"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou
mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul
prospereth."
3 John 2(KJV)
There
is a clear understanding here that the state of our soul is deeply linked to
our health.
From this lesson onwards we are going to focus on the state of our
souls in relation to sickness and disease.
God's
perfect will for us is that we walk in health and in this scripture He gives us
the key: See to it that your soul prospers! After we have appropriated God's
provision for healing if we are sick, we need to maintain soul health in order
to keep our healing.
The
soul consists of the mind, emotions and will.
The
Word also states that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov. 23:7). This
implies that the condition of your body is directly related to the state of
your soul. Sickness is imbalance, dis-ease, lack of peace and
"soundness".
Let
us start with the greatest enemy of our well-being, which is stress. Some would
say that stress is inevitable, yet if you look closely it is very intricately
related to the mind and we have the ability to choose what we think and how we
react. We stress because there is an underlying element of fear that things
will not work out the way we think they should and are especially time-related.
We stress because we put ourselves under pressure to reach the deadline in
time. We stress because we fear the opinions and reactions of others.
Negative
thinking patterns have a chain effect, affecting the emotions; then show up in
our behavior patterns and from there it has affect on the adrenal glands, which
in turn secrete toxins which have a damaging effect on the body.
Heart
diseases are mostly related to stress and fear; so is high blood pressure,
nervous disorders, digestive disorders and many others.
Some other mind-sets that are related to the
spirit of fear, are rejection, self-rejection, fear of rejection, fear of man,
phobias, fear of the unknown, fear of death and many more.
Self-rejection works against yourself and
becomes your worst enemy, often resulting in auto-immune diseases.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of love, power and a sound mind." 2 Tim.1:7
Take
some time out, get still before God and wait on Him to give you His divine
perspective on your life-style.
If
you discover bad habits of allowing stress to "get" to you or causing
yourself to be stressed because you squeeze too many things into a short period
of time, rethink! Is this rectifiable by a few tweaks?
Mostly
it is! Adopting a life-style where you intentionally give yourself more time to
finish a project, taking the pressure off and also intentionally enjoy what you
are doing, you are going to do yourself and your health a big favor. Simply
refuse to live under pressure. Choose to relax, laugh and take time to enjoy
the things and the people around you - experiencing the love of Father God,
living a life of worship.
Tension
in relationships come when things are not working out the way you expected.
Simply remove demands and expectations from others and give the unexpected
disappointments and frustrations to the Lord. Let Him take care of it and
refuse to get upset about anything! Worry and stress do not change a thing, but
it is very detrimental to your health and that is something you cannot afford.
Therefore, opt out of it! It is a quality decision, but something that
will need discipline of the mind. If you let go, let go! Don't pick it up
again!
"Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Phil.4:6-7
Adopt a new habit of releasing all
your worries, concerns, fear, anxiety and stress to the Lord. Pray earnestly
for Him to take care of it, thanking Him for it. Now leave it in His hand,
putting your trust in Him to work it out. Then, if you think about it again,
start praising Him to work it all together for good because of your love for
Him. You will experience a wonderful peace in your heart and mind.
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