Archive for January, 2008

Weekly Faith and Health Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-20 Power to Change Behavior

Published by Dale on January 28, 2008 in Bible, Faith and Fitness, Faith and Health, God, Spirit Mind Body Health and Weekly Faith and Health Scripture. 2 Comments

Athletic power requires a combination of strength and speed. Bible ReadingA soccer player must have good leg power to kick a ball through a goal from a distance of 20 yards. Athletes must train in a specific way to gain this power and to have athletic success.

To be successful in living the abundant life, Christians must be able to tap into the special power that is available to us. Paul teaches us about this in Ephesians 3. In verse 19 he explains that this power is available to us when we experience the love of Jesus. This power that we receive is God’s special power. It comes directly from Him if we believe in Jesus. Paul tells us that when we experience Jesus’ love we will be full of this power. As a result of this power, working in us, God is able to accomplish, in us, more than we could ever imagine.

This is such an awesome truth, and I suspect that it is hidden from many people. Maybe you’re trying to change an aspect of your behavior or lifestyle to improve your health? Perhaps you are trying to be more consistent with exercising and trying to modify your eating habits. Are you trying to change these behaviors or to “muscle up” the needed willpower on your own? So often, we attempt these changes and don’t recognize or appropriate the special power that is available to us from God.

This power comes from experiencing the love of Jesus. It means that we must recognize how He is loving us in a way that is intimate and personal. To experience the love of Jesus, I think it means that we must spend time with Him. We must open our hearts to Him in a surrendered way. We must believe that He loves us unconditionally. It helps if we attribute the wonderful things happening in our life to Him. For that matter, we must recognize that everything that happens in our life - the good and the bad - works for our good. (Romans 8:28) We must rid our minds of the lies of Satan and dwell on the loving nature of Jesus and receive this love deep in our hearts.

Are you having difficulty changing an aspect of your behavior in an attempt to become healthier? If so, perhaps you could benefit from experiencing the love of Jesus deep in your heart in a personal way more frequently. As this occurs, the special power from God will help you!

A few questions to consider:

  • How do you experience the love of Jesus?
  • How has the special power of God enabled you to change a specific behavior?

Have a terrific day!!

Running and Praying

Published by Dale on January 21, 2008 in Faith and Fitness and Spiritual Exercises. 0 Comments

Boy Running“When you go for a prayerful run, you can pray as if you are talking to someone right next to you. The words are important, but you don’t have to make up your own prayer extemporaneously……” read more about running & praying and the book Running - The Sacred Art: Preparing to Practice by visiting the Faith and Health Wire.

Weekly Faith and Health Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30 - Jesus on Stress Management

Published by Dale on January 19, 2008 in Bible, Faith and Health, God, Spirit Mind Body Health and Weekly Faith and Health Scripture. 0 Comments

Life and stress… they go hand in hand. Bible Reading We will experience lots and lots of stress in our life. There is no getting around it. I believe that the degree to which we effectively manage and cope with the stress in our lives will determine the degree to which we are healthy. If we turn to unhealthy behaviors to cope with the stress, our physical and emotional health will suffer.

Many people turn to food as a way to cope with stress. Others turn to the use of drugs. Some turn to alcohol. Still others light up a cigarette. Some burn the midnight oil surfing the internet and pay for it the next day because they have had inadequate sleep.

Long ago Jesus told his followers: “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find much rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

I don’t know of any more effective technique to get a handle on the stress in my life than to turn to Jesus. God designed you and me in a way that our spirit, mind and body would react together in a marvelous way when we feel tense and anxious and “heavy” and set our heart and mind on Jesus. God knew that Jesus was our anecdote for stress … not drugs, food, alcohol and the internet. That’s why he inspired Matthew to capture and write about Jesus’ short teaching on this topic.

How do we “Come to Jesus?” We pray. We listen to inspirational music. We sit or walk quietly and listen for His voice. We cry out to Him in desperation. We read His Word, the Bible. We get on our knees and pour out our heart to Him. When we do this, He promises that He will give us rest.

A Few Questions to Ponder:

  • To what or whom do you turn when you are weary, burdened or stressed?
  • How do you turn to Jesus in a way that is personal and meaningful?
  • How do you feel when you turn to Him?

- Read about 18 Spiritual Exercises for a Healthier Life.

- See talks & articles on stress & wellness on this Resources page.

- Visit “If Jesus Was Your Personal Trainer” retreat information.

Go have a great day!!!

Weekly Faith and Health Scripture: Psalm 81:10,16 - Let God Satisfy Your Deep Hunger

Published by Dale on January 12, 2008 in Bible, Faith and Health, God and Weekly Faith and Health Scripture. 0 Comments

When you’re hungry what type of food do you eat? What’s your favorite food that satisfies a deep craving you may have? Is it sweet, crunchy, salty or creamy?Bible Reading After you’ve eaten it, how long do you feel satisfied? When I am really hungry I open the cupboards and look for a bag of crunchy Cheeto’s. Several handfuls of this snack food often satisfies my physical hunger when I have gone too long without eating any food. What do you turn to when you have a deeper emotional or spiritual hunger inside?

In Psalm 81:10 God says to the writer “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it with good things.”Later in verse 16 God is saying “But I would feed you with the best of foods. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

In this Psalm, God is saying that if we turn to Him and follow His ways that He will take care of our needs. When we have a deep, deep need to be satisfied He does not want us to try to meet that need by going to the refrigerator and eating any food that might temporarily meet what we think is physical hunger. He wants us to go to Him to meet what really may be a spiritual need. God wants us to have the “best of foods.” Cheetos, a piece of cake or a bowl of ice cream do little to satisfy an emotional or spiritual need. Only God can do that, as these verses tell us.

The Hebrew word for ‘rock’ used in verse 16 of Psalm 81 is sur meaning a place of security and safety. That’s what God wants to be for us. When we need a place of security or safety He wants to be that place for us. When we are stressed over a life situation and are looking to feed the temporary emotions like loneliness, fear or pain, God does not want us to turn to physical foods to be satisfied. He wants us to turn to Him. He wants to “feed” us in a way that really satisfies our deep needs.

The next time you have a deep need because of a situation or event in your life, try turning to God. Put on a favorite CD or plug in your MP3 player and listen to songs that remind you of God’s nature. Open up the Bible and read your favorite scriptures. Read some other material that helps you understand God better. Or consider getting down on your knees and pouring out your heart to Him in a deep and meaningful way. Give God a chance and see if He won’t meet that deep ‘hunger.’ He is waiting for you.

Be satisfied in Him … and have a terrific day!

Weekly Faith and Health Scripture: Psalm 38:1-8 Sin, Guilt & Health

Published by Dale on January 5, 2008 in Faith and Health, Spirit Mind Body Health and Weekly Faith and Health Scripture. 0 Comments

Imagine the effect of constantly feeling guilt deep in your heart. Do you think that months and years of a guilty heart would have an impact on your health? Bible Reading The BBC reported the results of a study that indicated that people who felt guilty had lower levels of immunoglobulin A. High levels of immunoglobulin A are associated with a strong immune system, and the ability to fight off illness. The researcher’s previous studies showed that people with low levels of guilt were less likely to go to the doctor, or to report suffering from colds or flu.

Not surprisingly, the writer of Psalm 38 experienced the health-related consequences of guilt. The guilt of his sins “overwhelmed him” and was a burden that was “too heavy to bear.” His “exhausted” and “crushed” nature came from an “anguished heart.” Like the author of this Psalm, if our heart is crushed and exhausted and remains this way for a period of time, we will eventually experience an adverse impact on our health. It will look differently for each of us because God made us each uniquely.

The easiest way to prevent any adverse health-related impact is to not sin in the first place. Psalm 119:35 reminds us that when we follow the commandments of God we find happiness. If we follow the guidelines God gives us in the Bible we will be less likely to have a sense of guilt. This guilt-free lifestyle will have a more positive effect on our health.

So, what if you do feel guilty because of doing things that you believe are not honoring to your body or to God? You can ask for forgiveness from God. You can confess your sins to Him and to others. (James 5:16) This can give you a sense of freedom in your spirit and in your heart. This sense of freedom will have a positive impact on your health. (A helpful article appearing in The Christian Century on guilt, confession and mental health is at this link.) That’s one of the values of the Christian walk. We can know that God does forgive us when we ask for forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 reminds us that through His son, Jesus, God has forgiven us.

What can you do? Try to live a life that lines up with God’s principles that He gives us in the Bible. Minimize behaviors that give you a sense of guilt. When you do experience guilt, confess your behavior to another person and to God. Ask God for forgiveness. Try your best not to repeat the behavior that caused your guilt.

Go have a healthy day!