bible

Spiritual Malnutrition: The Hidden Hunger Most Christians Ignore

~ Dave Mudra ~ Leave a comment

God designed us to live from the inside out—spirit first, then soul, then body—and His Word is the food that keeps that whole system alive and healthy. When we ignore that order, everything starts to wobble: our thoughts, our emotions, even our physical strength. When we honor it, life begins to feel aligned again, like a machine finally running the way its Maker intended.

Scripture shows that we are not just a body with some vague “inner life.” Paul writes, “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). That’s not random wording. It suggests a clear structure: spirit, then soul, then body. The spirit is the deepest part of you—the real “you,” where you are aware of God, where you sense and know things that go beyond logic (Romans 8:16). When someone is born again, that spirit is made new, righteous, and united with the Holy Spirit. The soul sits in the middle and includes your mind, will, and emotions—the part of you that thinks, chooses, and feels. The body is your visible, physical shell, the way you show up and act in the world.

The Bible even tells us that God’s Word can reach into these layers and separate them in a way nothing else can. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is so sharp it can divide soul and spirit, “joints and marrow.” In other words, it can cut right down into the deepest places and show what’s happening where. Only God’s Word can do that, because only God’s Word is designed to feed and sort out those different parts in the right order.

Just like your body needs food, your spirit needs food—and not just occasionally. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Bread keeps the body going; God’s Word feds the spirit and quickens our souls. Peter compares believers to newborn babies who should crave “the sincere milk of the word” so they can grow (1 Peter 2:2). No food, no growth. That’s true physically, and Scripture says it’s just as true spiritually.

Job understood this long before any of us. He said he valued God’s words more than his necessary food (Job 23:12). He saw that real life is not just about keeping the body going; it’s about feeding the spirit. Jesus agreed: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). God’s Word is spiritual in nature and life-giving in effect. When your spirit takes it in, something living is happening, even when you don’t feel anything dramatic.

Now think about what happens when you don’t eat. When the body goes without food, it gets weak, tired, and shaky. You feel faint, you can’t focus, and your emotions often sink. Scripture uses that picture to help us understand what happens on the inside when we neglect spiritual food. David described his inner dryness this way: when he kept silent and held things in before God, he said his bones felt like they were aging and his strength was gone “as in the drought of summer” (Psalm 32:3–4). His spiritual condition was affecting his physical and emotional state.

Proverbs gives the same idea in a sentence: “A broken spirit drieth the bones,” but “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). When the spirit is crushed, the body feels it. When the inner life is joyful, it’s like medicine to the whole person. God built us so that what happens in the spirit eventually touches the soul and finally shows up in the body. This is not an accident. God designed life to flow from the deepest part of us outward.

When the spirit is fed with the Word of God, the first place the effects show up is in the soul—how we think, feel, and choose. Scripture renews the mind, which is part of the soul. Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). And what is the benefit of that? The passage goes on to say that you will prove that God’s will is good, perfect and acceptable!

The Word doesn’t just give us new ideas; it reshapes how we see reality. It also brings peace to the heart: “Great peace have they which love thy law” (Psalm 119:165). Love the Word, and peace follows. Jeremiah said, “Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). Joy doesn’t begin in the emotions; it starts with the Word reaching the spirit and then flowing out into the feelings. David could say, “He restoreth my soul” (Psalm 23:3), because God’s truth reaches weary, damaged places inside and brings them back to life.

So the chain looks like this: the Word strengthens the spirit, the strengthened spirit renews the soul, and then both begin to affect the body and even the physical world around you. Paul describes it like this: that God would strengthen us “with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). The Holy Spirit uses the Word to empower the “inner man”—your spirit. That inner strength then shows up in clearer thinking, better attitudes, steadier emotions, and wiser choices.

From there, Scripture shows that the body is not left out of the process. What is planted in the heart eventually appears in how we live, act, and even in our health. Solomon urges his son to pay attention to God’s words and keep them in his heart because “they are life unto those that find them, and health to ALL their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20–22). Notice the order: the Word enters, settles in the heart, and then becomes life and health to the body. It’s inside → outside every time.

John echoes this when he says, “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2). The prosperity and health he longs for are tied to the condition of the soul. God’s pattern is consistent: the state of your inner life sets the tone for your outer life.

Put simply, God designed spirit, soul, and body to work as a team—with the spirit leading, not trailing behind. The Spirit of God lives in the believer’s spirit and produces fruit—love, joy, peace, and so on (Galatians 5:22–23). But for that fruit to shape the rest of life, the spirit must be fed. When the spirit is nourished by the Word, the soul is refreshed, reordered, and stabilized. Then the body is guided and strengthened by that inner overflow instead of being driven purely by feelings or circumstances.

Ignore spiritual food, and the results are predictable: weakness, confusion, lack of stability, and reduced capacity to handle life. Feed the spirit, and you see the opposite: strength, clarity, peace, and steadiness. This isn’t a motivational slogan; it’s the order of creation as Scripture reveals it.

Finally, Jesus ties all of this to the renewing of the mind and to trusting Him. A renewed mind is not a luxury; it’s how we learn to recognize God’s will and walk in spiritual strength (Romans 12:2). When Jesus says, “Man shall live by every word of God” (Matthew 4:4), He is not giving a poetic line; He is telling us how human beings actually live as God intended. To believe Him is to take that seriously.

So if Jesus tells us that His Word brings blessing, peace, and spiritual vitality, then valuing mind renewal is really a way of saying, “I trust You, Lord.” Feeding the spirit with the Word becomes an act of faith, not just a habit. We feed on His Word because we believe what He says. We renew our minds because He has told us this will transform us. And we seek the health of spirit, soul, and body because that is how God made us to function: life starting in the spirit, moving through the soul, and reaching all the way out to the body.

Be Quiet!

~ Dave Mudra ~ Leave a comment

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” this is one of my favorite quotes which. Blaise Pascal said centuries ago, and somehow, it feels even more true today. Think about it—how often do you reach for your phone the moment you’re bored? Why is it so uncomfortable to just sit still, alone with your thoughts? Pascal believed the answer wasn’t just about habit—it was about avoiding the truth.

He argued that when we sit quietly and step away from distractions, we’re forced to confront life’s deepest questions: What’s my purpose? Am I truly happy? Am I at peace with God? And let’s be honest—those questions can be intimidating. So instead, we distract ourselves. We dive into work, entertainment, and social media, anything to avoid the silence. But does it really work? Pascal didn’t think so, and the Bible agrees.

Paul says in Romans 1:18-20 that the truth about God is plain to us—His power and divine nature are clear in the world around us. But here’s the catch: people suppress that truth. Why? Because facing it means reckoning with who we are and how much we depend on God. That’s uncomfortable, so we run from it, filling our lives with noise and busyness instead.

Yet Scripture consistently shows that the solution isn’t more distractions; it’s stillness. In Psalm 46:10, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness allows us to see reality clearly—not just who God is, but who we are in relation to Him. And Jesus modeled this perfectly. Over and over in the Gospels, we see Him retreating to quiet places to pray, like in Matthew 14:23, where He went alone to a mountainside after a long day of ministry. If even Jesus needed time alone with the Father, how much more do we?

But solitude isn’t just about rest; it’s also transformative. In Lamentations 3:28-29, the writer encourages us to “sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him… there may yet be hope.” Sitting quietly forces us to face our pride, our sins, and our fears, but it also opens the door to humility, hope, and renewal.

Pascal’s insights also tie directly to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 16:25: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Losing your life, in this sense, means letting go of the superficial self—the one that clings to comfort, distractions, and worldly success. When we lose that part of ourselves and embrace the truth, we find real life: peace with God and purpose in Him.

The problem is, distractions come with a cost. Pascal warned that diversions aren’t just innocent time-fillers—they’re a way to avoid dealing with life’s big questions. Jesus put it even more bluntly in John 3:19-20: “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light… Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” It’s easier to stay busy than to let the truth expose what’s in our hearts. But the more we avoid it, the more restless and anxious we become.

So, what’s the way forward? How do we embrace the kind of solitude that Pascal and Scripture say is essential? Here are a few practical steps:
1. Start Small. Spend just 5-10 minutes a day sitting quietly. Use that time to pray or reflect on verses like Psalm 62:1: “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”
2. Turn Off the Noise. Create boundaries with your phone and social media. Try sitting alone without reaching for a screen or filling the space with background noise.
3. Ask the Hard Questions. In your quiet moments, be honest with yourself: What truths am I avoiding? What distractions are keeping me from God?
4. Follow Jesus’ Example. Make time regularly to step away from the chaos of life. Jesus often retreated to solitary places to connect with God—and in those moments, He found strength and clarity.

Pascal’s challenge is simple but profound: Can we sit quietly, alone, and face the truth? Scripture assures us that when we do, we don’t face it alone. God meets us there, in the stillness, offering the peace and purpose we so desperately seek.

So, take a moment. Turn off the noise. Sit in the quiet. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but in losing the distractions, you’ll gain something far greater: the presence of God and the life He created you to live.

You Only Need One Thing

~ Dave Mudra ~ Leave a comment

Imagine walking into a bustling home filled with the clatter of dishes and the hum of activity. In the kitchen, a woman rushes about, flushed and flustered, trying to keep up with the demands of hosting. But across the room, her sister sits motionless, absorbed, her eyes fixed on their guest. She isn’t helping in the kitchen, cleaning, or preparing. She’s simply sitting—still, attentive, and focused.

This is the scene in Luke 10, when Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary. Martha’s frustration boils over, and she pleads with Jesus to make Mary help. But His reply is unexpected:“Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”(Luke 10:41–42).

One thing. In a world drowning in demands, distractions, and endless duties, Jesus cuts through the noise and declares there is only one thing we truly need. And Mary found it—not in activity, but in sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His Word.

This story isn’t just a quaint moment in the Gospels. It’s a profound lesson for every believer today. The “one thing” Jesus spoke of is the meditation on and devotion to God’s Word—the only thing that truly sustains us.

The Word as Our Spiritual Food

Jesus’ words to Martha are not a dismissal of work or service. Rather, they are a call to prioritize what matters most. The Bible consistently teaches that God’s Word is essential to our lives. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 4:4:“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”Just as food nourishes our bodies, the Word nourishes our spirits.

But think about it—what happens when you go without eating? Your stomach growls, your energy fades, and eventually, your body begins to shut down. The same is true spiritually. When we neglect the Word of God, we grow weak. Our faith falters, our joy diminishes, and our ability to resist temptation crumbles. Without the Word, we are spiritually starved.

Mary understood this in a way Martha didn’t. Martha was feeding her guests, but Mary was being fed by Jesus’ words. She realized that spiritual food takes precedence over even the most pressing of tasks.

God’s Word is Alive and Transforming

Here’s the thing: the Word of God is not just a collection of ancient texts or moral teachings. It is alive. Hebrews 4:12 declares: “For the word of God is alive, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword.”When we meditate on Scripture, we aren’t simply reading words on a page. We are engaging with the living, breathing truth of God. His Word cuts through confusion, convicts us of sin, and brings clarity to life’s complexities.

Proverbs 4:22 describes the transformative power of God’s words:“For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”The Bible isn’t just informational—it’s transformational. It brings life to our spirits, healing to our bodies, and guidance for our minds.

When we sit with God’s Word—whether reading it, hearing it, or reflecting on it—we open ourselves to His transformative power. It renews our minds, strengthens our hearts, and equips us to face life’s challenges.

The Danger of Neglecting the Word

But as alive as God’s Word is, it won’t transform us if we fail to engage with it. Skipping time in God’s Word is like trying to run a marathon on an empty stomach—you might start strong, but eventually, you’ll collapse. Without the Word, our spiritual strength fades, our faith becomes brittle, and we are left vulnerable to the storms of life.

Neglecting the Word leaves us directionless. It’s no wonder Psalm 1 compares the person who meditates on God’s Word to a tree planted by streams of water—stable, fruitful, and unshakable. The person who ignores it? They are like chaff, blown away by the wind.

Spiritual starvation is subtle at first. You skip a day in the Word, then another. Soon, you find yourself running on empty, your faith dry and brittle. But the good news is this: God’s Word is always ready to restore us. One verse, one moment of meditation, can reignite a fire in your soul.

The One Thing Needed

So, what about us? Are we like Martha, “careful and troubled about many things,” or like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus? The truth is, we all live in Martha’s world—a world of deadlines, distractions, and constant demands. But Jesus reminds us that onlyone thingis needful. When we meditate on the Word, everything else falls into its proper place. Our priorities shift, our burdens lighten, and our hearts find rest.

But let’s be honest—if we refuse to do thisone thing,we are, in essence, saying we don’t believe Jesus. We’re declaring that we know better than the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. How can we truly call ourselves believers if we don’t actually do what He has told us is most important?

James 1:22 challenges us with this truth:“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”If we claim to believe in Jesus, our faith must lead to obedience. To ignore His instruction to prioritize His Word is to live in self-deception, claiming allegiance to Christ while disregarding His authority.

Jesus has made it clear:“One thing is needful.”To reject this is to reject not only His guidance but His lordship over our lives. But to embrace it—to choose the “good part,” as Mary did—is to live in alignment with His will, nourished by the very words of life.

Engage with the Word in Any Form

The question isn’t just whether we’ll read our Bibles, spend time in prayer, or engage with God’s Word in other ways. Whether it’s listening to Scripture, soaking in inspired messages, or reflecting on a powerful sermon, the heart of the matter is this: will we truly believe Jesus enough to do what He says we need to do? If we refuse to prioritize His Word in any form—reading, hearing, or meditating on it—can we really call ourselves His followers? Faith is not merely what we profess but what we practice, and engaging with God’s Word is the practice Jesus has made non-negotiable for all who claim to follow Him.

Let us, like Mary, choose the “good part.” Whether by reading it, hearing it, or meditating on it, let God’s Word become the priority of our lives. It will never be taken from us, and it is the only thing we truly need.

For more resources to help you meditate on God’s Word, visit these websites:

• www.JosephPrince.com

• www.awmi.net/video/tv-archives

Disappointment is a Sin

~ Dave Mudra ~ Leave a comment

Disappointment Is a Sin.

It might sound harsh, but let’s not sugarcoat it. When we, as Christians, live in disappointment, discontentment, or anxiety, we’re engaging in a subtle rebellion against the character of God. Disappointment whispers, “God hasn’t done enough.” Discontentment grumbles, “What He’s given me isn’t good enough.” Anxiety declares, “I can’t trust Him to handle my needs.” While these emotions may feel natural, the heart behind them reveals a deeper issue: we’re failing to believe in the truth of God’s overflowing provision. And when we fail to believe what God has already said about His goodness, we’re sinning against the One who has given us everything.

Paul challenges us in Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Anxiety, discontentment, or complaining isn’t just a bad habit or a personality trait—it’s a direct contradiction to the command to trust God’s faithfulness. These attitudes subtly suggest that God is holding something back from us, but Scripture paints a completely different picture. God isn’t stingy. In fact, His generosity is so overwhelming that it’s impossible for us to contain or even fully comprehend.

The truth is, God has already opened the floodgates of heaven and is pouring out a blessing so great that we cannot contain it all (Malachi 3:10). Think about that: God’s provision is so vast that it exceeds our capacity to hold it. He’s not filling us just to the brim; He’s filling us to overflowing. The issue isn’t whether God is giving, but whether we’ve made room to receive. Too often, it’s our small capacity—our limited faith, our narrow expectations, or our unwillingness to trust—that prevents us from experiencing the fullness of His blessings. We bring thimbles to a river that could fill oceans, all the while wondering why we still feel empty.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 1:3 that we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Not just some blessings, not just enough to scrape by—every blessing. And 2 Peter 1:3 reinforces this, saying that “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness.” Notice the tense: has given. It’s already done. The blessings aren’t locked away in some heavenly vault, waiting for us to earn them. They’re ours now. So when we let disappointment or anxiety creep in, we’re essentially saying we don’t believe God’s provision is enough.

The problem isn’t God’s giving; it’s our receiving. Imagine standing by a river so wide and so deep that it could never run dry. That’s the picture of God’s Spirit, described in John 7:38 as “rivers of living water” flowing from within believers. But here’s the catch: many of us live like we’re carrying around thimbles, asking for a drop when God is offering torrents. We pray small prayers, live small lives, and complain when things don’t go our way, all the while standing next to the river, unwilling to step in.

This failure to receive is rooted in a scarcity mindset—a belief that God’s resources are limited, that we might miss out, or that His blessings are unevenly distributed. But Malachi 3:10 dismantles this idea completely: “Test Me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” God’s blessings aren’t small or selective; they’re overwhelming, overflowing, and more than enough. But the limitation isn’t on God’s end—it’s on ours. Are we prepared to receive more than we can handle, or are we still clinging to our small containers?

When we let disappointment and discontentment take root, we’re not just doubting God’s provision—we’re misrepresenting His character. Matthew 7:11 reminds us that if earthly parents know how to give good gifts, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” God’s very nature is generosity. He delights in giving, not sparingly, but abundantly. To live in constant worry, frustration, or criticism is to act as though God’s promises aren’t true.

But here’s the good news: the antidote to disappointment isn’t self-discipline or suppressing our emotions—it’s faith. Faith that God’s Spirit is an unending current, supplying everything we need moment by moment. Faith that His blessings are already ours and that He is working for our good, even when we can’t see it. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), because faith is what enables us to trust in His character and promises, even when our circumstances don’t align with our expectations. Faith opens the floodgates of our hearts to receive the overflowing provision God is already pouring out. When we align our hearts with the truth of His provision, we begin to live in the freedom and abundance He intended for us. Faith is not just a passive belief—it’s the active trust that God’s Word is true and His resources are sufficient.

So, let’s stop living like God is holding out on us. He isn’t. The floodgates are open, the river is flowing, and every spiritual blessing is already ours in Christ. The real question isn’t whether God will provide—it’s whether we’ll believe it, receive it, and live like it’s true. And maybe it’s time we traded our thimbles for buckets, stepped into the river, and let the reality of His overflowing provision transform our lives.