A Healing Crisis of the Soul

Those of you who are avid health aficionados and who are familiar with the detoxing process of the body have inevitably faced a healing crisis. What is meant by the "crisis" is a temporary worsening of a persons health condition in order to bring about a cleansing effect and a healthier you. The crisis begins as the body rids itself of negative and toxic substances. These substances are released into the body which were once pent up and they begin their journey out of the body. In this process the toxins can actually manifest several symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, slight malaise, sleeplessness, flu like symptoms, nausea and so on. The symptoms are short lived however and are a welcome change to the toxic state the body had been operating under. Most recognize this temporary set back as a positive step in the right direction and deal with the discomfort for they know the condition the body is heading for and they embrace this process of healing.

So what exactly does this have to do with spiritual health?

The same theory can be applied to the state of the soul and spirit. As we take in more of the toxic environment and social context surrounding our spirit bodies we come face to face with a spiritual life in need of a resetting or a recharging. This realization is a healthy step for our spirits but it will not come without a short-lived worsening of our spiritual state. As you begin to allow God to work in your spirit to cleanse it from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9) you may be reminded of a particular lingering sin or pattern of behavior. As this sin is cleansed from your spirit and as your pattern of behavior is transformed a period of grief may come over you. You may feel convicted of your sin and this may cause you to feel defeated. What is important here is that you do not just throw in the towel and cease the healing process that has begun. You must press through this healing crisis of the soul and put your trust and process in the hands of God. If you confess your sins to God you have nothing to fear for He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and as referenced above He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9). This cleansing process is what theologians refer to as sanctification. This process is the life-long journey of the believer in which God draws you closer to Him and further away from sin and corruption. This setting apart of the Christian is completed in full at the second coming of Christ or the at the death of the believer (whichever occurs first). At this point the believer is glorified and takes part in the inheritance that was prepared for them before the foundations of this world (Matt. 25:34).

Application:
So is your soul in need of a detox? Have you been faltering in your devotion to Christlikeness? Do you feel ashamed of a pattern of behavior in your life? Are you feeling more removed from God? Is your prayer time non-existent or non-effective? Are you feeling readers block when you spend time reading God's Word?

If you answered yes it may be time for a spiritual detox.

I want to suggest a great read for you on this topic as you begin your journey to a renewed spirit. Dallas Willard has written a classic of the spiritual life entitled Renovation of the Heart and I highly recommend using this as a guide to spiritual health and renewing.

Whatever resource you choose make sure you allow yourself grace and a time of spiritual rest. Just like with a physical detox it may cause you to become fatigued or weary, but be gentle on your soul and put its health in the trust of the Savior. He knows what you need and will guide you through the healing crisis to the spiritual health you have always desired and were designed for.

Be Blessed!

What Jesus Felt...

On Hope for the Hopeless - JP Moreland

Such a great message from Dr. Moreland. This has been an invaluable tool for me in my life. Listen, digest and meditate on this information. You can renew your hope by rekindling your faith in God and re-framing your difficulties.

In Weakness we are Made Strong

"For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God's power we will live with Him to serve you."

-2 Corinthians 13:4-

This message from Paul is a powerful reminder that our God is mighty. However this show of God's force is not when we are impregnable rather when we are feeble. God's perfect power, his love cannot be given the gravity it deserves under the guise of human pride and arrogance. God's power does not work in such cluttered environments as man's egotism.

This is a repeated theme throughout Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. When we are made low, humbled and fraile then God's mighty strength can be seen in its true glory. Working through the broken-hearted, the downtrodden and those with no hope, God's ultimate love can be shown for his concern and care for us when we are in our greatest need. Surely a heart that is boastful has no room to invite the sustainer of the cosmos in, and why should that person, after all, they believe they have the world in their hands, they can do no wrong. Such hubris is not the proper breeding ground for life changing work to be done.

Are you looking for God to transform your life? What areas of pride and dignity must you lay low in order to allow God to work his perfect power in you? Examine yourselves and see what is in need of a Godly adjustment and surrender that to him so he may transform you!

"'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

-2 Corinthians 12:9-10- 

Bodily Health & Spiritual Health

Reading this morning in the 2nd letter to the Corinthians I was inspired by what the apostle Paul wrote. Could this simple command I just read really be a key to unlocking the best health for your spirit and body?

Lets first examine the verse in question:

"Since we have these promises (2 Cor. 6:18), dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence to God.

-2 Corinthians 7:1 emphasis mine-

A surface reading of this seems to imply health and wellness by a process of removing those things which contaminate us. You may be thinking, "I have already done this, and I am still miserable." Let me encourage you to delve deeper.

What sorts of things contaminate the body?

Seems like a simple question to answer. You may be thinking that excess smog, eating too much sugar, consuming drugs and alcohol may warrant the tag of bad for your bodily health. While this is certainly true, are their other things that constitute a pollutant for the body?

I want to suggest there certainly are but only when we consider these in light of the second part of Paul's command, the spirit.

In the relationship between the mind and the body we can observe some simple things. When we take a medication for back pain we are also alerted to the potential side effects of the drug. Among these are a list of physical symptoms such as dry mouth, itchy throat, or perhaps stomach discomfort. Yet there are another category of symptoms quite their own. You may feel confused, have hallucinations or acquire a general feeling of malaise. Some of the symptoms of medication are so extreme as to cause suicidal ideology and actions. Though these symptoms can be brought about by a physical substance, namely a medication, the results can cause symptoms of the mind to occur altering the mind state. Notice I did not infer some brain-chemical change, however this may be involved. Rather I am referring to what happens to a person's inner man, his spirit, when he ingests something not prescribed for his consumption.

This last sentence was not intended to make you think any longer about ingesting medication as it was more aimed at your willful imbibing of physical stimuli. When we listen to music some are said to experience any range of emotions from euphoria, passionate frenzy, a sense of tranquility, anger, skepticism towards life and violent brooding. How can a physical stimuli like sound waves produce a mind state that causes these range of emotions?

It seems Paul was on to something more than just sour milk and a lack of exercise. Paul was referring to the unique relationship between mind (spirit) and body. No doubt we have all watched a movie and then become inspired by the tale heroism and self-sacrificial service that it motivated us to do something for someone else. But what caused this physical reaction? The very delicate relationship between mind and body can be the explanation. 

What can we do about it?

If what we ingest, either physically, visually or audibly causes a change in our mood, should we not be more aware of what kinds of things we are subjecting to our consumption? I say we should be.

I have recently been removing any television programming that contains messages that cause me to speak abruptly to my wife, treat women as objects of lust and show gratuitous sexual situations. Though this is only one part the result of this action will reverberate into the other areas of my life. By removing these sense stimuli my spirit is refreshed, uplifted and encouraged to carry on the fight against the tendency to relent to temptations of all sorts. 

This sort of effect can be the same for you. If you are down, listen to uplifting music or watch a funny movie, if you need encouragement open up your Scripture and read or talk with a good friend who will pray with you. Also remember that bodily exercise can help the spirit by increasing the flow of endorphins in your body which will uplift your mood. 

Lastly, choosing the right foods also can have a positive effect on your spirit. First it will allow your body to properly process the energy and remove the wastes. Have you ever felt anxious after you ate a big meal or how about the way you feel mentally when you have food poisoning? The opposite is also true, intake the right fuel and your mind will thank you. Second, your brain will be stimulated with the right fuel to ensure your stress levels stay low and your joy is more complete. Lastly, by exercising more frequently you can enchance your self esteem by viewing your body in a more positive light. Many of us have desired to feel better about our bodies and some have a low sense of bodily image. With proper nutrition and exercise you will feel better overall about who you are.

With this new sense of mind and body health you can more completely serve the kingdom of God. This perfecting of holiness then can be seen as a worshipful act towards our heavenly creator who has created our bodies to function at their best. Yes we will still suffer setbacks, emotional and physical trials but by watching our intake of all sorts of stimuli that has a negative impact on us we will be more equiped to handle the trials when they come.

I hope this was encouraging to you. May you find God's best health for you this day!

The Power of His Word

So reading through Bill Hybels latest book "The Power of a Whisper" I was inspired to share this quick quote he has about Jesus overcoming temptation from Satan after his 40 day fast in the desert. Here's what it says:

"When the evil one fought dirty, Jesus didn't rely on a community of friends to help him, his amazing prayer life or even his intimate connection with the Father. Rather, in the heat of battle, Jesus relied on the concrete truth of God's Word to counter the temptations leveled his way. Having spent his earthly years saturating himself with Scripture, he was fully equipped with truth to silence Satan's lies.

You and I would do well to follow suit."

In this story we can see the value of knowing the word of God. It can help us from temptation, anger, anxiety or anything else we are facing. Find some helpful verses, memorize them and implement them when the world attacks. You will see your Heavenly Father is faithful to come to the rescue through the power of His word!

The Acts of the Holy Spirit

So at our small group on Wednesday we started reading the Acts of the Apostles. This details the early years of the church. One thing we all took notice of was that this was in fact the Acts of the Holy Spirit more so than the Acts of the Apostles.

So the question is do you have the power of the Spirit residing in you? If you don't there is a simple remedy.

1. If you are a Christian, all you need to do is pray for a recharging or refilling of the Holy Spirit each day. When you do this you will be amazed at the things you can do to further the Kingdom of Heaven that you thought were out of your comfort zone or greater than your capabilities. Certainly the Apostles couldn't have achieved the success they experienced without a daily filling power of the Holy Spirit.

2. If you are not a Christian, there is a dormant power available to you just waiting to be called into action. The Spirit can help to inspire you to search out a deeper understanding of why you are here, why there is a God and so on. With this Spirit's urging the hope and prayer is you will accept the gift of salvation paid for at the Cross of Christ. Then this dormant powerful Spirit can be enacted in your life and you too can have the indwelling and the filling of the Holy Spirit to allow your life to transform in ways you never dreamed possible.

Please take some time to ask questions, seek out why these Christians say Jesus is the only way to salvation. Ask the questions about why do I need salvation, what is sin and so forth. If you find someone willing to listen and work with you it is my sincere hope that upon hearing the message of the gospel you will accept fully what it says and give your life to Christ.

Have a great weekend!

I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me."
                                   -John 14:6-

Need a recharge?

So I am a self-described health nut. I love eating organic, I take loads of vitamins and supplements to keep my old body in tip top shape.

When I feel a little sick or under the weather I reach for the home remedies, elixirs and vitamins to supplement and solve my body worries.

But what do you do when your spiritual life and body need a recharge or they start to feel run down and under the weather...

Well do I have the supplement for you, its a old remedy and has a new catchy slogan,
"When your spirit feels like your run down bod, reach for Vitamin GOD!"

That's right a healthy dose of Vitamin G-O-D will cure what ails ya!

When you are feeling spiritually out of energy just reach for the Word of God, get on your knees and pray and I promise you he will restore your faithful soul to a refreshed sense and get you back out in the field to spread his word.

Remember reach for the Vitamin that many of the top disciples have used for centuries, reach for Vitamin GOD!