Video #25 - Eat Healthy - Eat Right!

In the fight against heart disease, a healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons.  Although, for example, eating things high in sodium won’t instantly kill you - they will raise your blood pressure which in turn can damage your heart. So, it’s probably not very wise to consume them in great quantities.  Doctors tell us to eat more fish, limit our meat and dairy, count our cholesterol, fill up on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and go easy on the caffeine.  Why?  Because what we take into our body can directly impact the health of our heart.

In the same way, we need to watch what we “eat” spiritually.  Isaiah asks a heart-probing question in Isa. 55:2-3.  “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?  Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.”   

I want you to take a moment and seriously think about the question Isaiah asked.  Why do you spend your time, your energy, and all else that God has blessed you with on that which cannot truly feed you?  Why waste it on that which does not satisfy you and meet your needs?  Guys - let’s face it: porn, lust and masturbation definitely fit into this category.  We spend our time & energy trying to satisfy self, only to come away empty, unfulfilled and wanting more.

God is calling you to put all of your attention on Him.  As your Great Physician, God knows what’s best for your heart.  He knows what will make you spiritually healthy and what will help you grow.  And He’s prepared a special meal just for you!  Guys ... We need to open our Bible every day for the rest of our lives and feed on every word that comes from God’s mouth (Matt. 4:4). 

Now, I’ve tried to eat “heart healthy” foods.  My biggest complaint?  They can leave a lot to be desired in the taste department.  However, the food that God has prepared for you is “rich.”  Jeremiah said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16). 

As we feed daily upon Scripture, it delights our heart.  In other words, it’s good for you!  The opposite is equally as true – if you do not feed daily upon God’s Word, your spiritual heart will become weak and sick.

So here’s my question for you: Are you eating healthy?  Keep in mind that if you are not feeding on the Word of God, you ARE feeding on something.  We need to starve the sinful flesh.  Stop looking at porn.  Stop letting your mind drift away on the waves of fantasies.  We need to feed on the Word of God.  God is to be the strength of our heart and our portion forever (Psa. 73:26 cp. 2 Cor. 4:16).

I’m sure you are probably very familiar with Psalm 23.  I love in verse two where David says that Our Heavenly Shepherd makes sure we have the finest pastures to graze in - and he makes us lie down there.  Did you know that sheep only lie down when their stomach is full?  When you feed upon God’s Word, it fills you, it guides you, it restores you, it protects you, and it comforts you.  Why on earth would you want to go anywhere else to eat when your Heavenly Father has prepared the best table possible for you!

If you want victory in your life over the beast of sexual impurity, you must build up your strength by eating right – you must feed upon God’s Word daily.  Being fed from the pulpit on Sunday is great, but it must never be enough.  What would happen to you if you only ate a meal on Sunday’s?  You’d shrivel up and die!  Reading a brief devotional every day is good - but it must never be enough.  We need to be in God’s Word for ourselves if we’re going to grow.  The value of a meal isn’t in being handed the menu.

If you want lasting change, you must take it even further.  You need to be like the saints in Berea that “examined the Scriptures every day” (Ac. 17:11).   The greatest treasures are always buried the deepest! Guys - Study God’s Word each and every day.  Examine it.  Dig into it.  Make the time to search for the hidden treasures God has buried for you (Prov. 2:4 cp. Col. 2:3).  Remember that the only difference between reading the Bible and studying it is a pen and paper.  Yet what a difference studying God’s Word can make.

Memorize and meditate on what you’ve studied – then choose to obey it.  Now I can almost hear an agonizing groan rising in your throat as you’re watching this video.  Memorize?  Me?  Seriously?  Why do I have to memorize?  The Holy Spirit’s primary ministry today is to remind you of the things God has said to you (Jn. 14:26).  Now I have a question for you:  can you remember something you never knew?  Of course not!  You tried it in High School and college, right?  It didn’t work then, and it certainly won’t work now either.  So, buck up, be a man – memorize God’s Word!  Give the Holy Spirit the tools He needs to remind you of God’s truth in the moment of temptation.

And meditate on what you’ve read and memorized. Why meditate on God’s Word - isn’t it enough that I’ve read it and memorized it?  Meditating on Scripture, mulling it over in your mind, thinking about what God is saying and how it applies to you personally will enable you to walk in obedience.  God promises that when you meditate on His Word - when you choose to think about it throughout the day, you will prosper and be successful (Josh. 1:9 cp. Psa. 19:14; 119:97). 

One more thing - obey God’s Word.  Never forget that God is “watching to see that (His) word is fulfilled” (Jer. 1:12 NIV 1984).

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About Steve Etner
Steve Etner is a National Men’s Speaker, Author and Purity Coach (www.thepuritycoach.com). He has authored many books, including “Extreme Mind Makeover: How to Transform Sinful Habits into God-Pleasing Patterns of Life”; “The Pure Man’s Devotional Guide: A Biblical Toolbox for Purity”; and “Are You A Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” 

Steve’s conferences, seminars and retreats focus on what God has to say about the way we think and the impact it has on our behavior. By teaching men how to live in moral purity by equipping them with Biblical answers, Steve’s goal is for men to have a re-ignited passion for Jesus and learn how to prepare their minds to successfully overcome their temptations and thus live pure lives for Christ.