About mid-morning, when I fast from food, I become hungry for bread, and my stomach growls. Images of tasty foods parade through my mind, trying to coax me to eat. Similarly, when my cellphone is dead, it surprises me how often I find myself reaching for it for one reason or another.

We develop habits and hungers in our lives, and those habits drive us to feed whichever belly is gnawing with emptiness.

We may fast from food for a period, but eventually, going without food will lead to our demise. Food and water are necessary for survival. And while I would never intentionally starve myself, I have often gone without regularly feeding my spirit. Hollow cheeks in my mirror would remind me to eat food. But I wonder how well-fed my spirit would look in a spiritual mirror.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

~Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus equated time in the Word and in God’s presence with feeding His body. He hungered for time with His Father. Without feeding that hunger, He knew His spirit would have become weak and vulnerable to sin.

As children of God, regularly feeding our spirit is as essential as eating—not out of obligation, but desire. With maturity, we realize that to neglect time in the Word is akin to starving our bodies. In the long run, we are much better served to fast the bellies that do not serve us. Let’s, instead, starve the hungers that lead us astray and distract us from what is important.

When we regularly feed on the Word and are satisfied, we find that unholy hungers ebb away. My spirit is hungry for bread today. If I am wise, I will satisfy that hunger with good things.

Is your spirit hungry or feeling weak? The Father has a table prepared for us. Let’s come before Him and be satisfied.

Make sure you are hungering for the right things.

Father, whet my appetite for Your presence. Make me hungry for bread—real bread—Jesus, the bread of life. Then satisfy the longings of my heart with more of Him. In Jesus’s name, amen.

 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2026: Hungry for Bread: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly: All Rights Reserved.