relish. A believer who is getting bored with the Word of God has started exhibiting a terrible symptom.

The following verse describes the way a man who is spiritually healthy takes the Word:

Your words were found, and I did eat them; and your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by your name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16.)

If you are no more taking the Word with joy, and it doesn’t seem to be making your spirit rejoice, you are getting sick spiritually.

When you start reacting to the word negatively, or you stop reacting at all, you are moving towards a dangerous place. 

There are so many backsliders out there telling the world that the Bible is full of myths and contradictions. The truth is, they are spiritually sick. The problem is not with the Bible, the problem is with their spirit.

When you are going daily or for days without ‘eating’ or meditating on the Word with prayer, your spirit is becoming sick.

You may be in endless ministry activities and a thousand ‘works,’ but the effects will be weak without the Word.

My young children used to tell me, “Daddy, the house is boring today, why?”

My answer to them was always, “No, the house is not boring today: YOU are boring today!”

Nothing had changed about the house, but the kids didn’t get themselves busy with exciting things.

Dear Believer, when your spirit can’t seem to assimilate the Word of God, it isn’t because the Bible is dull, it is because you are dull.

In the case of the sick man, the very food which he detests is what he needs for strength. Drugs may help, but without food, the body cannot live.

When someone is getting sick, they are advised to slow down and rest. If the Word is not exciting to you as it used to be, you need to take a break from distracting activities and stay with God until you get your ‘groove’ back.

The Word is what you need when you think you don’t need the Word.

Stay with the Word prayerfully until it heals your spirit. Shut out all the things that discourage the Word from getting to your spirit.

Jesus said to His disciples, “The Word that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).

David said, “Your Word has quickened me,” or made me alive!

Everything God has given you can only be accessed through the Word of God. That is why the devil will keep trying to get you to drop it for things that don’t profit.

Lastly, it is your responsibility to live a Word-filled life. Satan came to Jesus and asked Him to turn a stone to bread and eat it. Although Jesus was perfectly capable of it, He told the devil that He would rather live by the Word of God than listen to the Word of the devil to make a loaf of bread His focus because of momentary hunger. (Matthew 4:3-4).

When Satan tells you to leave the Word and sit endlessly with movies or gossip on the internet or some other useless stuff, tell him what Jesus told him and settle down with the Word.

Have a great day!

From your friend,
Deon.
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For further studies, read Psalm 91.