Rise & Shine! Make the most of it! #encouragement #attitude
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Starving for Soul Food
A Spiritual Cup of Coffee
By: Mandy B. Anderson
“Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14, NIV)
One morning I was playing catch up with my devotionals. We had been on vacation and while I made sure to read a daily Bible verse on my phone, the quiet beauty of my morning treatment time with God was disrupted with the hurried dance of getting out the door on time for family vacation fun. The anxious fury in my heart was building up and I could sense my cheerful demeanor quickly deflating like a balloon on its last leg. I desperately missed my dates with God.
While flipping through the pages of my Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer, I was struck with two life changing revelations.
#1 Soul Food is a Necessity
I’m not sure about you, but when my morning routine is out of whack, I get spiritually hangry. I’m the type of woman who needs her time with God in the morning! Sometimes a quick Bible verse is enough, but when I’m on a vacation with lots of people, I not only require a full spiritual breakfast, but also spiritual snack packs to keep my energy and happy attitude thriving. A quick reminder from a Facebook friend here, a short devotional there. You know what I mean? Without it, I’m a crabby, tired child trapped in a woman’s body!
#2 God Gives Me Manna Daily
Philippians 2:14 says “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”
This was the verse I read in my devotional that morning. It talked about how the Israelites were stuck in the wilderness for 40 years because of their complaining and arguing with God. They complained about everything, including the daily manna that God gave them for nourishment. How rude of them! Right?
But hold on. We do the same thing, don’t we? In fact, as I read this story, the thought popped into my head, “What if breathing treatments are my daily manna from God?” After all, they are the thing keeping me alive and making it possible to breathe through cystic fibrosis. What if they are also my spiritual manna? My scheduled soul food?
Think about it. So many times the things we complain about, are exactly the things that God has placed in our lives to help us grow closer to him. It might be our health, our job, our marriage, our relationships, our kids, etc. We complain about it day in and day out, but the reality is that without it, we wouldn’t know God’s provision and love for us! Without the manna, we would starve.
So I encourage you today, dear friend, to take a moment and have a Spiritual Coffee Break with God. Let him fill your starving soul, and as he does, make a resolution to do everything without complaining so that you can experience the fullness that God has for you in every area of your life.
Until next time…
Be blessed, be healthy, and be inspired!
~Mandy
Spiritual Coffee Break
Take some time to talk to God and journal through the following questions. Pick one to share with me in the comment section below!
- How does spending time with God make you feel?
- How does your demeanor change when you don’t spend time with God?
- What types of “manna” have you been complaining about lately?
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Do you need to shift your focus today? If so, it’s ok! Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and then choose to see things in a new way. And smile!
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