Sep
20
2011
Our reactions to the trials and stressors of our life are a key determinant of our emotional and physical health. It’s not the events or the relationship issues that have a detrimental impact on our health, it’s our interpretation and perception of them.
In most days of our lives, we find ourselves in situations that can impact us in either a negative or a positive way. First, the event or circumstance occurs. This is generally quickly followed by the emotions that we experience. Then, typically, we react with our behavior and what we say. Our reactions are most often automatic because we do this out of habit. Our reactions will have either a positive or a negative impact on our body based, based on the accompanying emotions we experience.
We have an opportunity to impact our emotions and corresponding reactions by the thoughts that we have right after the experience or the event. With practice, we can train ourselves to think positively as opposed to negatively. We can choose to ask the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts, emotions and our reactions. This is the type of wisdom that James speaks of in James 1:2-8.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:2-8
Awareness of your thoughts and reactions is key to changing how you respond to stressors and trials. If you make a choice deep in your will to become more aware of how you respond to events in your life, you’ll be able to make changes with the help of the Holy Spirit. Changed responses will help you to become more like Christ and therefore your light will shine brighter. Learning to respond differently can also impact your health. Instead of your system releasing unhealthy chemicals into your body because of the toxic emotions you experience, the healthy chemicals that are released with your positive emotions will promote health.
It’s all about perspective. I urge you to look at your trials and potential life stressors as opportunities for spiritual growth. If you can have this mindset, it will change your life. And, God will be glorified as you credit His Spirit for helping you make this change.
Questions to Reflect On
What is you level of awareness of your thoughts that immediately follow stressful occurrences? Are your negative emotions and the corresponding physical reactions in your body impacting negatively on your health?
Resources Related to Thoughts and Health
Wikipedia Article – The Biology of Stress and Health
Faith and Health Article – Are Your Thoughts Making You Unhealthy?
Faith and Health Article – Manage Your Stress With God’s Help
Mar
02
2011
One of Jesus’ last prayers was that all future believers would know him and his Father and have eternal life.
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
The Greek word for know is ginosko, meaning to know, to understand, to perceive. Here, Jesus was not just meaning that we are to gain head knowledge about himself and the Father, but to get to know them intimately…. to really know them. Yes, it’s important to read the Bible to gain knowledge about God’s principles and to learn about him and his Son, Jesus, but Jesus wants us to really know him and his Father at a deeper level. This is something we can not do just in our minds, our brains. We must get to know them in our hearts.
We get to know Jesus and God the Father in an intimate way through the Holy Spirit.
Three chapters earlier in the book of John, Jesus told his disciples that his Father would send the Holy Spirit to them after he departs to be with his Father in heaven.
“But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.” John 14:26
One role of the Holy Spirit, as Helper, is to guide us into truth. Another role is to help us experience God in a personal way. True life transformation occurs when we experience and embrace God’s love in our hearts. As you read scripture or are exposed to the truth of scripture through teaching or preaching, ask God to make it real to you. Ask God to reveal himself to you in your heart, not just in your mind.
Here’s an example. You read in scripture that you are a child of God because you have accepted Jesus. Galatians 3:26 You believe that people who accept Jesus in their hearts become a child of God, but you have been unable to embrace the idea that God really accepts you and that you, indeed, are a child of God. Prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you in your heart that this is so. Ask him to to touch you heart in a way that this truth is personally known to you.
A deep need we all have is to feel accepted. When we truly feel accepted by God deep in our hearts, we’re less likely to turn to unhealthy habits to try to fill this void that only God can fill. God wants each of his children to experience his love and acceptance and to experience the eternal life in an abundant way while we are living on this earth. The Holy Spirit was sent by God to believers in Christ to reveal himself to us in a personal way and this enables us to feel accepted by God and to live this full life now.
A Question to Reflect On:
Are you experiencing God’s love in a meaningful way? If not, consider asking the Holy Spirit to help you receive God’s truths in your heart.
Helpful Resources:
Article – It’s About the Relationship
Read more Blog Posts About the Holy Spirit
Nov
01
2010
Last week I wrote a post about the Holy Spirit and the power to change unhealthy behavior. This is a follow-up post about God’s power and the Holy Spirit.
Paul writes about the Holy Spirit’s power in a prayer to the Ephesians:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-20
God’s power is available to us because of his Holy Spirit in us. This is not ‘our’ power, but it’s the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. There is a difference. Many people who do not really know God nor fully understand the scriptures, try to live out of their own strength and power. Verse 20 in the scripture above clearly states that it is the Holy Spirit’s power that is at work in us that enables us to live differently – to make changes in our lives.
The Holy Spirit’s Power
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” Ephesians 1:17-20
In these verses above, Paul reminds us that it’s through the “eyes of our heart” that we are able to understand how God works in our lives because of our belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ in our heart. When God begins to live in us in the form of the Holy Spirit, he gives us a new heart – a regenerated heart. With this heart, we are able to renew our minds to his truths found in scripture. (Romans 12:2) As we set our hearts on these truths and believe them, and we yield to God, the power of the Holy Spirit lives more fully through us. And as Paul writes, this power is the same mighty power that raised Jesus from his grave and sent him to be with his Father in heaven.
God wants each of us to experience this power so that we can realize the fullness of his love and live a kind of life that glorifies him. If this is your motivation – to glorify God with your life by the power of his Spirit – then God will answer your cries for more of his power as you yield to his Spirit inside you.
Questions to Reflect On:
Have you been trying to live life or make behavior changes by your own power and not through the power of the Holy Spirit?
Are you at the end of your rope in life and unable to make a go of it in your own strength?
Resources on the Love and Power of God:
Blog post – Power and Strength by Grace and Through Intimacy with God
Web site page – Receive God’s Love
Web site page – Receive Salvation and a New Heart
Web site page – Bible Scriptures on Stress, Health, Healing and Wholeness
Oct
26
2010
When a person accepts Jesus as their Savior and becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit begins to live inside him. (John 14:16-17) The Bible tells us that the power of the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us because God’s Spirit lives in us. (Romans 8:11) This fact has huge implications for Christians who have struggled to make a behavior change in their life.
I suspect most people, whether they are Believers in Christ or not, rely primarily on their own strength – their own willpower – to make changes in their lives. I did that for many, many years. In weight management classes that I taught in a hospital setting several years ago, I urged participants to develop stronger “willpower.” Now, when I am working with Believers, I urge them to do the opposite. I urge them to rely less on their own abilities and strength and to rely more on the Holy Spirit. For most, this is a new concept. Maybe it’s also a foreign concept for you as well.
Our Old Nature Vs Our New Nature
Our human nature, our sinful nature, wants to do all it can to be in control and mange our behavior. But, the more we try to change behavior on our own, the more we are leaving God out of the picture and this leads to defeat, whereas leaning on God’s Spirit who lives in us leads to life. (Romans 8:13) The apostle Paul reminds us that when we are weak, we are strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10) In this verse, he’s indicating that when he acknowledges his own weakness and depends on God, that is when he is truly strong. Further along in Romans 8:26, Paul tells us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”
We must be intentional about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, being obedient to what we sense him telling us and being dependent on him. Again, for most, this will be out of our comfort zone because we think we need to be in charge and strong in our own might.
If you’ve made countless unsuccessful attempts at changing an unhealthy habit, I urge you to get on your knees and cry out to God and admit your dependency on him. Confess that you’ve left him out of the picture and that you’re now ready to lean more heavily on him – on the Holy Spirit – then you ever have before. As you do this, my prayer for you is Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
And then, after you’ve changed your behavior, remember to give God the glory for how his Spirit empowered you to make the change!
Questions to Reflect On
How many times have you been unsuccessful in changing an unhealthy habit, without relying on the Holy Spirit?
Are you ready to be dependent on God’s Holy Spirit to help you make a change in your life?
Related Resources
Another Blog Post – The Power To Change Behavior
Blog Post – 110 Positive Affirmations Using Scripture
Sep
24
2010
Last week I flew from Charlotte to St. Louis to present a workshop at the 24th Annual Westberg Symposium. What I put together was a Christian model for health eduction and self care. My objective was to equip the parish nurses who attended to educate their parishioners about the spirituality-health connection and to better care for themselves. One of the topics I spoke about was the importance of staying close to Jesus, based on the verse John 15:5.
As our plane landed in St Louis and the captain indicated it was permissible to turn on our phones and computers, almost everyone on the plane immediately powered up their phones to check their messages or emails or to make a call to someone. After the plane reached the gate and I stood up to get my bag out of the overhead compartment, I glanced around to see how most of the plane was connected to another person or to the rest of the world through their digital device. Because I had been reviewing my material for the talk, the idea of staying closely connected to Christ was fresh on my mind.
I got to thinking as I stood there, imagine what a difference this world would be if all Christians were as intent on being and remaining connected to Jesus as we are to other humans.
Jesus taught his followers -
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
If you want to make a difference for God today…. if you want to have the fruit in your life that he calls you to have, stay closely connected to Jesus… to the Holy Spirit inside you…… becasue apart from him, you can do nothing of significance for his glory.
Have a great day today… as you stay close to Christ!
Sep
03
2010
We all need water. According to many sources the human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females. Our lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water by weight; blood contains almost 70% water; body fat contains 10% water and bone has about 22% water. A newborn infant’s body weight is about 75% water weight. Without water, our physical bodies could not function.
Spiritual Needs
In John 7:37-38, Jesus uses water and thirst to talk about spiritual needs. Just as each of us has a need for water to satisfy a physical need, we have deep spiritual needs that only Jesus can meet.
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38
An important aspect of this scripture is that we musty recognize our need – our thirst – for Jesus. We must be aware that we have deep spiritual needs such as to be loved, accepted, feel worthy, and to be forgiven to name a few. So often we turn to other people and things to satisfy these deep needs, but only Jesus can meet these deep needs.
The Holy Spirit and Living Water
God designed us to be in relationship with him. He gave us his Son so that, through Jesus, we could know God. When we believe in Jesus and accept him into our hearts, his Holy Spirit begins to live in us. (Read John 7:39) As we learn to live less from our sinful, “self” nature and allow the Holy Spirit to be fully alive in us, we are able to realize the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. (Galatians 5:22-23) And the greater these fruits are ‘alive’ in us, the more love, patience, gentleness and kindness will be flowing thorough us to other people. That’s what Jesus was referring to when he said that “living waters” will flow from within us. The Spirit of God will flow through us to other people. And not just drops of water…. but streams of water.
Drinking From Jesus
But, we must drink from Jesus to have these living waters flow through us. In John 15:5 Jesus gives us another key in how we can experience this fruit in our lives. He tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.“ The key is to stay close to Jesus. We do this by reading the Word that he gives us, the Bible. We meditate on what the Word says throughout the day. We pray. We sit quietly in his presence. We do what we can to “drink” Jesus into our souls and spirit.
Questions to Reflect On
What deep spiritual needs might you have that only Jesus can meet?
How may you have been attempting to meet these deep needs apart from Jesus?
How is God’s Spirit flowing through you to other people?
Helpful Resources
Article – It’s About the Relationship
Article – Loving God
Jun
03
2010
Spiritual Fitness and Couch Potatoes
I’ve been reading the daily devotionals the magazine from InTouch Ministries for over 10 years. Below is an excerpt of an article by Robert Bruce titled Confessions of a Couch Potato from this month’s issue.
“The most important thing I’ve learned since starting this (running and fitness) journey is that my health and my faith are not part of two separate worlds. For most of my life, I’ve pretty much eaten whatever I wanted and lived a fairly inactive lifestyle—all while trying to be a “good Christian.” I never saw the connection between physical fitness and faith, though the two are inextricably linked. Paul said that our bodies are temples designed to glorify God (1 Cor. 6:19-20). In other words, the way we manage our physical health affects our spiritual well-being.”
In the article, Bruce shares how he embarked on becoming fit through becoming a long distance runner. I was able to relate well to his comments because I have been running since I was in high school for over 40 years. More importantly I appreciated his insight into the connection between his health and his faith, as that is the focus of my writings and speaking.
Running is probably not the right choice of physical activity for everyone, but it’s one vehicle you can use to take good care of your physical health. The important thing is that we do something on a regular basis to move our bodies… to care for the temple that they are for God’s Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
So, go move your body. Go for a walk. Then read Bruce’s entire article on page 26 of this pdf file in the June 2010 issue of InTouch Magazine.
Questions for Reflection on Spiritual Fitness
How physically fit are you?
How spiritually fit are you?
How well are you caring for and honoring your body, the temple of God’s Spirit?
Spiritual Fitness Resources
Article – Get FITT Spiritually and Physically
Article – Spirituality and Health – Understanding the Connection
Web Page – Spiritual Exercises and Spiritual Fitness Assessment
Nov
25
2009
Lifestyle Factors and Your Health
By some estimates, approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States are premature (at least 900,000 deaths annually) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents. Other contributors to early death include genetic predisposition (30%), social circumstances (15%), poor access to quality health care (10 percent), and environmental exposures (5%). (David Anderson, Ph.D., StayWell Health Management)
So more than any other factor, it’s our lifestyle that causes us to be unhealthy. Changing old unhealthy habits is not easy but it’s essential if we want to become healthier and live a better quality of life.
God’s Power is Available to You
“God’s way is … an empowered life.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 – The Message
God wants to assist us in living a healthy life and He has given those who believe in Jesus a helper – the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16-17) Just one of many blessings we receive as followers of Christ is that we have God’s power in us to live the kind of life that He wants us to live and this includes the ability to make desired lifestyle changes.
The Bible tells us that the same mighty power that raised Christ from his grave is available to us who believe in Jesus. (Romans 8:11 and Ephesians 1:19-20)
One key to being empowered by God’s Spirit is to recognize that in our own strength we can not do what we can in God’s strength and power. We must recognize this and depend on the supernatural power of God to work in us. We must submit and surrender to God and embrace the spiritual truth that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Your Body is God’s Temple
Because God’s Holy Spirit lives in those of us who have accepted Jesus into our hearts, our bodies are His temple ( 1 Corinthians 3:16) Therefore, we have a responsibility to care for His temple. It’s an awesome thing that God’s Spirit in us empowers us to live in such a way that we can care for His temple as a matter of love and worship to God. One beneficial by-product is that by appropriating God’s power, we can live a lifestyle conducive to good health.
My Prayer for You
Like the Apostle Paul, I pray that the “eyes of your heart” might be open and that you are able to understand and appropriate the power that is available to you to make any lifestyle changes you might want to make….. all for the glory of God! ( Ephesians 1:18 and Ephesians 3:14-21)
Questions to Reflect On
Are you trying to make lifestyle changes in your own strength?
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, do you believe God’s Holy Spirit lives in you?
Do you embrace the truth that the same power that raised Jesus from his grave is available to help you in making changes in your life?
Resources Related to God’s Power & Healthy Lifestyles
Article – Surrender – A Spiritual Exercise For a Healthier Life
Website – Spiritual Help: Steps to Peace with God
To assist in making lifestyle changes - Wellness Coaching
Other blog posts about God’s power
Oct
31
2009
Our beliefs about God and spiritual things are the most important beliefs we have because they can have the most impact on our lives – as we live day to day and for all eternity.
What we believe determines how we behave to a very large degree. When our lifestyle choices are guided by our deep spiritual beliefs, our health can be positively impacted.
On one occasion, Jesus said in a loud voice, ” “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit (of God), whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” John 7:37-38
If we believe in Jesus and have accepted him into our heart, we are promised that God’s Holy Spirit is in us. The Spirit’s power enables us to live in a way that we could not otherwise live.
This is why I have identified the following Christian principles, among 38 others, to be health-promoting:
- Believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
- Accept Jesus as Savior
- Believe the Holy Spirit Lives in You
The “streams of living water” that flow from within you, resulting from the above principles, will help you experience a healthier life than if your beliefs were otherwise. This “stream of water” is God’s Spirit and his associated power for living.
When I want to make a point about something… when I want to emphasize something.. I often raise my voice and talk louder than I usually talk. Did you notice in the scripture above that Jesus spoke in a loud voice? I suspect he was emphasizing this to those he was talking to. I hope you’ll agree with me that this is a very important spiritual truth that we should embrace and apply!
Questions to Reflect on:
Do you have a desire or a “thirst” to make a behavior change in your life?
Are you burdened by stressors in your life?
Jesus invites you to “drink” from his well and to go to him if you are weary and burdened by life circumstances. (Matthew 11:28) He promises that the Spirit of God will empower you to make desired lifestyle changes and meet your deep needs when circumstances in life are burdensome.
Related Resources:
An Invitation to Join God’s Family
A More Complete Biblical Basis for The Faith and Health Connection Ministry
Changing Behavior and God’s Holy Spirit – a Blog Post
Other Blog Posts on the Holy Spirit and Health
Aug
21
2009
Obesity and diabetes levels are still on the rise. That’s according to the State of the States Report released this week.
According to this Gallup Poll, my state, North Carolina had a nearly 2% increase since last year. Twenty eight percent of North Carolinian’s are now obese – a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater. (Calculate your own BMI) Almost 12% of the people in North Carolina have diabetes – the 9th highest state.
Obesity Rates in America - 2009
Certainly, many people in our country die of weight-related problems each and every day. These deaths are preventable. Let’s take a deeper look.
There are many factors that contribute to the high obesity and type 2 diabetes rates in our nation. Access to health care, the environment, annual income/poverty level and heredity all play a role. But the cornerstone of these two conditions are physical activity and eating habits. The bottom line is that these two lifestyle choices most contribute to both of these conditions and they are almost totally under one’s control. These are choices we make, day in and day out.
Faith and Health
High levels of body fat and high glucose both represent a form of “death.” The Bible tells us that we have a choice. We can choose between life and death. In the Old Testament, God tells his people -
“Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28
Later in the same book, God continues to share his instructions about the choices we have between life and death. He says “Today I am giving you a choice between life and death.” (Deut. 30:15) In verse 19 he urges us “Oh that you would choose life, that you and your descendants may live.”
We Can Choose "Life" or "Death"
We all have choices to make each and every day or our life – all throughout the day. We can make choices that are life-enhancing or death-enhancing; good health-enhancing or poor health-enhancing. The choice is ours.
With God in our life in a big way, it’s easier to make healthy choices. It’s easier to make the countless healthy choices that are important in managing our weight. But even that begins with a choice. We must make a conscious choice to involve God in our life day in and day out. It really all begins with this decision.
The more diligent we are in involving God in our life, the more strength he will provide for living and making wise and healthy choices. God can enable us - empower us – to choose to be more active and to eat more nutritious food. One key to this is to relinquish control of your life to God and to live in a more surrendered way to him.
The Bible tells us that God’s Spirit lives in us if we have accepted Jesus into our life as our Savior. Imagine, God lives in us. When we relinquish control to his Spirit, it is actually God that is empowering us as we live. In this case, it is God’s Spirit that helps us to get off our seats and be physically active. It is his Spirit that prompts us to buy and eat healthier food. His Spirit gives us greater discipline. It is God’s Spirit that comforts us when we are stressed and feel like opening the refrigerator and eating a carton of ice cream or devouring a box of cookies.
My hope and prayers for all of you who might struggle with your weight is that you lean more heavily on God and a deeper faith to assist you in making healthier lifestyle choices. That you’ll make a conscious choice to tell him in your prayers that you need his help and that you are unable to make these desired changes on your own.
I hope that you will experience the love of God in it’s full measure and that that you will be empowered by God to make the kind of healthy changes in your life that you might want to make. See the verses in Ephesians 3:16-19
Questions To Reflect On
If your health is impacted by your weight, what lifestyle changes could you make that will help you lose weight?
How much are you really depending on God to help you with these changes?
Does God’s Holy Spirit live in you that he might enable you to make any desired changes in your life?
Resources to Help With Weight Management
An Article – Overweight? Find Freedom From Overeating
An Article – Spiritual Exercises to Help Us Know God Better and Manage Our Weight
Scripture Listing – Scriptures Related to Weight Management
Spiritual Help
Struggling with life as well as your weight? Desire to know God in a personal way? Desire to have God’s Spirit in your life to empower you to live? Read about God’s love.
Wellness Webinar
To register and learn about The Spirituality-Health Connection: An Introduction – A Wellness Webinar, an online event scheduled for September 3rd, 2009, follow the link provided.
Let’s Connect!