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Renewal In Spirit, Soul & Body:
Soul Food
Soul Food
How to Be Healthy in Spirit, Soul and Body
On the one hand, I’m totally unqualified to address the topic of Health
because I spent the better part of two decades chronically sick. On the other
hand, maybe that makes me eminently qualified. I know what it feels like to be
sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. If it wasn’t one thing, it was
another. Sinus headaches, allergies, migranes, strep throat, upper respiratory
infections, stomach viruses—every cold and flu that came down the pike. I was
constantly on antibiotics, sulfur drugs, decongestants, allergy medications. I
had a bottle of prescription cough medicine with codeine on hand at all times.
It was like my American Express card: I did not leave home without it. And
this next one--Dare I admit it? I spent years, I mean years on anti-
depressants. I think I was single-handedly keeping the pharmaceutical
companies in business.
You know what’s sad. During all those years, I was a Christian. I loved God.
But I was still a PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL WRECK. Sick and tired. Sick and
tired. That was my life. You know what. Praise God. I can honestly say, I
don’t live like that anymore. I truly don’t. Not that I have been transformed
into Barbie with a Bible and all my problems have disappeared. I am not yet
the woman I want to be, but I’m getting a little closer every day. I still
have “those days” but it’s not who I am. I am NOT chronically sick
anymore…..and I was for years. I am not chronically depressed……..and I was
for years. The Bible has real answers for the mess we’re in. Not magic
formulas. The Bible isn’t a Magic wand we can wave over our problems. But I
have found within its pages a pathway to health and wholeness. It’s changed my
life and I want to share it with you.
Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? The problem is
rampant in the church. A Christian magazine conducted a nationwide survey of
pastors and discovered that 80% of all church prayer requests are related to
health concerns.
I want to look very quickly at the four primary causes of sickness and then
turn our attention to the more important issue: what can we do about it.
1. Genetic Pre-disposition – Research science clearly indicates that certain
people are pre-disposed to certain diseases. That’s why doctors’ offices have
elaborate forms they want you to fill out, not only concerning your OWN health,
they want your family’s medical history. My sister works at St. Christopher’s
Hospital for Children in Philadelphia where she cares for children BORN with
terrible diseases on a daily basis. A child doesn’t “catch” leukemia. It’s
no one’s fault. They’re born with it. A genetic pre-disposition. When I
complete my “family medical history” it’s like a chronicle of cancer. Is my
family genetically pre-disposed to cancer? Maybe. But there’s another
possible explaination.
2. We live in a fallen world. NY University just released a major study
linking many forms of cancer to air pollution. Look at the skies over Phoenix
this time of year—or over any major city for that matter--I mean, just looking
at it is enough to make you feel sick. I grew up in a very industrialized area
of the country—sandwiched in between New York City, Philadelphia and
Baltimore. So maybe the reason there’s so much cancer in my family is because
of the all the pollution—not only in the air, but underground and in the
water. My hometown was located along the Delaware River and the water was so
FILTHY, fish couldn’t live in it—we’d see them floating dead everywhere—but we
drank it. Garbage and medical waste washed up on the shores of the New Jersey
beaches about an hour from where I grew up. I used to play for hours in a
wooded area adjacent to a factory near my home—that factory was later declared
a Superfund Site by the EPA—meaning it was so toxic, cleaning it up was a top
priority for the US Government. That was my playground. How scary is that?
Maybe that’s why we’re all sick.
It is just appalling what we have done to this planet. 6 billion selfish,
sinful people have turned the earth into a giant trash can. I haven’t even
mentioned that we’ve released nuclear bombs into the atmosphere. Or chemical
warfare. Or all the chemicals in our food. And we wonder why we’re sick. We
get mad at God because we’re sick. HELLO.
3. The third cause of sickness—hold onto your seats for this one—is Satanic
Affliction. I know, I know. This is a controversial topic. I want to be
sensitive to the fact that we have women here from many different denominations
and we all bring to this subject our own theology and belief systems. That’s
why I want to limit our attention to what the Bible CLEARY and undisbutably
says. " So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful
sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head" Job 2:7
CLEARLY, it is possible for Satan to physically afflict people. Now, you can
debate the hows, whys and wherefores amongst yourselves. But whatever else we
might think about this passage, we need to understand that there are times when
people get sick—or experience physical pain-- because the devil HATES them and
wants to HURT them. It is for real. It’s not their imagination.
4. Self-Inflicted/Self-Afflicted
But I’m not going to devote any more time to that topic….because I think THE
VAST VAST MAJORITY. I mean the VAST majority of us are not being afflicted by
Satan. We are afflicting ourselves. Satan isn’t the one sitting around all
day watching television and eating donuts, instead of exercising and eating
right. We’re doing that to ourselves. An increasing body of Medical science
provides compelling proof: Most sickness is self-afflicted. Self-inflicted if
you prefer. In other words, we’re sick because of our lifestyles. We don’t
take proper care of ourselves, physically. We don’t take proper care of
ourselves emotionally. Satan doesn’t need to bother us…….we’re doing the job
for him. We’re making ourselves sick.
First, let’s look at how we afflict ourselves PHYSICALLY. We do it by treating
our Body, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, like a trash can -- by
filling ourselves with junk. Once upon a time, GLUTTONY was considered one of
the 7 Deadly Sins. The church took over-eating very seriously. Now, it’s
commonplace. Have you ever heard a sermon preached against over-eating? I
think it’s interesting that the very first fall of mankind involved a woman
being tempted by food that looked too good to pass up. I don’t know about you,
but I am certainly in no position to judge Eve! I LOVE food that looks good to
eat: donuts, cookies, cakes. I’m always tempted to indulge my taste buds, even
though I know these foods will lead me into sin. How? By altering my blood
sugar and making me irritable within thirty minutes. Then I get depressed
because my clothes don’t fit.
Like most women, I have 3 sizes in my closet. The size I SHOULD wear, the size
I USUALLY wear and the size I’m wearing when my kids know to run for the hills
when I wake up in the morning.
I find it fascinating that Adam and Even both needed new outfits after
demonstrating their inability to resist food temptations. Wow! Things haven’t
changed that much after all these centuries, have they? We need to use wisdom
when dealing with food issues. In addition to overeating—and all the problems
that creates--many people are stumbling into bulimia, anorexia, and other
eating disorders. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into a balanced approach to
your eating habits.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of
God. 2 Cor. 7:1: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify
ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting
holiness out of reverence for God.” Ask yourself: are the foods I’m eating
PURIFYING…..or contaminating ---my body?
It’s important to find a healthy balance between caring too much and too little
about your body. Some women obsess over their personal appearance and go
into “emotional meltdown” if they are ten pounds overweight. (I should know!
I’m one of them.) Other women completely neglect their appearance, saying such
concerns are “unspiritual.” Of course, this argument would hold weight (pun
intended) if these women devoted ALL of their time to spiritual pursuits,
rather than exercising for 30 minutes per day. But we all know that’s not the
case. It’s just an excuse.
If you are too busy to exercise 30 minutes a day, you are busier than God wants
you to be! Your body is a tool to serve God. It’s the only living sacrifice
you have to offer Him. Don’t let your body turn into a tyrant, determining
what you can and cannot do. You’re supposed to be in charge, so take charge!
The next time your body tells you, “I’m tired. Let’s lay on the couch eating
potato chips.” Say, “No, body. You are not in charge. I am the brains in
this operation. And I say We are going to get up, grab a bottle of water and
take a walk. While we’re at it, we’re going to recite our Affirmations and
scripture memory verses. Then we’re going to pray for our neighbors. So
there, body, take that.”
But I think we’ve got an even bigger problem. You know what’s really making
most of us sick? EMOTIONAL TURMOIL. Some of us have turned our minds into a
great big trash can. Listen to this excerpt from the devotional, Come away, my
beloved, by Frances Roberts:
“How can I give you healing for your body while there is anxiety in your mind?
So long as there is dis-ease in your thoughts, there shall be disease in your
body. You have need of many things, but one thing in particular you must
develop for your own preservation, and that is an absolute confidence in my
loving care.
‘Come unto Me’, it is written, ‘all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I
will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28). Only when your mind is at rest can your
body build health. Worry is an actively destructive force. Anxiety produces
tension, and tension is the road to pain. Fear is devastating to the physical
well-being of the body. Anger throws poison into the system that no anti-
biotic ever can counteract.
Ten minutes of unbridled temper can waste enough strength to do a half-day of
wholesome work. Your physical energy is a gift from God, entrusted to you to
be employed for His glory. It is a sin to take His gift and dissipate it
through the trap doors of the evil emotions of the disposition. Look not upon
others and condemn them for jeopardizing their health by harmful habits
(smoking, drinking, drugs, illicit sex) and wasting energies on vain pursuits
while you yourself undermine your health by unworthy emotions and take time
which by keeping your mind in an attitude of praise and faith could be
constructively employed, but instead you allow this time to be a period of
destructive action by entertaining such things as self-pity and remorse and
evil-surmisings.”
I want to take a quick look at what the Bible says about each of these Unworthy Emotions:
1. Worry
Matthew 6:27: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Don’t worry about clothes or food or what might happen tomorrow. God is
looking out for you. People claim they don’t have TIME to meditate on
scripture…….but what is WORRY? It’s meditating on your problems. Think about
it: worry is nothing more than meditation—thinking about something over and
over and over. The problem is, you are meditating on your problems --which can
do you no possible good. So take the SKILLS you have developed through years
of WORRY—your ability to play the same record over and over again—and put it to
good use.
The Bible says meditating on God’s Word can literally bring healing to our
bodies.
Prov. 4:20-22;
My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man’s whole body.
Why not let MEDITATION become your favorite MEDICATION? You can, at the very
least, supplement your medication with meditation and I guarantee your
medication will work much more effectively when taken with a dose of
meditation.
2. Anxiety The book of Ecc. Points out that: When you’re anxious, you can’t
even sleep at night. How many of us lay awake, wracked with anxiety. What if
this, what if that, what if the other thing. We get ourselves all worked up.
You think that doesn’t take a toll on your health?
”Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—
put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Phil. 4:4-9
The Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom, which means WHOLENESS. Total Well-being:
maximum health in your spirit, soul and body. That’s what God wants for his
children. Ask of him and he will surely give you his peace. If the cure for
worry is meditation, the cure for anxiety is prayer.
3. Fear
90% of what we fear never happens. What a waste of time. The Bible commands
us “Do not fear 83 times” Fear is the opposite of trust—the command to
TRUST occurs 87 times. Do not be afraid, instead, TRUST the Lord:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; Isaiah 43:1-5
Fear literally releases ADRENALINE into the body. Too much adrenaline (need
more on the damaging affects of too much adrenaline in the body) The Bible has
the antidote for EVERY one of our destructive emotions. The cure for worry is
meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. And the cure for fear is trust.
4. Anger
My friend, Rachel, was struggling with anger toward her mother-in-law. When
Rachel’s husband died of an alcohol-overdose at the age of 37, his mother
blamed Rachel. Which was ridiculous because Rachel was powerless to stop her
husband’s drinking. And few people suffered more from his drinking than Rachel
and her three small children. Nevertheless, her mother-in-law hired attorneys
to literally rob Rachel and her children of the inheritance that was due to
them. She did everything in her power to make their lives more difficult.
Almost every time I talked to Rachel, she would be angry and upset about the
situation. One day, as she was getting worked up about the latest rotten thing
her mother in law had done, I said: “She sounds like she’s in a lot of pain.
She doesn’t want to face the truth about her son. I think you should pray for
her.”
That was four years ago. Recently, Rachel told me that was the best advice
anyone had ever given her. Praying really changed her heart toward her mother-
in-law even though it didn’t change her mother-in-law’s behavior. The woman is
now dying, so Rachel took the children to visit her. They were able to speak
kindly to their grandmother, viewing her through their mother’s eyes of
compassion…..rather than anger. Most important, Rachel felt wonderful because
she did not let this angry person turn her into an angry person.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. And the cure for anger is compassion—seeing the person who
hurt you, as a hurting person.
5. Self-Pity
This is the toughest one for me to address…..because I still struggle with
this. But I’m not as bad as I used to be and I find some consolation in that.
I was literally consumed with self-pity and it almost destroyed me. Poor, poor
pitiful me. How the world had done me wrong. No one could get within a mile
of me without hearing a litany of my woes. Yet I couldn’t figure out why my
phone never rang. I had one person in particular I liked to complain to,
because she not only listened sympathetically, she would add little commentary
that confirmed she knew the magnitude of my suffering. I’ll call her Cindy. I
figured it was good for Cindy to listen to my woes, since she always had a
great big smile on her face and obviously had life “made in the shade.” I
mean, she never indicated having any problems of her own.
Then one day a mutual friend mentioned in passing that Cindy was
dying. ”Dying? As in dying dying? But she’s only in her 40s. How is that
possible?” It turns out that Cindy had contracted an incurable disease some
five years ago and has been battling it ever since. She’s been through several
rounds of chemotherapy; but there’s no cure. Cindy is dying. But Cindy is
remarkably happy.
And do you know why??? Because Cindy REFUSES to feel sorry for herself. She
REFUSES to wallow in self-pity. And she doesn’t waste her time trying to
solicit other people’s pity. That’s why she never once mentioned her terminal
illness to me, in between my pitiful tales of burnt toast and fat thighs.
Although she did share this sage advice with me one day, “You know, Donna,
everybody has their own bag of rocks to carry.”
And I started to think about that. Everyone has their own bag of rocks.
Everyone has their own war stories. Their own heartaches. What right do I have
to ask other people to carry my bag in addition to their own? What right did I
have to burden down this dying woman with my never-ending self-pity trip?
No right at all. That’s why Jesus told us to lay our burden’s down at his
feet, to make it easier for us to resist the temptation to lay them down at
every one else’s door. Cast all your cares upon him, because he cares for
you. And he is the only one with the strength to carry your bag of rocks.
I believe Depression sometimes has a biochemical basis. In particular, I think
post-partum depression and PMS-related symptoms are very real—and may require
medical attention. But a lot of depression is the direct result of wallowing
in self-pity. You know, it is almost impossible to stay depressed without
feeling sorry for yourself. If you’re depressed, the best thing you can do is
help someone else. If you are depressed because of a biochemical imbalance,
reaching out won’t hurt you….and it may just help by putting your problems into
perspective. No matter how bad you think you’ve got it, there’s always someone
who’s worse off.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. The cure for anger is compassion. The cure for self-pity
is reaching out to HELP someone else.
6. Remorse
There’s no point dwelling on the past. You can’t change it anyway. Even if
you’ve made mistakes, all you can do is ask the forgiveness of those involved,
perhaps make some form of restitution…then move forward.
Psalm 103:11-12
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. The cure for anger is compassion. The cure for self-pity
is reaching out to HELP someone else. And the cure for remorse is throwing
yourself at the foot of the cross.
7. Evil-Surmisings
I wasn’t quite sure, w assuming the worst about people and situations.
jumping to conclusions before you have all the information. The mind is very
complex and it can play tricks on us. We can create problems out of thin air!
Women are notorious for doing this to their husbands, especially when they have
to work late at night! Don’t allow your mind to spiral out of control,
imagining various scenarios and offenses. Discipline your mind to focus, not on
what “might” be true, but strictly on what you know to be true: God’s Word.
Life is filled with enough troubles without manufacturing more in your head.
Let your mind be filled with the things of the Spirit, which brings life and
peace.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. The cure for anger is compassion. The cure for self-pity
is reaching out to HELP someone else. The cure for evil surmisings is making a
conscious decision to believe the best about people and situations until you
have some solid evidence to the contrary.
Two Components of Good Health
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
1. Accept the Things you Cannot Change
Make a list of all the things you cannot change…and choose to let them go.
Don’t waste your time emotional energy on them.
· Genetic make-up
· Fallen World
· Devil is bad…..he may attack you
· The past.
People who hurt you.
· Mistakes and foolish choices you’ve already made
· What “might happen” in the future.
· Other people – the choices they make; how they choose to treat you.
What other people think, feel and choose. You can get all upset when people say
unfair or untrue things about you. OR You can retain your peace, knowing that
God will handle the situation and eventually the truth will prevail.
· Your age – inevitable limitations/slowing down
Accept the things you cannot change or they will change you into The Woman You
Don’t Want to Be: a sick and tired, physical and emotional wreck.
2. Change the Things You Can
Isn’t it Ironic how we waste countless hours every day focusing our energy on
things we CAN’T change. Then complain that we don’t have time to eat right,
exercise or study the Bible. But we have time for worry, fear, anger, self-
pity. We manage to find time for all of that nonsense. We need to take that
SAME time and energy, but channel it into the things we CAN change. You know
what you absolutely, positively CAN change: Your Own Choices.
· Food you Eat
· Exercise Habits
· Where you Focus your Attention
Imagine that you are standing next to a gigantic poster, filled with a wide
variety of images—some beautiful, some frightening; some bright, some dark. Now
imagine that you have a MAGNIFYING GLASS in your hand. What will determine the
type of images you see? Where you focus your magnifying glass.
We live in a great big world. Filled with a wide variety of images. Every
moment of every day has good and bad in it. Every person you meet has strengths
and weaknesses. Every situation has pros and cons. Every event contains both
the handiwork of God and the counter-attack of the enemy. Even “the life you
didn’t sign up for” is filled with things you did sign up for, when you stop
and think about it.
The question is: What will you focus your attention on? what will you choose
to magnify? It’s entirely up to you. Keep in mind: whatever you focus your
magnifying glass on will appear larger than everything else. When you magnify
the bad; it appears larger than it really is. But when you choose to magnify
God, you get a clearer picture of reality. That’s why the Bible tells us over
and over : magnify the lord. Not because God’s on an ego trip. Not for his
sake. But for ours. God knows that when we magnify him, our problems
automatically shrink down to size. The NIV renders the word magnify “exalt”
Exalt. Webster defines it: “to elevate with joy or confidence.” Isn’t that
perfect? When we magnify God, We elevate Him. We exalt him. We lift him
up with joy and confidence. We lift him up above our problems. We lift him up
above our small perspective.
Not that we’re in DENIAL about the reality of the situation. Instead, with
confidence in God’s goodness, we can approach life in a healthy balanced way
that acknowledges the heartaches and disappointments of life, but still chooses
to see God’s redemptive power at work.
We magnify God by being thankful and the bible says he is more pleased with our
gratitude than with our sacrifice. Gratitude CHOOSES to focus on what you DO
have and on what’s going RIGHT in your life….rather than what you DON”T have
and what’s WRONG with your life. You can magnify God or you can magnify your
problems. The magnifying glass is in your hands.
I want to go back to the excerpt from Come Away, My Beloved.
“How can I give you healing for your body while there is anxiety in your mind?
So long as there is dis-ease in your thoughts, there shall be disease in your
body. You have need of many things, but one thing in particular you must
develop for your own preservation, and that is an absolute confidence in my
loving care. “
That’s the solution. That’s the ultimate cure for ALL that ails
us. “Absolute confidence in God’s loving care.” It’s the health prescription
I am now pursuing in my own life. It strikes me as perfectly logical that
someone who doesn’t trust God, who allows herself to worry and fret and fuss,
will get sick a lot more often than someone whose mind is kept in perfect
peace, focusing on the goodness of God and the loving care of our Jehovah
Rapha, the Lord our healer, the Great physician.
Absolute confidence in God’s loving care. And do you know, you can retain your
confidence even in the very worst of circumstances.
Horatio Spafford lost his only son to scarlet fever. Shortly thereafter, he
suffered financial disaster in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which left 300
people dead and 100,000 homeless. For the next two years, he worked tirelessly
helping people rebuild their lives. In 1873, his friend, Dwight L. Moody
planned an evangelist campaign in London. Spafford decided to help with the
crusade, then take his remaining family members—his wife and 4 daughters—on a
trip to Europe. At the last minute, Spafford had to stay behind on urgent
business. The ship carrying his family was struck by another vessel and sank
within 12 minutes. When his wife was brought ashore, she sent a cable to her
husband, “Saved alone.” All 4 of their daughters drowned in the Atlantic
Ocean. Horatio Spafford booked passage on the next ship. As they were
crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the captain point out the place where his
daughters were likely to have drowned. He was certainly a prime candidate for
worry, anxiety, fear, anger, self-pity, remorse and evil-surmisings. Not to
mention depression, suicide……maybe even a heart attack on the spot. How many
of us can even imagine facing such devastating losses.
Instead, Horatio Spafford embraced God’s peace in the midst of the storm. That
very night, he penned the words “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when
sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it
is well, it is well with my soul.”
We can make ourselves SICK with worry, anxiety, self-pity and the
rest. Or we can choose to magnify God even in the midst of the worst
situation. We can say with the hymn writer, it is well with my soul.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
The above is adapted from the book, This Isn't the Life I Signed Up For by
Donna Partow. The message is available on audiocassette and CD, and video/DVD.
On the one hand, I’m totally unqualified to address the topic of Health
because I spent the better part of two decades chronically sick. On the other
hand, maybe that makes me eminently qualified. I know what it feels like to be
sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. If it wasn’t one thing, it was
another. Sinus headaches, allergies, migranes, strep throat, upper respiratory
infections, stomach viruses—every cold and flu that came down the pike. I was
constantly on antibiotics, sulfur drugs, decongestants, allergy medications. I
had a bottle of prescription cough medicine with codeine on hand at all times.
It was like my American Express card: I did not leave home without it. And
this next one--Dare I admit it? I spent years, I mean years on anti-
depressants. I think I was single-handedly keeping the pharmaceutical
companies in business.
You know what’s sad. During all those years, I was a Christian. I loved God.
But I was still a PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL WRECK. Sick and tired. Sick and
tired. That was my life. You know what. Praise God. I can honestly say, I
don’t live like that anymore. I truly don’t. Not that I have been transformed
into Barbie with a Bible and all my problems have disappeared. I am not yet
the woman I want to be, but I’m getting a little closer every day. I still
have “those days” but it’s not who I am. I am NOT chronically sick
anymore…..and I was for years. I am not chronically depressed……..and I was
for years. The Bible has real answers for the mess we’re in. Not magic
formulas. The Bible isn’t a Magic wand we can wave over our problems. But I
have found within its pages a pathway to health and wholeness. It’s changed my
life and I want to share it with you.
Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? The problem is
rampant in the church. A Christian magazine conducted a nationwide survey of
pastors and discovered that 80% of all church prayer requests are related to
health concerns.
I want to look very quickly at the four primary causes of sickness and then
turn our attention to the more important issue: what can we do about it.
1. Genetic Pre-disposition – Research science clearly indicates that certain
people are pre-disposed to certain diseases. That’s why doctors’ offices have
elaborate forms they want you to fill out, not only concerning your OWN health,
they want your family’s medical history. My sister works at St. Christopher’s
Hospital for Children in Philadelphia where she cares for children BORN with
terrible diseases on a daily basis. A child doesn’t “catch” leukemia. It’s
no one’s fault. They’re born with it. A genetic pre-disposition. When I
complete my “family medical history” it’s like a chronicle of cancer. Is my
family genetically pre-disposed to cancer? Maybe. But there’s another
possible explaination.
2. We live in a fallen world. NY University just released a major study
linking many forms of cancer to air pollution. Look at the skies over Phoenix
this time of year—or over any major city for that matter--I mean, just looking
at it is enough to make you feel sick. I grew up in a very industrialized area
of the country—sandwiched in between New York City, Philadelphia and
Baltimore. So maybe the reason there’s so much cancer in my family is because
of the all the pollution—not only in the air, but underground and in the
water. My hometown was located along the Delaware River and the water was so
FILTHY, fish couldn’t live in it—we’d see them floating dead everywhere—but we
drank it. Garbage and medical waste washed up on the shores of the New Jersey
beaches about an hour from where I grew up. I used to play for hours in a
wooded area adjacent to a factory near my home—that factory was later declared
a Superfund Site by the EPA—meaning it was so toxic, cleaning it up was a top
priority for the US Government. That was my playground. How scary is that?
Maybe that’s why we’re all sick.
It is just appalling what we have done to this planet. 6 billion selfish,
sinful people have turned the earth into a giant trash can. I haven’t even
mentioned that we’ve released nuclear bombs into the atmosphere. Or chemical
warfare. Or all the chemicals in our food. And we wonder why we’re sick. We
get mad at God because we’re sick. HELLO.
3. The third cause of sickness—hold onto your seats for this one—is Satanic
Affliction. I know, I know. This is a controversial topic. I want to be
sensitive to the fact that we have women here from many different denominations
and we all bring to this subject our own theology and belief systems. That’s
why I want to limit our attention to what the Bible CLEARY and undisbutably
says. " So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful
sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head" Job 2:7
CLEARLY, it is possible for Satan to physically afflict people. Now, you can
debate the hows, whys and wherefores amongst yourselves. But whatever else we
might think about this passage, we need to understand that there are times when
people get sick—or experience physical pain-- because the devil HATES them and
wants to HURT them. It is for real. It’s not their imagination.
4. Self-Inflicted/Self-Afflicted
But I’m not going to devote any more time to that topic….because I think THE
VAST VAST MAJORITY. I mean the VAST majority of us are not being afflicted by
Satan. We are afflicting ourselves. Satan isn’t the one sitting around all
day watching television and eating donuts, instead of exercising and eating
right. We’re doing that to ourselves. An increasing body of Medical science
provides compelling proof: Most sickness is self-afflicted. Self-inflicted if
you prefer. In other words, we’re sick because of our lifestyles. We don’t
take proper care of ourselves, physically. We don’t take proper care of
ourselves emotionally. Satan doesn’t need to bother us…….we’re doing the job
for him. We’re making ourselves sick.
First, let’s look at how we afflict ourselves PHYSICALLY. We do it by treating
our Body, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, like a trash can -- by
filling ourselves with junk. Once upon a time, GLUTTONY was considered one of
the 7 Deadly Sins. The church took over-eating very seriously. Now, it’s
commonplace. Have you ever heard a sermon preached against over-eating? I
think it’s interesting that the very first fall of mankind involved a woman
being tempted by food that looked too good to pass up. I don’t know about you,
but I am certainly in no position to judge Eve! I LOVE food that looks good to
eat: donuts, cookies, cakes. I’m always tempted to indulge my taste buds, even
though I know these foods will lead me into sin. How? By altering my blood
sugar and making me irritable within thirty minutes. Then I get depressed
because my clothes don’t fit.
Like most women, I have 3 sizes in my closet. The size I SHOULD wear, the size
I USUALLY wear and the size I’m wearing when my kids know to run for the hills
when I wake up in the morning.
I find it fascinating that Adam and Even both needed new outfits after
demonstrating their inability to resist food temptations. Wow! Things haven’t
changed that much after all these centuries, have they? We need to use wisdom
when dealing with food issues. In addition to overeating—and all the problems
that creates--many people are stumbling into bulimia, anorexia, and other
eating disorders. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into a balanced approach to
your eating habits.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of
God. 2 Cor. 7:1: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify
ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting
holiness out of reverence for God.” Ask yourself: are the foods I’m eating
PURIFYING…..or contaminating ---my body?
It’s important to find a healthy balance between caring too much and too little
about your body. Some women obsess over their personal appearance and go
into “emotional meltdown” if they are ten pounds overweight. (I should know!
I’m one of them.) Other women completely neglect their appearance, saying such
concerns are “unspiritual.” Of course, this argument would hold weight (pun
intended) if these women devoted ALL of their time to spiritual pursuits,
rather than exercising for 30 minutes per day. But we all know that’s not the
case. It’s just an excuse.
If you are too busy to exercise 30 minutes a day, you are busier than God wants
you to be! Your body is a tool to serve God. It’s the only living sacrifice
you have to offer Him. Don’t let your body turn into a tyrant, determining
what you can and cannot do. You’re supposed to be in charge, so take charge!
The next time your body tells you, “I’m tired. Let’s lay on the couch eating
potato chips.” Say, “No, body. You are not in charge. I am the brains in
this operation. And I say We are going to get up, grab a bottle of water and
take a walk. While we’re at it, we’re going to recite our Affirmations and
scripture memory verses. Then we’re going to pray for our neighbors. So
there, body, take that.”
But I think we’ve got an even bigger problem. You know what’s really making
most of us sick? EMOTIONAL TURMOIL. Some of us have turned our minds into a
great big trash can. Listen to this excerpt from the devotional, Come away, my
beloved, by Frances Roberts:
“How can I give you healing for your body while there is anxiety in your mind?
So long as there is dis-ease in your thoughts, there shall be disease in your
body. You have need of many things, but one thing in particular you must
develop for your own preservation, and that is an absolute confidence in my
loving care.
‘Come unto Me’, it is written, ‘all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I
will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28). Only when your mind is at rest can your
body build health. Worry is an actively destructive force. Anxiety produces
tension, and tension is the road to pain. Fear is devastating to the physical
well-being of the body. Anger throws poison into the system that no anti-
biotic ever can counteract.
Ten minutes of unbridled temper can waste enough strength to do a half-day of
wholesome work. Your physical energy is a gift from God, entrusted to you to
be employed for His glory. It is a sin to take His gift and dissipate it
through the trap doors of the evil emotions of the disposition. Look not upon
others and condemn them for jeopardizing their health by harmful habits
(smoking, drinking, drugs, illicit sex) and wasting energies on vain pursuits
while you yourself undermine your health by unworthy emotions and take time
which by keeping your mind in an attitude of praise and faith could be
constructively employed, but instead you allow this time to be a period of
destructive action by entertaining such things as self-pity and remorse and
evil-surmisings.”
I want to take a quick look at what the Bible says about each of these Unworthy Emotions:
1. Worry
Matthew 6:27: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Don’t worry about clothes or food or what might happen tomorrow. God is
looking out for you. People claim they don’t have TIME to meditate on
scripture…….but what is WORRY? It’s meditating on your problems. Think about
it: worry is nothing more than meditation—thinking about something over and
over and over. The problem is, you are meditating on your problems --which can
do you no possible good. So take the SKILLS you have developed through years
of WORRY—your ability to play the same record over and over again—and put it to
good use.
The Bible says meditating on God’s Word can literally bring healing to our
bodies.
Prov. 4:20-22;
My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man’s whole body.
Why not let MEDITATION become your favorite MEDICATION? You can, at the very
least, supplement your medication with meditation and I guarantee your
medication will work much more effectively when taken with a dose of
meditation.
2. Anxiety The book of Ecc. Points out that: When you’re anxious, you can’t
even sleep at night. How many of us lay awake, wracked with anxiety. What if
this, what if that, what if the other thing. We get ourselves all worked up.
You think that doesn’t take a toll on your health?
”Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—
put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Phil. 4:4-9
The Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom, which means WHOLENESS. Total Well-being:
maximum health in your spirit, soul and body. That’s what God wants for his
children. Ask of him and he will surely give you his peace. If the cure for
worry is meditation, the cure for anxiety is prayer.
3. Fear
90% of what we fear never happens. What a waste of time. The Bible commands
us “Do not fear 83 times” Fear is the opposite of trust—the command to
TRUST occurs 87 times. Do not be afraid, instead, TRUST the Lord:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; Isaiah 43:1-5
Fear literally releases ADRENALINE into the body. Too much adrenaline (need
more on the damaging affects of too much adrenaline in the body) The Bible has
the antidote for EVERY one of our destructive emotions. The cure for worry is
meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. And the cure for fear is trust.
4. Anger
My friend, Rachel, was struggling with anger toward her mother-in-law. When
Rachel’s husband died of an alcohol-overdose at the age of 37, his mother
blamed Rachel. Which was ridiculous because Rachel was powerless to stop her
husband’s drinking. And few people suffered more from his drinking than Rachel
and her three small children. Nevertheless, her mother-in-law hired attorneys
to literally rob Rachel and her children of the inheritance that was due to
them. She did everything in her power to make their lives more difficult.
Almost every time I talked to Rachel, she would be angry and upset about the
situation. One day, as she was getting worked up about the latest rotten thing
her mother in law had done, I said: “She sounds like she’s in a lot of pain.
She doesn’t want to face the truth about her son. I think you should pray for
her.”
That was four years ago. Recently, Rachel told me that was the best advice
anyone had ever given her. Praying really changed her heart toward her mother-
in-law even though it didn’t change her mother-in-law’s behavior. The woman is
now dying, so Rachel took the children to visit her. They were able to speak
kindly to their grandmother, viewing her through their mother’s eyes of
compassion…..rather than anger. Most important, Rachel felt wonderful because
she did not let this angry person turn her into an angry person.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. And the cure for anger is compassion—seeing the person who
hurt you, as a hurting person.
5. Self-Pity
This is the toughest one for me to address…..because I still struggle with
this. But I’m not as bad as I used to be and I find some consolation in that.
I was literally consumed with self-pity and it almost destroyed me. Poor, poor
pitiful me. How the world had done me wrong. No one could get within a mile
of me without hearing a litany of my woes. Yet I couldn’t figure out why my
phone never rang. I had one person in particular I liked to complain to,
because she not only listened sympathetically, she would add little commentary
that confirmed she knew the magnitude of my suffering. I’ll call her Cindy. I
figured it was good for Cindy to listen to my woes, since she always had a
great big smile on her face and obviously had life “made in the shade.” I
mean, she never indicated having any problems of her own.
Then one day a mutual friend mentioned in passing that Cindy was
dying. ”Dying? As in dying dying? But she’s only in her 40s. How is that
possible?” It turns out that Cindy had contracted an incurable disease some
five years ago and has been battling it ever since. She’s been through several
rounds of chemotherapy; but there’s no cure. Cindy is dying. But Cindy is
remarkably happy.
And do you know why??? Because Cindy REFUSES to feel sorry for herself. She
REFUSES to wallow in self-pity. And she doesn’t waste her time trying to
solicit other people’s pity. That’s why she never once mentioned her terminal
illness to me, in between my pitiful tales of burnt toast and fat thighs.
Although she did share this sage advice with me one day, “You know, Donna,
everybody has their own bag of rocks to carry.”
And I started to think about that. Everyone has their own bag of rocks.
Everyone has their own war stories. Their own heartaches. What right do I have
to ask other people to carry my bag in addition to their own? What right did I
have to burden down this dying woman with my never-ending self-pity trip?
No right at all. That’s why Jesus told us to lay our burden’s down at his
feet, to make it easier for us to resist the temptation to lay them down at
every one else’s door. Cast all your cares upon him, because he cares for
you. And he is the only one with the strength to carry your bag of rocks.
I believe Depression sometimes has a biochemical basis. In particular, I think
post-partum depression and PMS-related symptoms are very real—and may require
medical attention. But a lot of depression is the direct result of wallowing
in self-pity. You know, it is almost impossible to stay depressed without
feeling sorry for yourself. If you’re depressed, the best thing you can do is
help someone else. If you are depressed because of a biochemical imbalance,
reaching out won’t hurt you….and it may just help by putting your problems into
perspective. No matter how bad you think you’ve got it, there’s always someone
who’s worse off.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. The cure for anger is compassion. The cure for self-pity
is reaching out to HELP someone else.
6. Remorse
There’s no point dwelling on the past. You can’t change it anyway. Even if
you’ve made mistakes, all you can do is ask the forgiveness of those involved,
perhaps make some form of restitution…then move forward.
Psalm 103:11-12
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. The cure for anger is compassion. The cure for self-pity
is reaching out to HELP someone else. And the cure for remorse is throwing
yourself at the foot of the cross.
7. Evil-Surmisings
I wasn’t quite sure, w assuming the worst about people and situations.
jumping to conclusions before you have all the information. The mind is very
complex and it can play tricks on us. We can create problems out of thin air!
Women are notorious for doing this to their husbands, especially when they have
to work late at night! Don’t allow your mind to spiral out of control,
imagining various scenarios and offenses. Discipline your mind to focus, not on
what “might” be true, but strictly on what you know to be true: God’s Word.
Life is filled with enough troubles without manufacturing more in your head.
Let your mind be filled with the things of the Spirit, which brings life and
peace.
The cure for worry is meditation. The cure for anxiety is prayer. The cure
for fear is trust. The cure for anger is compassion. The cure for self-pity
is reaching out to HELP someone else. The cure for evil surmisings is making a
conscious decision to believe the best about people and situations until you
have some solid evidence to the contrary.
Two Components of Good Health
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
1. Accept the Things you Cannot Change
Make a list of all the things you cannot change…and choose to let them go.
Don’t waste your time emotional energy on them.
· Genetic make-up
· Fallen World
· Devil is bad…..he may attack you
· The past.
People who hurt you.
· Mistakes and foolish choices you’ve already made
· What “might happen” in the future.
· Other people – the choices they make; how they choose to treat you.
What other people think, feel and choose. You can get all upset when people say
unfair or untrue things about you. OR You can retain your peace, knowing that
God will handle the situation and eventually the truth will prevail.
· Your age – inevitable limitations/slowing down
Accept the things you cannot change or they will change you into The Woman You
Don’t Want to Be: a sick and tired, physical and emotional wreck.
2. Change the Things You Can
Isn’t it Ironic how we waste countless hours every day focusing our energy on
things we CAN’T change. Then complain that we don’t have time to eat right,
exercise or study the Bible. But we have time for worry, fear, anger, self-
pity. We manage to find time for all of that nonsense. We need to take that
SAME time and energy, but channel it into the things we CAN change. You know
what you absolutely, positively CAN change: Your Own Choices.
· Food you Eat
· Exercise Habits
· Where you Focus your Attention
Imagine that you are standing next to a gigantic poster, filled with a wide
variety of images—some beautiful, some frightening; some bright, some dark. Now
imagine that you have a MAGNIFYING GLASS in your hand. What will determine the
type of images you see? Where you focus your magnifying glass.
We live in a great big world. Filled with a wide variety of images. Every
moment of every day has good and bad in it. Every person you meet has strengths
and weaknesses. Every situation has pros and cons. Every event contains both
the handiwork of God and the counter-attack of the enemy. Even “the life you
didn’t sign up for” is filled with things you did sign up for, when you stop
and think about it.
The question is: What will you focus your attention on? what will you choose
to magnify? It’s entirely up to you. Keep in mind: whatever you focus your
magnifying glass on will appear larger than everything else. When you magnify
the bad; it appears larger than it really is. But when you choose to magnify
God, you get a clearer picture of reality. That’s why the Bible tells us over
and over : magnify the lord. Not because God’s on an ego trip. Not for his
sake. But for ours. God knows that when we magnify him, our problems
automatically shrink down to size. The NIV renders the word magnify “exalt”
Exalt. Webster defines it: “to elevate with joy or confidence.” Isn’t that
perfect? When we magnify God, We elevate Him. We exalt him. We lift him
up with joy and confidence. We lift him up above our problems. We lift him up
above our small perspective.
Not that we’re in DENIAL about the reality of the situation. Instead, with
confidence in God’s goodness, we can approach life in a healthy balanced way
that acknowledges the heartaches and disappointments of life, but still chooses
to see God’s redemptive power at work.
We magnify God by being thankful and the bible says he is more pleased with our
gratitude than with our sacrifice. Gratitude CHOOSES to focus on what you DO
have and on what’s going RIGHT in your life….rather than what you DON”T have
and what’s WRONG with your life. You can magnify God or you can magnify your
problems. The magnifying glass is in your hands.
I want to go back to the excerpt from Come Away, My Beloved.
“How can I give you healing for your body while there is anxiety in your mind?
So long as there is dis-ease in your thoughts, there shall be disease in your
body. You have need of many things, but one thing in particular you must
develop for your own preservation, and that is an absolute confidence in my
loving care. “
That’s the solution. That’s the ultimate cure for ALL that ails
us. “Absolute confidence in God’s loving care.” It’s the health prescription
I am now pursuing in my own life. It strikes me as perfectly logical that
someone who doesn’t trust God, who allows herself to worry and fret and fuss,
will get sick a lot more often than someone whose mind is kept in perfect
peace, focusing on the goodness of God and the loving care of our Jehovah
Rapha, the Lord our healer, the Great physician.
Absolute confidence in God’s loving care. And do you know, you can retain your
confidence even in the very worst of circumstances.
Horatio Spafford lost his only son to scarlet fever. Shortly thereafter, he
suffered financial disaster in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which left 300
people dead and 100,000 homeless. For the next two years, he worked tirelessly
helping people rebuild their lives. In 1873, his friend, Dwight L. Moody
planned an evangelist campaign in London. Spafford decided to help with the
crusade, then take his remaining family members—his wife and 4 daughters—on a
trip to Europe. At the last minute, Spafford had to stay behind on urgent
business. The ship carrying his family was struck by another vessel and sank
within 12 minutes. When his wife was brought ashore, she sent a cable to her
husband, “Saved alone.” All 4 of their daughters drowned in the Atlantic
Ocean. Horatio Spafford booked passage on the next ship. As they were
crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the captain point out the place where his
daughters were likely to have drowned. He was certainly a prime candidate for
worry, anxiety, fear, anger, self-pity, remorse and evil-surmisings. Not to
mention depression, suicide……maybe even a heart attack on the spot. How many
of us can even imagine facing such devastating losses.
Instead, Horatio Spafford embraced God’s peace in the midst of the storm. That
very night, he penned the words “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when
sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it
is well, it is well with my soul.”
We can make ourselves SICK with worry, anxiety, self-pity and the
rest. Or we can choose to magnify God even in the midst of the worst
situation. We can say with the hymn writer, it is well with my soul.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
The above is adapted from the book, This Isn't the Life I Signed Up For by
Donna Partow. The message is available on audiocassette and CD, and video/DVD.
