Oh no, the Bible thumper is weighing in...
Well, yes, I'm a Bible thumper, but most of my time is spent thumping the Bible on my own head! Even though I am saved from my sins by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, I still need Him desperately every day. His way is always best, and I have come to know that well after being a Christian for over 20 years. Although I am extremely far from perfect, I am seeking to learn and grow in God's truth every day and through every season of life.
God created us, and He created this wonderful world for us to live and thrive in. Though the fall of man and the consequences of sin plague our lives through various illnesses and hardships every day, we can still live a healthy life that is pleasing to God and satisfying to us.
Opening Verse
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV)
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
What is Health?
Health is defined by Dictionary.com as "the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor." Think of it as a full evaluation of a person's mind, body, and spirit. So much time, money, and effort has been made to optimize human health in these areas, and many scientific advancements have been made, both good and bad, to help paint the picture of health that we envision today.
Good health is important because we are important to God! He created our bodies to do incredible things and to be resilient to lots of different environments and virtually anything that it's faced with. Our lives are filled with constant movement, digestion, hormone regulation, breathing, pumping blood, and so much more. With the best health possible, we are able to glorify Him more fully.
God Wants Us to Be Healthy
The opening verse is a relational call to action. Just as a loving parent directs their child for their good, God lays out for us seven simple truths in Proverbs 3:5-8.
God can be trusted.
In Luke 11:11-13, Jesus highlights God the Father's goodness by explaining that even we sinful, evil people give good gifts to our children. Verse 13 emphasizes: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" He is a faithful God who cares deeply about our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, and has left us an instruction manual (the Bible) that explains His intricate, loving plan for our lives here on Earth, and most importantly, His desire to spend eternity with us.
Our understanding has serious limits.
The book of Job is an especially humbling section of Scripture to read. It documents a particularly difficult part of the life of Job, a faithful servant of God who was tested with trials of all kinds. Despite being completely devoted to God, God allows Job to go through the loss of his family, possessions, and even his health. A good portion of the book is spent in a conversation between Job and his three friends that had come to comfort him...let's just say they weren't the kind of friends you'd want to depend on. In the last few chapters of the book, the Lord enters the chat with a powerful and poetic declaration of His absolute sovereignty over all things. Here's a glimpse of what He says: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?" (Job 38: 4-5) God's vast wisdom is infinitely greater than ours! Our best instincts and intentions are less than a drop in the ocean of God's power and understanding.
God can be known.
Not only is God the all-powerful, all-knowing ruler of all creation, He is personal. No matter what you have gone through, what you've done, He actively wants a relationship with you. Proverbs says "in all your ways acknowledge Him," which is an invitation to know Him personally and intimately, but also a command from a holy God to submit all our ways to Him (our thoughts, our sins, our desires, and our inherent desire to please ourselves). If you don't have a relationship with God, learn how to accept His invitation here.
God's way is best.
Psalm 136, like many of the psalms, is an anthem of praise to God for who He is and what He has done. In each of the 26 verses repeats this phrase: "For His steadfast love endures forever." The term steadfast love can be translated as mercy or faithful love, according to the NKJV and NLT versions, respectively. He is perfectly faithful, and despite being perfect in every way, He provides for us everything we need, including salvation, most importantly, because we sin against Him every day and cannot possibly be holy or righteous without His intervention. He consistently sustains our physical bodies. And as an encouraging promise for our mental well-being, in Philippians 4:5-7, He tells us this: "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." In short, He holds the answers to life itself, and is more than willing to share them generously with us!
Our understanding can blind us.
There are few things more fleeting than human emotions. One day we're feeling happy, the next we are sad, and another day we may be feeling indifferent to the world. That is the scope of our grasp on life without God's wisdom. By flying by the seat of the pants of our own wisdom, we are robbing ourselves of a wealth of help and peace from God, as well as neglecting the relationship with Him that we so desperately need. Proverbs 1:7 says: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." There is no substitute for following God. His wisdom is above any breakthrough, revelation, or thought we have ever had.
God is to be worshiped and sin rejected.
This is the absolute hardest part of Proverbs 3:5-8. Because of the fall, we are all born sinful, and our lives are driven by sinful desires apart from God's saving grace. We worship self, gratify self, focus on self, cater to self...I think you get it. Unfortunately, the culture promotes everything related to self--except denying it! Jesus's words to the disciples in Matthew 16:24 echo God's call to repentance. Repentance is an absolute hatred for and turning away from sin, which is only truly possible by accepting God's gift of grace. We cannot do enough good deeds to get to heaven, because we are born with that sinful nature. When we turn to God, we have to understand that His way is best, and that is a very humbling thing.
Following God is rewarding!
There is no greater reward than what comes to us from following what God says out of love for Him. Now, let me be clear: we don't get to dictate God's generosity by how much faith we have, or how elegant our prayers may be. That is a works-based religion that doesn't line up with the Gospel at all. But what I am saying is that God rewards us with treasures in heaven, and He rewards us in this life with His peace, joy, and complete satisfaction, no matter the circumstances. Obeying His Word grows our troubled and selfish minds, and calms our anxious and running thoughts toward more devotion, more trust, more love for God. The rewards of the world are sinful, temporary, and deceitful, promising to us everything we could ever want--with a catch. Mark 8:36 is concise but powerful in saying: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" There is no greater success in this life than to follow God; you won't be able to find it in money, power, relationships, or any vices of this godless world.
Health is More than a Trend
I'm not on social media much these days, but I've recently jumped back in it to promote this blog. Like me, you've probably seen the recent wave of sourdough starters, crunchy moms, and endless homesteading and mindfulness tips flood the Internet. MDs and laymen alike are weighing in to define health and convince their followers that they need a certain product, masterclass, or routine to achieve "health." Although a good amount of the content that's put out there proves to be good advice, these influencers are missing a key component to overall health: surrendering to God and putting Him first.
While it is genuinely a good thing to prioritize your health and wellness, beware of the many voices on social media that heavily push self-care, self-motivation, and other self-focused practices. The Bible says: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you have been bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) This passage is saying that the ultimate focus should be on God, not ourselves. He should be our motivation for doing anything that we do, because we were created to bring Him glory! And self-glorification is the enemy of a life surrendered to Christ.
If we take a look at Jesus' life, even He surrendered Himself fully under the authority of the Father (and He's God!). This is an important truth to remember because we are to follow His example and submit ourselves to God also (James 4:7). Even when He was faced with His inevitable death on the cross, here was His response: "And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.'" (Luke 22:42)
Of course, being the one true God and all, Jesus knew that dying for our sins was the plan from the start. But in spite of being 100% deity, He was also 100% human, and had very human emotions toward His very real circumstances in Luke 22. He even sweat drops of blood at the thought of dying (that's verse 44). And yet, He still valued the Father's will above His own. If we are to put God first when life is hard and things seem to be impossibly hopeless, then we should put Him first even more so in the other areas of our lives--our desires, goals, thoughts, and actions, as well as those that directly affect our health.
Another trend to avoid is praising nature above praising God. It is not Mother Nature or the mysterious Universe that guides and sustains our lives, it is God alone. He created nature, the universe, and us! Not only that, but He has given us everything we need to live a godly life. Everything that we interact with and discover anew about this world is because of the Lord's creation or intervention in some way. Here are a couple of verses that talk about this:
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Pursuing a healthy lifestyle should driven by praising God for Who He is and what He has done, Christ's gift of salvation to us, and our daily response of living out the life He wants us to live. Let Him motivate you to feel your best! One more verse as we head to the next section:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence...
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Prayer: The Most Powerful Remedy
Would you say that you worry more or pray more? I regret to admit that I often worry about things that God has had control over since long before I was born. Worry is also defined as anguish, apprehension, concern, doubt, fear, headache, misery, misgiving, pain, problem, uncertainty, uneasiness, or woe (Thesaurus.com). I'm sure for most of these words, you could think of at least one circumstance in your life right now that they could describe. We often respond to the curveballs and crucibles of life by resorting to worry--and even though it may feel good, as if we could possibly gain one inch of control or stability over something (or someone), it really does no good at all. Why? Well, let's see what Jesus has to say about worry.
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Jesus touched on a couple of things that are easy to overlook in the midst of worrying. For one, we are of much value to Him; He truly cares about us! He has provided everything we need for a life of godliness, as we read in the verse above. Secondly, there is nothing to gain by worrying, despite how natural it feels. But this is why we base our thoughts and actions on the Word of God to guide our emotions, rather than our own thoughts and actions. By trusting in ourselves rather than God, we participate in circular reasoning instead of pointing our minds to the Source of truth.
God knows what we need, and provides exactly that. During hard times, it is harder to see how He could possibly understand what we're going through. But, He's an all-knowing God, and on top of that, He actually experienced human life just like we do! Jesus went through: hunger, temptation, loss, grieving, rejection, betrayal, torture, an unfair trial, and eventually murder. He knows our struggles deeper than we do!
So, what does this have to do with prayer? How is talking to God a remedy?
Prayer is talking to God, but also listening to God. It's a relational and ongoing conversation with the God who loves you, cares for you, and wants the best for you, even if it means rejecting your own sin. Prayer is meant to refocus our hearts on who God is and to rest in His promises to us. That doesn't necessarily mean that our problems in life will be "fixed" or solved (from our tiny human point of view), but God wants us to trust Him because He is trustworthy. He has a divine plan for each moment of our lives, and He has promised His peace that surpasses any peace in the world, when we simply admit: "Lord, I am having a hard time with _____. I acknowledge that You are sovereign over everything. Teach me to walk in Your ways and to trust You through this season of difficulty. Help me to surrender my desires to Your will."
We are not created to be self-sufficient, despite what the preppers say. While we can grow our own food, find our own water, and build our own fires to keep warm in the wilderness, we will always be in a spiritual wilderness without relying on God to guide every part of our lives. So go to Him in prayer for that thing you're worried about; you'll see how humbling yourself before God will bless you tremendously in your circumstances! When we worry, we are trying to fall back on our own strength, which is a wobbly stance against what we face. But when we pray, God transforms our perspective to line up with His will; He often gives us a soft heart in a hard situation, if we are willing to give it up to Him to mold.
But now, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Spiritual Health: Beyond the Body
We all talk about physical health, mental health, and emotional health--but how's your spiritual health? Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your life? Do you have His peace in your heart in all circumstances? Are your decisions reflecting Jesus's character, or elevating your own? These are the tough questions that evaluate the only part of you that's going to last forever.
So, how did you fare in answering those about yourself? Are you right with God? If you aren't sure, please read on!
When God created this beautiful world, it was perfect. No death, no disease, no war. But in Genesis 3, we read about the one decision that changed humanity forever: Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that He had instructed them not to. Now, at this point, you might think, If God knew they were going to disobey Him, why give them a choice?
That's because He is so loving! He doesn't force us to obey Him or to love Him--that's not love. He presents the truth, and allows us the free will to decide for ourselves. If we choose to follow Him, He will secure our eternity in heaven with Him. However, when we choose a life of sin, there are eternal consequences. In fact, Romans 6:23 says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Each one of us deserves eternal death and condemnation for our sin. Each time we sin, we are offending the one, true, holy God, even after He has perfectly loved and provided for us from the beginning. Genesis 1:28 says that He blessed Adam and Eve. In verse 29, God goes on to say that He gave them everything they needed to live and thrive, and that it was very good. He didn't just stick them in the middle of some garden and tell them to figure it out.
God knew that we would sin against Him. He is a God who will judge us at the end of our lives--we will all have to stand before Him at that time and make an account for what we have done here on Earth. Each one of us is stained with the filth of sin in our hearts--we are selfish, prideful, and hypocritical, no matter how good we may look or how much good we may do on the surface. We can convince ourselves that if we are kind enough or do enough good deeds, we will get to heaven. But that's just not true. Those things are inherently "good," but they cannot pay the price of sin. Nothing we do can pay it.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.
So, how do we get to heaven? I'm glad you asked! That's where Jesus bridges the gap.
Jesus, being the one true God, made Himself human, just like you and me, and lived a perfect life here on Earth. He never sinned. And although He did a lot of miracles while He was here, the greatest miracle of all is that He died to take on the penalty of sin for us. Do you think you would die for someone else? Not only that, but do you thin you'd want to die for someone that has rejected and offended you every single day of their lives? I admit that I'm not sure if I would. Roman 5:7-8 says: "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
While we were still sinners. That means that we can't and won't ever do anything grand enough to guarantee our salvation apart from Jesus Christ's intervention in our lives. This also shows His immeasurable love for us. He died, and then He rose from the dead! No other god can do that. Because of His resurrection, His power to save us is truly active and effective (see Hebrews 4:12). Unlike religion, this is not a blind faith or a dead faith. It is a close relationship with God that progresses daily and lasts for eternity.
So what does this mean for you? If you're a believer in Jesus Christ and you've truly repented of your sins, that's wonderful! Keep pursuing Him in everything that you do!
If you aren't sure if you're saved, take a moment right now to pray to God. Repent (turn away from your sun, and confess that He is the Lord of your life. Put your faith and trust in Him fully-with your life, your soul, and everything else too. If you decided to give your life to Christ, find a Bible-teaching church to attend so that you can grow in your faith, get a Bible of your own, and start reading! The Book of John is a great place to start, whether you're a believer or not.
No matter where you are in your life, God loves you. He also wants you to come to Him, and turn from your sun. God's grace paints the perfect picture of health--His way will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
If you have any questions about salvation or need prayer for anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! I will leave you with a couple of verses to think on, and I pray this blog has brought you closer to Christ.
If you aren't sure if you're saved, take a moment right now to pray to God. Ask Him to forgive you for your sins and become the Lord of your life. Thank Him for the sacrifice He made on your behalf. And take joy in His salvation!
If you've decided to devote your life to Christ, now is the time to get your own Bible and start reading it. If we are to live by God's Word, we have to known what it says and apply that to our lives. Also, find a Bible-teaching church to attend so that you can grow in your faith with other believers. That is a crucial part of the Christian life! Not sure where to start? Check out this church finder!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For he says,
"In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.