Have you ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat”? While it’s usually meant to remind you to make healthier food choices, the principle applies just as much to your spiritual life. What you consume—whether through media, conversations, or habits—directly affects your mindset, your faith, and your relationship with God.
What Are You Feeding Yourself?
In today’s world, you are constantly surrounded by content. From social media to Netflix, from books to conversations at work, everything you take in is shaping you. The question is: Are you consuming things that build you up or things that tear you down?
The Israelites faced a similar question in Exodus 16. After being delivered from Egypt, they found themselves in the wilderness, worried about where their next meal would come from. Rather than trusting in God’s provision, they grumbled and longed for the food they had in Egypt—even though it came with the cost of slavery.
In response, God provided manna, a daily supply of food from heaven. But there was a catch: they could only take what they needed for the day. Any extra they hoarded spoiled by morning. The message was clear: Trust in God’s daily provision and don’t rely on worldly security.
How This Applies to You Today
Like the Israelites, you often fill yourself with things that won’t truly sustain you. It might be hours of social media scrolling, news that fuels anxiety, or conversations filled with negativity. And just like spoiled manna, these things can leave you feeling empty, restless, or even worse than before.
Paul offers you a better approach in Philippians 4:8:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
If you apply this to your daily life, it means being intentional about what you consume. Instead of endlessly scrolling through content that drains you, choose to focus on things that uplift you—Scripture, worship, encouraging conversations, and acts of kindness.
Three Steps to a Healthier Spiritual Diet
If you’re feeling spiritually sluggish, it might be time to examine your intake. Here are three practical steps to help:
- Evaluate Your Spiritual Diet
- Before watching a show, reading an article, or engaging in a conversation, ask yourself: Why am I consuming this? What am I hoping to get from it?
- Identify the sources of negativity in your life and consider reducing your exposure to them.
- Replace Negativity with God’s Word
- Swap out 5-10 minutes of social media time for a devotion or Scripture reading.
- Listen to worship music or a faith-based podcast instead of content that fuels anxiety or anger.
- Surround yourself with people who speak life and encouragement.
- Feed Others
- Share what God is doing in your life with others. Encouragement is contagious!
- Find accountability partners who will help you make better choices in your spiritual intake.
- When conversations take a negative turn, steer them toward hope and gratitude.
Come and See
Throughout the Gospels, you see the phrase “Come and see” repeated often. People who encountered Jesus didn’t just keep it to themselves—they invited others to witness what God was doing. The same is true for you today. What God is doing is worth seeing. And it’s worth sharing.
So the question is: What are you feeding yourself? Are you filling your heart and mind with spiritual junk food, or are you allowing God to nourish you with His truth and goodness?
God has prepared a feast of joy, peace, and purpose for you. Will you come to the table?
