The battle inside you!

Inside your body, an invisible war is taking place. Trillions of microscopic organisms live in your gut, together known as your microbiome. Many fight for you – helping digest food, produce nutrients, train your immune system, and keep harmful microbes in check. But not every organism is on your side. There is a constant battle between beneficial microbes and those that cause harm when they gain the upper hand. One of the biggest factors determining who wins is what you feed them. Fibre-rich foods nourish beneficial bacteria, while highly processed, low-fibre diets tip the balance the other way. Yet food is not the only influence. Research shows our microbiomes are amazingly also shaped by the people around us – we naturally share microbes through close contact, meaning what surrounds us influences what grows inside us. The same battle is taking place spiritually. Every day we are feeding either our faith or our flesh. God's Word is the nourishment that strengthens our faith, but the people we walk with matter too. Scripture warns us, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character'" (1 Corinthians 15:33). The opposite is equally true: "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20). So ask yourself: what am I feeding my soul each day, and are the people closest to me strengthening my walk with God, or slowly starving it? (Craig B). Open Bible – bit.ly/1Co15v33, bit.ly/Pro13v20