“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV)
The past few weeks I have broken down the things God had shown me years ago regarding the lack of health in America, especially the health of His children, the body of Christ. I talked about gluttony, slothfulness and idols in particular, but there was so much more in that vision. Let’s take one more look at it:
The Lord then proceeded to tell me why. He said, “I see a dependence on things other than Me, like drugs and medications. I see fear, I see gluttony, I see manipulation and control and deception by the food and drug companies. I see irresponsibility in not taking care of the body, My Temple I gave and created for each child of Mine. I see abuse of these bodies. This abuse is caused both by the person themselves as well as inflicted by others—this too causes a lack of caring for their Temples. I see a lack of trust in Me to take care of them—not after the fact but instead of. For example, they will eat foods made by man because they are fast, easy, and cheap, rather than eating foods I made for them like fruits, vegetables, grains, and yes, even meats and eggs. They do not slow down long enough to minister to their Temples, they don’t slow down to spend time with Me. They are depending on so many other things rather than Me. Food is their god. Poor time management is a real problem. I also see slothfulness, laziness. All of these things hurt My heart and are not My plans for them. They are so engrained in the so-called comforts of the world that they no longer enjoy the pleasures I made for them. I made my beauty all around them, all things of the earth and sky, land and water, good food from these places and so much more. Simpleness has been lost—everything is go, go, go.”
None of these things are God’s will for us – and not only are they not His will, but they actually make His heart ache for us – the children He uniquely created for a divine purpose while we are here on this earth. But things don’t have to be this way.
Why is Intimacy with God a Blessing?
Let’s just look at this from a very basic, practical perspective. First of all, God is, well, God! So who is He? He is the Creator of the universe – the earth and sky; the sun, moon & stars; the mountains and seas; the things that fly in the air, that swim in the waters, that crawl and walk across the ground; the plants and trees and the fruit that they produce for our nourishment; and yes, He is the Creator of you and me. He loves us far, far more than our little finite minds can even begin to imagine. Think of the person you have ever loved the most and take that love and multiply it a thousand-fold and then multiply it again and again and again. His love is even greater than all of this! And He wants nothing but the absolute best for us every minute of every day. He has created us in His image, which is perfect. He doesn’t see all of our flaws that we see in ourselves or in others – just His own reflection of perfection – that’s how much He loves us. This is intimacy. However, we will never be able to love Him as much as He loves us – so stop striving to do so, and just love Him for what He has done for you and me – that is all He desires from us. What has He done for us? He sent His most beloved holy Son, Jesus Christ to walk this earth for 33 years fully man, and yet fully God. And then Father God asked Jesus to die the most brutal, horrific death by being crucified on a cross in order to take all of our sins upon His shoulders to the pit of Hell, and left all of those sins there where they belong – with the enemy of this world. Can you imagine carrying the burden of every sin ever committed, and will be committed on your shoulders for just one day? He did all of this so that we might one day live out an eternal life in Heaven with Him, instead of separated from Him for eternity in Hell. He says to us “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST (renewal, blessed quiet) FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 Amp). Wow! This is just one of many, many promises for us in His Word. The Book of Psalms is filled with promises that can’t help but light you up when you take all that He has done, and all that He says, literally – you will be blessed beyond measure!
How do We Draw Closer to Him?
All we have to do is first, confess our sins to Him, then turn away from them – this is repentance, doing your part by truly meaning in your heart that you desire to walk in them no more. Then say “yes” to Him and surrender the steering wheel of your life over to Him.
Put your faith and trust in Him and be ready to receive all that His Word say He will do. This is the only way to be with our Heavenly Father is through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Then just like you would with any other relationship you value, commit daily to learning and growing as one with Him, for a lifetime. How do you do this? Spend time with Him, regularly. I know this may sound silly, but I suggest literally walking with Him as you would an imaginary friend – only He is real, not imaginary! You just simply can’t see Him, otherwise He IS there – always, every minute, of every hour, of every day – always. His Word promises “I will never leave you nor forget you.” (Hebrews 13:5). His Word also says “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”(Matthew 15:5 Amp). Meaning we can do nothing on our own – including not sinning – we need Him to help us do this too!
It’s only through our personal intimacy with Him that enables us to walk without sinning. Yes, we will fall short at times, but He is also quick to forgive (and forget!) when we sincerely repent and turn away once more. I love what Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]” (Amp). And when He says “all” He means all! Goodness, I could go on and on about His goodness, but I would end up preaching the whole Bible to you – so let’s move on and answer the question you probably have been asking —
What Does All of This Have to do with Our Health?
Our health is wholistic meaning it encompasses our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. Each of these areas are connected and inter-related. They never work in silos apart from the others. If one area of our health is out of balance, it will always impact the other areas as well. We are whole beings. We are actually spiritual beings first, living in a natural physical body. What sets us apart from every other created thing that God made is, He gave us a soul which encompasses our mind, our emotions, and our free will. We are a spiritual being, with a soul in a physical body. But it was God Who created us this way.
My passion and the purpose I believe God has personally called me to is to speak truth about wholistic health – His truth. My message on health and wellness is not specifically about any particular diet or how often you should exercise – the truth about wellness is far more than that and it starts with what God says about our health – after all, again, He is the One Who created us, it should stand to reason it is Him we need to look to as to how to take care of ourselves. What we should do, and what we should not do – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. And even why we should do it.
While each of the four quadrants of the health pie are vital – we can’t just focus on one and ignore the other three — I believe the core of our health and our vital being starts with our spiritual health. And here is why:
- Every single one of us was placed here on this earth for such a time as this – in this specific moment in time, in this specific place on this earth, in community with the specific people God has uniquely crossed our paths together with. He uses us in various ways throughout our lives – sometimes even unknowingly to us in that moment. That is His part.
- Our part is to intentionally lend our ear to His heart to hear what He desires for us to do every day. Some days it may be to simply lean back and rest into His loving arms. Other days it might be physically going out and utilizing the unique gifts, talents and skills He placed in us to serve others. However, we need to know how to hear His voice and be intentional about listening for His direction.
- But, we need strength, stamina, energy and clarity of mind in order to fulfill His promptings and His calling on our lives. And that is how we live our lives to the optimum – by being healthy mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
In Summary
As a business practice I have been writing one blog a week for two years now. I have decided to step back from this routine and write more as I feel inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, you may see more than one blog a week, or you might not see one for a month – only the Holy Spirit knows at this point!
The same goes for the monthly newsletters I have been sending out. If there is actual “news” to share, I will send a newsletter out.
This won’t be the end of my writings and emails, just a shift in when they go out. I certainly welcome any emails, correspondence or questions you might have for me – I am still here and feel free and reach out! In the meantime, I would encourage you to go to my website and revisit some of my older blogs – now just might be the right time for you with the message they might hold.
I have a couple of things working on the side burner as I continue to move forward into what God is calling me to on any given day. If any of these opportunities formulate into a “sure thing” I will be sure to share them with you!
And totally unrelated to my wholistic health and wellness calling I hope to put more focus back on a writing project that I started last year, and that is writing a memoir trilogy of my adventures on the Appalachian Trail. Documenting this incredible experience for posterity.
Thank you for being such loyal followers of my writings. As always, if you know of any opportunities where I might be able to share the message on the truth about health, feel free and reach out, I would love to do so.
Also, if my writings have made even the slightest difference for the better in your life, please feel free and share that with me – probably like all of us, I can use as much encouragement as I can get to learn that I have made a difference in at least one person’s life before I go home to Jesus!
I give a whole presentation to show you the key differences between disease management and health restoration!
go to : https://jackiemckool.com/schedule-jackie/
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“Wellness IS … Freedom!”