Feed My Mind with God’s Word

In Matthew 4:4 I read, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (NLT)

If I want a healthy mind, I must feed my mind with truth.

I know the importance of nutrition. Good food and good calories make me stronger and healthier and give me more energy. Bad calories and junk food harm my body. The same is true in my thought life. I must feed my mind not with junk or poison but with truth.

One time I had the privilege of lecturing at the University of Oxford. While there, I was invited to go to a meeting of Oxford Analytica—a group that has enormous influence in the world. Every day around 6 a.m., leading scholars would gather to get reports from all around the world about what’s happened in the last 24 hours, from crop prices rising in China to unrest in the Middle East. Then they would decide what needs to be said about it. By 11 a.m., a report would be given to groups that pay a lot of money for this information—such as governments and major corporations.

Oxford Analytica was founded on the idea that the best leaders make the best decisions when they have the best information. Even good leaders are more likely to make bad decisions if they don’t have good information.

To live the best life, the life God wants me to live, I need the best information. And I’ll find that information in the Word of God.

The Bible says in Matthew 4:4, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (NLT).

God wants me to make the best decisions and receive his best for my life. I do that by feeding on the Word of God throughout my day, every day.

In summary, I cannot not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So if I want a healthy mind, I must feed my mind with truth. I must feed my mind not with junk or poison but with truth. To live the best life, the life God wants me to live, I need the best information. And I’ll find that information in the Word of God. God wants me to make the best decisions and receive his best for my life. I do that by feeding on the Word of God throughout my day, every day.

I may also be tempted to satisfy a perfectly normal desire in the wrong way or at the wrong time. If I indulge I am trying to satisfy God-given desires in wrong ways. Many of my desires are normal and good, but God wants me to satisfy them in the right way and at the right time. Jesus was able to resist the devil's temptations because he not only knew scripture, but he also obeyed it. Knowing and obeying helps me to follow God's desires rather than the devil's.