“May the very God of peace sanctify you completely. And I pray to God that your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ“ (1 Thess. 5:23, MEV).
You may be familiar with this verse. To many, it implies that we are a living spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body—three parts that make up our whole being. I happen to agree with this view of how God designed us for spirit, mind and body health.
In this verse, Paul encourages us to attend to all three aspects of who we are. And so we try to do this the best we can, but often in our own strength. And many of us fail miserably. But the next verse holds the key to being successful at attending to our spirit, mind, body health.
“Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it” (1 Thess. 5:24, MEV).
This verse is there to remind you that God will do this for you. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, living in and through you is who will see to it that you live a lifestyle that promotes good health in spirit, soul and body.
What’s required from you is to have faith that He will—faith as small as a mustard seed (Luke 17:6). You see, it’s not the magnitude of your faith that’s most important. It’s not so much having a strong and unshakable faith as it is in having faith and trust in a loving, grace-giving, powerful God that is the key. As you have this perspective, this mindset, this attitude, and you place your dependence on God’s Spirit as He lives through you, He will enable you to live a healthy lifestyle.
And a healthy lifestyle will promote a healthy spirit, soul and body.
You see, when Jesus lived on this Earth, as the son of man, He was not only God, but also a man. As a man, His all-powerful and loving Father lived in and through Him. This is how Jesus was empowered to perform miracles and to love others with deep compassion (John 17:21). He kept close to His Father, which enabled Him to live as He did.
That’s just what God desires you to do. And if you do this, in faith, you can rest in the confidence that the Holy Spirit will enable you to care for your spirit, soul and body.
God is faithful, and He will do it!
Dale Fletcher, executive director of Faith and Health Connection Ministry, is a speaker and wellness coach who lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina. He conducts workshops and retreats on the link between the Christian faith and health. Connect with Dale at faithandhealthconnection.org and on Facebook.
For the original article, visit faithandhealthconnection.org.
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