Holistic Health, part nine

How important is the Mind?

Romans 12 teaches us not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.

Transformation takes place as our minds are renewed!

It has been said, “If the Evil One can win the battle for the mind, he wins the soul.”

We must protect the mind. We must defend and build up the mind.

How do we do that? There are many ways, but I will highlight two.

Reading: One of the primary ways of building up and defending the mind is through mental exercise. I happen to be a big believer in reading as the major tool for this aspect of mental health.

I have raised both of my children to be readers.

“Readers are leaders and leaders are readers” says, Howard Hendricks.

Encourage reading in your children, in your friends, in yourself. Reading is good. Reading good stuff is better!

Certainly we should saturate our minds with the Scriptures. Reading large chunks for long periods is a lost discipline. We have replaced it with “devotional” reading; a verse here, a verse there; a chapter here and a chapter there. But there are certain things from the Bible we cannot understand in short bites. We need to read whole books, at times, in one setting!

I am not opposed to devotional reading. I use the “Streams in the Dessert” every day and it has helped change my life. But it is NOT a substitute for reading the Scriptures themselves.

This also involves memorization. “Thy word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against You…” the Psalmist says. Separate verses, chapters, whole books. I know people who have memorized large portions of the Scriptures and anyone who does so is greatly benefited by it.

But there are other books to read as well: Packer, Tozer, Havner, Spurgeon, Piper, Lewis, just to name a few. Also, reading classic literature can change your mind for the better. I have been bettered by reading Dickens, Dostoevsky, and Hugo, for example.

Next time, being like God by believing what God believes.

(Only two more installments to go. Hang in there!)

Explorer Users

Folks,

I use Mozilla for my web browser. So often, if you attempt to read a post from Explorer, it won't look right. Sorry. I'll try to go in and make adjustments as needed....or you could just switch to Mozilla!

Holistic Health, part eight

Now we come to what I have identified as the most important element of the “Imago Dei.” Being like God is thinking like God! It is having His mind.

1 Cor. 2.16 says, …”but we have the mind of Christ!”

What do we mean when we speak of the Mind? The mind deals with the ability to communicate, use language, reason, and think. The mind, though probably housed in the brain, is not exactly the same thing. The brain is an organ, albeit a very important organ. And the mind is intimately related to this brain. But the brain is technically part of the body and ceases to function with bodily death.

The mind, however, continues to exist and function after death. Until then, our minds are stuck with our brains!

In the beginning, God created man so that children would learn about themselves, the world, and God from their parents. Since then, some have done this job better than others, but ALL have done the job!

Each of us developed our beliefs about ourselves, God, and the world as a process of our brains developing in interaction with our environment. Our minds were nurtured, one way or another, by our surroundings.

So what we believe is very important. It is at once fragile and resistant to change.

From General Revelation, we find that once people get a notion fixed in their minds, it is very hard to change. This is partly due to the fact that we ignore information that contradicts what we already believe. We also discount information that contradicts what we believe.

If I believe that women are bad drivers, I will only see accidents that involve women. I will not even notice accidents where men are involved. Or I will minimize driving accidents with men and maximize accidents with women.

If I believe I am stupid, ugly, inferior, I will resist any external messages to the contrary. We are even prone to discount the Scriptures.

Romans 8:1-4 says,” There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 8:2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 8:3 For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 8:4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

But many of us still walk around with guilt, fear, self-loathing, the pressure to perform, and go, and go, and go to prove ourselves worthy! We are completely ignoring this precious truth. Why? Because once we get a belief established, it hangs on like barnacles on the bottom of a boat!

More next time...

Holistic Health, part seven

Last time we looked at what God does.

This time we look at how we can do like God does!

Be Creative: Step outside of your normal routine of thinking and behaving. Engage in some artistic endeavor: write, draw, sculpt, play an instrument, sing, play games, do Sudoku,…the healthiest people engage in activities that challenge their skills/knowledge. They are always growing.

Be Righteous: We ought to treat people fairly. We ought not be prejudiced or biased. Scriptures teach us not to treat the rich with favoritism and the poor with distain (see James 2) We ought to act with integrity. Do the right thing, even when people aren’t looking.

Be Kind: People in our path, family and friends (even enemies) should be treated with kindness. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…knowing that God has been kind to you! The man who had a great debt forgiven, refused to forgive a much smaller debt to another man. His lack of compassion and “passing on the blessing” he had received, left him in danger of eternal punishment. To say the least, God disapproved of his lack of kindness.

Hold your charges to account: Our children, our church members, younger brothers and sisters, are not benefited by our inability to confront them when they are unruly. You can forgive someone without encouraging continued sin. (See Gal. 6.1)

Be Gracious: My father-in-law was an expert at Grace. He taught me to disagree with dignity. He also taught me to truly forgive sinners.

Be Understanding : Means showing empathy. Put yourself in the other person’s place.

Be Generous: Give to those who have need. Not begrudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Be Merciful: We are so quick to be harsh to those who offend us. Be quick to be like God in His mercy.

Be Beautiful: I know what some of you are thinking, but beauty goes beyond the aesthetic. True beauty is expressed in virtue (e.g. Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Fortitude)

Be Joyful: Oh, be joyful. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!

Be Peaceful: Phil. 4: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by joy…

Be Patient: 1 Cor. 13: Love is patient.

What should we be doing? Find out what God does and do that!

A Devotional on "Devotion"

What does devotion mean?

Dictionary.com says:

Profound dedication; consecration. Earnest attachment to a cause, person I would summarize it this way: Devotion is “Commitment with passion; or passionate commitment.” You can have commitment without passion. I have known of couples, who are committed to each other for many years, but it is clear that they are not devoted to each other. There is no passion. You can have passion with out commitment. Some people find it easy to be passionate, but have no commitment. The passion fades and the relationship fails. I want us to look at a passage of scripture that models and teaches what devotion is. It’s in 2 Sam. 23.13-17 23:13 At the time of the harvest three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim. 23:14 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. 23:15 David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!” 23:16 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord 23:17 and said, “O Lord, I will not do this! It is equivalent to the blood of the men who risked their lives by going.” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors. David’s mighty men of valor were devoted to David. How do we know? They were attuned to David desires. They listened for his heart They wanted nothing more than to give him what he desired. They did not stop to make sure they understood what he meant before doing what he wanted. They left immediately. They risked their lives to give him what he wanted. Their devotion was rewarded. So what do we learn about our devotion to our God from these warriors’ devotion to David? Listen to God’s heart. When you are devoted to someone you don’t ignore what they say, feel, need, or desire. You are quick to see if you can do what it is that they want. And although it’s not always safe to give another person what they want, it’s always safe to give God what He wants Want nothing less than to give Him what He desires. I do not have a formula for changing your motives. I know I have always struggled with mixed motives when it comes to giving God what He wants. I want to, but I don’t want to. I know of two things that will help. 1. Ask for it! Pray for God to increase your desire to love and serve Him. 2. Don’t stop asking! Be like Jacob in Gen. 32 and don’t let go until God gives you what you ask for! Don’t stop to make sure you understood when you clearly understood. More often than not, when we stop to make sure we understand what God wants, we are just looking for an excuse to disobey or to postpone obedience. It is possible to be legitimately confused and in those cases we may need to wait for further instruction/clarification. But very often, like David’s warriors, we know what God wants. Notice that none of the mighty men of valor said, “Oh, maybe he was speaking allegorically. And what he meant was that he just longed for the good old days…” Just do it. Risk your life. What difference does it make if you are comfortable, healthy, or safe? When you are devoted to God, (or to anyone!) you don’t care about the cost! My wife may need me to take out the trash, change the laundry, or wash her car, all inconveniences. But if I’m devoted, so what? God rewards your devotion. Mutual human devotion is its own reward. My devotion to my wife is rewarded with her devotion to me and the pleasure we receive from serving each other. But devotion to God is rewarded in ways we might not expect. David poured out the water. We might be tempted to think that was disrespectful. But for him, it was a way of honoring their devotion, by making an offering to God. There is no higher honor than being involved in worship to the Great King! Listen to God’s heart, seek to give Him what he wants, when it is clear, don’t wait for further clarification, risk it all and God will honor your devotion. (Just taking a break from Holistic Health...it'll be back)

Holistic Health, part six

When I was 18 years old, my dad told me, “Son, a man does what a man wants to do.” I’ve never forgotten it. It has encouraged me, again and again, to be responsible for my actions.

When we speak of the “Will” as an aspect of God’s personality, we are talking about what God does. And just as we are responsible to be like God in body, emotion, and mind, we are to be like God in our behaviors.

John 13.12-15 So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example – you should do just as I have done for you.

Our behaviors matter. As important as our bodies, emotions, and minds are, what we do is also very important.

It is very common to watch an interview with a man on the street. And when this person is asked questions like, “Do you think it’s important to take care of widows and orphans?” he says, “Yes, of course!” Why, because he believes it? No, because it is the right thing to say. How do I know he doesn’t believe it? Because if the next question is, “When was the last time you did something to care for widows and orphans”, he stutters and stumbles and shifts his feet. So does he really believe it is important to care for widows and orphans?

This is the Biblical teaching on the importance of our behaviors. Our behaviors are the evidence of what we believe.

But, specifically, what should we be doing in order to be healthy?

Well, what does the Bible teach we should do? We have already said that God’s behavior is a model for us, so there should be plenty of examples of God’s behavior.

What does God do?

• He creates (Gen. 1.1)
  
• He does righteousness (Ezra 9.15)
  
• He is kind (Gen. 39.21)
  
• He holds His charges to account (Deut. 18.19)
  
• He is gracious (Ex. 33.19)
  
• He is understanding (1 Kings 19.4-7)
  
• He is generous (Gen. 33.11)
  
• He is merciful (Deut. 4.31)
  
• He is beautiful (Is. 28.5)
  
• He is joyful (Zeph. 3.17)
  
• He is peaceful (John 14.27)
  
• He is patient (Ps. 86.15)
  

This is obviously not an exhaustive list. But it's a good start. If we can be like God in these things, we will have gone a long way.

Next time we will look at specific ways of doing just that.

Holistic Health, part five

Emotions continued...

Now, let me share some of the truth we have learned through general revelation about human emotion. Some people are born more emotional than others.

There are at least 3 qualities that we are born with. These are qualities that are genetic. They manifest themselves very early in life. In fact, they show up in the first few days of life. These qualities are: Activity level, sociability, and emotionality.

Some have more and some have less of each. Some people are innately more emotional than others. They experience more emotions and do so more intensely.

Now, we are not victims of this genetic tendency. We are moldable and pliable. But during our earliest days, we learn how to deal with our emotions through our interactions with our parents/caregivers. It would take years of study to discuss how this might occur. But let me just say that, for example, if someone is born more emotional and his parents discourage emotional reactions, his emotional reactions might be lessened. If his parents encourage emotional expression, his emotions might be increased.

As parents, we need to teach our children how to deal with their emotions. My wife was great at teaching our kids “emotions modulation”, which are ways of controlling our emotions rather than being controlled by them.

If we reach adulthood without this ability, we can still learn. We are not victims of our upbringing. But change has to come from within. We can help each other by providing an environment that fosters growth, but each of us has to go through the process himself.

How do we learn to appropriately deal with emotion? Anger, fear, sadness, depression, anxiety…?

• Start with the body issues we talked about before. Are you getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and exercise?
• Rehearse what the Bible teaches us about emotion, via example and imperative. (see part four)
  
• Be honest about our feelings, at least with God. The Psalms are full of this. (Ps. 56, 23, 139, 5, etc) This also involves assessing whether or not our emotions are warranted. Are our emotions, especially anger, sadness, and fear, appropriate for the situation? It is appropriate to fear something that can bring you harm (a fall from a great height, snakes, poisonous spiders, God!) It is appropriate to be sad when you lose a loved one or have a hope dashed.
• Share with a trusted confidant.
• Write in a feelings journal.
  
• Rehearse the truth of God's sovereignty (Dan. 5.23...God has in His control your very breath and all your ways.)
  

Many men suffer under the delusion that if they express emotions (e. g. sadness or fear) they will be less manly. But clearly, there is no man manlier than the God-Man and he experienced and expressed both!

In review, emotions are God given and allow us a unique opportunity. If we experience our emotions in appropriate ways at appropriate times, we will be reflecting something more of God's nature to the world, thus bringing Him more glory!

Next time, the Will.