YOUR HEALTH AS A CHRISTIAN
Your health as a Christian is very vital. God Has sent His Son, Jesus to carry the burdens of pain, suffering, illness and diseases. He Has even carried the emotional burden as He was painfully led to the point of His crucifixion, which means there should be no physical, emotional, mental or spiritual distress or illness. His word said in Isaiah 53:5, He was bruised for our transgression, the chastisement of our PEACE has been placed on Him and by His STRIPES (Terrible painful beatings that was shedding His blood) we are healed. WHAT A GREAT SACRIFICE! Therefore, His will is that we are totally free from the burden of sicknesses, illnesses and diseases, if we are genuinely born again. The pains and agony of sicknesses and diseases are meant for the unbelievers, Prov 11:8. God wishes us sound health and prosperity as we live, this He confirmed in His unchanging word in 3John verse 2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.” His words in Psalm 91: 3, 6 & 10 also confirmed His wishes for us to be in sound health. He also promised us long life in Psalm 91:16. He is a good and great God.
It is however a pity that Christians are victims of different illnesses. They occupy bed spaces on different hospital beds and even in psychiatry units despite ALL the promises of God concerning our health. You keep wondering if God is not watching over His children and how come the great promises in His words are not manifesting in their lives. God is faithful and His words are Yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). He has said it and will fulfill it (Joshua 23:14) ….Even if Heaven and Earth pass away, NOTHING out of His words will go unfulfilled (Ezekiel 12:28, Phillipians 1:6)
There are so many reasons why Christians become victims of circumstances and illnesses; Kindly check through some of the points as highlighted below:
SIN: that is the number one factor. You cannot dwell in SIN and enjoy the abundant grace of God (Galatians 5:19 – 21, Isaiah 64;6). Sin led man away from the presence of God right from the time of Adam and Eve. Sin broke the edge for the serpent to come in and bite (Colossian 3: 5 – 6, Gen 4:7). Sin has lured many to lustful desires like fornication, adultery, alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual abuse, masturbation, lies, envy and the likes that open up their lives to sicknesses and diseases. God hates SIN with prefect hatred and there is no small or big sin, SIN IS SIN. God will not listen to prayers made from a sinful and unrepentant heart. He commanded us in Colossians 3:5 to put to death all sexual immoralities. Some handle sin non-chalantly that even after fornicating or committing adultery, they will mount up the pulpit to preach and sing praises to God. Who is fooling who? The devil knows this and has put many into the bondage of sicknesses and afflictions that sap their joy and freedom, which if not by the grace of God, might lead to eternal death in hell.
TITHING: This is a divine instruction given by God to His children to bring one – tenth of our income to His house. (Proverb 3:9-10). He promised to open the windows of heaven when we obey this instruction and rebuke devourers for our sake. (Malachi 3:10 – 12). There is no income you earn that is not from God as a child of God. (1 Timothy 6:6-8). The best thing is to reverence God with our income by putting Him first and supporting the work of God with our money. May God open up our inner mind to have deep understanding of tithing. Tithing is banking with God. When you do banking with God, there is no room for lack or poverty.
Lifestyle / Nutrition: Our ways of life and what we eat are great determinants of our health. Chronic illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, cancers and other sicknesses can be prevented by healthy lifestyle choices right from when one is young. A lifestyle that is not guided aright in the principle of light in the word of God will automatically follow the path of the devil. (1 Corinthians 10:31). Life without Christ is always full of different crises. Drug and substance abuse, alcoholism, smoking and such behaviours can all result in sickness. What we eat also determines our health. An uncontrolled appetite, eating of junk food, imbalanced nutrition can also impact negatively on ones health. As a child of God, choose your food wisely, make it balanced with good choices of the different classes of food including fruits and vegetables. As we advance in age, red meat should be removed from our diet as well as fat building food. Drinking water is a good habit to keep the body and system healthy. The importance of regular exercises eg taking a brisk walk, riding on a treadmill and other exercises cannot be overemphasized. The risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and the likes can get minimized with adequate and regular exercise. Exercises should however be tailored to age, ability and health condition.
Regular health checks: Generally, most persons do not check the state of their health until they get sick. It is advisable to occasionally visit the hospital for screening and appropriate health checks and counseling so as to avoid getting ill and then having to visit hospitals regularly as a patient. Prevention they say, is better than cure.
Attitude: This is our personality, our attributes to our fellow Christians and those around us. Some are ‘saints’ in the house of God but wild in the society, no one can fool God. High tempered beings are prone to health issues like high blood pressure, emotional and mental distress etc. A malicious lifestyle, pride and unforgiveness, anger and the like increase the tendency for health problems such as peptic ulcer, domestic violence and its various sequelae (Prov 17:22). Let your life be full of joy and the presence of God. Let your light so shine before men that when they see you, they will glorify the name of the Lord. (Matthew 5:15 – 16). Be at peace with all men (Exodus 15:26). Let your life preach to people, be the Bible that unbelievers will read on daily basis.
Plan for the future: A good Christian should always make effort to look beyond now and plan for the future. Making budgets, plans and implementation for future are great tools in the hands of wise Christians. Plan, invest and save towards retirement early. Avoid wastage or spending/eating all you have, improve yourself daily, try to learn more everyday, seek godly opportunities and utilize same in good faith. In all, put God first (Proverbs 3: 5 -8) to avoid costly mistakes. It is better to be poor and eventually rich than to be once rich.
Strive for and ensure marital peace: The home is a shelter against worldly terrors and danger. When there is problem in the home, there will be a gap in its primary function and there is a great effect of this on health. No matter how rich, beautiful or handsome a woman or a man is, when the foundation of the home is faulty, there will be no peace. The resultant effect will be loss of relationship with God, chaos, agony, pain, terrible mistakes etc. These may have negative consequences on health such as depression, anxiety disorders, hypertension and others, it can also lead to death. May God have mercy and heal our lives in Jesus name.
Beloved, God is still merciful and in the business of total healing and deliverance if you retrace your step back to Him for Him to remake you in His likeness. He said in 1John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and Just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Surrender your life to Him. Let Him be the anchor you hold unto, let Him be your breathe, your health. Give your life to Him and he will take care of it. If you agree with me, you have made the best decision. Kindly say this:
LORD Jesus, you are my Lord and Saviour, I know I am a sinner, forgive me all my sins, write my name in the book of life and guide me to please you always. I believe in you for total healing and deliverance. Thank you Jesus in Jesus name. Amen!
Attend a true Bible believing church to guide and build you up spiritually. May the Lord uphold you in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks and stay blessed.