Spiritual Junk Food

Left on their own, sheep are directionless, defenseless, and are generally considered to be pretty dumb (d-d-d). According to NC State University’s College of Agriculture, 'Today's sheep have a smaller brain than the sheep 12,000 years ago.' * So with smaller brains, are they increasingly dumber?  

In The Gospel of John, Jesus referred to His followers as sheep, 7 times – the Biblical number of perfection. A quick glance at The Church in our world today, some might agree with Jesus’ characterization of Christians as sheep, though our pride may bristle at the very ‘d-d-d’ notion.

Jesus told Peter to ‘feed’ His sheep. I am a sheep. Are you? This post summarizes what I need in sheep food. See if this may be what you also need, then compare it with the ‘food’ you are being fed by your ‘spiritual feeders’, and see whether you are receiving good, nourishing food, or…. spiritual junk food.

There are countless articles on the topic of physical junk food, and an increasing number on spiritual junk food. The similarities between these two types of junk foods are clear, and they should be alarming. This post is somewhat different in that it is written from the perspective of a hungry sheep – me.

So let’s briefly ponder:

  1. What is spiritual junk food, and from where does it come?

  2. What is a quick way to discern it, i.e., what’s the evidence?

  3. What is the ‘nutritional test’ for our ‘sheep food’?

1. What is spiritual junk food, and from where does it come? As with our natural food, spiritual junk food is whatever we feed our spirit (i.e., whatever we dwell on) that has diminished or no spiritual nutritional value. In the broadest sense, much of what our minds feed on daily very likely fits this categorization, including work, TV programs, news, social palaver, etc. From the Christian perspective, spiritual junk food is typically derived from watered down, selective presentation of the ‘whole Counsel of God’. It is ‘processed/prepared’ by taking pivotal Scripture verses out of their two general contexts. The first context is that of the chapter, book and culture within which it was written. The second context is that of the entire, rightly divided Word of God (both logos and rhema or revealed insights), pulsating with the Heart of God. The 66 books of The Bible are conceived and inspired by one Author, The Spirit of God, and reportedly were penned by 40 writers.

Spiritual food is designed to produce spiritual energy by which we ‘live’ the life designed by, and pleasing to Father God, in harmony with the brotherhood (The Church, writ large), and in service to others -- both Christians and non-Christians alike. What is this spiritual energy that is designed to facilitate such lofty objectives? It is reiterated in Scripture as:

The just

 (i.e., those justified in righteousness)

shall live by faith.

(Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17,

Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38,

and especially Mark 11:22 YLT Version,

with its emphasis on 'of', not 'in')

Faith, therefore, is the spiritual energy by which we are expected to live. Interpreting the above verses broadly, living by faith is both:

·  A command (i.e., live!), and

·  A promise (i.e., you shall live! – succeed in achieving your goals and objectives)

The objective of faith is to build our belief in, and catalyze our actions based on understanding God’s nature, character and promises. God designed this spiritual energy to come from, or by hearing His Word -- both His written (logos) Word in The Bible, and His revealed (rhema) Word through meditation and musing.

So then faith comes by hearing,

and hearing by the Word of God.

(Romans 10:17)

God designed us physically and in our communal/social life to ‘hear’ His Word via at least three avenues:

·     In our minds as we read, meditate and listen audibly to His written Word. When you read, do you hear your inner self, somewhat calling out each word, phrase or concept to yourself? By design, we ‘hear’ ourselves read, and then translate what we hear into pictures. Clever!

·    In our conversations with other believers as we exhort and admonish each other with/in The Word. These two words we don’t use much nowadays. ‘Exhort’ (in its various forms) is cited only once in the Old Testament, but over 30 times in the New Testament. ‘Admonish’ (in its various forms) is cited equally (5 times) in both testaments. Most of the New Testament is a series of exhortations and admonishments. (NKJV)

·    In formal sermons and teachings that formally elucidate The Word.

When we hear in these ways, and that which we hear does not produce faith, then what we are hearing is a type of spiritual junk food in that it is not adequately nourishing, and does not produce the intended energy (faith) by which we are to live.

2. What is the plain evidence? In short order, the evidence of having consumed junk food is …weak, doubting and wavering faith, or faithlessness. A steady diet of junk food will also be evidenced in our persistent failures in the face of spiritual tests and trials -- the inability to please God, since it takes faith to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Without this crucial spiritual energy, we will lack confidence, boldness and wisdom both before God, and also in facing our spiritual enemy. The evidence of what happens to malnourished sheep, or babies, etc. speaks loudly.

3. What is the nutritional test? If sheep by nature are d-d-d (dumb, directionless and defenseless), the ultimate nutritional test of the spiritual food we consume may well be:

·  Our deepening knowledge of The Lord – His nature, character and promises (i.e., no longer dumb). As we get to 'know' Him, He also 'knows' us, the critical requirement for our names being written in His Book of (eternal) Life that is noted 7 times in the Book of  Revelation.

·  Our perceptions of, and ability to recognize and follow His voice (i.e., no longer directionless since, ‘My sheep hear/listen to My voice’)

·  Our defensiveness against our spiritual enemy (i.e., no longer defenseless, having ‘put on God’s whole armor’)

If we come up short in these areas, it’s time to do a ‘salvation status check’ to evaluate and maybe change what we are hearing in our minds as we read/study Scripture, in conversations with believers, and in formal sermons/teachings. In all three areas, I wonder whether a lot of what we hear may well be a treasure trove of spiritual junk food that builds more dis-unity, fear, pride and condemnation than it does faith. To see if this may be so in your life, consider asking yourself immediately after listening/hearing in any of the three listening categories:

·  Since faith works by/through love (Galatians 5:6), did what I just listened to/heard help my spiritual strength to love and to live by faith in and of God?

·  Will what I just listened to/heard help me to overcome my tests and trials by the word of my testimony? (Revelation 12:11)

If the answers are 'No', you may have likely had a heaping of, not nourishing sheep food, but spiritual junk food. Mind you, spiritual junk food is addictive, and it fattens our prideful carnal-mindedness.

A conundrum to consider: While Paul affirms faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), the writer of Hebrews suggests faith needs to be added to or mixed with that which we hear (Hebrews 4:2), as if it-takes-faith-to-build-faith. If so, this may be why Paul says '…God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.' (Romans 12:3) Given this, it would certainly help to keep our faith alert and active as we listen/hear in each of the three categories – reading, conversations with believers, and formal sermons/teachings. 

Ummm, here’s a novel (radical?) idea. Just as the food labeling law in the U.S. requires manufacturers of prepared/processed foods to label both the major ingredients and nutritional values on food containers, how would it be if the formal sermons and teachings we ‘consume’ were both introduced and concluded with the list of areas in which what you are about to hear or read is targeted to build your faith for A, B, C…? Remember, faith is not a monolith (a point echoed often in this blog). Just as our physical bodies have many muscles for different functions, we also have ‘faith muscles’ with different functions (e.g., faith for personal forgiveness and salvation, faith for physical healing, faith for supply, faith to forgive and love others, faith for peace of mind, faith to witness, etc.). Such a labeling practice could help both the teacher/preacher as well as the hearer to focus on the intended minimum 'faith-building objectives'. Anything achieved over and above these minimums would be ‘icing on the cake!’

How could a similar, non-formal notion help enhance the quality of, and benefits from our conversations with other believers??

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

 (Isaiah 55:2)

I will give you shepherds according to My heart,

who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

(Jeremiah 3:15)

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^* See: Dumb, Directionless, Defenseless and Sheep Facts