Sickness!
Last week I talked about the possibility of getting sick, what to do to help support your body to prevent sickness, and things you can do when you’re sick to help you get through it sooner. What about spiritual sickness? Are there things you can do to support your spiritual life to help prevent sickness? And if you do get spiritually sick what can you do to get spiritually well.
Actually, there can be some similarities between our spiritual and physical bodies. They are intertwined in many ways. I know for me that when I am fighting spiritual sickness it brings on some physical reactions, the most common is a depressed feeling. Now I am not saying that all depression comes from a spiritual sickness but there are times when they are related.
For myself, I have never been really far from God or come from some of the evil things of this world that people experience before they find the Lord. So I can’t share what that is like. But I have had those times where I have been fighting a spiritual sickness. A time when I wasn’t fully committed and taking preventative measure to stay spiritually well. When I look back at those times they are not pleasant memories.
There can be all kinds of excuses. I don’t have time to “exercise”, “eat right”, etc. But it seems we always have time for those things we really want to do. So what it really comes down to is how important is it for you to stay well. Is it more important to eat your “sugar” or “junk food” rather than eating lots of “fruits & veggies” and more healthy “foods”?
Foundation
What is the foundation for spiritual health? We keeping our physical body healthy with good wholesome food that God has made for us to eat. In the same manner, the foundation for keeping our spiritual health is good wholesome spiritual food. The good wholesome spiritual food that God has given us is His Word.
The digestion of our food starts in the mouth as we chew. That is why it is so important for us to chew our food well before swallowing it. In the same token as we read God’s Word we should be “chewing” it thoroughly. Then we can properly digest it.
When you sit down to eat a meal and you are in a hurry how do you feel after you eat? I don’t feel so well myself. When I rush through my meal it affects my digestion. But we know we need to eat so we just sit down and shovel it in as fast as possible. The reality is that it would be better for us not to eat. And then come back later when we can relax to eat and spend the time it takes.
In the same turn if we sit down to spend time in God’s Word and we feel rushed but we know we need to do it we are not going to gain much. We should be thoroughly “chewing” each verse so that it can be properly digested. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” Jeremiah 15:10.
Real Food
Just like you want to eat real food for your physical body, the same is true when it comes to your spiritual life. When it comes to our physical health we need to stay away from refined foods, junk food, and eat less of the processed foods. The same is true for our spiritual health. The Word of God is the real food that our spiritual health needs. We need to stay away from material that is refined to fit the taste, junk that fills our minds with unholy thoughts, and we should be careful of the material written by others, “processed food”. The more we stick to God’s Word the safer it is for our spiritual health.
Supplement
Are there other writings that we can read beyond the Word of God? There are many other writers that God has given great insights to that can help us grow spiritually. Just like when you are looking for a good supplement for your physical body you want to make sure that it is whole food and not synthetic you want to be careful with other writers.
When it comes to your spiritual health it can be detrimental to be reading things that seem good but there is some “synthetic” things sprinkled throughout that can be unhealthy to our spiritual health. There are also “synthetic” reading out there that is very detrimental to our spiritual health. That is why this needs to be our criteria, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” Philippians 4:8.
We need to make the Word of God our foundation for everything we read. As it says in Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” The Word of God is what we should compare everything to that we take in, whether it is reading, listening, or watching.
Digestion
Prayer is really a foundational part also to our everyday lives. And we should be much in prayer. But prayer is also what helps us in the digestion of God’s Word. We can chew on God’s Word but it is the Holy Spirit that helps us in the digestive process. This is why it is so important to ask God for His Spirit to guide us into all truth.
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you” John 16:13. And God is so willing to give us the Holy Spirit if we just ask. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13.
Dear Father,
We want to strive to fill our minds with the best spiritual nutrients. We need your Spirit to help us be discerning and to understand Your Word. Guide us with Your Spirit.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Do those things that are going to give you the best spiritual nutrition so that your spiritual immune system is strong.
What do you do that helps support your spiritual immune system?
This is part 2 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”. There are many other things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually. Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience. In part 1 I talked about the foundation of how to support a healthy immune system physically. Coming up in part 3 I will be talking about how physical exercise plays a role in maintaining healthy immune function.