You Are In The Hands Of The Pro!

Nothing gives us more anxiety than our health. It is for this reason that the cliché ‘Health is Wealth’ resonates with us. Sadly, most people equate health with physical fitness; hence they ignore other critical components of our make-up – the soul and spirit.

That could be the reason we invest so much in keeping our physical bodies in top shape. That is why doctors are treated with so much reverence. They are the ‘gods’ that heal our bodies aren’t they? Of course, doctors do not heal sicknesses. Some of them who are discerning affirm this to be true.

The idea of limiting health to the physical realm of the body creates an imbalance. A quote by B. K. S. Iyengar speaks to this issue. According to him, “Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul is open”(www.ombodyhealth.com).

Thomas Edison, the famous American inventor, made the most profound prediction on health as quoted in the same online magazine. He said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease”.

There are also people who lean to the extreme end of the spectrum – they focus their energy on preparing their souls and spirit for eternal life, at the detriment of their physical bodies. As Jan Jansen aptly puts it, “Finding balance is the key in our life” (www.goodreads.com). The balance is found in trusting in God’s providence. In Jeremiah 29:11, He says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

One of the Scriptures that opened my eyes to the truth of placing absolute trust in God regarding my health is 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness”. I am also encouraged by the assurance in Romans 8:32 that God who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all will freely give us all things, including health.

But God’s provision for our health comes with a condition. We cannot be lords of our lives and expect Him to foot the bill for our destructive decisions. In Exodus 15:26, God said, “I am the LORD your God. If you listen to me and do what I say is right, and if you obey all My commands and laws, then I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am the LORD who heals you”.

God also made provision for our health in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5) should not be just one of the Scriptures we memorise to impress God and other people. It must become flesh in us. We must believe that God made us whole, spirit, soul and body in Christ.

Are we by this invalidating the importance of medical sciences? Certainly not! We are only emphasising the critical link between the soul, spirit and our physical bodies. If we agree that God created us (excluding the views of so-called Atheists), we can safely say that He is in a better position to address all issues affecting us. The manufacturer of any product also produces the operating manual!

For us who believe in the Almighty God and in the atonement of His Son Jesus Christ, our operating manual is the Word of God. One of the key ingredients of having a mind that is in tune with God is walking in the Spirit. Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you”.

Notice the phrase ‘mortal bodies’. This certainly refers to our physical frames. So, when Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance, He was also talking about our ‘mortal bodies’.

In saying this, we do not ignore the fact that diseases abound on earth. We can actually live free of diseases by surrendering our wills to God and allowing His Spirit to take over the driver’s seat. In addition, we need to prevent diseases from having access to our bodies by addressing some basic issues highlighted below.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is very critical to our well-being. Psalm 127:2 says, “It is useless to get up early and stay up late, eating the food of exhausting labour – truly He (God) gives sleep to those He loves”.

Unforgiveness

Bearing grudges against people eats up our souls! There is a saying that unforgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. To cap it all, Jesus explained in Mathew 18:23-35 that unforgiveness is a grievous sin before God. Let’s be real. If God can forgive all of us our huge debt of sin why can’t we forgive others? At the level of our physical bodies, unforgiveness opens the door for demons to attack us. Ephesians 4:27 says, “Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sun set while you are still angry, and do not give the devil an opportunity to work”. Ecclesiastes 7:9 declares that “anger rest in the bosom of fools”. I have read about many Christians who were healed of terminal diseases like cancer after they forgave their enemies. Be wise and learn to forgive.

Unhealthy Eating Habit

 God created diverse fruits, animals and plants for a reason. He could have just given us a few if He wanted us to starve our bodies of nutrients. I was glad the day I received a revelation from the Holy Spirit that God intends for us to be nourished with good food.

I had always confessed just a part of Psalm 103:5, that God is renewing my youth like the eagle’s. That was until the Holy Spirit asked me to read the entire verse. It says, “He (God) fills my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s”. God will not come down to prepare our meals and fill our mouths with good things. He has done that already by providing for all our needs as recorded in Genesis Chapter 1! All we need to do is apply wisdom in choosing what is necessary to nourish our bodies.

Sexual Pollution

 Thousands have died from sexually transmitted diseases globally. HIV/AIDs pandemic in particular could have been avoided if humans had more respect for their bodies. I Corinthians 6:18 is heavy on sexual pollution. It says, “Flee from sexual immorality. No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body”.

As Christians, we are also exhorted to preserve the integrity of our bodies because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Romans 12:1-2 charge us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God because this is how we worship Him in truth. So my beloved, keep yourself pure as the bride of Christ.

Sedentary Lifestyle

God designed the human body for motion. That is why the joints and muscles should be kept supple through constant physical exercise. Friedrich Nietzsche, a German classical scholar and philosopher condemned sedentary lifestyle in its entirety. In fact, he described it as a sin against the Holy Spirit! On her part, Rose Kennedy, and American philanthropist posits that “Sedentary people are apt to have sluggish minds…..reflected in flabbiness of the body and dullness of expression that invites no interest and gets none” (azquotes.com).

Bernardino Ramazzini, an Italian physician explains that “All sedentary workers…suffer from the itch, are a bad colour, and in poor condition….for when the body is not kept moving the blood becomes tainted, its waste matter lodges in the skin, and the condition of the who body deteriorates” (azquotes.com). Need we say more? 

Prolonged Exposure to Stressful Situations

Toxic relationships or other adverse circumstances could trigger mental or emotional tension or psychological strain in the body. Scripture exhorts us to put our trust in the LORD and make Him our anchor. Isaiah 26:3 gives us the assurance that He will keep us in perfect peace if our thoughts are fixed on Him because we trust Him. Psalm 119:165 also tells us that we will have abundant peace if we love the instruction of the LORD; and that nothing can make us stumble. We are not unmindful of the fact that the world is becoming darker by the day and that many stressful things happen around us.

God is not unmindful of this fact either. He wants us to exercise authority over our circumstances as joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We are not mere men (1 Corinthians 3:3) to allow the pressures of life in the world to overcome us. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 8:37). Above all, let us take heed to Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”.

Self Medication

We could unwittingly harm our bodies through self-medication. We are not all called to be doctors. There are health situations that demand the attention of professionals. Of course, God is the ultimate professional in all situations. But He has also given some people special wisdom to handle health-related issues. Pray about your health situation and seek the advice of qualified practitioners. Self-medication could complicate matters for you.

Lack of Recreation

Some Christians are averse to recreational activities on the grounds that they are not “spiritual exercises”. I have not seen any Scripture in the Bible that condemns recreation in any form. Of course, everything we do must glorify God, including our social pastimes. We must make out time to play with our families and friends. Such shared memories strengthen relationships and our appreciation for each other.

Envy/Jealousy

Many people use the two words interchangeably. They are not the same at all. Online dictionaries define envy as a feeling of discontentment or resentment brought about by desiring other people’s possessions, qualities or successes. In other words, you desire to have what belongs to others. On the other hand, jealousy refers to a feeling of anger or bitterness which someone has when they think that another person is trying to take over their possessions.

Envy can be a destructive emotion, both mentally and physically. Envious people tend to feel hostile, resentful, ungrateful, resentful, angry and irritable (slideplayer.com). However, both envy and jealousy are diseases of the soul which ultimately impact the physical body. Both can affect our health. Proverbs 14:30 states, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but envy rots the bones”. Love is the cure for both!

Not Taking Enough Water

 The famous Italian painter, Leonardo da Vinci described water as the “driving force of all nature” (blog.cwf.fcf.org). On his part, Jacques Yves Cousteau, a French naval officer and conservationist quoted in the same online platform observed that humanity sometimes forgets that “the water cycle and the life cycle are one”. We cannot overemphasise the importance of water to human, plant and animal life.

The devastating effects of drought bring this awareness forcefully to us. Beyond the use of water in nature, its consumption by humans nourishes the heart, brain and lungs. Water also regulates body temperature, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, helps dissolve minerals and nutrients to make them more accessible to the body, and flushes out waste from the body among other functions. So, what happens when we do not consume enough of it? Our bodies lose strength and stamina, we expose ourselves to the risk of kidney stones, we contend with constipation and in extreme cases, we can suffer from seizures.

Not Having Enough Rest

 In the Old Testament, physical Israel was required to observe a Sabbath day of rest unto the LORD (Leviticus 23:32). The practice is still a tradition in Israel, with many Messianic Jews observing it. For us Gentiles, it is not a requirement to love and serve the LORD.

Nevertheless, it is wisdom to know how much our bodies can take without breaking down from lack of rest. We must consciously create time to allow the body rejuvenate itself. Rest can regulate our moods and energise our minds. Not getting enough of it may lead to mood swings, compromise of the immune system and increase in stress level.

Anxiety over Money

 Inequality in wealth distribution creates different classes of people – those who have in excess of what they need, those who can meet their basic needs and those who struggle to meet theirs. The result is that money or the lack of it is the main source of anxiety among humans globally. While money is necessary for our physical sustenance, undue focus on it could be a sign that we are not trusting God enough or are not having intimate relationship with Him. David said in Psalm 37:25, “I was once young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread”.

If we make God our provider, if we trust in His providence, anxiety over money or any other issue will become a thing of the past. Proverbs 3:5-6 state, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight”. Most importantly, God knows that we have need of the things money can buy. But Jesus exhorts us to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first, with the assurance that our Heavenly Father will meet our needs (Mathew 6:31-34).

Substance Abuse

 Mental health issues dominate discourse in many nations because of huge financial and social costs they inflict on the society. Russel Brand, a British Actor observes that drug addicts and alcoholics are completely powerless over their addiction (goodreads.com). In effect, they are not able to help themselves! So, why do people abuse substances whether alcohol or drugs? According to William S. Burroughs, an American writer cited in the same website, no man sets out to be an addict.

Satan tricks people into believing that they can escape into another realm where peace, tranquillity and excitement await them. Sometimes, it takes months and even years for them to realise that they have been duped and taken captive by demonic forces or entities stronger than themselves. God has not abandoned them though.

There is deliverance for the captives through Jesus Christ. Isaiah 49:24 declares that even the lawful captives of the devil like addicts would be delivered. God loves them with passion. That is why He sent His only Son to take their place on the cross of Calvary. He waits for them to throw up their hands in defeat like the prodigal son in Luke 15-11-32 and return to His warm embrace in Christ Jesus.