Introduction
As Christians, it is our aim that we all be spiritually healthy. To be spiritually healthy, in short, means to be close to God. Think about it—one of God’s primary purposes in making man is to be with him. God wants to be close to us, and we should want to be close to Him.
Although being close to God is the primary way of being spiritually healthy, God created us with multiple facets. These facets include consistently communing with the Holy Spirit, reading the Word of God every day, and having consistent fellowship with people.
To get a better grasp of what it means to be spiritually healthy, let us first look at what it may look like to have poor spiritual health.
Signs of Poor Spiritual Health
Lack of Desire for God
You can be sure that your spiritual health is in a poor state when your heart posture towards the Lord is stale and distant. If your heart posture towards your spouse is stale and distant, then how healthy do you think your marriage will be? Your spiritual health is ultimately dependent on how close you are to God because God is the only one who can give life to your spirit.
The healthy alternative to a lack of desiring God – Psalm 42:1-2:
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Spiritual Complacency
If you find yourself constantly complaining, it is a sure sign of poor spiritual health. Complaining is oftentimes the beginning of something more. Complaining leads to sin and distance from God.
Philippians 2:14:
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…”
Inconsistent or Absent Prayer Life
Prayer is like drinking water for a believer. We shouldn’t—no, we can’t—go even a day without it! Prayer is how we commune with God. Don’t be deceived into believing that prayer is only for you to bring a list of wants, hopes, and disappointments to God. Prayer is your fellowship with Him.
Example prayer of a spiritually healthy person:
Father, I just want to thank you for being my Father. Thank you for loving me and showing me your goodness always. I love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. You love me so well, God. I ask that You will fill me always with Your Holy Spirit and reveal Your Word continually to me. Thank You for giving me life and for giving me the opportunity to shine to all people around me. Thank You for the fruit of Your Spirit being evident in my life always. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to bring people into Your kingdom. And thank You, Lord, for keeping me, my family, and my church body from the evil one. You deserve all the glory, honor, and praise forever, God. In Jesus’ name, amen!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Struggling with Sin Without Repentance
If you get to a place where you are sinning and have no intention of repenting, you are spiritually unhealthy. Sadly, this means your heart has become callous and hardened towards God. You have sinned so much that you have no conviction of it anymore. There is still hope! It looks like genuine repentance.
Repentance doesn’t look like saying sorry; repentance looks like turning away from sin and living after the Spirit. So thank God for Jesus’ sacrifice and live as though you actually believe He has made you righteous through His blood!
Acts 3:19-20:
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,…”
Lack of Joy and Peace
Peace and joy are fruits of the Spirit. This also goes for the other fruits of the Spirit. When patience is lacking, when self-control is lacking, when goodness, faithfulness, kindness, love, and long-suffering are lacking, then it’s time to make a change.
Being that these are fruits of the Spirit and not fruits of trying harder, the only way for these to produce in your life is, again, nearness with the Holy Spirit. He is the one who will produce these fruits in you, and the seed that He uses is the Word of God. So be constant in the Word and in communion with the Holy Spirit, and these fruits will be sprouting all over your life.
Galatians 5:22-23:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Avoiding Christian Fellowship
Take care not to isolate yourself from people, especially like-minded believers. Don’t forsake going to church and being a part of a small group. Have godly friends that are seeking the Lord always.
Proverbs 18:1:
“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”
Practical Application of Good Spiritual Health
Daily Prayer and Communication with God
Prayer must be our everyday, every hour, every 15 minutes, constant lifestyle. Prayer should fill our days. Every moment there is silence, it should be met with prayer. Prayer is communion and fellowship with God. Yes, there are times when prayer can and should be intentional and specific, but most prayers can just be a simple “thank you, God, for loving me.” He wants to fellowship with you. He wants to hear your voice. So pray always, not religiously, but relationally.
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Regular Bible Study and Meditation (Joshua 1:8)
Just as you pray always, you should always be in the Word. Now, I know many of you have busy schedules that don’t allow too much free time, but I can guarantee you—you have more time than you think. If you are a normal human, you most likely eat around 2-4 times per day. At least one of those times, you are sitting down at a table and enjoying your meal.
What do you say instead of scrolling on your phone, you scrolled on Romans 8, Matthew 5-7, Colossians 1—you name it! That’s just one area where you can get in a couple of minutes of Bible reading. Feed your body and feed your spirit at the same time—might as well!
Not only this, but even if you aren’t physically reading, you can be meditating. Maybe you read Romans 8 this morning, and Romans 8:28 really stood out to you. Throughout your day, simply chew on it, chew on it, and chew on it again. Let the verse be on your mind throughout the day. This simple practice will truly change and transform your mind and life! (Romans 12:2)
Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Worship and Christian Fellowship
Worship draws us closer to God. Worship is a heart posture of reverence, awe, and humility towards God. We put our attention on Him rather than the things or people around us, and when we do that, genuine transformation and life happen.
When we meet together with fellow believers, we become stirred and encouraged. We encourage others, and others encourage us. What a beautiful and amazing thing God has set up. This is why we have Church! Church is not just a place to listen to a sermon—it is so much more than that. Church is a place to build others up and be built up yourself. Our spirits are fired up when we meet together.
Think of it like a football huddle mid-game: your coach gets all of you huddled and encourages and strengthens your spirit. Then you break, go out, and defeat the other team.
Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…”
Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting, Gratitude, and Service
Discipline should be one of the leading qualities in every Christian’s life. When someone thinks about you, is one of the first thoughts disciplined? It should be!
My pastor (Pastor Vern Frank) has been in a series recently titled, “Becoming Disciples,” and most of the sermons revolve around the simple fact that to be a disciple of Jesus, you must be disciplined.
So what are some examples of discipline? Well, discipline for a Christian looks like reading your Bible even when you don’t feel like it. Discipline looks like fasting for the Lord and actually following through. It looks like praying without ceasing even when you just want to sit and watch TV. It ultimately looks like denying yourself and following Jesus!
Walk by the Spirit, and you won’t gratify the desires of the flesh!
Galatians 5:16
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
More Bible Verses on Spiritual Health
- Seeking God First – Matthew 6:33, Jeremiah 29:13
- Renewing Your Mind – Romans 12:2, Psalm 51:10
- Abiding in Christ – John 15:5, Galatians 2:20
- Bearing Spiritual Fruit – Galatians 5:22-23
- Strength Through God’s Word – 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12
Conclusion
As Christians, one of our main goals is to be spiritually healthy, which simply means being close to God. From the very beginning, one of God’s primary purposes in creating us was to be in relationship with Him. He desires closeness with us, and we desire the same.
As we have seen in this post, intimacy with God is the foundation of spiritual health. It also involves consistently communing with the Holy Spirit, immersing ourselves in God’s Word daily, and maintaining fellowship with others. By nurturing these aspects of our spiritual lives, we grow stronger in faith and fulfill God’s desire for a deep, abiding relationship with Him!
Make sure to examine yourself and honestly see where you are spiritually. See if there are any areas where you can improve your spiritual health. Ask a close friend you trust to help keep you accountable. And most importantly, ask God to help you!
Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
If you haven’t already, check out my last post on “What Does God Say About Good Mental Health?” And stay tuned for my next post on “What Does God Say About Overcoming Anxiety?”
