My German shepherd was starving to death, and we didn’t know what to do. Sophie got twelve, yes 12 cups of food a day and at a year old, she was only forty pounds. After many tests, the vet diagnosed her with a pancreatic problem, called EPI, which kept her from digesting her food. As a result, whatever she ate went through her system without nourishing or feeding her body. With the help of pancreatic enzymes, Sophie is now thriving.
Why aren’t we Thriving?
As a culture, America is starving, and so are some of her churches. Why? Because we want milk, not meat. We are not feeding on the one thing we need most, the Word. God made us to have intimacy with him through his Holy Spirit, prayer, and Scripture. Without the catalyst of God’s Word, we won’t thrive spiritually.
However, we need to digest the Word before we can absorb it and do what it says. But, if we barely open the Book how will that happen?
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit…”
The Living Word
The word living means God’s words are alive, and they give life. Active is the Greek word energes which resembles the English word energy. God’s Word and words are full of life and energy. God’s words are to achieve something in our hearts and lives. More than ever, Scripture needs to become more than head knowledge. God’s Word shouldn’t just go in one ear and out the other. Once in the heart, it will be absorbed and nourish our very soul.
God’s word is sharper than a sword, able to pierce through the soul and spirit. The word pierce means to penetrate or get through. This may be one reason we may not care to read the Bible. Unless the Word penetrates our hearts, we will not grow and change.
Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions, and our spirit is what the Creator breathed into us. They are often at war with one another. Our spirit communes with God through the Holy Spirit while our soul is everything that makes us who we are.
Soul and Spirit
So, why would the Word divide the soul and spirit? God wants us to be Spirit-driven, not soul-driven. The Spirit is love, peace, truth, patient, gentle, kind, self-controlled, faithful, and joy. This is how God wants us to function.
The soul can be moody, self-centered, turbulent, depressed, thoughtless, self-driven, lacking self-control, and deceitful. Satan influences our soul, by manipulating our thoughts. If we are not in the Word of Truth, under the perfect power of the Spirit of Truth, we get off track.
God wants us to be Spirit-led and Word-led. One without the other is only half the equation. Unfortunately, many overdo one or the other. We become so Spirit-led we assume everything we think is of the Holy Spirit and will act and speak out without the guidelines of Scripture. However, being overly Word-lead can stifle or quench the Holy Spirit so we can no longer hear him because everything becomes an intellectual experience. There needs to be a balance.
What is Dull of Hearing?
In Hebrews 5:11-12, the author rebukes his readers for becoming dull of hearing. He says, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.”
The Greek word for dull refers to “a condition of spiritual apathy and laziness that prevents spiritual development.” [1] Isn’t that how we can feel, too?
Studying Scripture takes time and effort.
God does not think less of us if we are not in his Word.
But, have you ever thought how it must sadden him to see the time we invest in things having no Heavenly value?
Do we spend too much time on our phones, iPads or binge-watching our favorite shows on Netflix? Yes. Do we need to improve? Yes. Am I preaching to myself? Yes.
The answer lies in putting those things away for a set time each day and getting out our Bibles to let the Holy Spirit guide us through the Word one verse at a time. Don’t set unrealistic goals. Reading one verse and letting God speak to you through it is better than reading one chapter or an entire book just so we can say we did it.
If you are a parent, can you imagine letting your ten or fifteen-year-old still drink from a sippy cup or a bottle for each meal? Unfortunately, that is the state of a lot of churches in our country. We need more than milk–we need solid food. We need to get back to reading, discussing, and studying God’s Word. Our spiritual health depends on it.
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. 1996, c1989. The Bible exposition commentary
Awesome words of truth. Very interesting about the spirit and the soul, thanks for that explanation. Makes you realize the importance of His word to us. Words to live by!
Thanks, Carla!
Well said author! The more we digest God’s word, and not just consume it, the more we are nourished by it.
Thank you, J.D. I need to start a blog on “Everything I learn from my dog” Haha.
But seriously, letting God’s word go in one ear and out the other does nothing. We need those spiritual enzymes to help us digest and absorb everything God says.
Stephanie, great analogy about needing to digest the food we eat including spiritual food. I love it when I sit with my open Bible and see new insigts from familiar passages. I think when I go expecting to learn from Jesus He shows up in surprising ways.
Yes! I agree. He has a way of showing up and showing off. 😁
Thanks for this reminder, Stephanie:”God made us to have intimacy with him through his Holy Spirit, prayer, and Scripture.” I often forget that balance and rely more heavily on one than the other. It’s something I need to work on!
Thanks Julie! I think God is a God of balance. He wants to talk to us and through us, and He wants us to talk to Him and learn who He is.
AMEN! We, as a culture, are malnourished. Such a timely post, Stephanie.
Thank you, Beckie. We need to know Jesus and His word, better.
What a powerful reminder of how important it is for us to operate in the Spirit and not through the changing emotions and desires of our soul. I know that I sometimes listen to the whispers of my soul rather than being fully impowered by the spirit. Thank you for this post.
You’re welcome, Joshua. We are wired to listen to our own self-talk and thoughts. I feel we must allow the Holy Spirit to train us to listen to His voice. It takes practice to ask the Spirit first, before believing ourselves.
This is a great post. I’ve encountered people who don’t know when they could sit and read the Bible, devotionals, etc. But consider how often those people will pick up their phone and end up looking at it for 15 minutes. I think many of us have more time than we realize; we just need to prioritize.
Thanks for your comment. I agree we can all spend more time in the Word if we prioritize our time. I’m guilty of spending too much time on my phone….
I love your take away, sister. We indeed need to be Spirit led.
Thanks, Diane. I loved your devotional Skip, too.