WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 1: WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF?

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION?

PART 1: WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF?

MATTHEW 4:4 (NLT)

“People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

In the introduction to this series, I shared how a simple question about our firstborn led me to think deeply about nourishment.

A baby depends on nourishment for growth.

The baby does not prepare the food.

The baby does not decide what nutrients the body needs.

The baby simply receives what has been prepared.

That thought led me to another question:

If we understand that physical nourishment matters to the growth of a child, what about spiritual nourishment?

What are we feeding ourselves?

Because before we can ask what we are feeding the next generation, we must first examine what we are feeding ourselves.

EVERYTHING NEEDS NOURISHMENT

A newborn needs nourishment to grow.

The body needs food.

The mind needs healthy information.

Relationships need communication and care.

And the spirit needs nourishment.

Something must continually enter us if we are going to grow.

The problem is that we often pay more attention to our physical diet than our spiritual diet.

We carefully consider what we eat.

We check expiration dates.

We think about what is healthy.

We become concerned when a doctor tells us to change our diet.

But how careful are we about what enters our hearts?

How careful are we about what enters our minds?

How careful are we about what we watch?

How careful are we about what we listen to?

How careful are we about the voices we allow to shape our thinking?

JESUS AND THE QUESTION OF NOURISHMENT

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread.

Jesus responded:

“People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Matthew 4:4 NLT

Jesus was not saying that physical food is unnecessary. He was showing us that physical nourishment is not enough for life. 

A person can eat well and still be spiritually empty.

A person can have money and still lack peace.

A person can be physically strong and spiritually weak.

A person can feed the body every day while starving the soul.

That is why Jesus pointed us toward another source of nourishment. The Word of God.

WHAT ARE YOU CONSUMING?

Every day, we consume more than food.

We consume conversations.

We consume information.

We consume entertainment.

We consume opinions.

We consume social media content.

We consume people's lifestyles.

We consume ideas.

We consume attitudes.

We consume values.

And whether we realize it or not, these things can influence us.

What you repeatedly expose yourself to can gradually become familiar.

What becomes familiar can become acceptable.

What becomes acceptable can become part of your lifestyle.

That is why the Bible says:

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Your heart is important because your life flows from it.

NOT EVERYTHING SHOULD BE ALLOWED INTO YOU

One of the greatest mistakes we can make is assuming that because something is available, we should consume it.

That is not true physically.

It is not true mentally.

And it is not true spiritually.

A person can eat something that looks attractive and later discover that it is harmful.

The same thing can happen spiritually.

Something can be entertaining but unhealthy.

Something can be popular but ungodly.

Something can be normal in society but dangerous to your spiritual growth.

Something can make you laugh while slowly changing your values.

Something can look harmless while gradually weakening your convictions.

That is why we need spiritual discernment.

The question should not only be:

“Do I enjoy this?”

We should also ask:

“What is this producing in me?”

YOUR SPIRITUAL DIET WILL AFFECT YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE

Imagine someone eating only junk food every day. They may enjoy the taste.

They may enjoy the convenience.

They may even feel satisfied for a moment.

But satisfaction is not always the same as nourishment. The same principle applies to our spiritual lives.

We can consume hours of entertainment and minutes of Scripture.

We can spend hours scrolling and struggle to spend time praying.

We can know everything happening online but remain unfamiliar with what God is saying through His Word.

We can feed our opinions more than we feed our faith. Eventually, something begins to show. Our spiritual condition is often connected to our spiritual diet.

WHAT YOU FEED GROWS

This is a simple principle.

What you consistently feed tends to grow.

Feed your faith. Let it grow.

Feed your prayer life. Let it grow.

Feed your knowledge of God's Word.

Let it grow.

Feed bitterness. It grows.

Feed anger. It grows.

Feed lust. It grows.

Feed fear. It grows.

Feed pride. It grows.

Every day, we are making choices about what we allow to grow inside us.

Galatians 6:7 says:

“You will always harvest what you plant.”

You cannot continually plant one thing and expect to harvest something completely different.

YOUR PRIVATE DIET CAN BECOME SOMEONE ELSE'S PUBLIC EXPERIENCE

This brings us back to the central question of this series.

What are you feeding the next generation?

Before we can answer that, we need to examine ourselves. A parent who continually feeds on anger may eventually reproduce anger in the home.

A parent who continually feeds on fear may raise children who learn to approach life through fear.

A parent who feeds on God's Word can create an environment where God's Word becomes familiar to the next generation.

A leader who feeds on integrity can create a culture of integrity.

A leader who feeds on compromise can create a culture where compromise becomes normal.

This does not mean that children or followers automatically become exactly like those who influence them.

People make their own choices. But our lives can become powerful sources of influence.

That is why our private choices matter.

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF?

This is the question we must face.

What are you feeding your mind?

What are you feeding your heart?

What are you feeding your spirit?

What voices are you allowing to influence you?

What conversations are shaping your thinking?

What content are you repeatedly consuming?

What habits are you strengthening?

What attitudes are you nourishing?

And perhaps the most important question:

If I continue feeding on these things, what kind of person will I become?

Because what you feed today can influence what you produce tomorrow.

LESSONS TO LEARN

1. Spiritual growth requires spiritual nourishment.

You cannot expect spiritual strength while continually starving your spirit.

2. What you consume matters.

Everything you allow into your life has the potential to influence your thinking, values and behavior.

3. Not everything that satisfies you nourishes you.

Something can be enjoyable without being beneficial.

4. What you feed can grow.

Be careful about what you repeatedly nourish in your heart.

5. Your personal choices can influence others.

The way you live can become an example that others follow.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Before asking what you are feeding the next generation, examine what you are feeding yourself.

You cannot continually feed your spirit with unhealthy things and expect healthy spiritual fruit.

Your life will eventually produce something.

And somebody may eventually feed from what you produce.

CALL TO ACTION

Take a personal inventory today.

Look at your last seven days.

What have you watched?

What have you listened to?

What have you read?

What conversations have occupied your mind?

What has received most of your attention?

How much time have you spent with God?

How much time have you spent in His Word?

How much time have you spent in prayer?

Now ask yourself:

What is my current spiritual diet producing in me?

Identify one unhealthy influence that needs to be reduced or removed.

Then identify one godly practice that needs to become stronger.

Do not wait until you see the fruit before you examine the seed.

Check what you are feeding yourself today.

PRAYER

1. Father, help me to become conscious of what I allow into my heart, mind and spirit.

2. Lord, give me wisdom to recognize what is unhealthy for my spiritual growth.

3. Holy Spirit, create in me a strong appetite for God's Word, prayer and the things that draw me closer to Christ.

4. Father, help me remove every influence that is producing unhealthy fruit in my life.

5. Lord, let what I consume spiritually produce a life that will bless those coming after me.

NEXT PART PREVIEW

PART 2: WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE YOU?

A mother eats food, but the baby does not receive that food directly.

The mother's body processes what she consumes and uses the nutrients as part of the process of producing breast milk.

That raises another spiritual question.

What happens to what enters us?

Hearing God's Word is important.

Reading God's Word is important.

Listening to sermons is important.

But what happens after we hear?

What happens when God's Word enters our hearts?

Does it remain information?

Does it become conviction?

Does conviction become obedience?

Does obedience become character?

In Part 2, we will look at what happens inside us after we receive what we consume.

Because receiving something is only the beginning.

What enters you must eventually produce something in you.

Grace and peace be with you until we meet again in the next part of this life transforming journey.

God is speaking, are you listening?

Prince Julius Nenebi-Darkson

(EL-PJ God's Penman)