By Hello everyone, Danie here.
Did you know that faith is a profound predictor of health? Faith can reduce blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, and help with mental illness. In fact, the lack of faith is about as unhealthy as 40 years of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, according to some research. If you care about your health, consider attending church and praying regularly.
Faith encourages healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices such as abstaining from alcohol, smoking, using drugs, or having premarital sex. Nevertheless, the effects of avoiding these behavioral lifestyle choices reduce your chances of premature death.
Stress has a direct negative effect on your immune system. Studies have shown that faith reduces stress in several ways. Prayer, in particular, can reduce high blood pressure related to stress. Stress and anxiety activate the body’s natural fight-or-flight response. Prayer and worship are two ways to counteract the effects of stress and anxiety on our bodies.
People with faith tend to have a more positive outlook. Faith provides us with a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Our brain controls every bodily function, so how we think directly impacts how effectively our bodies work. Having faith does not mean you will not have difficult times or periods of stress. What it does is help us to manage stress more effectively using positive coping mechanisms instead of ineffective or destructive ones.
The Word of God is the guidebook to life. In it, we find scriptures that provide us with details on how we should live from day to day. An example from scripture of how we are to deal with stress can be found in Mathew 11:28-30 where Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and You will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Luke 12:25, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”
Psalm 94:19, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”
These are just a few of the many scriptures within the Word that tell us precisely what we should do during times of difficulty. Regardless of the situation, having faith and a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the only surefire way to be prepared to handle the burdens of life here on Earth.
So, if you are struggling or feeling down, I encourage you to lean into the Lord and lay it all down at his feet. Allow Him to fulfill the promises of His word.
God bless, and all my love!
Danie
Danielle “Danie” Gunto is the author of the Mind, Body & Soul blog. Danie has been a Registered Nurse since 2004. However, she never felt like she was doing what she was called to do. That was until a few years ago when she became an active member of the Church, and it soon became evident what her true calling was.
Although she had spent very little time in Church growing up, within minutes of walking into the Refuge, she knew that was the missing piece of her life. Since that day, Danie has become a Pastor and is the Executive Pastor at the Refuge Church of God in New Martinsville, WV.
In addition to her work at the Refuge, Danie works at the local community hospital as the Infection Prevention/Employee Health/Emergency Management Coordinator. Although her goal is to one day only work at the Church.
Danie lives with her husband, Glen, and their cat Libbie in Proctor, WV. They have one grown daughter Cheyenne who is a Nurse Practitioner and lives in Pittsburgh, Pa.
She loves to read, write, spend time with family and friends, talk about the Lord, and sip coffee.
Her inspiration is to share the gospel with everyone she can so that they may know Jesus and who they are in him.
by leaps and bounds 