Spiritual Health: What Holds Everything Together

When we speak of fitness, we are not merely talking about the physical aspect. Rather, it has to be holistic. 

We’ve written several articles on the other facets, such as the social and the physical, but now, let me just hone in on the greatest motivation of our page – the love of God. 

And yes, our spiritual health is the most important part of holistic wellness.

What is spiritual health?

When you search the web for the definition of spiritual health, you will see a lot, but for our page, we will use this definition:

It is the aspect of human wellness that holds all the others (i.e. physical, mental, social, and emotional) together. It establishes our worldviews, value system and life purposes. It is the lifelong journey to becoming all that God wants us to be.

Why is it important to be spiritually healthy?

We can be in excellent shape as far as all the other aspects of wellness, such as physical, mental, social, and emotional go, but if we are not spiritually healthy, all the others are rendered useless. 

We do not purely exist for the here and now. On the contrary, we have an eternity ahead of us.

Moreover, since we are created by God, there will always be that God-shaped vacuum inside our hearts that will never be filled until we come to know Him. We will keep searching for things that would fill that void, and oftentimes, we will find ourselves looking in all the wrong places.

This reality is the reason why even if some people seem to have it all, discontent still exists. Even if we consider all the other elements of wellness covered, if our spiritual health is poor, we will never achieve wholeness.

Improving our spiritual health

Being spiritually healthy is not something that can be achieved by ticking off a checklist. Unlike the other components where you simply go through certain processes to reach some level of success, in the spiritual factor, there must be an internal transformation for real change to take place.

So, how does this happen?

Know the God of the Bible

The very first thing that we need to do to jumpstart our journey towards spiritual health is to know the God of the Bible. If we have no knowledge of who He is, we will not want anything to do with enriching our connection with Him.

God loves us so much and He sacrificed a great deal just to save us from our sins and help us escape eternal punishment. He gave His only Son to be the propitiation for our sins so that in Him, we can have eternal life.

Knowing that we are sinful, understanding what God did to save us, and accepting His offer of salvation is the very first step in moving towards a healthy spirit.

Read the Bible

Once we have accepted God’s gift of salvation, we can go deeper by soaking ourselves in His Word. Reading the Bible helps in cultivating our knowledge about God. 

We learn about everything that He did in the past, what He continues to do in the present time and what He says He will accomplish in the future. You will be amazed at how deeply His unchanging Word speaks to you in your current situation.

The Word of God is alive and active, even if it was written thousands of years ago. It will continue to address our every need, in the exact instant that we need wisdom and direction. Like He knows the things we are presently dealing with every moment of every day, and He does.

Most people who are just getting started in their Bible reading ask where to begin. It depends on you. You may kick off from the first book, Genesis, with the Gospels, or the epistles. You can also download Bible apps with reading plans if you want to have a guide.

Prayer

Prayer is our way of talking to God. There is no limit to how often you should do it. Starting and ending your day with it is a good practice, but doing so more and more frequently as you progress in your relationship with the Lord is the best. 

Always remember that you can tell God anything. Nothing surprises Him nor is anything too difficult for Him. Simply believe that if it is in accordance with His will and purpose, all your prayers are granted.

Quiet Time

Being still before God will also help us improve our relationship with Him. Having a regular quiet time, where you just relax and listen to His voice will help strengthen your connection.

Continue devoting your time to the Lord daily, and He will surely meet with you, without fail. Why? Because He wants it more than you do.

Meditation

Unlike prayer or quiet time, meditation is the practice of chewing on God’s Word. It is the habit of focusing on a particular verse or thought that God impresses on you, and then processing it with Him. 

Ask Him what He means to tell you with regard to His specific Word, how it applies to you, how can you share it with others, etc. God delights in our desire to inquire upon Him, seeking His wisdom and He will give it to us if we simply ask.

Study

Going deeper in your Biblical knowledge is another step in developing your spiritual muscles. Everyone is called to make disciples, and this task will not be easy if we know so little about the God we serve. 

Enriching our knowledge helps in preparing us for works that God has prepared for us in advance to do.

If your Church provides training activities, make time to attend them. If there are none, you can find groups online that provide such training, like the Bible Study Fellowship ministry, and others like it. 

Fellowship

Church membership is vital in enhancing spiritual health. As it is, it is impossible to live the Christian life, much more when we do it alone. 

Find a Church where you can be a member. Ask God in prayer to direct your steps. Check the church’s statement of faith, its mission and vision, to know if it is aligned with what the Bible says and considering your gifting so that you can be of better use in their ministries.

Make sure that you regularly attend worship services and resolve to join a small group. Regularly gathering with fellow believers to pray, break bread, be held accountable, or just to appreciate God’s work in each other’s lives is a great spiritual exercise.

Serve

Similar to physical fitness, the more you use a muscle, the stronger it will become. The same is true for our spiritual health. If we want to become stronger in this area, we need to put all the above activities to good use. We must be willing and available to serve others.

The Church is the Body of Christ, and all of us have a role to play in it because each of us is given a special gift. Ask God how He can use you. Find opportunities in your Church for you to serve and do so with joy and gladness.

Getting started on the journey

Spiritual health is an essential part of achieving holistic wellness. Personally, it is what helps me start and stick to all that I am doing in terms of improving my health. As you go along, you will find more ways to draw closer to the Lord as He leads and guides you.

You can begin your spiritual journey today. If you want to know more about God but you do not know where and how to begin, send us an email and we will be blessed to share our learnings and experiences with you.