July 20th, 2021: Seeking God in Dealing with Our Well-Being

 


An Instagram post of a church camp says: "I am free. I am no longer a slave to fear". That reminds me of something I read recently about how negative emotions can affect our health:

Fear weakens our kidneys
Stress weakens our hearts
Worry weakens our stomachs
Grief weakens lungs
Anger weakens our livers

We can see how our emotional and physical well beings are intertwined. When we look at things closely, we might see that our spiritual well-being is overarching everything. We, as a society, have been trying to deny the reality of sin. It is not comfortable for us to talk about the notion of sin in general. It makes people uncomfortable. Have we ever considered that fear, stress, worry, grief, and anger also make us uneasy?

In fear, we should put our trust in God, not man. Fear of man will lead us to more fears. Fear of ourselves will isolate us. Fear of God will set us free from ourselves and others.  Psalm 56: 3:  “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

During stress full time, we need to remember that God walks before us and He will be with us. The more we desire to belong to the world, the more likely it will forsake us. Deuteronomy 6: 8: "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

We can overcome our worry by remembering his instructions to us on how to live our lives. Psalm 119: 143: “Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.”

We need to remember that God will bring about a new day and a new life while we are grieving over the loss of our innocence. Revelation 24: 1: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Seek understanding is the best way to overcome anger. We do not need to have an agreement. We need to understand where people are coming from and why they do what they do. Proverbs 14: 29: "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly."

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