Make The Body Of Christ Healthy Again

“There’s a day coming that people will flock to the Church for healing instead of to hospitals.” ~ Pastor Steve Holt

Recently I heard a sermon that I really resonated with. It was by Pastor Steve Holt, called “The Kingdom of God Health.” Pastor Steve stated that the medical and pharmaceutical industries need us to be sick because this is how they make money. I agree with him completely. Have you ever noticed how most physicians are quick to prescribe medication, rather than getting to the root cause of the issue?

Most doctors do not dig deeper into what is causing the sickness.

We all want to be healthy. Poor health is a joy robber, whereas good health brings peace and delight. Being healthy, however, includes a lot more than just looking at our physical symptoms. There are often spiritual, emotional, social and mental causes to being unhealthy. Most people do not consider the whole person. We simply want to feel better, and the faster the better. This is why medicine and vaccines are so popular. They are a quick fix. I’m not saying medicine is wrong or bad, but I do feel most people swiftly agree to taking pharmaceuticals when they ought to look at other solutions first. The truth is, we are a microwave society, wanting our meals as fast as possible. Yet, as any good cook knows, a dish tastes best the longer it has simmered. Slow and easy is the pathway to long term good health as well.

Living the way God designed for us is the secret to being healthy.

We were created not only with a physical body, but also with a mind, emotions, a soul and a need for relationship. So, when it comes to our health, we must look at our overall being to find out what the root cause of our ailment is. There is usually a deeper reason why one is sick. This will require time and deep self evaluation. Therapy and deliverance prayer are powerful tools to help you when it comes to the process of reaching optimal health.

My health was poor for almost 10 years. I would get sick all the time. A very low immune system caused me to catch a cold or the flu easily and often. I also suffered from Spinal Stenosis and Fibromyalgia. These caused physical symptoms of chronic pain (from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes!) and crippling fatigue. Since our mind and body are so intricately connected, I was also often depressed. The Spinal Stenosis was so painful for me, that I couldn’t even walk a block. Socializing was stressful as well because standing for more than 15 minutes was unbearable. It was almost impossible to feel joyful. I’m not sure what was harder for me, the heavy heart I carried, or the physical pain! The worst part was I looked so normal. Most people would not know I was suffering.

There were many days where I wondered if I was going to spend the rest of my life debilitated like I was!

The one thing, however, that I held on to was my faith. Although my circumstances weren’t changing, I never gave up praying and believing for my healing. I prayed every day and I asked others to pray for me as well but nothing seemed to change. I tried Physical Therapy, Chiropractors, an Osteopathic MD. Yet none of these helped. I used essential oils for temporary relief, and I did stretches daily. And I kept praying. I just knew that God didn’t want me living like this. He is a good and loving Father, why would He want His child sickly? I believed in God’s character with all my heart.

Then one day, a friend of mine recommended her Chinese Acupuncturist, Dr. Dan-a Christian man. Dr. Dan had a holistic approach to healing. He was not only an acupuncturist, but he was also a nutritionist, and an excellent listener, almost like a therapist. Dr. Dan was also a man of faith, and he would pray over me every single session. He helped me look at my overall lifestyle and specifically my sleep patterns, exercise and eating habits. He worked patiently with me and helped me lose 35 pounds! With the help of Acupuncture, I started to sleep again, and the anxiety and depression eased up. Dr. Dan was a gift from the Lord to me and was used mightily in my healing. I thank God regularly for Dr. Dan. My healing is a miracle. God used Dr. Dan powerfully to give me my health and life back!

Dr. Dan showed me the importance of a holistic approach to good health.

Today I continue to be intentional about staying healthy. My husband and I eat a clean healthy diet. I go to bed at a decent hour and try to get 8 hours of sleep. My goal is to walk 2.5 miles 3-4 times a week. I nurture my relationships with friends and family, which includes being a part of a small group that meets regularly. I also am very disciplined about taking my supplements daily. And guess what? I haven’t been sick in many years. The anxiety and depression are a rare occurrence now. All praise be to God! He is a faithful God. I must mention, though, that I know not everyone is healed this side of heaven. We must, however, never give up seeking God on our healing, knowing our lives are in His hands. God sometimes heals immediately, sometimes it’s a process (like in my case), and other times we will never understand why, but He simply doesn’t heal.

In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

God wants us to choose life! His desire is for us to live a healthy life.

As Pastor Steve said, “we have a physical immune system, but we also have a spiritual immune system, an emotional immune system, a mental immune system and a social immune system.” It’s imperative to make sure each area of your life is prosperous because each area will affect the other. For example, unforgiveness, disappointments, and/or anger often make one sick.

I encourage you to take an inventory of your whole life. Ask yourself how healthy are you spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially ? Be honest with yourself and with another human being, as accountability is so important to good health. Here are some questions to help you…

1. Spiritually

This is the most important aspect of your health. How is your walk with the Lord? Are you living according to His desires for you? Is there any unconfessed sin in your life? Confession prunes our hearts. It brings healing to not only to our heart and minds, but to our body too.

2. Physically

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us clearly how precious our bodies are to God, and that we must make it a priority to take care of it: :”Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

It’s an act of obedience to the Lord to take care of your body.

What are your eating, sleeping and exercise habits? Eating well takes discipline. Be willing to eliminate foods that work against good health, such as sugar, carbs, gluten, and especially fast food. Also, did you know that getting 7-8 hours of restful sleep is one of the secrets to good health?

3. Emotional and Mentally

How is your emotional and mental health? Pay attention to your thought life. Do you tend to worry often? Are you living in fear? Worry, fear and anxiety are weapons the enemy uses to keep us down. These cause stress, which is a source of many sickness. These negative emotions are not from the Lord and will do a lot of harm to your health. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.“

Your body will internalize negative emotions and make you sick.

4. Socially

Another important are of your good health is the condition of your social life. Do you have a strong community of believers that you see regularly? Being in a small group is very important. How about your family? Do you have good connections with them? Loving relationships keep us healthy!

Choosing to live a healthy life means living a peaceful life, a life the way God designed for us. He has written everything in His word, the Holy Bible, for us to live righteous and holy lives. Some things may not be specifically written, like smoking, but we all know which things are right or wrong for our well being. Fight for your good health. Work diligently to make yourself healthy, whatever it takes. Choose life!

Most of the world is sick (spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally and socially), and in great need of a Savior. If we, as Christ followers, each do our individual parts at being healthy, then together, as the body of Christ, we would be a better witness to the lost world around us. Good health brings joy and add years to our lives. As Proverbs says, “A serene heart can add years to one’s life…” (Proverbs 14:30). My hope and prayer is that others would look at how prosperous, full of peace and joy, Christians are, and that this would trigger a desire to know more about us. Consequently this would open up opportunities to share about our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear brothers and sister, let us be healthy Christians-spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially, and therefore, be accurate representatives of Jesus, our Lord.

I end with another quote from Pastor Steve that I love. He says, “The more you line up your life with the Kingdom of God-spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically and socially-the more healthy, and vibrant your life will be.” May, we, the body of Christ be healthy and vibrant in every way.

“My beloved friend, I pray that everything is going well for you and that your body is as healthy as your soul is prosperous..”~ 3 John 1:2 (VOICE)

Photo credit: Photo by pina messina, Gaelle Marcel, Fiona Murray-deGraaff on Unsplash