Feeding a horse properly requires knowledge about the animal.  At the various stages in his life, he has different needs and requirements.  Nutritional needs vary widely with differing purposes and lifestyles and events that he will perform in.  A nutritionally-balanced program promotes growth, stamina, longevity and structural soundness in a horse.  To achieve this, one must understand the balancing of  energy, protein, minerals and vitamins.  Then we must add the ingredient that is necessary for almost every single body process - water.  It is a major component of all fluids in the body, helps deliver nutrients to cells ( as a component of blood), aids in digestion of feed and elimination of wastes, and plays a role in regulation of body temperature via sweating. 

When all of the nutritional needs are met and the animal is fit and trained, they can perform at their maximum ability.  When there are ingredients missing, they seldom reach their potential or stay there with any longevity. 

People have great needs to be balanced in one more area than a horse.  We also have to eat properly and train our bodies properly to stay competitive in our sport of barrel racing.  Those who have stayed fit nutritionally, physically and mentally usually last a long time barring  injuries.  We are more than body and mind (soul) though.  We are spiritual beings.  We have a human spirit.  To starve that part of our being is to be less than complete.  To starve that part of our being is to never reach the potential that we were created to reach.  Many people that I meet are starving to death in their spirit.  When we accept Christ into our spirit, the Holy Spirit moves into that area.  If you have never invited Christ into your heart - do it now.  You will never (eternally) be sorry that you did.  If you die without Christ, you will always (eternally) be sorry that you didn't.  When we have Christ, we have the necessary ingredients to reach our potential.  Some accept Christ and become pew potatoes or occasional Christians.  The only difference in a person growing and getting fit in the spiritual realm and a pew potato occasional Christian is the feeding program. 

The Bible (Word of God) is the food necessary to grow your spirit being.  It is like the water in the horse's diet. It is necessary for all the other processes of your life.  Your spirit man cannot grow without food.  The Word of God comes into our being and is sharper than a two-edged sword.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us what the Word can do that nothing else can do.  For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.   In other words, it can penetrate every part of our being.  Meditate on that.  The word gives understanding to the simple and light to our paths.  It is our map and our guide.  It tells us how to live and what happens when we die.  It gives us wisdom in everyday life and promises of forever.  There is nothing else that can feed our spirit man except the Word of God. 

You cannot thrive and be fit on one meal a week for your body, and you cannot thrive and be fit in your spirit man with an occasional once a week snack.  You must eat several times a day to grow and thrive in your spirit man.  To meet life as it is today we must be standing on firm ground and not on the sand of humanism.  We must have the Word hidden in our heart and memorized in our mind.  It will rise up and speak to us in moments of need.  It gives us strength, direction, comfort and knowledge.  We can only attain peace through knowledge of the Word of God. 

If we excel in sports without the balance of a thriving spirit, it can be disastrous.  You can liken it to a horse that performs for a time and then fades away.  God does not want us to gain the whole world and lose our souls.  The New Year season is a great time to make a commitment to feed your spirit man.  The benefits are "out of this world".