How To Live In Health And Wholeness

By Brian Houston

One of my greatest priorities as a pastor is the on-going health of our church. You see, I have learned over the years that attacks from the outside don’t hurt us and, ultimately, don’t determine the well-being of the church. If the soul of our church is healthy, weapons may be formed against us but they will not prosper. The reality is that a healthy body is impacted by a healthy soul.

The Apostle John wrote, ‘Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers’ [3 John 2]. I believe there is a direct correlation between the condition of our soul and our overall health. What is happening on the inside affects what is on the outside.

The soul is like the engine room of our lives. It is the seat of our thinking, emotions and will. When the core of our being (our soul) is unhealthy, it has a significant effect on everything else.

In many of the psalms, it is evident that the writer recognised the importance of the condition of his soul. When he felt distressed on the inside, he would speak to his inner man. ‘Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God’ [Psalm 42:11].

These words paint a picture of someone who refuses to be dictated to by unproductive feelings, negative thoughts or poor internal choices. He took command over his own soul and pointed his own inner world toward hope.

Do you want to be made whole? Take a look at the words of John. ‘Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is’ [3 John 2 NLT].

Don’t neglect the health of your soul because it is a foundational key for a healthy life.

5 Ways To Build A Healthy Soul

Personal trainers may help you change the condition of your physical body but how can you change the condition of your soul? It will take some commitment and discipline, but here are five ways you can begin to build health on the inside.

1. Teach your soul when to be quiet
‘My soul, wait silently for God alone.’ [Psalm 62:5]
Many conflicting voices can dictate what happens on the inside. King David was always quick to silence other voices by instructing his soul to focus on the Lord. He commanded ‘everything within him’ to bless the Lord. He was telling every conflicting emotion to be quiet!

2. Educate your soul
‘It is not good for a soul to be without knowledge.’ [Proverbs 19:2]
Some pursue intellectual knowledge in order to build their lives, but fail to see the value of educating their soul. You can have degrees or doctorates but, ultimately, it is what your soul knows that will direct the course of your life – positively or negatively!

3. Fill your soul with hope
‘This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.’ [Hebrews 6:19]
Without hope, we have nothing to anchor or secure ourselves to when we are tossed by the storms of life. Those consumed by despair and hopelessness find themselves unhinged and then quickly drift off course. You can keep hope alive and strong by daily meditating on God’s Word.

4. Teach your soul to boast
‘My soul shall make its boast in the Lord.’ [Psalm 34:2]
Those who need to boast about themselves display all the evidence of insecurity. You can develop a different type of boast though, by ‘boasting in the Lord’: ‘How good is God?’ or ‘My hope is in the Name of the Lord!’

5. Teach your soul to be accountable
Blaming others or our circumstances is typical of human nature. Excuses only give us reason to stay the way we are. Building a healthy soul starts with accepting responsibility and accountability for our own lives.
 

© 2005 Brian Houston. Permission required to reproduce this article in any form.
Pastor Brian’s principles for living in health and wholeness is available here