When we develop unhealthy eating habits for our bodies, it typically happens over time. We don’t set out with a goal to become physically unhealthy; it just creeps up on us. We get so busy with family, work and just life in general that we begin to default to less healthy options.
You know… those occasional trips to the drive thru window that became a habit after a while. Or, the ‘treats’ we indulged in on occasion that somehow became pantry staples over time. As we make the slow changes to our eating habits, they take the place of the healthier ones. The result is a slow metamorphosis of our body. One day we see ourselves in a photo and think, “Yikes! When did that happen?”
What are you in the habit of feeding…. your soul?
So too with our spiritual health. We start out with a strong desire to please God and stay near to Him at all times. There isn’t a day we can look back on and say we made a decision to replace ‘time with God’ with…
- time at work
- time in front of the television
- time on the internet
….or whatever else took the place of that quiet time with God; that time at the table where He feeds our soul. There isn’t a day we look back on and see that we chose a busy life over extended conversations with God. It just happened over time; habits changed without realizing it.
Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence].
1 Chronicles 16:11 AMP
The things that pull our focus and gradually change how we prioritize time at the table with God can be simple things of life…
- Work schedules
- Parenting
- Intentions to ‘do it later in the day’
- Over committed schedules
- Projects with a looming deadline screaming for attention
- Getting lost on social media or web surfing
- Over committing to organizations (even church projects and commitments)
Eventually, we wake up and realize, “Yikes! My spiritual life is a mess. When did that happen?”.
When our ‘yikes!’ moment for the physical body occurs, several things can happen…
- We decide to change some eating habits and get on the road to better health
- We think about making changes, but never really get around to doing them.
- We choose to ignore it and hope it’s not that bad
With the latter 2, eventually our heath suffers and we’re forced to deal with the consequences of not doing something sooner. Often these consequences become a real health crisis that can take us down.
It’s the same for our spiritual “yikes!’ moment.
When we don’t commit to feeding our souls consistently with complete meals prepared for us by God, there comes a time when we’re faced with something that requires more of us than we are prepared for.
- More faith
- More godly wisdom
- More spiritual confidence
For me it was a season of busyness that pulled me away from time at His table. I knew I had become distracted by many of the things listed above and my time with God was taking a back seat. I wanted to increase my spiritual health; had every intention of doing what was needed to increase my spiritual health; it just never happened. There was always something.
This went on for some time – a season of good intentions to get back into healthy ‘soul feeding’ habits that were never realized. Then one day my life came crashing down around me. Decisions made without seeking His will and His wisdom have consequences
I was so overwhelmed that I fell to my knees in tears. Totally broken; an emotional mess; driven by fear; consumed with shame and guilt. Instead of being filled with the presence of His wisdom, strength and guidance, my spirit was weak from being fed junk of the world over nutrition from His word.
And there, in the presence of God, fully aware of our starved and weakened soul, we find restoration and healing.
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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NIV
Let’s come sit with Him today and seek
His face, His strength…His presence.
CONVERSATIONS AT HIS TABLE
Use these questions to chat with God. Let Him bring you into a closer relationship with Him.
- Where is God asking you to make more room for Him in your daily life?
- What things have you been planning to do to draw closer to God but just haven’t made it a priority yet?
- What things are pulling you away from more time in conversations with God?
God desires more intimacy with you. Where you see [_], insert your name. Then answer the question posed. Sit and engage in a conversation with God. It might go something like this…
GOD: [_], I love spending time with you. I love pouring into you. There is nothing that can separate us. (Romans 8:39) On a scale of 1 – 10, 1 being not at all and 10 being 100%, my devotion to you is a 10+.
ME: Lord, I rejoice in the gift of fellowship with You! (Philippians 4:4) How can it be that I get to sit in intimate fellowship with the almighty creator?
GOD: [_], I’m wondering if you know how I would rate your devotion to me on that same 1-10 scale? Not as a judgement but as an awareness of how much more I have for you; how much more I desire fellowship with you. So [_], what number would you say it is?
ME: Lord, You know my answer. You know my every thought, every choice, every deed.
GOD: [_] I’m ready to help you make it a 10+. Come sit with me…let’s talk.
Curious to know more about the book and engage in more conversations with God?
This is an excerpt from Tami’s book
“Conversations at a Table for Two: Feeding a Hungry Soul”
