(Prov 27:7 NKJV) A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Unlocking the Power of Proverbs – Walking in the Wisdom of God.” This proverb is very practical. The point Solomon makes is simple; and that is that when your belly is satisfied you will pass up even the greatest dessert, but when you are famished you will eat just about anything. I looked at what the commentators had to say about this verse and they took the provision angle. Most of them commented on the luxuries of the rich, in contrast to the lack of the poor. But I am led to take a different angle this morning. I will talk to you about a satisfied soul.
If you have been reading Today’s Word for any length of time you know that we feed our soul through our ear and ear gates. We literally are what we eat. What is in us abundantly will come out of us eventually, because we will get to the point of saturation. Spiritually speaking, it takes some time for a new convert to renew his or her mind. If they came to God full of years of worldly thinking, then it is obvious that their mental transformation will not happen overnight. You have to get the Word of God down in your soul so you can know how to think, feel, and choose the way God wants you to. Once you are full of the Word, then you will be very selective about what you eat (spiritually). Just like a natural man who fancies fine restaurants on a daily basis develops a refined palate, your spiritual man does the same thing. The more you feast on the Word of God, the more discriminating you become about what you allow past your eye and ear gates.
While the mature believer is very discriminating, because of all the Word he or she has down in their heart, the new convert or the spiritual seeker (who is not yet Born-Again) is not discriminating at all. This person has a sincere hunger and thirst for spiritual things, but their ignorance leaves them vulnerable. Just like the famished man who will eat just about anything, this person is so hungry for spiritual things that they will eat at anyone’s table. This is very dangerous, because as you know, there are many false religions and even many false teachers within Christianity. This is where you need a strong local church with a divinely appointed Pastor. My mother would not let me eat at everyone’s table and my Pastor warned me about eating (spiritually) from those who were not teaching the truth.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. You are what you eat, so make sure you have a consistent diet of the pure Word of God.
2. Those who don’t know the Word of God, but do have a hunger for spiritual things are liable to eat at anyone’s table and are therefore susceptible to false religions and false doctrine.
3. Once your heart is full of the Word of God you will be more selective about what you listen to, because you will have more down inside of you to compare it against.
4. Filling your heart with wayward teaching is dangerous. I was once told that you can listen to anyone just as long as you approached it like eating fish, where you take in the meat, but spit out the bones. However, I have met many believers with spiritual bones stuck in their throats. The best thing to do is to pray about whom to listen to and to make sure you are very selective.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this Word. This Word reminds me that I am a spiritual being with a spiritual appetite. I hunger and thirst for the things of You. You are my necessary food. What I receive from You daily is more important to me than natural food. Your Word is the center and circumference of my life. It is in You that I live and move and have my being. I love You with all my heart. As I fill my heart with Your Word You are able to give me the discernment to know what teaching I should accept and what to reject. I refuse to fill my heart with things that are not of You. I don’t eat from everyone’s table. I develop a refined spiritual palate and I only listen to those who are teaching the true Word of God. This way I can continue to develop and mature into the very image and likeness of Christ. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
