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Jesus is the Bread of Life given to us to spiritually nourish ourselves as individuals and as a community.

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT (PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY)

Have you ever been so hungry that it’s been hard for you to feel satisfied? Some foods can make us eat more. “Many foods increase our hunger instead of relieving it!

Joe Cross published an article on April 27, 2023, and interviewed nutritionist Claire Georgiou who tells us:

Sugar This is very important for stimulating appetite and causing fatigue and hunger. It is found in almost all packaged foods, even in food products where you would least expect it. Sauces, hamburger buns, pretzels, yogurts, many dairy products, milks, including nut milks, and anything that helps you eat more.

Refined White Flours/Grains Baked goods and foods made from white flour, such as fluffy cakes, breads, pastas, rolls, pies, etc., help stimulate our hunger and wreak havoc on our blood sugar levels, making us feel tired, depressed, lethargic, hungry, and causing weight gain.

Prepackaged Snacks Many processed snacks, such as sugar-loaded granola bars, salty potato chips, salted crackers, breadsticks, and fruit bars, are loaded with additives that will make you feel hungrier and cause weight gain. Even when a food is listed as low in calories, this is potentially irrelevant because it can create an increase in appetite that then makes you want to eat more food the next day. So the cycle continues.

Fast and Easy-to-Prepare Meals I have a theory that if it’s a microwave fast food, it will probably raise your blood sugar level even faster. Prepackaged noodles, pop tarts, one-minute oatmeal, and other fast meals and snacks won’t let you go an hour or two before you’re looking for more. Most fast food is filled with hidden processed vegetable oils, refined carbohydrates, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, tons of salt, and monosodium glutamate that work to increase hunger and wreak havoc on metabolism. All of these types of foods are carefully formulated to make you want more.

Alcohol Alcohol has an effect on leptin sensitivity, which is a very important hormone that generates satiety and prevents you from overeating. Alcohol consumption acts by blocking the effectiveness of this hormone. Other reasons include dehydration and irregular blood sugar levels, which convince you that YES, you do need that dessert, pizza, or kebab at 11 o’clock at night.

Artificial Sweeteners Studies have shown that using artificial sweeteners makes you hungrier and, unfortunately, gain weight! Other studies have confirmed that rats given saccharin-sweetened yogurt without calories compared to fats that received glucose then consumed more calories, gained more weight, gained more body fat, and did not compensate for it later by reducing it.

Monosodium Glutamate Animal and human studies have shown that monosodium glutamate negatively affects our ability to control appetite by reducing our sensitivity to leptin, which reduces our sense of satiety, alters our energy balance, and leads to weight gain. People who consume the most monosodium glutamate are almost 3 times more likely to be overweight than those who do not consume it at all. Monosodium glutamate is known to be found in Asian food, but it is also found in prepared sauces, broths, takeout food, salted crackers, rice cakes, soups, canned foods, and more. Get more information about food chemicals and their toxic effects!

The moral of the story… Go back to basics and eat foods as close to nature as possible with plenty of natural products and a variety of colors! It is also very important to become familiar with the ingredient lists of all your foods and different brands. You will be surprised at the difference it will make!

We know that overeating increases appetite for richer calorie foods, particularly foods that stimulate our hunger hormones, such as insulin, and overeating can also reduce our cellular sensitivity to leptin (our ‘stop eating’ hormone)’”

Spiritually feed on the Word of God as the main source, of course, preaching from your Pastor, with a healthy, balanced, Christ-centered doctrine. Jesus’ words are life, and remember that he came to give you life and life in abundance.

Prayer is another source of spiritual energy, it keeps you connected to the Creator, prayer is talking to God, communicating with God, and it was vital in Jesus’ ministry, to stay on his purpose, in the same way, we must do it not to deviate from his will.

Praise and Worship also play an important role in your spiritual life, maintain an attitude of always giving Glory to God for any triumph, achievement, success you have, remember that He is the one who gives you the strength to achieve all that. Worship is a 24/7 lifestyle where all the glory goes to him.

JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SATISFY YOUR HUNGER AND THIRST

Jesus describes himself as the Bread of Life. “Then [the multitude] said to him: ‘What sign do you do so that we may see you and believe you? What work do you perform? Our

fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven.’ Then Jesus said to them: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him: Lord, give us this bread always. Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:30-35).

“The bread of life also points to the satisfying nature of Jesus. This is summarized in the corollary: never hunger and never be thirsty. All other breads, such as manna in the wilderness, leave a feeling of dissatisfaction. Inner pain is not permanently relieved; we get hungry again. On the contrary, Jesus, once tasted, obviates the need for further satisfaction. As Jesus had told the woman in 4:14, ‘the one who drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty’, so now he tells the Galileans, he who believes in me, will never be thirsty. Only Jesus can satisfy the heart. In a society that has experienced to satiety every form of material, physical, and spiritual palliative to fill the inner void of its heart, Jesus’ invitation has a wonderful relevance: ‘he who comes to me, will never be hungry… will never be thirsty’”

ALLOW JESUS TO BE THE SOURCE OF YOUR STRENGTH, OF YOUR LIFE

You must allow Jesus to be the source of your strength, the source of your very existence, with Him all other things will revolve around you, but with Him being at the center of your life, He will provide you with that foundation so you can stand firm in any circumstance. I encourage you to make Jesus the source of your walk, of your blessing today.

Shared meals at church: you can love them and hate them. Food can be questionable and unpredictable. But it’s an opportunity to gather with other believers to celebrate and experience life together. Much of our lives revolve around meals with other people. We can forget that parties and dinners are the way God’s people relate to each other, whether it’s at the Last Supper or at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Take advantage of every meal at your table to pray together, give thanks to God together, share God’s blessings together.

In Jesus’ time, bread and water were not exclusive meals for a few, but a common meal for all, even for the smallest members of society. Jesus is for everyone. Feasts and meals during the holiday season are not just tables full of food but also tables full of people. Meals are better when the tables are full of food and everyone has a place to sit.

John 6:30-35

Sincerely, Guillermo Ayala.