Men’s Group: Spiritual Discipline-Daily Bread

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
— John 6:35 (ESV)

This morning in the men’s group, we kept circling back to one foundational truth: we are designed to need God every single day.

Not just in a vague, spiritual way, but tangibly—like daily bread. This isn’t just about reading more or praying harder. It’s about recognizing that spiritual strength is built the same way as physical strength: through repeated discipline, daily presence, and faithful lifting. That’s why we’re calling this series: Lift Anyway. Because some days it feels easy. And other days it doesn’t. But the discipline remains.

Jesus made it plain in John 6:22–35. The crowd had followed him because of the miraculous provision—the bread they’d eaten when he fed the five thousand. But he corrected them. He said they were seeking the food that perishes, not the food that endures to eternal life.

“It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” (John 6:32)

He was pointing them—and us—back to the manna in the wilderness.

Manna Wasn’t Just Food. It Was a Daily Test.

In Exodus 16:4–7, God gave the Israelites manna not simply to feed them, but “that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.” They couldn’t hoard it. They couldn’t store it for tomorrow. Why? Because the point wasn’t just provision—it was dependence. It was trust. It was daily surrender.

Deuteronomy 8:3 says it best:

“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna… that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

God was teaching them that physical survival depends on spiritual obedience. And obedience begins with daily, intentional presence.

Jesus Is the True Manna

Jesus then drops the bombshell… he wasn’t just making a metaphor when He said, “I am the bread of life…” (John 6:35). He was declaring Himself to be the true and greater manna. In the wilderness, manna came down from heaven to sustain the Israelites physically, but it had to be gathered daily and could not be hoarded. Now, Jesus—God in the flesh—comes down from heaven to be our spiritual nourishment, not just for survival but for eternal life. The crowd in John 6 was still thinking in physical terms, but Jesus was pointing them to the deeper truth: He is the provision we need most, and we must come to Him daily to be sustained. The discipline of coming to Him regularly isn’t religious routine—it’s a recognition that our souls hunger every day for what only He can provide.

Just Like Manna, You Can’t Binge God and Expect It to Last.

The hard truth is, one massive spiritual meal on Sunday doesn’t sustain you through the chaos of Monday through Saturday. Just like the Israelites couldn’t stockpile manna, we can’t store up enough “faith food” for the week and expect it to hold.

We need spiritual discipline—the kind that shows up daily not out of obligation, but out of design.

That’s what this Lift Anyway Way series is about. It’s not a to-do list. It’s about training our spirits like we train our bodies. You don’t work out once and expect muscle. You don’t eat once and stay full. And you can’t read one Psalm and think your soul will carry that strength all week. It’s a practice. A lifestyle. A commitment.

Why It’s So Hard (and Why That’s the Point)

It’s hard to build this habit because everything in us resists dependence. We want to be strong. We want to be independent. But that’s not how we were made.

God wants us to need Him. Not because He’s needy—but because we are. And only in learning to return to Him daily, to open our hands like the Israelites did in Exodus 16:9 (“Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling”), do we begin to understand Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider.

The Challenge to the Men

Brothers—don’t just read Scripture because you’re “supposed to.” Don’t show up in prayer because you’re trying to prove something. Show up because you need to. Because you were created to. Because Jesus is your bread. And your soul is starving without Him.

Let’s stop living like we can eat once a week and call it a diet.

Instead, let’s embrace the discipline of daily presence. Let’s lift anyway. Let’s come back to the table—every day. Because that’s where the strength is. That’s where the Provider is. That’s where the chaos yields.