Spiritual Habits for your Heart, Pt. 3

[Part 3 of a series of posts on keeping your heart healthy.  If you haven't already, read the introduction to this series of posts here...]


Habit Number 2:  Healthy Eating

Any heart doctor will tell you that how you eat and what you eat are key to keeping healthy, and the same is true spiritually.  If you want spiritual health then it only makes sense to watch what you eat - and what you eat is extremely important to your heart.

I regret to say that my spiritual eating habits are often times no better than my physical ones.  I too willingly settle for fast food.  I eat cheaply instead of deeply.  As a Christian there is no substitute for eating well.  Getting into God's Word is critical.  "Fast food" feedings and "drive through" devotions will not keep you spiritually healthy.

Snacking instead of feasting is also a problem.  I know a lot of Christians who snack but never eat.  The truth of the matter is that many times I sample snippets of Scripture or try to survive off of scraps that I collect from sermons or from books instead of digging into something solid.  It's tempting to look to others to feed me instead of doing the work of getting into God’s Word myself.  It's fast.  It's easy.  Sometimes it's more convenient for my schedule.  But it's simply not healthy over the long haul.

When it comes to healthy eating for my spiritual health I live by a few simple "diet do's and dont's":

• DO: Feed myself from the source each and every day.  Eating once a week spiritually is about as smart as eating once a week physically.
• DON'T: Rush a feeding.  Not only do you feel better when you take the time to eat well, but you also get more nutrition out of the meal.
• DO: Plan out your meals.  Don't just open the Bible randomly and expect a steak dinner.  Think about what you're doing.  Read intentionally.  Use a Bible reading plan or go choose a book of the Bible you will stick with for a season.  
• DON'T: Accept scraps from someone else's diet.  Accountability groups are great;  discussion groups are beneficial; and listening to what a friend is learning is awesome...but none of those things count as your personal time with God.  Also on that note...
• DON'T: Expect your pastor to feed you everything you need.  Sermons are like eating out on the weekend: it's fun and really good but it can't and shouldn't carry you all week long.  Again, nothing beats cooking for yourself... get into God's Word!
• DO: Get the right cookware.  Find a Bible you can read and get a journal or whatever else helps you study, understand or reflect on Scripture well.  The right tools are essential to feeding yourself well.

These are just a few of the things I keep in mind to help me with my diet.  They are by no means all of the things to consider, but the jist of it is this: Eat well.  Watch what you eat.  Don't compromise or skimp.  Your heart needs the proper nourishment and without it you'll be more prone to getting run down.

I'd love to hear your additions to the diet do's and don'ts...