Let us finish with Step 4, as we look into the 12 Steps with God
Step 4 – Examine – We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
We have acknowledged our sin before God, admitted He knows every dark place in our souls, and explored the need for greater awareness of our sin.
Tonight, we will remind ourselves that it is not the time to attempt a defense of our sin…it’s time to accept His plan for that sin and build a lasting relationship with Him. Our recovery depends on it!
“The mystery of the Christian life is that Christ expects us to flee sin and the devil but does not expect us to rid ourselves of either on this side of glory. Repentance is a way of life, and so is the pursuit of godliness. I wish every Christian could be reminded of these two things.” – Kevin DeYoung.
In our endeavor to flee sin and the devil, and live in repentance and the pursuit of godliness, we believe that it is important to understand the parts of man that are involved.
In this lesson we want to identify the connections that start with spiritual healing and result in physical and emotional healing. For many people, this is an unknown and unfamiliar discussion. However, in the medical field, this is a very well-known field of study.
While they are interested in helping you achieve overall good physical and mental health, the Bible clearly teaches that physical and emotional health are simply benefits that come from a pursuit of godliness.
To be clear, we are not exploring, teaching, nor currently interested in the theological study of trichotomy that separates man into three basic parts: body, soul, and spirit. We are only observing Biblical truth that connects our elementary health elements (body and mind) to our spiritual health or our spirituality.
Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
“Good medicine” literally means “causes good healing” - we see the direct connection between your overall health and your spirituality. Spirituality is a mature yet maturing relationship of the believer to the God that develops over time. The heart that is joyful has therapeutic value to your body.
A broken spirit is a soul of someone that is hurting or has been hurt. This damaged soul has a clear symptom, dried up bones. Most commentators agree that this is clearly referencing physical health, not mental, and that there is also a clear connection between spiritual health, and your overall wellness.
One may ask, how do I get a joyful heart?
Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, a byproduct of holy living. With a fruit tree, fruit is not the first thing that tree puts energy into. The tree sustains itself first – energy goes to the roots, the branches, new growth, and then to the fruit. In a similar fashion, fruit is effectively produced in us when we use all our God-given resources to walk in obedience focusing on spiritual growth, and then God can produce spiritual fruit through us – like joy. That joy, a byproduct of holy living, then has healing influences in our bodies and minds.
On the other hand, if you neglect the Holy Spirit in your life, you may well face real hardship and difficulty with both your physical and/or mental health.
In the New Testament another reference may be helpful on this doctrine.
2 Corinthians 7:10, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance
without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Certainly, sorrow or godly grief is a part of life, but this verse would seem to clearly indicate that there is a drastic difference in results based on the source of that sorrow. The source can be either God, or the world. The interesting part of this verse is what it implies, but never states directly, that sorrow or grief in sinners is caused by their sin. When we are sorrowful, it is either because God is pushing you emotionally to repent and be saved, repent and walk in obedience, or because the world is pushing you emotionally toward death – separation from God for eternity.
Today we would use the word depression instead of sorrow or grief. That kind of sorrow leads only to guilt, shame, despair, depression, self-pity, and hopelessness. People can die from such sorrow. In this context we certainly see a clear connection between the quality of our relationship with God and our mental health.
To achieve good health in your body… you may carefully manage your diet and exercise routine.
To achieve good health in your mind… you may do Sudoku, crossword puzzles, or read extensively.
To achieve good health in your heart… (as the seat to your spirituality or spiritual health), we recommend improving your relationship with God by doing the following:
1. Speak with Him often – Prov. 15:8; Psalm 145:18; I Thess. 5:17
2. Listen to Him – Psalm 119:105; Matt. 4:4; Prov. 2:6
3. Obey Him – Matt. 7:24; Luke 11:28; James 1:22
Consider and Confess:
Is your spiritual health headed in a positive direction? Are you making progress on the life issues in your recovery? Based on the listing above, are there changes happening with you physically and mentally as a result of your improving spiritual health?
Take time to list changes that have already begun, and changes you wish to make because you know Christ and would like to honor Him.
Looking Forward:
Now that we have looked long and hard at ourselves, it is time to move forward in response to our findings. In the next Step we will begin looking at the need to and value of admitting our sin to God, to ourselves, and a brother/sister in Christ – an act of obedience to God and a positive step in our recovery!
1. Speak with Him often – Prov. 15:8; Psalm 145:18; I Thess. 5:17
…rather than external acts of worship, God is first and foremost concerned about a right heart.
2. Listen to Him – Psalm 119:105; Matt. 4:4; Prov. 2:6
3. Obey Him – Matt. 7:24; Luke 11:28; James 1:22
…only the life (house) built on the foundation of obedience to God’s Word stands, which calls for repentance, rejection of salvation by works, and trust in God’s grace to save through His merciful provision.
… in the previous verse, after casting out a demon, a woman in the crowd suggested that Jesus’ mother would be blessed because she bore him. And Jesus was saying ”yes, but rather” the greater blessing was hearing and following the Word of God.