healthyjourney

Spiritual Health

by Janis M. Betz, R.N., B.S.N.

 

Spiritual health is just as important for overall health as physical, mental, and emotional health.  In fact, spiritual health has been said to enhance the healing of the body, mind, and emotions.  Studies have shown that those who pray and have hope heal faster, and those with a strong faith in God have fewer health problems.

 

Hope is the expectation of future good.  God says in the Bible “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”  (Jeremiah 29:11-12 NAS) To pray means to ask for something from God.

 

Spiritual health requires a relationship with God which is developed by talking with Him through prayer and meditation.  He wants to give you the desires of your heart.  Jesus (God’s son) says in the Bible “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses (sins).”  (Mark 11:24-25 NKJ)

 

It is difficult to have a close relationship with God by just attending church once a week or even having a daily quiet time. Friendship with God is built by sharing all your life experiences with Him.  You can carry on a continuous, open-ended conversation with Him throughout your day, talking with Him about whatever you are doing or thinking at that moment.  Everything you do can be “spending time with God” if He is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of His presence.  The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing.”  How is it possible to do this?  One way is to use “breath prayers” throughout the day.  You choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase that can be repeated in one breath: “You are with me.”  “I receive Your grace.”  “I’m depending on You.”  “Help me trust You.”  You can also use a short phrase of Scripture:  “You will never leave me.”  “My strength comes from You.”

 

Jesus gave us a format for prayer that we can apply anytime we pray.  You may know it as the “Lord’s Prayer,” but it is actually the “Disciples Prayer.”  Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.  In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus states, “In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father who art in Heaven.

 

Praise

Hallowed be Your name. (Praise Him)

Priority

Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth   as it is in heaven. (Seek God’s will for you.)

Provisions

Give us this day our daily bread. (Pray for needs.)

Pardon

And forgive us our debts (sins), as we forgive our debtors (those who do us wrong). (Confess    your sins, seek forgiveness, &forgive others.)

Protection

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (See below.)

Praise

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the   glory forever. (Praise God for His      goodness, blessings, mercy, and grace.)

 

Pray the prayer of protection over self, friends, families, church, and/or any one or situation.

 

Heavenly Father, Cover  name with the power of the shed blood of Jesus.  Set a spiritual hedge of protection around  name__ to protect  name from evil spirit and demonic attacks.  Fill ___name__ continually with your Holy Spirit and presence.  In the Name of Jesus,   Amen

 

A second way to establish a friendship (relationship) with God is by thinking about His Word throughout your day.  This is called meditation, and the Bible repeatedly urges us to meditate on who God is, what He has done, and what He has said.  Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics.  But mediation is simply focused thinking—a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.  When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind, that’s meditation.  If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate!  You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses.  The more you meditate on God’s Word, the less you will have to worry about.  A wonderful chapter of verses to meditate on is Proverbs 3.  Meditation allows God to speak to us. Quiet your mind and listen!  He will also speak to us through scripture (verses in the Bible).  Be open to how scripture answers prayer and/or impacts your life or current situation.

 

When you have a relationship with God, you will want to follow his commandments and teaching.  Here is the greatest commandment in the Bible that we all need to follow:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 & Deuteronomy 6:5) “And the second is like it:”  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Your neighbor is everyone who is next to you anywhere.  When we fail, we can ask God to forgive us and help us follow his commandments.

 

One very important part of having a relationship with God is making sure that God becomes a part of who you are.  When you pass from this life to the next life, God wants you to come live where He lives, which is in Heaven.  God loved you so much that He sent his son Jesus into the world to bring hope and a message that whoever believes in Him should not perish (be absent from God in eternal damnation in hell), but have everlasting life (be eternally present with God in heaven) (John 3:16).

 

I want to make sure that you are going to be eternally present with God in Heaven.  I need you to answer the following two questions.

 

1.      Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?

 

2.      Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and He were to say to you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?”  What would you say?

The wonderful thing about eternal life in Heaven is it is a free gift, and God wants you to have it.  The Bible says, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23b).”   You can’t earn it and you don’t deserve it.  God’s Word says; “For by grace you have been saved, through faith – and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph 2:8-9).”

 

It is important to understand that the reason why you can’t earn your way into heaven is because you sin (committed offenses), and God’s Word says; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).”  In spite of your sin, however, God is merciful and loving, and He doesn’t want to punish you.  This is because “God is love (1 John 4:8b).”  The same Bible that tells you that God is merciful also tells you that God is just, so therefore, He must punish your sin.  God’s Word says; “He by no means clearing the guilty(Ex 34:7c).”  “For the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23a).”

 

God solved your sin problem through His Son, Jesus, who died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, and He rose from the dead to purchase a place in heaven for you, which He offers as a gift.  The Bible says; “But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners; Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”

 

This gift of eternal life in heaven is received through faith by trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. It says in the Bible: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (from eternal damnation in hell) (Acts 16:31).”  Faith is not merely an intellectual understanding of who Jesus is, and a belief in God.  Faith is not merely praying for temporary problems, such as health and finances. The Bible states that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for (eternal life), the evidence of things not seen (heaven) (Hebrews 11:1).”  Faith is the key that opens the door to heaven, and Jesus is the door.  Jesus says in the Bible; “I am the door; if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved (John 10:9a).”

 

Salvation means to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, inviting Him into your heart to be Lord of your life, and repenting of your sins.  The Bible says, “If you confess your sins, He (GOD) is faithful and just to forgive your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), and if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9).”  If you would like to be eternally present with God in Heaven, I invite you to pray this prayer.  Lord Jesus, I want to receive the free gift of eternal life.  I confess my sins to You , and I ask You to forgive me.  I believe that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.  I believe that God raised You from the dead, and I want to trust in You alone for my eternal life.  I invite You to come into my heart and life.  I receive You as my Lord and Savior.         Amen.

 

You can know that you are going to heaven because Jesus says in the Bible; “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Mehas everlasting life (eternal) (John 6:47).”

 

You become spiritually healthy by reading the Bible daily, praying daily, worshipping regularly in a church that teaches the Bible, fellowshipping with those who will help you to grow in your faith, and witnessing to others about what Jesus Christ has done for you. You will still continue to sin, so you need to daily repent and seek forgiveness from God.

 

If you would like to talk about your relationship with God, please call me at (814) 355-5500 or call the person who gave you this document.