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A few days ago, I changed into a skirt that used to be a bit baggy.  Instead, on this particular day, the skirt fits perfectly.  It pains me to say, I am gaining a few pounds.  

Let me give you some background. I’m that girl who is naturally skinny even if I put down 5 Big Mac sandwiches in one go, at least I was.  

Nowadays, it seems as if my metabolism has turned on me, and if I don’t change my diet soon, I will swiftly resemble that Kentucky Fried Chicken that I cannot seem to get enough of.  It would appear the more I eat the KFC that I once hardly gave a second thought, the more I desire to eat it.  

As I thought about my weight gain and my immense newfound longing for KFC, a light bulb went off.

For a few months, I felt like I hit a stumbling block in my walk with God.  Of course, I still love Jesus with all my heart, but there was not a strong desire to pray, fast, or read the Bible the way that I once used to.  

I prayed about it.  

I asked God to give me that desire back, but it felt as if the more I tried to build momentum in this area, the more stagnant I felt.  Not surprisingly, this is a phase that many Christians go through.  Countless believers struggle with how to revive the passion in their Christian walk. 

Daily the spirit and flesh are at war, and can I be honest?  There are days when the flesh won. Yet my KFC obsession taught me some valuable lessons about my spiritual diet. 

You Will Crave What You Eat

For the most part, I tend to eat at home.  However, for the past several months, I have noticed day by day, the more I eat take out, the more I desire to.  

This same principle applied to my spiritual life.  The more frequently I watched TV rather than pray, worry rather than stand on God’s word, surf social media rather than spend time in God’s Presence,  the more I wanted to do everything that I indulged in. 

It’s not that watching TV or being on social media is a sin, but it simply was serving as a distraction in my walk with God. My spiritual diet was consumed with entertainment rather than developing and strengthening my spirit man.

One day, I made up my mind to change my spiritual consumptions. I decided to watch Youtube Sermons that began to stir me up spiritually. These sermons were not fluffy cute sermons, but Bible-teaching sermons that gave me an appetite or desire to read more of God’s word.  

I can’t explain it, but the more time I spent time listening to God’s Word, the more I wanted to go and read it for myself to further my understanding.  Initially, there were times when reading felt boring, however, I decided to take bite sizes of the word.  

Instead of trying to read chapter after chapter, I read little by little daily.  Inevitably, as my spiritual diet changed, my spiritual appetite began to grow again.  

I was craving what I was eating.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…

-James 4:8

There are several benefits to drawing nigh (close) to God.  One of the greatest of them is God drawing nigh to us. The word of God clearly states that If we draw nigh to God, He will do the same. In a nutshell, if you are in a spiritual drought right now and God feels far away, you must draw nigh first, then God will draw nigh to you. 

You Are What You Eat

As I mentioned earlier, my body fat is starting to resemble the chicken that I love.  You will inevitably become what you continuously feed yourself. 

I decided to use this to my advantage.  If you want to become a person of great faith, feed yourself everything that pertains to faith.  That means scriptures, worship music, sermons, books ( like this one )

If you want to be a person of purity, feast on all things that point to purity.  The more you focus your mind and attention on what you want to become, it will inevitably spew out of. What is in your heart will come out in action. 

It will not happen on the first day, just as I did not put on weight at the first bite of chicken.  Yet as you change your spiritual diet by continuously filling yourself up with what you desire to be, over time, there will be a noticeable difference in your heart, mind, and actions.

Whatever you focus on, in the end, will be magnified in your life.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

-Proverbs 4:23

If you have found yourself in a dry place, be encouraged, and do not be ashamed.  It is not the end. 

This walk with Christ as beautiful as it is, will not always be perfect. Yet, each day we must choose to fix our eyes on Jesus, and undeniably we will cross the finish line.

As always, I am here for you and praying for you.

Until Next Time,

Be Strong, Be Courageous, Serve God Wholeheartedly

Gilberta Thompson