In the last few lessons I have written about eating the way God intended for us to eat by making good food choices that include the whole natural foods God created. I addressed the struggle many of us have with food addiction and how that keeps us from living in God’s best because it shows that we are not fully submitted to Him. However, bringing God into the food choices we make by asking Him to show us what foods we should be eating, helps us to find deliverance from the temptation of food. We have to submit to God’s plan though, in order to resist the devil and to make him flee (James 4:7).
I believe God wants us to know that diet and exercise are an important component of our health; when we make healthy choices it shows God that we are being good stewards of what He has given us. However, what we eat and how active we are is only a minor factor in our overall health. The truth is, the biggest determining factor of our health is our trust in God and in His Word. We have to overcome our food struggles (or any other addiction/temptation we face) because we need to fully submit to God and His ways. When we submit, it shows God that our faith and trust are in Him. It builds our relationship with Him and helps us to lean more and more on His Word.
God has already shown us through the natural laws He created in His Word how we can have good health and well-being. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” As we walk through our lives with the presence of the Lord, placing our faith and trust in Him, we will be filled with joy and God tells us this is good medicine. Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. When we keep God’s Word always on our minds and in our hearts it will bring us health. Psalms 107:20 says, “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” God sent His Word, Jesus, and through our belief in Jesus we have healing and deliverance.
Our overall health has many contributing factors, but the biggest factor is having faith and trust in God’s Word with a secondary factor being diet and exercise. God’s Word however, has to be firmly rooted in our hearts in order for us to see these natural laws materialize. This is not going to happen overnight, God tells us there is “seedtime and harvest” (Genesis 8:22). The more we focus on God and His Word, the more rooted His Word becomes. This will eventually bring all of God’s natural laws to fruition in our lives. And all God is asking us to do is to believe in His Word. That’s all. We need to get to a place where we believe the Word of God over our circumstances. This is how we can have the full health and well-being God has for us through His Word.
The Truth in Action: According to the natural laws God created through His Word, contributing factors of good health include: having a joyful heart (Psalms 17:22), studying the Word of God (Proverbs 4:20-22), and believing in Jesus (Psalms 107:20). Pick one of these to focus on each day, apply these truths to your life, and over time you will see supernatural results.
Meditate on Scripture: Proverbs 3:7-8 (HCSB) – Don’t consider yourself to be wise; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.
Further Study: Read John 15:9-11 and John 16:22. Many of us wonder how we can possibly have a joyful heart given circumstances that occur in our lives that cause us stress, worry, or anxiety. In the above verses, Jesus tells us that when we abide in Him, His joy is in us and that no one can steal this joy from us! Joy doesn’t come from our circumstances, it comes from remaining in Jesus!