Greetings, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I wanted to share a reminder and revelation I received while studying the New Testament through the faith and action series. On page 73 in chapter 5, the author shares a native American story about two wolves: the white wolf and the black wolf. In the proverb, whatever wolf you feed is the wolf that grows stronger and eventually wins over the other one. The author linked this to feeding the spirit or feeding the flesh.
After reading this chapter, a sense of clarity came over me part of the reason why I have been struggling so much is in the midst of going through trials in my life and being places I did not want to be. I started to indulge in my old coping mechanisms, which included food, entertainment and withdrawing into myself. I was feeding my flesh and allowing my circumstances to distract and overwhelm me. I did indulge in my fleshly desires instead of consuming the Holy Living Word of God and spending time with our Heavenly Father in the secret place, edifying myself with tongues and disciplining my flesh with fasting. No, instead of doing what I know to be right and walking in the wisdom of Our LORD, I was like a dog who returned to its own vomit and then wondered why I felt so weak and tired. Praise be to God that he is merciful, pateint and kind, that we may repent!
Brothers and sisters, allow me to share with you the scriptures I was led to after being rebuked. Do you remember when our Lord and Savior was tested in the wilderness? When he was hungry, and the enemy tempted him to use his power to make stones into bread? His response to this temptation: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Then in John 1:1-14:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
“6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
“9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
“14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In these 14 verses, John tells us who the Word is and how he became flesh. Then in John 6:35-40:
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
What a wonderful hope we have in Christ our King. He is the bread of life; He is the living word of God and He is within us. Do not starve your spirit, but, instead, nourish it with the living and breathing Word, that you may be able to deny your flesh and bear the fruits of the spirit like He has called us to do.
Dakota Swinton