Have you ever felt emptiness that no amount of food satisfies? Perhaps the real issue is not physical hunger but soul hunger.
What feeds your soul? Unfortunately, some people can sit at a Spiritual banquet and still starve to death because they will not eat!
In this article, you will learn how to feed a hungry soul. We will cover the following topics:
- What is your Soul?
- The Danger of Soul Hunger
- God’s Promises to Satisfy Soul Hunger
- The Source of Spiritual Food
- Spiritual Food to Feed Soul Hunger
- Spiritual Food for your Will
- Spiritual Food for your Mind
- Spiritual Food for your Emotions
What is your Soul?
Your soul consists of your mind, will, and emotions, comprising your innermost being. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within (Luke 17:21); Romans 14:17 defines it:
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
According to the Bible, your soul’s condition can impact your health and prosperity. Prosper means to “flourish; grow strong and healthy.” In 3 John 1:2, the apostle writes:
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
God desires that our souls prosper; He does not want us Spiritually food insecure. However worldly cares, deceptions, and destructive desires can consume our energy, leaving our souls starving!
The Danger of Soul Hunger
The latter part of Proverbs 27:7 warns us about the dangers of soul hunger:
A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”
When your soul is hungry, it seeks after anything it believes will satisfy. The word “bitter” is defined as causing or showing sorrow, discomfort, or pain.
Addictions such as food obsession fall into this category. Such a person is Spiritually food insecure.
Their false beliefs not only affects their lives, but those within their spheres of influence. Because the lies hinder them from sharing their testimony with others, they also affect the people they were meant to impact for God’s glory in the future!
God’s Promises to Satisfy Soul Hunger
In Isaiah 55:1-3 the Lord calls out to those whose souls are hungry:
Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.”
God desires that His people have satisfied, prosperous souls – not suffering with anxiety nor bondage to addictions! What are hungry soul symptoms? Here are a few:
- Believe lies about your identity
- Plagued with anxiety and worry
- Lack peace and joy
- Nurture anger, hatred, contention, jealousy, envy
- Are consumed with destructive habits, such as struggles with food
Any of these are a sign that you suffer from soul hunger to some degree. The Lord has Spiritual food to fill your soul with His abundance!
In Matthew 5:6, He promises:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
And in John 6:27, Jesus spoke to those who follow Him:
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
The Source of Spiritual Food
In John 6:35-40 Jesus told us that He is the source of spiritual food:
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Two things are required of soul hungry people who desire Spiritual food that satisfies:
- Come to Jesus
- Believe in Him as Savior
- Believe that everlasting life belongs to those who seek Him diligently (see Hebrews 11:6)
Because Jesus is the Word of God, we will remain Spiritually hungry if we do not come to Him and make time to feed upon Him daily.
Many years ago, I heard Bible teacher Gloria Copeland say, “If we fed our Spirits as faithfully as we fed our bodies, we would be Spiritual giants!”
Her statement convicted me back then. I decided to make time to feed my soul faithfully – not out of legalistic obligation but because my spiritual health depends on it!
Our goal is to feed upon Spiritual truth until it becomes part of us – into our very joints and marrow!
Spiritual Food to Feed Soul Hunger
The following are some scriptures that will serve as Spiritual food for your soul. Make time to feed upon these regularly and ask the Lord in prayer for understanding so that you can receive full nourishment from them!
Expect the Lord to fulfill His promise in Psalm 107:9:
For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
What are the ways the Lord has been good to you?
Take a moment to write them down and recall these experiences often. Feed upon the Lord’s goodness until your heart overflows with thanksgiving!
I pray Romans 15:13 over you as you feed upon His word:
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Spiritual Food for your Will
Reminding yourself of your purpose in the Lord is Spiritual food for your will. A saying goes, “Our lives are God’s gift to us; what we do with them is our gift back to God.”
Each day, we focus on fulfilling God’s will above our own, bringing Him glory and honor. We do not rely upon our willpower, but God’s power!
The Holy Spirit working in us provides:
- Desire to do what is right. Think about that. We would not even have the desire to do the right thing if not for God’s Spirit!
- Wisdom to discern between right and wrong
- Power to choose paths of righteousness each day
- Correction if we veer from the straight and narrow path
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
– Romans 10:9-10
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
– John 4:34
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
– Philippians 2:12-13
Spiritual Food for your Mind
God does not allow us to “ride the fence” when it comes to choosing whom we serve; we must make up our minds.
The last line of Joshua 24:15 is my husband Mike’s favorite because it speaks to whom we have chosen to serve:
…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
The world’s default is to serve the enemy, leaving God out of the equation:
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
– Romans 8:5
When I read this, the phrase: “set their minds” stood out to me. I visualized a person setting a thermostat. Like that thermostat, we must set our minds on spiritual things because we have decided to serve the Lord.
Making a decision is the easier part.
The harder part is paying attention to what occupies your mind throughout the day. Occupy means “to put to work.” God designed our minds for occupation! However, we must evaluate our mind’s occupants constantly.
Your mind is your most valuable physical real estate. You must protect it. As your mind’s manager, you get to choose what occupies that real estate at any given moment.
Negative thought patterns and worldly cares want to stake their claim. If they are “squatting” in your mind currently, then it is up to you to evict them with God’s word.
Ask yourself, “Do I really want to occupy my mind with this now?”
If the answer is “no,” then it is up to you to decide what has permission to occupy your mind at that moment. Use your time to fill your mind with God’s word more than anything else.
Diligence is required in this endeavor, which means to “pay consistent and careful attention.“
God’s word is life-giving and life-sustaining; because He designed your mind for occupation, then employ your mind wisely. Ensure that you are walking in the Spirit through your daily actions. If you are not, then you check your thermostat!
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
– Romans 7:24-25
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
– Romans 12:1-2
For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
– – 1 Corinthians 2:16
Spiritual Food for your Emotions
Every human heart has a desire for:
- Love
- Acceptance
- Belonging
This speaks to a hunger for connections to people and the One greater than ourselves!
The Lord supplies love, acceptance, and belonging; it is up to us to feed upon His truth to nourish our souls in this area:
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
– 1 John 3:1
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
– Ephesians 1:5-7
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
– 1 Peter 2:9-10
I hope that this study has shown you what a feast we have in God’s word! Through His Word, we do not need hunger nor thirst. We do not need to be Spiritually food insecure.
Through obedience to the Holy Spirit, He cultivates Spiritual fruit with us of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
God desires that our souls delight themselves in abundance. He wants others to taste and see that He is good through us!
Be Blessed with Health, Healing, and Wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple Weight Loss Community
P.S. Do you struggle with overeating sugar? If so, you are not alone!
Overcoming sugar addiction was a key factor on my weight loss journey; I lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to an 8.
In our 14-day Sugar Detox Challenge online course (inside the Take Back Your Temple Community), you’ll get the same success strategies and support to gain peace in your eating habits and achieve lasting weight loss.
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Such richness a tasty, meaty & hearty meal.
As always thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to move freely through you sharping, encouraging, instructing and reminding us to say the least.
I was taking notes and realized I just need to print the entire post.
Ha, ha, ha!
I love your teachings! I’m so grateful that you take time out of your life to instruct us, inspire and motivate us. I thank God that I found you. I thank you! Be blessed, be well.
Thank you for those kind words, Anissa – God is good!
Renewing of the mind daily. This is so true. Ultimately it is our choice what we let lingering thinking in our minds and it is our choice to make the right decisions . I have seen that the the behaviour is controlling me and it needs to stop today in Jesus name. Enough is enough!! I may be weak but through Christ He gives me the strength. Its the whole reason I am here to do this weightloss journey through Christ, because I have not succeeded on my mine.
Amen, Sister!
Dear Kimberly,
I have been strengthened and sustained and encouraged by your studies throughout the last 3 or 4 years.
Thank you so much for sharing and continuing in your ministry. I have been an Internal Medicine physician in private practice for 30 years and see spiritual brokenness on a daily basis. I am going to share this study about guarding one’s mind with my patients who have anxiety, depression, weight issues and all the health problems that come along with it! I know that sharing your study will begin to change their minds and be spiritual food for them that they are starving for.
Thank you for continuing to be a shining light. God is truly working through you!
With love in Christ,
Dr. Susan
Wow – Dr. Susan, what you wrote has humbled me deeply. I am thankful that He is using us as Earthen vessels to deliver the treasure of His word that He has blessed us with. What an honor it is that the Lord has used these words to minister! Thank you for sharing this, my Sister. It has encouraged and strengthened me more than you will ever known.
This can only have come from God. Thanks for sharing with such clarity too.
I am grateful to God for the message, Doyin – all praise to Him!
Kim thank you very much this is one I needed. I will be studying and applying day by day.
Nancy
Wonderful, Nancy – may the Lord continue to bring revelation from His word!
Excellent information, as always. Thank you Kimberly.
You are welcome, Felecia – God is good!
Kimberly, this is a fantastic study. Thank you for sharing the wisdom and insight God has given you!
/sg
You are welcome, Shana – thank you for your comment!