Spiritual health

When her 3-year-old son became ill, a woman decided to change her family’s lifestyle. She told a news outlet: “I started wondering why our food was making him sick. And then I started asking questions, reading all the ingredients on packets, and Googling anything that I didn’t understand.” Then she said something that ought to make a person stop and think: “I realized that so much of what we eat isn’t even proper food.” And if you doubt that, just investigate what’s in much of the food you eat, and you’ll be convinced that what she said is true.

It is true we need to be careful what we eat. In fact, medical research has established that the foods you eat today have a direct relationship on your well being and mental health. Unfortunately, many tend to eat the SAD diet, or the Standard American Diet, which leads to major health problems and diseases. It has been said that 80 percent of the people who are admitted into the hospital is related to diet and lifestyle. Diet and nutrition play an important role in your personal health and wellbeing.

Now let’s think about something else. It is important to feed your body properly, what about what you feed your mind. What kind of content do you consume online? What do you watch on TV? How is it effecting your mental and spiritual health? Most the content online or TV is not worth anything, it is called entertainment, but in realty it doesn’t build you up but tears you down. It is said that the average person watches at least 30 hours of TV a week. That is just TV not counting online. It may be time to step back and analyze our time spent with electronic devices. Ask yourself, is what I am about to watch edifying? 

Our time really belongs to God, and every moment is His. Time that is wasted we can never get back. So, make sure you are using your time wisely. 

And then, consider what you’re consuming spiritually. Is it Christ-like? Is it Christ-focused? Does it call you to a surrender to Christ? We ought to remind ourselves with some frequency that we’re caught in a spiritual war in this world. There’s an enemy who wants to separate you from faith in God. He works with your senses, and especially wants to get to your mind, and change it. 

Just like you want to be careful about what you put into your body, be careful about what goes into your mind. Your spiritual health depends on it. 

Romans 12:2 (NLT) says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

1 John 2:15–17 (NLT) Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 

Psalm 101:3 (NLT) I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. 

“If we would permit our minds to dwell more upon Christ and the heavenly world, we should find a powerful stimulus and support in fighting the battles of the Lord. Pride and love of the world will lose their power as we contemplate the glories of that better land so soon to be our home. Beside the loveliness of Christ, all earthly attractions will seem of little worth.” ^[1]

Why not this new year focus more on Jesus and less of this world. Spend more time with quality things than frivolous things, and determine that you will eat healthier. What an awesome year you may have if you will focus more on your physical and spiritual health.