17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Word of God gives us everything we need to be successful in this walk of faith. The problem today is that we don’t spend enough time in the Scriptures. Period! We think that we can get a quick bite here and there and that will be sufficient to sustain and grow us. Like grabbing a box of popcorn when we are hungry, thinking it will satisfy us, only to be even hungrier an hour later. Unless we have sufficient substance, (protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals) our physical diet will lead to physical malnutrition. If our spiritual diet does not have sufficient substance, (reading of Scripture, explaining it in its original context, application to our lives, and prayerful acceptance) our spiritual diet will lead to spiritual malnutrition. There will be no energy to stand up in the battles. Instead, there will be a brief fight, and then exhaustion will set in, leading to defeat. Without that personal steady diet of spiritual nutrition, strength wanes, our relationship with the Lord atrophies (shrinks and dries us), the bones (perseverance) of our spiritual life become weak and brittle, and our immune system (discernment) drops its guard and we become ill. If we want to recover our spiritual health we must eat a diet of the Word. We must try to understand it in its original context, i.e. what did the writer mean and how would the first hearers have understood what they said. Today we have so many good resources that can help us learn what was meant. The internet has many good resources available for free. But a word of caution: the internet also has lots of trash. Ask someone you respect for suggestions and as you find other resources, ask them their opinion of those resources. Then we need application of the truth understood to our lives. How does this truth affect me? Then we must wrestle with our wills and choose to apply this truth to our lives. That is the way to grow strong. No quick fix, drive-thru. It takes time and consistency.
The Arnold Journey 