All of heaven has been placed in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11. How we steward and access what is already freely ours is completely up to us. Romans 12: 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)
We have the privilege of partaking in the metamorphosis of new creation reality, so His nature can be seen by all people in and through us. The word for ‘transformed’ in the Greek is ‘metamorphoó’ - changed after being with, a changing of form in keeping with inner reality. We get our English word metamorphosis and metamorphize from this Greek word. Feasting on Truth, which is the person of Christ Jesus, is what renews your mind from a cocoon to a butterfly.
There is a heavenly banquet that is fully laid out for us in our true home, heaven. We are not of this world, therefore it would make sense that feasting on the things of this world won’t give us the proper spiritual nutrition that our hearts need in order to function the way it is created to function.
Colossians 3: 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him…. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. (NLT)
Before Christ the food that our hearts feasted on was that silly list of things people do when they are not cleansed in perfection (Hebrews 10:14) and following the Perfect One. Your body will react to what it is fed. Feed it trash and it will run like a garbage disposal, always trying to get rid of the bad stuff instead of enjoying the good stuff. Feed your body healthy things and it will run at optimal performance, because that is what ours bodies were created for.
God paints the same picture for us in His word. We are not of this world, John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (ESV) So when we feast on the food of the world like gossip magazines, the bad news and fear that fills 95% of news broad casts, movies that promote garbage, music that promotes nonsense, gossiping, drugs, an abundance of alcohol, pornography, etc…. our mind reacts accordingly to what it is fed. The same as our body does. Colossians 3: 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (ESV) Other translations say this in verse 1, “set your hearts on things above.” The best meal you could eat is the flesh of God (the Bread of Life) and His blood (the wine of heaven).
Feed on the food that your body needs in order for it to function in the way it is set to function in its new creation rebirth. You have been set free from sin, so why would we feast on anything sinful? We were co-crucified with Christ and our sin nature was nailed to the cross and King Jesus Christ Himself is now what fills our heart. Matthew 6: 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (NLT)
Treasures? What is He talking about? The word for ‘treasures’ in the Greek is ‘thésauros’ - a storehouse of treasure, treasured thoughts stored up in the heart and mind. We get our English word "thesaurus" from this word meaning, “storehouse (treasure) of synonyms”. If, “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of,” then remember that heaven is what fills your heart! Store up thoughts that are valuable in heavens perspective so that your mouth releases treasure in the earth, not trash. Our heart is the storehouse, when our minds stomach feds on the things that are from above your mouth releases heavenly treasure into the world. “I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about me that is not His,” Bill Johnson.
Let’s paint a fun picture to help understand the picture God is painting here. The stomach is the area where food is broken down so the body can get its necessary energy. Our mind is the digestive system for our spiritual stomach. First it enters our mind, and what we believe in our mind is what our heart feasts on. The desire to operate like Christ would have to include feasting on what He feasted on. He feasted on intimacy with the Father, it was His food. Quite literally at times, John 4:31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." (NASB) He was talking about feasting on the Spirit within, which they couldn’t have yet known about because He had not torn the veil between heaven and earth through His crucifixion. Don’t take this to some extreme and read in to it in a way that says you don’t need to eat food in the natural. Jesus also said this in Matthew 4: 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus is revealing that you do need to eat bread (food) in the natural in order to survive, that can’t be your only food though. True life comes from feeding on intimacy with God.
Your natural stomach is also the first line of defense for your body’s immune system. We are in the world, but not of the world (John 17: 16-26). We are called to go into darkness; going into darkness you will see things that are not food for our renewed minds/hearts. When we let our mind be renewed in God’s Spirit, “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect,” we are able to know what is good and acceptable and perfect and what is not. Our mind is where we decide what our heart feeds on. When we agree with Truth, our heart feeds on Truth. When we agree with lies, it’s like putting the wrong gasoline if your car. It won’t run the way it’s created to.
Truth, who is Jesus Christ, is your minds immune system. When life is taking into our mind, through the renewal of the mind, we are able to agree with His portion for us and disagree with what the world would try and feed us. Knowing our identity and Truth through intimately knowing Him and His word is our spiritual immune system. Ephesians 6:17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NLT) A helmet goes over the mind, put on the helmet of wholeness. The word for salvation in the Greek is ‘sozo’ – rescued from all danger, set free, healed, delivered, it is the total package of wholeness. It means far more than just praying a prayer to go to heaven. “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The word for ‘word’ in this verse is ‘rhéma’ - a spoken word that proceeds from the mouth of God. ‘Word’ in this verse is not talking about the written word; it is talking about intimacy with Him and His voice. Intimacy with Him and an intimate ongoing dialogue with Him is your sword of Truth that fends off lies of the enemy. We know and follow Christ’s voice, a strangers voice we will not follow, just like Jesus illustrates in John 10.
In your natural body the food you eat depends on how much faster you’ll get hungry after eating. If you eat foods high in sugar they will digest very fast, giving you quick energy and diminishing quickly and leaving you with even less energy than before. Just like the worlds food, it falsely satisfies for a very short time period. Drinking alcohol to be drunk, numbs your pain and issues for a few hours leaving your issues worse than before. Same with drugs, pornography, workaholics, making money your god, and the list could go on. Yes, it may appear to be satisfying momentarily but it will never leave you full in the way that one gets filled by feasting on the broken body and cleansing blood of our Christ Jesus. When we feast on healthy food in the natural, like protein and fruits and veggies, it lasts longer and it supplies our natural bodies with the proper nutrients necessary to function at their prime level. Only the Spirit of God can fully satisfy ones hunger in a way that constantly produces life and life more abundantly.
John 7: 37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (KJV) 39 Jesus was prophesying about the Holy Spirit that believers were being prepared to receive. But the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out upon them, because Jesus had not yet been unveiled in His full splendor. (Passion Translation)
Jesus is the substance we drink of. Liquid does not need to be broken down in our stomachs; therefore the substance of liquid and its affects are released into our bodies much faster than food. 1 Corinthians 12:13…“and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” The ones that believes Truth will have multiple rivers of life exploding from the area of the body where food is digested, “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Feast on “Christ, who is your life” (Colossians 3:4) and His unlimited fullness with explode on this world as the natural by-product. Feast on intimacy and Truth and out of the overflow of knowing Him we will be the “men who have turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6).
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