Vitamins are a wonder of God’s creation – organic compounds which are essential for our normal physical growth and nutrition. Most people can get the vitamins they need by maintaining a healthy diet. B vitamins (there are eight of them) are particularly important; they help our bodies get or make energy from the food we eat. For pregnant women, vitamin B helps to manage energy levels. Everyone knows that a healthy diet and vitamins are good for our physical lives.

In a similar way, a healthy diet and ‘vitamins’ are important for our spiritual life. We might think of “vitamin H,” the Holy Spirit, who God has provided to guard us from sin and strengthen our faith. “Vitamin C” is the church, the fellowship of believers that protects us from the worldly infections. But today I want to focus on “vitamin B,” the Bible, that can give us confidence and strength as we face the rigors of life in a fallen world.

Many Christians suffer from ‘spiritual anemia’ today – feeling weak or tired more often than usual. The constant barrage of godless culture in which we exist can break down our natural immunity and weaken our spiritual resolve. One treatment for physical anemia is vitamin B-12. A great treatment for spiritual anemia is ‘spiritual vitamin B,” the Bible.

Spiritual anemia has many symptoms, and different ‘B vitamins’ are helpful in treating them. In my life, these are a few that I have found beneficial:

Of course, there are innumerable more ‘compounds’ of spiritual ‘vitamin B’ that you can find if you just read the Bible. Today, there are many ways to get a regular diet of spiritual ‘vitamin B’ just going online: You can listen to the Bible being read, or get Scripture and a devotional sent to you every day. Even better, get into a small group, one of the men’s or women’s Bible studies, and attend one of the adult classes on Sunday morning.

Why is getting ‘spiritual vitamin B’ so important? Because without it, we become weak and fail to reproduce, while with it, we get energy for our daily lives. 2 Timothy 3.16-17 puts it well:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.