Have you ever looked at a piece of bread and thought, “This will satisfy me?” But then, after eating it, you suddenly realize you crave more and more?
And when you’re finally done eating what you didn’t really want in the first place, you feel guilty, ashamed, and disgusted with yourself.
Is Bread the Bad Guy?
Is giving up bread the solution? When you feel tempted to eat bread, ask yourself, “Is this really going to satisfy what my heart longs for?”
When you eat bread to fulfill a craving that only God can satisfy, you will never be truly satisfied. When your soul longs to be nourished, it craves spiritual food, not physical food.
Bread can only satisfy your physical hunger. In the desert, the Israelites—God’s chosen people—cried out for bread because they were hungry. God satisfied their physical need with manna—bread from Heaven.
As Moses wrote: “And the Lord humbled you and let you hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deut. 8:3)
Even when the Israelites were tested in the wilderness, the Lord wanted His people to understand that their true sustenance comes from the Word of God.
What about you?
Do you try to fulfill cravings that only God can satisfy? The next time you want to reach for food when you’re not truly hungry, ask yourself, “Why am I craving this? What do I think this food will give me?”
Perhaps you discover that you think the food will soothe or comfort you. What you’re really seeking is the feeling of being soothed or comforted.
At that moment, you can ask the Father or the Holy Spirit, “How can you soothe me? How can you comfort me?”
Those who feed on the Word of God will be filled by the Word of God. Reading the Bible can bring life to the body. If you are spiritually hungry, let the Word of God fill you.
This is why Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life.
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35 ESV)
Only Jesus can satisfy your spiritual hunger. You might be wondering, “How can Jesus satisfy my craving?”
The apostle John tells us that Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1). Therefore, if you want to be filled with Jesus, you must consume the Word of God.
Is Bread Bad for Me?
Bread is by no means bad for you. Just because you crave spiritual food doesn’t make physical food bad. Bread has a purpose: to fulfill a physical need. However, it can never satisfy a spiritual need.
If you suffer from Celiac disease or another autoimmune condition, you may not digest bread well. In that case, bread may not be something you want to eat right now. If you’re interested in learning more about the foods I can and cannot eat, check out my blog post Foods I Recommend.
The next time you reach for food, ask yourself, “What am I really craving?” Nourish that need instead.