How Your Relationship with God Can Make You Healthy
Dear Friends,
I am happy to share with you today, how your relationship with God can make you healthy. We are in the season of Lent and for a lot of people that means they are fasting in some form. I have seen a lot of people give up sweets and other food categories for this fast and while I recognize that Lent does not have anything to do with dietary health it does have a significant impact on your health. The impact it has on your health is that of self-denial and self-discipline.
This season has been so inspirational. I have always been interested in health and while I have never felt called to participate in Lent myself, I always enjoyed hearing the experiences others have had while participating in fasting for Lent. It wasn’t until recently that I started paying attention to how people were describing Lent and the purpose of the fast. The most common way I have heard fasting for Lent explained is truly beautiful. Jesus was baptized by his cousin; John the Baptist, and immediately following His baptism he was taken to the desert and tempted by Satan for 40 days and 40 nights. Lent is 40 days of preparing your heart for the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. During this 40 days people fast as a way to deny themselves something, a small form of suffering, similar to how Jesus was tempted for 40 days and denied himself food or comfort, and how he suffered for us on the cross. This act of self-denial is meant to help the person deepen their relationship with God. It is all about self-discipline and self-control and taking dominion over the body God blessed you with which is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Merriam-Webster defines health as “the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit, especially freedom from physical pain or disease.” So how does your relationship with God effect your health in a positive way?
First let’s discuss how your physical, or body’s health, will be positively impacted by your relationship with God. I briefly touched on this above when I talked about fasting. The practice of fasting exercises your ability to self-discipline. While I fully recognize that fasting for Lent, or any other time of fasting and prayer, is not specifically intended to increase your self-discipline and physical health, it does have that effect, at least increasing your self-control. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self control. In Matthew 6 Jesus gives instructions on how to fast, saying to still appear normal so no one knows you are fasting. Fasting is supposed to be a secret sacrifice for God rather than an outward show. In 2 Timothy 1:7 it says “God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self control.” So self control is a gift that God gives us through the Holy Spirit. We are called to exercise that self control in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 when it says “don’t you know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit… so glorify God in your body.” Fasting is one way to use our body to glorify God. In addition to that, Jesus tells his disciples that some things can only be achieved through prayer and fasting. Fasting then becomes a necessary part of your relationship with God. Possibly the most well known example of fasting in the Bible is the fast Daniel did while imprisoned and being trained to serve the king of Babylon. He didn’t want to defile himself with the king’s rich food so he asked for only vegetables and water for himself and his three friends. The guard in charge of Daniel was reluctant to agree to this fast from rich food because he didn’t think Daniel and his friends would be as strong as the other prisoners if they only ate vegetables and had water. He agreed to a ten day trial period and after the time was up he found Daniel and his friends to be healthier and stronger than anyone else. So the guard gave all the other prisoners the same food. God gave Daniel and his friends more strength and wisdom than anyone else. This was of course God’s plan, but also in response to Daniel’s reverence for God and wanting to continue to follow God’s commands even in prison.
When it comes to physical health for me I think of a couple verses to use as guidelines. The first is in 1 Corinthians 6 “don’t you know that drunkards and sluggards won’t inherit the kingdom of God?” Also 1 Timothy 5:6 which says “she who is self indulgent is dead even while she lives.” And of course recognizing that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit is always kept in mind. A couple verses really help me prioritize where my thoughts and heart should be. The first is 1 Timothy 4:7-8 “train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” The second is Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” These few verses inspire me to recognize my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and treat it accordingly but not to obsess over it. I need to focus on my heart and my relationship with God first and foremost.
In the 1990s Disney movie Annie it was said that “you are never fully dressed without a smile.” That is true, and if the smile is sincere, it is a representation of your psychological health. For psychological health having a relationship with God and praying especially, is very important. Studies have shown that praying decreases anxiety and depression because it makes you feel more grounded and less alone, and takes the weight of the world off of your shoulders. There are several verses that can help ease your mind and help you to feel better. For example; Luke 12:25 ”Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” and Luke 12:29 “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.”30 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Also; Matthew 6:33-34 “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It is very difficult not to worry I understand, but that is probably the reason the Bible tells us not to worry and not to fear so many times. I have not counted personally, but I have heard that the Bible says do not fear 365 times, one for every day of the year. God has a plan for us and if we trust Him it should ease our fears.
Praying is so powerful and so necessary to our health. I have not listed the Lord’s prayer here but there are a couple other verses that come to mind when I think about praying. They are; James 5:16 “confess your sin to one another. for the prayers of a righteous man is powerful and effective” and Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Does this mean if you confess your sins God is going to give you everything you want like a genie in a movie? No. He is going to work on your heart and guide you through the Holy Spirit to desire the things he wants for you, and when you pray for those He will give them to you at the right time. Praying is an open conversation with God. He already knows what you need He is just waiting for you to ask Him for it. Prayer is what will help you through the most difficult times and it can also make you the most joyful.
Your relationship with God will make you healthy in so many ways but ultimately it is going to make your heart healthy, and as Jesus said it is not what goes into your mouth that defiles you but what comes out. Out of your heart comes evil thoughts and words, and so much more. So if you want to be healthy you need to start with your heart and that is where your relationship with God will shine. I hope this inspires you to have a deeper relationship with God. You are not alone. You were beautifully and wonderfully made, and your Creator wants to have a relationship with you.
Your Friend,
Amanda
You May Also Like
