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Faith,  Health

3 Reasons Your Health is Failing: A Biblical Perspective

I sometimes write about health topics and especially natural health topics on here. I care a lot about health because I know how hard it is when your health is bad. It makes everything else slow to a stop. And while sometimes this is good, you need to slow down, it can also hinder you from doing the things that God called you to do.

As Christians, I know many of us have the habit of automatically blaming the devil for our bad health. We say it’s an attack. Or we pray against a spiritual thing, when it might not be that. It may seem like a health condition just comes out of nowhere, but maybe it’s been brewing under the surface for years, and you didn’t notice the little warning signs.

I believe there are three reasons your health might be failing and only one of them is the devil.

Your Health is Failing Because We Live in a Fallen World

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, way back in the day, they not only subjected the rest of us to death, they opened up the door for disease, sickness, toxins, and injury to impact us in big ways. We get sick with colds and some people get cancer and autoimmune conditions. And while genetics play a role, our environment also plays a much larger role.

We are subjected to a constant barrage of toxins in our food, in the air, in our water, in our medications, in shots, and more. Some of these we can control, but many of them are outside of our control. We get injured because someone else does something that affects us. We get diseases like cancer because there are toxins into our water that cause it or you get too much sunshine that damages cells. We get sick because viruses and bacteria exist. You see where I am going with this. Some things are unavoidable and happen because we live in a fallen world with fallen people.

That’s a hard truth to grasp because it means that we aren’t in control. Maybe it’s just me who wants to be in control, but I suspect many of you are like me. You like it when you can fix things.

The Reason Your Health is Failing is a Spiritual Attack

Now don’t get me wrong, we are holistic beings. God designed us to be connected in our mind, our body, and our spirit. So the truth is, when one area is impacted, all of them are. Even if the “cause” of your sickness is just our fallen world, your mind and spirit will be affected.

But when sickness is a direct attack of the enemy on you, it comes out of nowhere and knocks you down completely. The enemy creates confusion and doubt in your mind. Here are some indicators that your sickness is a spiritual attack.

  1. Unbiblical Thoughts-If you’ve ever been attacked by the enemy, he whispers thoughts to you that you know go against the word of God.
  2. Discouragement-This isn’t just an “oh bummer” feeling. It’s a deep discouragement that stops us in our tracks.
  3. Withdrawing from Relationships-Especially Christian relationships that can help encourage and uplift you.
  4. Lack-Not only are you sick, but suddenly all your resources dry up. The reason this happens is that the enemy wants you to focus on money and not on God’s call and purpose in your life.

For more about this topic, Charisma Magazine has a great article you can read later. The key is to recognize the attack and enlist help to fight it.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:11-12

Your Health is Failing Because of Your Bad Choices

I saved this for last on purpose. No one wants to hear that it’s their fault. Most of us don’t want to take responsibility for our health. We want God to just wave a magic wand and fix us. And if that doesn’t work, we want to go to the doctor and get a pill that will make it all just disappear. Unfortunately, doctors can’t fix your choices. Only you can do that.

Let me be clear here, when I say bad choices, all I mean is that there are choices we make that help us and there are choices that harm us.

I genuinely believe that the mantra “everything in moderation” has created in us an inability to make hard choices when it comes to our health.

I don’t live by that. If I did I would be a weekend alcoholic and would be far more obese than I am right now. Because, moderation…

I try and live by this instead:

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.

1 Corinthians 6:12

We, by nature, want to do things our own way. We dislike things that make us uncomfortable, and we seek things that bring us comfort. We seek it in food, in our habits, and in the things we allow in and on our bodies. But just because we can have something, doesn’t mean we should have it.

What if a few permanent changes could make a lasting impact?

I’ve been obese or overweight for most of my life. When I gave birth to my oldest son, I weighed 274ish pounds. It was the heaviest I had ever been. While I know weight isn’t the only indicator of health, it is one indicator. And I was mocked, teased, and bullied throughout my life because of my weight. Try being 12 or 13 and weighing 218 pounds. Yup.

I’ll share more about this story later, but here’s the Cliff’s Notes version. After I gave birth, and I was done breastfeeding, my boy was sleeping through the night, I was exhausted all the time, and even 7 months after he was born I was stalled in my weight loss between 225 and 240 pounds.

Motherhood took a toll on my hormones and made my weight even higher and the only thing the doctor could say to me was, “well try Weight Watchers, that seems to help”. I realized they had no clue how to help me, and I would need to find answers for myself. With God’s help, because I knew how to count calories and exercise, and it wasn’t helping me at the time.

In short, I made drastic permanent changes to my diet, which got me down to a healthy weight of 147 for the first time in my adult life. I was elated. Then I got pregnant with my daughter, gained 60-70 pounds, and by the time she was just over 1 had gotten back down to the 150’s. Then I got pregnant with my youngest, and almost 3 years later I am still struggling to get back down from the 190’s.

A series of attacks, life changes, and poor choices on my part have contributed to this stall. Why do I share this?

You have more control over your health than you probably want to admit. Some people should not have everything in moderation. Some people need drastic changes to relieve the inflammation in the bodies, to lose weight to help their hips and knees feel better, and to manage their autoimmune diseases. Some people need to find a new place to live because mold is destroying their health. Some people need to switch to non-toxic cleaners and bodycare products because their asthma is triggered on a daily basis. Some people need to get off their computers and phones because the light makes their migraines worse.

You see what I’m saying?

Our health can be affected by our fallen world, it can be attacked by the enemy of our soul, or it can be impacted by us.

The first thing you need to do is pray. Pray for discernment to recognize if your health is affected by one or any combination of these three things.

Next, seek wisdom. Ask God to give you the wisdom and knowledge you need to care for your body. Ask Him for the strength to make the hard choices.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:5

Ask God for His protection. He will send his angels to protect you.

Ask God for His provision. God’s word promises that He gives us everything we need.

For the things outside of your control, go to war. Fight in the spiritual realm against the attacks of the enemy, and find prayer warriors who can help.

Find people who have been where you are and have overcome. Ask them for encouragement to get through it.

Your health matters because you matter to God.

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