The famous words "man shall not live by bread alone" carry profound meaning that extends far beyond physical sustenance. Understanding how to properly feed on God's Word is essential for every believer who desires to walk in the authority and dominion God intended.
Understanding Your True Identity: You Are a Spirit
Before we can learn to feed our inner man, we must understand what we truly are. When God said "Let us make man in our image" in Genesis 1:26, He wasn't creating a physical being first - He was creating a spirit.
God is a spirit (John 4:24), and when He made man in His image, He created a spiritual being. You are first and foremost a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. This distinction is crucial because each part requires different types of nourishment.
The Three Parts of Man
First Thessalonians 5:23 reveals the complete picture: "May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless." Your spirit is the part made in God's image, your soul consists of your mind, will, and emotions, and your body is the physical vessel you inhabit.
While your body needs physical food and your soul needs knowledge and understanding, your spirit - the real you - requires spiritual nourishment that only comes from God's Word.
Why Feeding Your Spirit Matters
Psalm 8 reveals that God made man "a little lower than Elohim" and crowned him with glory and honor, putting all things under his feet. This speaks of the incredible authority and dominion God intended for mankind.
However, many believers struggle to walk in this dominion because they haven't learned to properly nourish their spirit. You cannot exercise spiritual authority through emotions, human understanding, or by looking at circumstances. True dominion comes through the spirit within you.
The Connection Between Obedience and Multiplication
Deuteronomy 8:1-4 teaches a fundamental principle: obedience to God's commandments is directly connected to our ability to live and multiply. When we overlook God's commands, we may be alive physically but disconnected from true life and unable to multiply in the areas God has called us to.
The Israelites learned this lesson during their 40 years in the wilderness. God allowed them to hunger and then fed them with manna to teach them that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."
Three Ways to Feed Your Inner Man
1. Obedience: The Foundation of Spiritual Nourishment
Obedience is not based on your opinions or feelings - it's about aligning your life with God's Word regardless of how you feel about it. Job 23:11-12 demonstrates this principle: "My foot has held fast to His steps... I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."
When you walk in disobedience to God's Word, it doesn't matter how much you cry or petition God for blessings - you've broken the divine chain that connects you to His provision and power.
Joshua 1:8 promises that when we meditate on God's Word day and night and observe to do all that's written in it, "then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Notice it says "you will make" - God gives you the power and authority, but you must exercise it through obedience.
2. Attention: Focused Engagement with God's Word
Proverbs 4:20-23 outlines the importance of giving attention to God's words: "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart."
Paying attention means being attentive and ready, not relaxed and passive. When you incline your ear to God's sayings, you're positioning yourself expectantly, ready for instruction and battle.
The passage promises that God's words "are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." However, not everyone finds this life because not everyone pays attention. Many people come to church but are distracted by their phones or other concerns when the Word is being taught.
3. Desire: Craving God's Word Like a Newborn Craves Milk
First Peter 2:2 instructs us to "like newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." Just as a baby has an intense desire for milk, we must cultivate an intense desire for God's Word.
You cannot pray to be hungry for God's Word - you must decide to be hungry. God doesn't give His treasures cheaply; you must dig deep with genuine desire to find the treasures of God.
Without this desire, you will never find the spiritual nourishment your inner man needs to grow and exercise dominion.
The Difference Between Sympathy and Compassion
Many believers seek sympathy when they face challenges, but what they need is compassion. Sympathy will sympathize with your situation and leave you where you are. Compassion, however, will give you a way out - even if it's not convenient or comfortable.
The truth often hurts because it's compassionate. It doesn't coddle you in your current state but provides the path to freedom and growth.
Moving Beyond Emotions to Spirit-Led Living
One of the biggest hindrances to spiritual growth is being led by emotions rather than by the spirit. Your feelings cannot rule you if you want to walk in dominion. The spirit, being made in God's image, must lead while the soul and body follow.
Many people have lost opportunities, relationships, and businesses because they were led by their emotions rather than by God's Word and their spirit.
Life Application
This week, commit to feeding your inner man through intentional engagement with God's Word. Choose one area where you know God has spoken but you haven't fully obeyed, and take steps toward complete obedience. Set aside dedicated time daily to read Scripture with focused attention, asking God what He wants to say to you about your current situations.
Cultivate a genuine hunger for God's Word by approaching it with the same intensity you once had for things that didn't benefit your spirit. Remember, your spiritual growth and ability to walk in dominion depend on how well you nourish the man God created in His image.
Questions for Reflection:
- In what areas of my life am I walking in disobedience to God's Word, and how might this be limiting my spiritual growth and dominion?
- Am I giving God's Word the same attention and priority I give to other things I consider important in my life?
- Do I have a genuine desire for God's Word, or am I more motivated by emotions and circumstances than by spiritual truth?
- How can I practically increase my hunger for Scripture and move from being soul-led to spirit-led in my daily decisions?
