“Stewardship of Health”
Spiritual Health
Our flesh and our spirit
are in constant warfare with one another. The success of both is determined by what we
feed our spirit. If we allow negativity
from the things we view, what we listen to, and the people we associate with on
a regular basis to constantly enter our spirit, our spirit will become weaker
and weaker. When we allow sound and
wholesome things to enter our spirit from the things we view, what we listen
to, and the people we surround ourselves with on a regular basis, our spirit
will stand up and dictate our words, actions, and thoughts. Our spirit is affected by what enters it
regularly; just as our bodies are affected by the food that enters it on a
regular basis. Eating a healthy meal
ONCE a week will not cancel out the effects of eating unhealthy meals 6 days a
week. Neither will a healthy spiritual
meal once a week cancel out the negative effects of an unhealthy spiritual diet
6 days a week. An unhealthy spiritual
diet will breed the “can’t help its.”
Fasting, prayer and the study of the Word of God will help strengthen
our spirit.
We need to be
vigilant in protecting ourselves from the negative indoctrination of
others. The internet is full of images
and ideas that can create a range of emotions in people. Viewing visual mediums such as cell phones
and computers on a consistent basis can have a damaging effect on us. We can lose our ability to think critically
and to reason rationally. This change
may not always be noticeable to us, but others may observe it in us. In like
manner, as our thinking can be negatively impacted by what we view, our spirits
become weaker in the battle for dominance over our flesh. One of
the most difficult things for people to do is to resist the urge to use their
cell phone or computer for an extended period of time. This is an indication of how much of a hold
these items have on us as a society.
Another threat to the
strength of our spirit is having close associations with individuals whose
thinking conflicts with the teachings of the Bible. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that
“Bad company corrupts good morals.” It
is essential that we reserve our close connections for those who are like
minded toward Christ. While we should to
maintain a good reputation with everyone, it is important that we do not place
ourselves in a position to mimic the wrong actions of others. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Do not participate in
the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.”
In closing, the Bible
gives us assurance by acknowledging that the Holy Spirit has been given to us
in order to aid us in our walk with Christ.
We must exercise caution in who we allow ourselves to be surrounded by. There is plenty of content online that do not
benefit our lives in Christ. It is
important that we identify it and avoid it.
Philippians 4:8
8 Finally,
brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think
about these things.
