There is an old story about two dogs. One dog is fed the best food each day. Gourmet steaks, hearty vegetables, 3 meals a day. The second dog is seldom fed. When it does receive food, it is the scraps and leftovers that no one wants. It is not very healthy and nutritious for the dog. One day, the owner puts these two dogs into a fight. Which one do you think wins?
If you guessed the first dog, you are correct. The first dog wins, as he’s been fed, consistently and healthy food while the second dog was weak and frail from not being fed correctly. Now let’s view this metaphor through a spiritual lens.
What are you feeding your spirit?
Consider the first dog is our daily, worldly lives. We feed it constantly as we walk through our day. With the music we listen to, the people we surround ourselves with, the actions we take, and our habits. This dog is our flesh. The second dog is our spirit. How are we feeding this dog?
Is it with a prayer every now and then? Is it going to church every few months? Thinking of God only when we need something? Are we feeding our spirit the scraps off the table?
If you put these two dogs into a fight, the flesh, and the spirit- who would win? The answer is the one you feed more.
How can we expect our spirit to win if we are not feeding it properly? If we are not being intentional about strengthening it. How can we feed our spirit? Surrounding ourselves with Christ-like people, people who speak life and the Word over us. We can feed our spirit by reading our bible, spending time in prayer, putting on worship music, serving others, speaking life, and spending time in the church.
The world is constantly feeding our flesh with doubt, fear, anxiety, gossip, violence, music, and media messages that tell us we are not enough. It’s almost impossible to escape but these things do not have to govern our lives. Changing our daily habits will determine how we feed our spirit.
You will feel the difference. When we begin feeding our spirits, with the Word, and surrounding ourselves with messages and people that echo our worth in Christ- we start to see the world differently. Those same challenges and struggles seem easier to overcome. The anxieties and depression began to yield to the power of Christ. And in contrast- if you feel like everything is weighing heavy, nothing is going right or feels right. It’s good to stop and take note of which dog you’ve been feeding.
Remember that our flesh and spirit are in a constant battle. So which dog do you want to be stronger?