Jesus mentions our spirits in the Bible several times, emphasizing the significance of giving them “living water” and “food of life.” This can be a little perplexing or strange at times! How is it possible for water to be alive? Is it possible for bread to be alive? And how do we ‘fuel' our spirits in the first place?
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‘Jesus replied to her, “If you had known God's gift and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him for live water and he would have given it to you…
Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again, but everyone who drinks the water I give them will never be thirsty again “‘John 4:10-14' –
As Christians, we believe that everyone of us is endowed with a spirit that defines who we are. Our thinking, loving, doing, and being are all influenced by this spirit. We think that our spirits, like our physical bodies, require nourishment. When someone talks about being spiritually ‘fed,' ‘watered,' ‘hungry,' or ‘thirsty,' they are talking to the feeding of their spirits.
What is spiritual water?
‘Whoever believes in me, rivers of life water will flow from within them,' Scripture says. He was referring to the Spirit, which those who believed in him would receive later. Because Jesus had not yet been glorified, the Spirit had not yet been delivered.' 7:38-39 – John 7:38-39
To understand what'spiritual hunger' entails, we must first comprehend what'spiritual water' entails.
‘Living water,' as described in the Book of John, is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit, a member of the Christian triune God. We receive the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Jesus. This indicates the formation of a new relationship. The Holy Spirit honors the bond we make with Christ by abiding in our spirits and bringing fresh life to us.
‘As a result of God's mercy, I implore you, brothers, to give your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship service.' Don't be conformed to this world, but be renewed in your mind. Then you'll be able to determine what God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect.' – 1 Corinthians 12:1-2
The Holy Spirit contrasts and supersedes our own spirit, which informs our thinking, loving, doing, and being – imperfectly and sinfully – by giving perfection to our thinking, loving, doing, and being. This is what it's like to be like Jesus.
‘A mentality ruled by the flesh is death; a mind ruled by the Spirit is life and peace.' 8:6 – Romans
What is spiritual thirst?
‘Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied,' says the Bible. 5:6 (Matthew)
Spiritual Thirst: In our innermost essence, the Bible compares us to a well. Wells fill up and flow upward and outward from the source. Wells are overflowing. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, life comes out of us in the same way. The more we want to be filled by the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, the more we will yearn for God and more revelation of God's character. This is referred to as a ‘thirst.'
We shall be more motivated in love toward God and others as we continue to be transformed by the Holy Spirit's renewing of our minds and behaviors.
When we become'spiritually thirsty,' we want for the Holy Spirit to act in our souls, our hearts yearn for communication with God, and our conscience tells us we must seek God's will.
While being ‘thirsty' in this sense is a good thing, being thirsty and not being able to quench it is not. It quickly devolves into deprivation, which then leads to dehydration. When our physical bodies do not obtain enough water, we experience undesirable symptoms such as a dry mouth, thick tongue, achy head, and weak muscles.
Spiritually, we will experience spiritual symptoms of deprivation if we do not receive the amount of ‘life water' that our spirits require. You'll notice yourself losing your temper, feeling waves of concern, and a buildup of guilt, selfishness, and fear if you don't spend time being filled and transformed by the Holy Spirit.
What is spiritual bread?
“I tell you the truth, Moses did not give you bread from heaven,” Jesus said. It was my Father who accomplished it. Now he presents you with the genuine bread of paradise. God's actual bread is the one who descends from heaven and breathes life into the world.” “Sir, give us the bread every day,” they said. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus replied. – John 6:32-35
‘I am the living bread who descended from heaven.' Anyone who eats this bread will live indefinitely. This is my flesh, which I shall give for the sake of the world's survival.' 6:51 – John
Jesus is referred to in the Bible as both the “Word of God” and the “Bread of Life,” reflecting some of the mystery and beauty in God's unity. The word “bread” in the Bible refers to “that which is absorbed into the body and provides nutrition.”
Spiritual bread is the sustenance that enters into our eyes and ears. The Bible mentions two types of bread: leavened and unleavened.
‘Get rid of the old yeast so you can pretend to be a new unleavened batch.' Our Passover lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. As a result, let us celebrate the Festival with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, rather than the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness.' 5:6-8 – 1 Corinthians
Bread Leavened with Malice and Wickedness: ‘Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with old bread leavened with malice and wickedness…'
In the Bible, leaven (a yeast that causes things to rise) is frequently used to represent the corruption of sin. Sin, like yeast in a dough batter, spreads throughout the body, causing the entire batch to alter and distort. If we are to nurture our souls with ‘leavened bread,' this may mean consuming violent, sexual, or unedifying literature, movies, thoughts, or speech with our eyes and ears.
This type of bread comes in a variety of flavors, ranging from sinful and unhealthy to evil and toxic.
This is the kind of spiritual bread we're supposed to eat and be like as Christians. When we seek authenticity and truth in the things we read, watch, and think about, we are choosing the nutritious Bread of Life. Reading the Bible (the Bread of Life for the Spirit), listening to Christian music, watching wholesome movies, and choosing to talk in a way that honors rather than degrades people are all examples of this.
We know we can trust the Bible to be a storehouse of God's spiritual sustenance and nourishment as Matthew 4:4 says that we should live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God's mouth. It is a trustworthy witness to God's teachings, and the Holy Spirit will teach us how to read and digest it so that we can be changed for the better.
A Christian has the option of choosing which spiritual nourishment to consume and which bread to be. Which one do you prefer?
What is spiritual hunger?
You might be wondering what the difference is between spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst. I like to think of it this way: you want water when you're thirsty, but you need food when you're hungry.
Spiritual hunger:The Bible refers to the Word of God as the bread of life, as we explored. When we are spiritually hungry, we yearn for more of God's Word.
I accepted Christianity without hesitation when I became a new Christian around 33 years ago since it was the way I was raised. When I approached 40, I began to consider what the Bible says and how orthodox Christianity is practiced. I wanted to know what God wanted me to do for salvation and to grow in Christlikeness because I desire to follow God to the best of my ability. I don't mind going against the grain if it means I'll be able to stand before God at the end of my life and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
I had a lot of questions, and I needed to find answers in God's Word. This heightened my spiritual thirst for God's Word to the point where I consumed the Bible in order to gain a better understanding of all the areas in which I had doubts. It was the source of my newfound spiritual zeal for God's Word. I pray I never lose my desire to read God's Word, and that I never stop learning about His ways and what He expects of me.
Spiritual starvation is similar to physical hunger in that the longer you go without food, the less hungry you become. You then go into famine mode without noticing it. Spiritual malnutrition manifests itself as a lack of desire for God's Word. Perhaps you are spiritually starving if you have no hunger for God's word or no interest in reading the Bible. Come to Jesus and beg God to restore your spiritual hunger so that you might once again consume spiritual bread.
Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness
Have you ever felt like you know everything there is to know about God? Have you ever felt as if you'd had enough of his presence? Have you ever doubted his authority?
That's when you'll know you've lost your spiritual hunger and thirst. That's not going to happen! Only those who have the spiritual appetite to hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied, according to Jesus. The Holy Spirit's infilling and the growth of spiritual gifts and fruit provide such satisfaction (1 Corinthians 12, Galatians 5:23-23).
Our yearning for righteousness grows as we hear God's word spoken. Hearing is how Christ applies his word to hungry and thirsty souls with strength; if we are serious about holiness, we should desire to be convicted by God's preached word.
‘Because God's word is alive and active. It divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, sharper than any double-edged blade.' 4:12 (Hebrews)
We should desire to be “wounded” by the Spirit's sword, allowing the Holy Spirit to penetrate and identify and deal with our sins. We should pay great attention to God's voice and pray for it to pierce our hearts so that we can be conformed to our Savior's likeness. As we read the Bible, we should pray that the Holy Spirit will use it to regenerate our thoughts.
‘A young student approached his Rabbi and inquired, ‘Master, how may I truly find God?' The Rabbi encouraged the student to follow him to the village's river, where he may jump into the water.
‘Please immerse yourself in the water,' the Rabbi remarked when they reached the middle of the stream. When the student obeyed, the Rabbi placed his hands on the young man's head and dragged him under the water! The student began to struggle at this point. The Rabbi suffocated him for a while longer. After a little period, the pupil was thrashing and pounding the water out of the air with his arms!
Despite this, the Rabbi kept him submerged. Finally, the student was freed from the water and sprung to his feet, his lungs throbbing and screaming for oxygen. ‘When you seek God as much as you desire to breathe the air you just breathed – then you shall find God,' the Rabbi replied after a few moments of silence.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty – John 6:35
To hunger and thirst for righteousness means that our innermost desire is to be like Jesus Christ in every way. We shall be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. We shall see things with new eyes and make decisions based on faith rather than sight.
Prayer and study of God's Word, the Bread of Life, will keep the lines of contact with God open. We shall be refilled with the Holy Spirit's live water, revealing God's new life in us and allowing us to operate in a new way. We will be literally resurrected, like someone who has been stuck in the desert for days and eventually receives food and water. It may take some time to acclimate, but they gradually develop a new persona!
Instead of displaying our own character, we are now displaying Christ to the world. We will have our prayers heard by God, and we will walk in trust with bravery, and we will be able to witness everything that God has done. We are now nourished on a daily basis with the eternal bread and water.
Nothing will have a greater impact on your life than a burning desire to be holy like Jesus Christ. Let us all hunger and thirst for righteousness, and rejoice in the promise that God will satisfy our hunger and need and that we shall never be hungry or thirsty again.
What is spiritual hunger and thirst?
In terms of spirituality, I believe there is a slight distinction between the two (and this is just my opinion). Here's where I see the difference:
- Our desire for spiritual substance and “flesh” is known as spiritual hunger. It's when we desire to gather energy and grow, as well as gain ground and battle. It's the point at which we desire to mature.
- Our thirst for spiritual vigor, peace, and delight in God, as well as the moment-by-moment refreshment that comes through his Spirit, is known as spiritual thirst.
But those distinctions are really the same: we desire God's life to live in us, even in our bodies. Because the connection between soul and spirit, mind and body is not as clear as we frequently make it, individuals seek all kinds of alternatives in their bodies. In our longings and in the fulfillment of our longings, we are integrated individuals.
That's why Jesus could say things like “I am the bread of life” and “I am the source of living water” (John 6 and 4).
What does it mean to be spiritually dry?
Spiritual dryness or desolation in Catholic spirituality refers to a lack of spiritual comfort in one's spiritual life. It's a type of spiritual crisis that manifests itself subjectively as a sense of being cut off from God or a lack of spiritual emotion, particularly during contemplative meditation.
How does Jesus quench your thirst?
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink,” Jesus says in John 7:37-38. ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of life water,' says the Bible of anybody who believes in me. Jesus is proclaiming himself as the source of that living water.
How does my soul thirst for God?
According to the Bible, “For the word of God is swift, strong, and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and a discerner of the heart's intentions and purposes” (Hebrews 4:12). God's Word is more powerful than any two-edged sword because it is fast, alive, and forceful. The Bible is, without a doubt, our road map for our time on this planet. According to Psalm 42:1-2, “My soul yearns for You, O God, like a deer yearns for water brooks. My soul cries out for God, the living God.”
God, like our righteousness, knowledge, and strength, is the object of our earthly longing (Psalm 63:1).
The living God is sometimes referred to as our source of life or spring.
84:2 (Psalm) Statements like the one in Revelation 7:16, on the other hand, “They shall no longer hunger or thirst,” refers to the state of complete spiritual health and satisfaction that occurs in heaven in the presence of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest.
“O GOD, You are my God; I shall seek You early; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh yearns for You in a dry and thirsty desert without water.”
63:1 (Psalm)
“My heart and flesh cry out for the living God; my soul longs, even faints, for the LORD's courts.”
84:2 (Psalm)
“Why, O my soul, have you been thrown down?
And what makes you so worried about me?
Hope in God, for I will still worship Him for the assistance of His face.”
Psalm 42:5 is a psalm written by David.
“From the rise of the sun to its setting, the Mighty One, God the LORD, has spoken and called the earth.”
Psalm 50:1 is a psalm written by David.
“I will be with you as you cross through the streams, and the rivers will not overwhelm you as you walk through them.
You will not be harmed, nor will the flame sear you as you walk through the fire.”
Isaiah 43:2-3)
“The LORD, on the other hand, is the genuine God, the living God and the everlasting King.
The earth will shake in His wrath, and the nations will be unable to bear His fury.”
Jeremiah 10:10 is a prophecy by the prophet Jeremiah.
“Blessed are the hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be satisfied.”
(5:6) (Matthew 5:6) (Matthew 5:7) (Matthe
Your holy Word is forever entrenched in heaven and on earth, Heavenly Father.
My spirit and heart find peace in Your promises and ever-loving care, O LORD.
Lord, I will always walk in Your Word, knowing that You love me.
Thank You, Lord, for guiding and directing me in the right route.
I am grateful for Your Word, Father God, and I long to walk in the light of it forever.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
How do you feed your soul spiritually?
6 Things You Should Do to Keep Your Soul Satisfied
- It's time to talk about it. You may have been taught to say a prayer before eating, sleeping, fighting, or anything else.
What do we thirst for?
Thirst is the desire for liquids, culminating in animals' natural want to drink. It's a crucial part of the fluid balancing mechanism. A shortage of fluids or an increase in the concentration of specific osmolites, such as sodium, causes it. Structures in the brain monitor changes in blood contents and indicate thirst if the body's water volume falls below a specific threshold or the osmolite concentration rises too high.
Continuous dehydration can result in acute and chronic illnesses, although it's most commonly linked to kidney and neurological problems. Polydipsia, or excessive thirst, and polyuria, or excessive urination, are both symptoms of diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus.
A drop in volume or a rise in osmolite concentration are detected by receptors and other mechanisms in the body. Some sources distinguish between “extracellular thirst” and “intracellular thirst,” stating that extracellular thirst is caused by a drop in volume, whereas intracellular thirst is caused by a rise in osmolite concentration.
How do I renew myself spiritually?
Humans have yearned to understand their actual essence for millennia. Your spirituality is your connection to your actual self and the Universal God-consciousness that binds all beings. Spirituality is a lifetime effort, and depending on where you are in life, it may be time to take a step back and rediscover how to reconnect with God and achieve a refreshed spirit. Even long-standing spiritual practices might get tiresome, since it's typical to reach a point where you're looking for something new.
It's crucial that your spiritual life feels exciting, challenging, and helpful to the person you are today, much as continuing the same workouts at the gym day after day will ultimately reach its limit of efficacy. After you've spiritually rejuvenated yourself, it can seem like you've taken a deep breath of fresh air after living in a windowless chamber.