So this beautiful prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11), is a petition not for food only but for life, which is more than meat. In other words, it is a prayer for perfect health put in our mouths by the Lord Jesus Himself. - page 257
Pastor Kempie and I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey with Rick Renner and Tony Cooke about four years ago. One morning we went down to the lobby around 5am to find Rick Renner reading his Bible. He shared with us that he never eats breakfast or feeds his flesh before feeding his spirit. Although it’s taken much discipline, we have put into practice this same habit. Every single day.
If you want to grow stronger spiritually, I want to encourage you to also make this a significant part of your morning routine. No matter if you are an early riser or if you typically roll out of bed, you would never neglect your flesh from having a cup of coffee, grabbing a quick bite to eat, or at the very least having a glass of water before leaving the house. Even more essential to your health is time spent in God’s Word. The Bible says that it is health to our entire body! His daily bread is literally the nutrients our spirit and our flesh cry out for!
What problems would be solved, what anxieties stilled, what cares banished if we always did this! (page 255)
“My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.”
You may not have the time to do a long Bible study in the morning but each of us have the ability to spend some quality time in His Word, petition Him for not food only but for life, and thank Him for the day that He has given us!