Most of us go to the doctor once a year for an annual physical checkup. This important doctor’s visit allows us to see exactly where we are as it relates to our physical health. When was the last time you had a spiritual checkup? When was the last time you made sure you were spiritually healthy. In today’s blog I hope to share with you several ways to check to see how spiritually healthy you are. Let’s give you a Faith Physical shall we…
Blood Pressure
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 1 Peter 1:18 NLT
How much “influence” does knowing what God did for you through Christ’s sacrifice have over you daily life? Do you feel any pressure at all to live more upright and holy before the Lord out of gratitude and thanks? Each day that the Lord allows my eyes to open, I feel a pressure to perform for Him. This pressure is a good thing! When I think about the blood He shed just for me, I feel as though I must give Him my all. I must live according to His Word. Am I sinless and errorless? NO, of course I’m not perfect.. but I’m striving and the pressure I feel to do right I find myself very thankful for.
Temperature
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. Revelation 3:15 KJV
If God were to check your temperature right now what would He find? Are you hot (on fire for Him) are you cold (no desire to serve or live for Him) or are you lukewarm (for Him one day and against Him the next)? When your temperature is “normal” 98.6, you won’t draw any attention. But when you temperature significantly exceeds or drops what is considered the norm, people take notice. When you are on fire for Christ people will know it. You may become contagious and start spreading what is within you. I pray everyone that reads today’s blog will catch a Faith Fever!
When you are on fire for Christ people will know it.
Reflects
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 1 Peter 3:9 NLT
It’s not uncommon for us to quote “The battle is NOT mine but the Lords” when we are going through tough situations. But the crazy thing is we are steadily fighting the battle ourselves. Ask yourself these questions and don’t feel bad about the honest answers you provide: What do my reflects look like? Do I usually react to others according to what my flesh desires? It’s not easy to overlook the offenses of others. It’s not easy to treat a mean person in a kind manner. But the thing I love most about the verse above is that God knows that it isn’t easy and that is why He will bless you for it. Have you grown enough in your faith that your reflects are to pray before you react when someone does you wrong?
Hearing
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the word of God. Romans 10:17 KJV
We learn to have faith from what we are constantly hearing. If you keep hearing a certain thing, believe it or not it won’t be long before you will begin to believe it. If a person is always told they won’t succeed or that they are nothing, eventually they will accept that as truth in their lives. This is why it is so important that we monitor what we hear. The voices that we give audience to will determine a lot about our spiritual health. Just like music has an effect on us, so do the words of others but especially the words of God. Flood yourself with the Word of God. Read your bible daily, listen to the audio bible as you drive to work, and listen to preachers that preach salvation and holiness and not just prosperity and blessings. If you do this you will become more spiritually healthy.
Vision
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 KJV
Many people have great vision in their physical bodies. In fact they may have 20/20 Vision but can’t see anything spiritually. When our vision is impaired it affects many other parts of our life. It affects our balance. When we don’t have the proper spiritual vision for our lives don’t be surprised when our lives feel out of balance and chaotic. It affects our ability to drive. I know many people who struggle to drive an automobile now that their vision has diminished. I also know people that have lost their drive to live upright because their spiritual vision is impaired. There is so much that God desires for us to see in His word? But we need to get our “I’s” checked!
-I will read my Bible more often.
-I will pray more often.
-I will seek God with my whole heart.
-I will obey and honor Him.
Get those “I’s” checked!
Heart
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 KJV
Above all else! Wow! Those are 3 powerful words. If my brain stops functioning at 100% they can attach me to machines that could keep my physical body alive for an extended period. But if my heart stops working, it is OVER. When the heart is under attack it threatens every other part of the body or every other part of life. We must do things that will allow us to guard our hearts. We must exercise our faith to strengthen our hearts. Our hearts are very important to God, but He won’t take it. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. (Proverbs 23:6) He desires that we give our hearts to Him. Does God have control of your heart?
We must exercise our faith to strengthen our hearts.
Height (Growth)
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18
When we grow in knowledge of Christ, we will grow in grace. We will grant mercy and grace frequently and freely because we come to know and appreciate what Jesus did for us. How badly do you want to grow? The proof will be in how much time you spend in His Word. I remember as a young teen I wanted to grow facial hair. I had classmates with beards but I wasn’t able to find not even one hair on my chin. My mother being as supportive as she is, bought me some shaving cream and a razor. They say whenever you shave, the hair grows back thicker and fuller. I think I shaved my naked face twice a day hoping and praying for results. Because I wanted to see growth, I was committed to the process. If you want to grow in Christ, you must commit to spending more time with him. If we are still the same spiritual height as we were when we first gave our hearts to Jesus, something is VERY wrong.
Weight
Wherefore seeing we also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 KJV
One of the things I’ve always hated about my physicals was watching the numbers on the scale rise each year. I would empty my pockets of EVERYTHING! I didn’t want my iPhone and ID throwing off my true weight (like those are really the problem). There may be many things that we need to lay aside. There may be many things in our lives that might not be sin but may be a weight that is slowing us down from living our best life in Christ. Those things must go.
So now that you’ve taken your Faith Physical, you should know a little better about how Spiritually Healthy you are.
-What’s your blood pressure looking like.
-What’s your current temperature.
-Are YOUR reflects responding appropriately?
-Is your hearing intact?
-Do you have any issues with your vision?
-Are there any heart issues we need to be concerned with?
-Are you seeing consistent growth?
-Are you carrying more weight than you should?
If this post was a blessing to you please consider sharing it with a friend. I pray that as future posts are released you will find yourself growing closer to God and Living The Life. God Bless!
