The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer
jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE popular phrase you are what you eat not only applies to the physical world. Just like food gives strength, so does spiritual food. Believers should constantly feed their soul the word of God in order to maintain spiritual health.


Reading and listening to the word, as well as meditating and speaking scriptures are all ways to feed the soul. In fact Proverbs 4:20-21 outlines exactly how Christians are to feed their souls. It states “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.”
Keeping the word of God in one’s heart is important for the spiritual growth of any Christian,” Shannon Russell, a methodist follower told Tribune Religion.


“I put on the whole armour of God everyday. And the only way I can do that is by equipping myself. I set aside time to read my bible every morning. I find when I do that I am prepared to take on the world. If I miss a day and did not get the opportunity to read the word, I feel hungry, hungry for the word,” she said. 
American televangelist Creflo Dollar said because man is a spirit being, it is important for Christians to feed on the word, which is also spirit.
“God created man as a tri-part being, meaning he is a spirit, who possesses a soul, and lives in a physical body. Because of this tri-part nature, he expects us to take care of each part properly. For the physical body, that would mean eating right, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest. For the spirit and soul, it means continually feeding on a diet of the word of God. The bible is the prescribed diet that our spirits were created to intake,” Dr Creflo Dollar said.
When one’s focus is directed to God and his word, they are better able to defeat the devil when he attempts to wage war in the mind.
“The devil will wage a minute by minute fight with you. Many people do no realise that Satan is the unseen enemy and he attacks us in our mind. When God tells us to keep our eyes on the word, he said so because it is our weapon against Satan. We cannot fight without the word. Christians who do not read their bible or do not go to church to at least hear something, will always be caught of guard and ill prepared when the devil picks a fight,” said Charlene Mortimer, a baptist follower. “The more we focus on God’s word, the more we will desire it and the more rapidly we will see spiritual growth and development taking place in our lives. My spirit needs strength to overcome everything in the world,” she said.
Jason Bascom, a born-again believer told Tribune Religion the bible is not just a book of rules, but is a reflection of what the lives of Christians should look like.
“I will not go one day without keeping the word in the front of my eyes. I need it every day because I have now come to understand that if I am going to be successful I need to know what the word of God says about my success. I put scripture on my refrigerator, I keep them on my desk at work, I store them in my phone just so I can keep them in the front of my eyes,” he said.