Attitudes and Health
A constant theme of many believers is to ‘Walk in the ways of our Messiah.’ Why do we seek to do that? An immediate response generally is we want to please our L-rd. Another response often is that we are the only ‘Bible’ many ever read. But is there another reason? Yes, scientific research is proving that our attitudes impact our health.
Years ago, I was introduced to a very foreign concept to me. This PhD explained, that under the microscope, the trained eye can actually see attitudes in the blood during a live
blood analysis. Though I’d never before heard anything like that, Proverbs 17:22 came to mind, KJV, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ Today’s health findings are validating these truths! This week, I heard a comment during a cancer symposium, “Grow yourself or grow a tumor.” The context of the strong statement was that is vital that we correct wrong or negative attitudes. Proverbs again reinforces this concept: “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy [or envy] is like cancer in the bones,” Prov 14:30, NLT.
A few months ago, I wrote an article about Offenses and Unforgiveness. “According to Dr. Steven Standiford, Chief of Surgery at the Cancer Center of America, unforgiveness makes people physically sick.” Unforgiveness is now classified as a disease and needs to be treated as such. ““Of all cancer patients, 61 percent have forgiveness issues, and of those, more than half are severe, according to research by Dr. Michael Barry, a pastor and the author of the book, The Forgiveness Project. “Harboring these negative emotions, this anger and hatred, creates a state of chronic anxiety,” he said. “Chronic anxiety very predictably produces excess adrenaline and cortisol, which deplete the production of natural killer cells, which is your body’s foot soldier in the fight against cancer,” he explained. Barry said the first step in learning to forgive is to realize how much we have been forgiven by God. “When a person forgives from the heart – which is the gold standard we see in Matthew 18, forgiveness from the heart – we find that they are able to find a sense of peacefulness. Quite often our patients refer to that as a feeling of lightness,” Dr. Michael Barry said. He said most people don’t realize what a burden anger and hatred were until they let them go.”
What would our L-rd have us each one to do with this info? No, He doesn’t want us to fear getting cancer, but He does want us to forgive, to walk with His character not only because it is pleasing to Him; it also leads others to Him; and additionally, He wants us to live a happy and fulfilled life which can only be achieved by walking fulling in His ways.
ACTION PLAN: Pay special to the attitudes of our hearts. Do we let people or circumstances ‘get under our skin’? We must truly forgive.
“Father, thank You for how You confirm Your truths. Help us to see and hear Your voice. Help us to glorify You in all we do. Thank You for Your constant direction in our loves….we love You!!! Help us to walk upright before You and not in fear or unforgiveness. Be with our country and Israel during these troubling times. Bring Your divine peace to these nations. We pray for Your wisdom for all our leaders. In the precious and holy Name of our Messiah, Yeshua..”
IMMEDIATE Prayer Requests:
- Pray for Israel!
- Protection of the persecuted church.
- Pray for America.
- Attack on our loved ones to be broken and stopped.
- Connie: surgery – total healing!
- Donna: recovery from surgery
- Jim: recovery knee replacement surgery, healing. That he will be pain-free.
- Tere: healing and wisdom in direction
- Deb: victory and direction!!!
- Paul Mann: total restoration.
- 2-year old Grandson (Mary & Joe Benton): healing miracle! Tumor to shrink. Be able to be airlifted to the US.
- Mandie & others (Dawn’s family): drawing closer to the L-rd
- Rachel (Pamela’s friend): liver transplant and healing
- Brother-in-Law (Norman George): healing
