How many times have we visited a friend, and instead of eating dinner we've gorged on chocolate and potato chips? At the time it feels good, but pretty soon we wonder if 'fibre' or 'vitamins' may have been the better choice. We feel both full and strangely empty at the same time. Peter's getting at the same idea here: 'As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow' (1 Peter 2:2 NKJV). Our body and soul naturally cry out for nourishment.

The temptation to seek soul-nourishment in ways that aren't God-filled can be really strong, and we don't always notice ourselves doing it. Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking (1 Peter 2:1) are quick fixes, and can give the short-lived illusion that they're just what we need to feel 'full' (in that moment when we lash out in reaction, it can feel a guilty sort of satisfying... until we spiritually sober up and catch what we're doing). But, this is not the proper 'fruit and veg' spiritual nourishment we long for.

God gives a full list of his culinary recommendations in Galatians 5:22-23: to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. It's not always easy to choose to 'eat' healthily, but the good thing is we can pray for God's help to do it.

So what now? Eat your five-a-day. And ask, 'Lord, give me a hunger for your nourishment.' Decide which fruit of the Spirit you need most in your diet today.

Our perceived significance in God can fluctuate, especially when we mess up or experience personal attack. But this 'fall from significance' only exists in our heads. God always looks past what we've done or what's been done to us, and into our future. In the Bible, in John 4, Jesus met the woman at the well. While the rest of the town slandered her because of her shady past, Jesus offered her a new life.

God knows it's hard to see beyond what we've done, so he meets us where we are. At the well, or the workplace, or school, or our worried mind, he's always there. Jesus told the woman at the well: 'Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again...The water I give will become in that person a flowing fountain that gives eternal life' (John 4:13-14 CEV).

Our significance? We may feel like it's taken a knock, but our self-worth is always assured in Jesus - we don't need to keep 'thirsting' for it. Even in our lowest moments, God is there: 'he lifts the burdens from those bent down beneath their loads' (Psalm 146:8 TLB). When we're humble to accept that God is our number one cheerleader, our perception of our significance will be restored.

So what now? Your enemy Satan's number one aim is to try and derail your self-worth. When self-doubt arises through what others say, or through what you say about yourself, remember what your heavenly Father says: 'To me, you are very dear, and I love you' (Isaiah 43:4 CEV).

When we realise someone likes us as we are, it feels so good. When someone says, 'I think you're really great' or 'You're so good at what you do,' it's a real confidence boost, isn't it? Those moments of appreciation stick with us. And likewise, it's encouraging when we see people's faces light up when we show our appreciation for them. And this is just on a human level.

Incredibly, the God of creation, the God who named the stars (see Psalm 147:4), thinks more highly of us than he does those stars. Jesus says, 'The very hairs on your head are all numbered' (Matthew 10:30 NLT). Our adoring human fans may know our eye colour, how we like our cup of tea or our favourite caf. But the number of hairs on our head?! It's true. God knows every detail about us, and loved us even before we knew him (Ephesians 1:4).

What does this mean? God appreciates us, a lot. He values us more than we can imagine. The things that make up who we are - even the hairs on our head - are given huge weight. The sweetest human compliment or most alluring romance don't come close to the significance we've had since the beginning of time.

So what now? 'Remember' means 'to put back together again'. When you 'remember' and appreciate that God has made you, you're doing a good thing for yourself. When you feel a bit fractured or broken, retreat somewhere quiet and remember, and let him put you back together again.

'For I am yours... and you are mine' (see Isaiah 43:1). Yes, it may seem a bit like a greeting-card clich. We may know in our heads that we belong to Jesus, but knowing in our hearts that we belong to him can be harder to accept. What does 'belonging to Jesus' mean, anyway? What difference does it make to how our lives look?

The real sense of value that comes from knowing we're children of God doesn't come from the nice things he gives us, or in fact any 'thing' that can disappear at any time. God's declaration that we are his, and that we are significant because of this, isn't him saying, 'I shall give you, my child, anything you want to do or desire.' God's acceptance is a lasting significance that won't be outdated in six months: 'I have called you by name; now you belong to me. When you cross deep rivers, I will be with you, and you won't drown. When you walk through fire, you won't be burned...I am the Lord, your God...To me, you are very dear, and I love you' (Isaiah 43:1-4 CEV).

We are precious. Not for what we have, or for what we've done - just for us. When our sense of significance is based on an inside job through Jesus, rather than on external things, nothing can touch it.

So what now? You are significant because you belong to God. Tell yourself this regularly, maybe even write it somewhere to serve as a reminder. Allow nothing or no one to convince you of anything else.

We all have people we know through various circles - work, church, sports, etc. And many of us have 'friends' and 'followers' on social media. But how many of them would we class as close friends: to share our intimate lives with and ask for help? We all need close friends. We're not supposed to live life on our own; we need the help of others, and they need our help too.

In the perfect world of the Garden of Eden, Adam still couldn't make it by himself, so God said, 'I will make a helper suitable for him' (Genesis 2:18 NIV). It's not about being the most popular; it's about how deep our friendships are. We need friends we can trust and be vulnerable with. The Bible says: 'Some friends don't help, but a true friend is closer than your own family' (Proverbs 18:24 NIV).

When we're going through tough times, it's so helpful to have a close friend facing things alongside us. And it can be even more helpful if that friend has experienced and overcome the things we're going through. And then when we've come out the other side of our troubles, we can be that friend to someone else.

So what now? How can you be a good and loyal friend to others? The Bible asks you to clothe yourself with 'compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience' (Colossians 3:12 NIV). Ask God to help you find close friends and learn how to be a true friend.

We need friends. But more than that, we really need godly friends. These are the friends who help us grow our faith and lead us closer to God. All of us need at least one friend like this. Life is tough and we need people there to encourage, support and walk with us.

Godly friends are the friends who are there for us through 'all kinds of weather'. Whatever we're going through, good or bad, we can rely on them to go through it with us. But they're also the kind of friends who'll tell us when we're doing things that are taking us out of God's presence, or leading us further away from the life we're called to. They're the ones who'll be 'speaking the truth in love' so 'we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ' (Ephesians 4:15 NIV). Godly friends help us by being there, praying on our behalf, listening, guiding, sharing and sacrificing.

Not only do we need to have godly friends around us, but we also need to work on becoming a godly friend. Any kind of good relationship with another person needs commitment and sacrifice on both sides. So we need to be a godly friend back.

So what now? The best way to grow at being a godly friend is to grow your friendship with Jesus. The closer you get to him, the stronger, more transparent and sweeter your earthly friendships will be.