Do not let your heart be troubled

Earlier this year, we all woke up to the news of one country invading another. The whole story did not make sense to me so I went to YouTube to watch videos to help me understand the exact reason for the invasion. After watching a couple of videos, I was more confused than I was earlier. I was scared for the future of our world. What is the essence of all the international peace agreements if we don’t have peace? A few months on, the state of the conflict has not changed. Thousands have been injured, many more have been killed and millions of people have been displaced. The wars, political chaos, confusion, terrorism etc. affects people of all ages, gender, religious beliefs etc. Where does all humanity go after death? What happens to the wicked people after they die? Do those who suffer from evil men get recompensed after they die? Many world faiths believe in life after death. Christians believe in the judgement for the wicked and evil. Our hope in Christ transcends this life. Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15:19 that “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

The events happening around us are potential triggers for worry. Imagine enduring a global pandemic for two years and when we thought all is well, we were told that we are not safe yet. On a daily basis, we are bombarded with heartbreaking news, new epidemics, new battles, new terrorism, xenophobic activities, etc. It seems like a never-ending cycle of new things to worry about. How can we survive and still have our peace? Jesus, being aware of all these, told His disciples in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The state of our hearts could be affected after hearing all that is happening around us. Many people have died from the shock of hearing bad news. Others have developed heart complications. The heart is a fragile organ and we need to handle it with care.

Being aware that the troubles of the world will not end, but in Jesus we have peace should keep our heart in check. Recently, I decided to watch less of the news about the world’s struggle and spend more time praying for all people to have peace. The more we focus our energy on the pain, the less we lose sight of our inner peace. I recently watched a video from a Pastor in Ukraine. This man and his family are living in the middle of a war zone. But, their faith is not shaken. He had an inner peace that those of us living far away from Ukraine do not possess. I don’t know where the world is heading to but I know that no matter what may come, we have an anchor that keeps our souls. Whether in this life, or in the life yet to come, we will see a better world without pain, worry and pain. Knowledge of this makes life easier and keeps our hearts from worry.

Remember, you can heap all worries until you get heart complications or you can look up to Jesus and free your heart from pain. 

A sound mind

We need to understand that God has not given us a spirit of fear. The dangers of fear are enormous and in a previous post, we considered different types of fears and how we can overcome them. Our focus for this post is to consider what it means to have a sound mind. A sound mind is a healthy mind,  the state that allows one to make good reasoning and thoughts. It is the totality of your mental well-being and intelligence.  For instance, when a person starts to act differently from the norm (goes to the park and starts to chase people away), that person is considered mentally unfit. The reason is that what the person did lacks intelligence. Similarly, when people undergo emotional trauma and end up with mental health issues, their actions indicate that they are not of sound mind. 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)

Without a sound mind, one is likely to do things out of the norm. People have signed off their properties to total strangers because of a lack of sound mind. Others have wandered into dangerous situations because of a lack of sound mind. Yet few other people have committed suicide because of a lack of a sound mind. To be honest, we are likely to miss our destination in life when we operate without a sound mind. God is so interested in our mental well-being and the devil has always put fear in us so as to deny us of a sound mind. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul told his protégé Timothy,  that “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” God has given a spirit of sound mind. 

When we understand the importance of operating with a sound mind, we will be intentional about what goes into us. All information  will have to be filtered by the word of God. We need to train our minds to take what is good and to reject what is bad. We do that by filtering every information with the word of God. Further, we should be mindful of what we take in. We cannot consume anything that will be detrimental to our mental health. Consumption of substances that may trigger mental issues should be strictly avoided. Imagine, seeing the General Manager of your firm acting unruly in public as a result of substance abuse. If the same person returns to work the following day in a calm state, we still associate that person to the past attitude. Similarly, we should consider ourselves in the same way. If we understand that our mental well-being is important to God, to us, and to make society a better place for all, we will be considerate with whatever goes into us. 

Remember, when we fail to take charge of our mental well-being, we make ourselves susceptible to pain, shame and ridicule. 

To read more of these, grab my book A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: YOUR LIVING SACRIFICE here.

Cast all your anxiety on Him

Anxiety if not well managed could be a daily struggle. There are countless situations that could possibly trigger the “feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Going for a job interview, preparing for an exam, meeting people for the first time, preparing for marriage, etc. demand some sort of mental preparation. If we allow the stress of every event to weigh us down, we will live in a perpetual state of anxiety.  As we have already discussed, God does not want us to be anxious. Our worries, nervousness, and unease cannot make a situation change. Anxiety affects our mental well-being and learning to maintain an anxiety-free life is very important. 

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

God is aware of all our daily struggles.  He knows our deepest fears and worries. He understands that humanity needs help to manage, regulate, and properly filter all the stress we go through. God’s plan for us is to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He loves us so much (John 3:16) and He does not slumber nor sleep (Psalms 121:3-4) so that we remain safe in Him. God paid the ultimate price for our salvation and this price includes everything about our health and well-being. Therefore, when we struggle with anxiety and we have tried all possible ways to let go and we have not been successful, we should just leave it to God. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to “cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” All means all! We should cast anything that causes anxiety on Him. 

Knowledge of this makes life easier and reduces our mental stress. Understanding that I could commit all the things that give me worries into God’s hands and free my head of stress is such a blessing. We all have different ways to manage the things that give us sleeplessness. However, we don’t need to bear the burden anymore, God is interested in the nitty-gritty of our lives. A daily reminder that God cares for us helps to take the load of the stress away. God cares about us and He is interested in the details of our lives. Therefore, there is no need for us to be anxious about life. We should commit our ways to God and live each day intentionally for eternity. Psalm 121 should be our daily reminder:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Do not be anxious

Our mental well-being is very important and we should consider different ways to ensure that we do not do things that trigger mental stress and illness. As believers, we have the word of God as the standard of our lives and whatever we do must be considered in the light of God’s words. One common mental condition that affects us on a daily basis is anxiety. The “feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome” can cause one to lose sight of the very things that matter most. We all have needs and wants that cause us to be anxious about life. Even the richest people in the world have their needs and wants. Worrying about something does not change the outcome. So what should we do to overcome anxiety?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

First, it is important to know that being anxious about everything is not God’s will for you. Scripture reminds as in Philippians 4:6a that, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Personally, I don’t remember changing anything in my life due to anxiety. In fact, anxiety causes me to lose focus and I achieve less because I tend to focus on what cannot be achieved as compared to what can be done. Anxiety causes me to be nervous and this is naturally followed by clumsiness. Something that could possibly have been done without errors becomes impossible to do because of nervousness. The Bible’s solution to anxiety is this: “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6b). By presenting our situation to God, we tell Him to take charge.

Being anxious can affect our mental well-being and our relationship with God. There are so many things we cannot do on our own and there are situations we can only resolve by divine interventions. Sometimes we also need to open up to people with the skills and expertise to assist us. God has placed everyone in our lives for a purpose and we should take advantage of the skills of others when we need them. Most importantly,  pray and present to God whatever is causing you to be anxious. On some days, be intentional to present your thanksgiving even in the midst of your challenges and see God coming through for you. God uses humans most times to meet our needs, so be mindful of people God brings your way at your lowest point. They could be your helpers. Jesus admonishes us as follows: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). Do not be anxious about anything, commit your ways to the Lord and He will send you help in times of need.

Healthy lifestyles: Self-control

Living a healthier lifestyle is a great investment and it saves us the stress of illness and weaknesses. If we have the strength and the willpower to live right, we should make it intentional to prioritize our own health. One of the ways we do that is to be intentional about what goes into our body. Not everything sweet is good, and not every food is healthy. Until we put barriers in place to check what we eat, we might end up consuming everything and lose all things. Food is one of man’s greatest needs but the desire to eat should not make us forget the need to do a self-check. Until we know that not everything is good for us, and until we put limits on what we consume, the same food with nutritional value will cause unnecessary health problems. 

Self-control is not a new challenge for humanity. In fact, the first sin was as a result of the inability to control self and staying away from what God had forbidden. Usually referred to as the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve ate what they were not supposed to eat and this began humanity’s woes (Genesis 3). If we think Adam and Eve were the baddest when it comes to obeying God’s command,  let us do a reality check: “Have you ever disobeyed any of God’s laws?” If your answer is ‘yes’, then you are not as good as you think. However God has made provision for us through Jesus (John 3:16). As believers, self-control should be all-encompassing. It is good to have self-control regarding what we consume. Without self-control, gluttony, excessive intake of junk, substance abuse etc. will be a daily struggle. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

God has given us control over what we eat. While others choose to eat plants and animals, some people stay off all animal products. This is a choice and no one is bound by any law to force one to eat only plant-based food. Similarly, the fact that you eat both plants and animal-based food does not make you better than others. Whatever choice we make, we should practice self-control. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit and he mentions self-control.  Our definition of self-control mostly focus on sexual purity alone. However, self-control is the ability to moderate what we do. Every good thing used without moderation becomes bad. Food is good but eating without control over what we eat leads to bad health. Not everything that smells good needs to be consumed. Even though painkillers aid in taking away pains, should one take a pack of that at once, it is referred to as drug abuse. 

If we fail to control what we consume, we make room for our bodies to pay the price. Take care of your horse (body) and it will take you far.

To read more of these, grab my book A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: YOUR LIVING SACRIFICE here.

Arise and eat

If you have not experienced real hunger, you may never appreciate food. In fact the biggest global pandemic that has been with humanity longer since the history of mankind is hunger. It is the only pandemic with a cure yet it has taken the world 1000s of years to solve it. If you have not experienced extreme hunger before, you may not understand the gravity of it. Do you remember those scenes on your TV with babies with countable ribs? Have you ever seen footage of people holding empty bowls and going through a stampede just because a van carrying food arrived in their community? It is very heartbreaking to know that hunger is not a third world pandemic but a worldwide pandemic. The next time we pour leftover food in the trash can, know that someone else could have survived on that meal. 

And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” (I Kings 19:7)

There cannot be any conversation on healthy lifestyles without stressing on eating appropriately. However if you do not have access to food, a healthy lifestyle is just a delusion. A hungry man is naturally an angry man and anger causes emotional stress. The body doesn’t function well when one is hungry. The limbs become weak, the muscles lose strength and one is likely to faint. No talk on fitness should avoid the fact that we need to eat. A lack of appetite for food (anorexia) can be a medical condition or an emotional condition and needs immediate attention.The Bible presents a unique example, Elijah was afraid for his life and he ran away. He went on “a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4). We would expect God to tell Elijah on the spot that “you will not die.” But, on two occasions, the angel of God gave him food. 1 Kings 19:7 (NKJV) records that “And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 

“Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). Definitely, we see the sustenance of God in this scripture. What we need to know is that even God admonished a hungry prophet to eat. Hunger can cause one to live wayward and most childhood thefts among children of third world countries are caused by hunger. What can we do as a church to help poor members in our communities? What can we do to minimize the impacts of hunger? James asks these questions in James 2:15-15: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

Jesus has made us aware that on the day of judgement, “the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:34‭-‬35‭, ‬40)

You can make a contribution to any organization that helps in food crises, you can drop some food at the food bank and you can invite that lonely person in your church to have supper. You will save lives. God bless.

Feeding and caring for your body

I am a fan of noodles and anytime I travel back to my home country,  I look forward to getting some already prepared noodles. But,  I am not someone who likes spicy foods and the already made noodles are so spicy beyond what I can take. On every occasion after eating these noodles,  I end up having diarrhea. Finally I made a decision, I will not buy the cooked noodles again because I love myself so much and I do not want to subject my body to foods that affect my well-being. The same noodle is another person’s delicacy and they can consume it all week long without any impact on their health. Anyway, I want food that will nourish my body but not what will take me to the hospital. When we understand what is good for us, we make a conscious effort to consume only things that will give us good health. If you are advised to stay away from specific foods by your health professional, it is for your own good. God loves you so much to see you suffer because of a specific food. We are all different and we need to accept that what is good for one person, may not be good for you!

After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:29)

In Ephesians 5:29, Paul made a profound statement: “After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.” Paul was talking about marriage but the significant point of note here is about the fact that no one ever hated their body. The reason we eat and religiously undergo general body hygiene is the fact that we want to feed and care for the body. Every person has a responsibility over their own body: to feed, care and nourish the body. I understood very early in life that one does not need to be rich to eat healthy food. In fact, it is more costly to eat unhealthy foods because they always come at a price! If you decide to eat out, make sure the menu will not be detrimental to your health. If you make your own food, be sure to check the nutritional value of your ingredients. 

When we understand that we have the responsibility of taking care of our bodies, we make a conscious effort to consume things that are of health benefit. Gluttony, alcoholism, substance abuse etc. do not have any positive health implications. From my experience, one of the major causes of homelessness in the West begins with what people consume. It could be alcoholism, substance or drug abuse. These unhealthy practices ultimately cause mental health issues that make people lose their sanity and become subject to the things they consume. Similarly, excessive intake of foods that are high in calories ultimately affect one’s general well-being. What can we do as a church (institution) to help our communities to live healthy? We need to be intentional about educating on healthier lifestyles and encouraging our members to practice it. We can also extend this to our community by organizing outdoor events with the aim of attracting visitors and sharing with them the love of God and showing how God expects us to show care for our bodies. 

Enjoy good health!

Good health is a state that everyone desires. In fact, to be healthy is wealth and it saves one from the physical and mental stress that comes with having a sick body. I am yet to find people who pray to get sick and if there are such people on earth, then they are a very strange group of people. However, many people lose sight of the advantages of good health and they take for granted that to be without infirmities is a treasure. A healthy church demonstrates spiritual and physical well-being. The individual members strive for spiritual growth and maturity in the things of God and are also conscious of taking good care of themselves. Let’s imagine our bodies as horses God has given us to go on the journey of life. This journey is long, winding and the paths can sometimes be difficult to tread on. If we fail to take care of the horses that are carrying us for the journey, they will faint and die. 

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. (3 John 1:2) 

John the Elder, writing to his dear friend (Gaius) gave this profound statement: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 1:2). John showed his interest in the physical and spiritual well-being of Gaius. Enjoying good health is a bonus we have from Good if we act as good stewards of the bodies He has entrusted to us. If there is anyone more interested in our well-being, it is God! He has given us all the wisdom needed for godliness, holiness and living healthy. When we choose to ignore our health, we indirectly ignore God’s words to us. One of the ways in which the church can spur members to strive for good health is through sensitizing on healthy Christian lifestyles. 

When the church (as a corporate unit) understands the importance of enjoying good health, there will be an urgency to admonish believers to strive for healthy lifestyles. Further, we need to understand that without the right approach to understanding spiritual growth and the relationship to good health   we might end up having a wrong perception about physical training. God desires that we live in good health, and throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus healing the sick on several occasions to show God’s compassion towards the weak and the vulnerable. All the people who received their healing in the Bible did not remain on their sick beds. Some were told to rise up and walk, others jumped in praise to God, others were commanded to walk to show themselves to the priest, others were told to be given food, others sat up (from their death beds), others stretched their hands to touch Jesus and many other physical activities. When we are trusting God for healing one of the baby steps we can take is to let our bodies respond to healing. Take a walk, eat healthy food, jump if you can and do things that require you to move yourself.

Today, I pray for people who are sick and cannot even move from their beds. I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 

Don’t destroy God’s temple!

 Over the past few days, we considered healthy lifestyles and how as believers we can present our bodies to God as a healthy living sacrifice. We saw that we are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells within us and as such, we should not mishandle our physical well-being. We shall continue the conversation of a healthy lifestyle this week and consider ways we can spur our others to live purposely to achieve a healthy Christian lifestyle. Most times, we tend to consider achieving a healthier lifestyle on a personal level. There are very few messages on healthy lifestyles in church. For some Christians, the focus is Spirituality and nothing about their well-being matters. These people miss the point: to be healthy is not just a physical state but a spiritual transformation. If your spiritual state is sickly, it affects your general well-being. 

Whenever we go through bouts of emotional and psychological issues, we tend to weaken physically. Many people develop health problems after an emotional or psychological impact. There are many weak and sickly people in the church who look strong on the outside, but their physical strength is being zapped by pains and worries that could be met by the church (institution). What we do not know is this: “Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 AMPC) Individually and collectively we are God’s sanctuary and individually and collectively, God’s Spirit dwells in us.

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:17)

When we understand that the temple of God is both an individual and collective institution, we will be more concerned about one another. When we tend to neglect others in their lowest point, we destroy the temple of God (collectively as a church). And this is the verdict: “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:17). Therefore, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). One of the ways as a church we can collectively do that is to open our doors for counseling, make room for seminars on wellness and healthier lifestyles and encourage others to take care of themselves. Recently, the men’s ministry in my church had a health talk and I learnt so many things about men’s health. Promoting and awareness of healthier lifestyles is important for the general well-being of the body of Christ. 

The women’s ministry in my church has a plan for a physical activity and I hope to join this healthy fun activity. What plans does your church have to promote healthy lifestyles?

Renew your strength with physical training

I work from home and that means that I sit for eight hours a day. I thought working from home would be fun but it really is not. Before the global pandemic came, it would usually take some sort of exercise to get to work. Whether you walk, drive or take public transportation, there is an initial waking up, taking a shower, preparing lunch (if you do),  walking around and finally getting to work. For those who walk or cycle to work, the few minutes exert metabolic actions and make them healthier. These days, most people working from home just wake up, wash down (if they do) eat whatever is in the house and sit at their workspace for hours. Periodic lunch breaks still take one to the kitchen and back to the workspace. Then after work, there is the likelihood of sitting to watch TV or cooking or just calling for takeout delivery and back to bed. If such a lifestyle continues for a few months or years without proper schedules for bodily exercise, one is likely to suffer from the lack of exercise and physical activity. 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

In fact, sitting down is hard work and if your body doesn’t get rid of all the calories we accumulate in the day, it will reflect on your general appearance. You might look healthy on the outside, but inwardly,  you will be so stressed, tired, and constantly battle with fatigue. Our daily schedule doesn’t seem to make it any easier to have a schedule for fitness such as going to the gym, home fitness sessions (paid or free), taking a walk, running, skipping, swimming or any other physical activity that helps to put the body in shape. One Bible verse that has been a sort of encouragement to me recently is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” All things include physical training for our general well-being. You do not have to do much. A walk through your neighbourhood will go a long way to help those tired limbs. Skipping helps the whole body to be in motion, raising your hands up and down while you dance to your favourite gospel song exercises your feeble hands. 

When we understand that the little benefit of physical training ultimately has eternal value (because we can worship God better when we are fit), we will strive to strike a blow to our bodies to make it subject to us. Paul, using the allusion of athletics for self-discipline among believers, noted that: “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”(1 Corinthians 9:26‭-‬27)
If our aim is to get the ultimate prize of salvation, we should also aim to daily renew our strength. After all, Isaiah 40:20 admonishes us that, “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Our inner strength for our spiritual battles comes from the Lord, but to run physically and not grow weary, we need to train the body for that.