Trusting God for this earthly vessel
God's word teaches us that God desires health and wholeness for His people. He encourages us to choose a lifestyle of proper care for the body as He created it, to be used how He created it to be used. Our bodies are to be seen as a temple to honor Him, and a gift for us to present back to Him. Through good nutrition, (the whole foods He created for us and spells out in His word as He instructed His people), exercise (work), and rest (a command), all done with self-control and for God's glory. He acknowledged our needs beyond physical health to encompass mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. To think that we are "forgiven and therefore no longer bound to the laws of Old Testament", will lead us to suffering in the present with hope only in eternity. Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to be God in flesh demonstrating His desire for us. Our bodies are bound to the laws of the Old Testament, because God's original design was good. Our spirits are freed from eternal condemnation, because the consequences for our desires are not always good! We must care for our bodies per God's original instruction for earthly living and freedom from the sickness (physical and mental) from the temptations of this world.
To deny God's authority, wisdom, and truth over any part of your life, is to cause a breach in relationship. Those who want to deny God's authority over their physical body will struggle to submit spiritually for the great distraction of their physical body crying out. Those who want to deny God's authority over their spiritual life will find "freedom" to do as they will, though it will not give them much freedom, as they too will reap the earthly consequences of their choices and the unrest that comes in denying God. Those who think they can entertain their eyes, and ears with the things of this world and not be impacted by them are letting their mind become trapped by Satan and his crafty lies. Those who recognize that submitting to God is a physical, mental and spiritual daily practice will find the true freedom that is un-distracted communion with God, health, and ability to see and do His will with clarity.
Honor God in all of your Choices: Be mindful of what you consume physically and mentally- what you eat and what you let your mind feast on.
How We Surrender Our Physical and Mental Health
Caring for your body as stewardship: Treat your body as God’s temple, caring for it as a gift, not worshiping it as a god. Think of the "fat Buddha": that is not the goal, so you cannot constantly shower your temple with gifts of sweets and high-carb, processed, or toxic foods! Nor is it to become so obsessed with your looks that whatever your goal is, dominates your time, and depicts your ultimate value. Can you be struggling with temptations to serve your physical desires (even sexual) and at the same time serve God? Well, "you cannot serve two masters" does apply to all areas of life. But... as you focus on serving God, practice even fasting, and ask Him to reveal your areas of insecurity that you haven't released to Him, the temptations will break off.
As a steward, it's also important to be invested in what you're stewarding. If you say you can't afford good food, you probably need to examine where you're spending your money and your time, as well as increase in trusting that God provides even the good food you need. Do a little more research into His word, and a more low-carb, intermittent- fasting diet. I am especially a fan for multiple reasons:
- The extra hours of submitting my meal time to devotional time helps align me. I skip the morning meal and spend a good hour's time in the Word and fellowship with God- no distractions (yes that also means waking up while it's still dark and most people, even little ones, are not awake!).
- I also have enough time, with getting up early enough, to get a 30-45 minute workout in and then get ready for the day in about 15 minutes.
- This disciplined morning sets my day with prioritizing God, and trusting Him to carry me through.
- I also am down the cost of one meal!
- As I re-experience hunger until lunch time I am reminded to be in fellowship with God. This self-denial is a practice that helps me to apply the "God's will- God's way" test throughout the day. I do better prioritizing my finances, my time, and relationships (then I once did, though I would not propose to be there yet).
- The extra hours of fasting actually put my body into a healing mode, and I have experienced better physical and mental health since I started practicing this about 5 years ago.
- Protecting your mental health: Recognize He created this part of you as well, there is nothing new to Him, and He has a prescription for you. When your mental health is deteriorating, your physical will follow, and vice-versa. God's provision for the forgiveness of wrong-doing is our greatest catalyst to healing in every way. Accepting God's provision is the first and greatest step to wholeness and healing.
Submit to Him what you may consider in how you rest, and how you use your energy. Many people think they are "resting" when they are watching something or scrolling on their phone: they are actually over stimulating their brain, and allowing script to be written in subconsciously, that will affect their future conscious choices.
When you watch TV or scroll, several parts of your brain are stimulated, most notably the visual cortex and the brain's reward system, which is driven by dopamine. When we activate our reward system and increase our dopamine, it's like engraving in stone script of what we've seen or experienced, even passively (this includes both positive and negative emotional responses). We may wonder why we responded to something in such a way: if only the scripts were re-revealed, we would know! Be careful what you are watching, listening to, and allowing your brain to meditate on! Here's a quick deeper- dive into that:
When watching TV, especially while binge-watching, your brain is engaged in story immersion and visual and auditory processing. Your Visual Cortex: Located in the occipital lobe, processes the visual information from the screen to construct the image you are seeing and experiences it as if you are actually present (not just seeing it on a screen).
- Temporal Lobe: This region interprets the auditory information from the show and helps with language comprehension. It works with the frontal lobe to coordinate sound and visual information to understand the narrative (writing it into how you will later interpret life).
- Limbic System: This area, which includes the amygdala, is responsible for processing emotions. As you become invested in characters and storylines, your limbic system creates emotional responses. The over-stimulation of this system, combined with the sedentary investment of watching or scrolling, creates an exhausted immune system, resulting an increased illness and eventually cancers from over-stressing these systems.
- Dopamine System: Binge-watching an enjoyable show triggers a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. This pleasurable feeling reinforces the behavior and can drive you to watch more, similar to a substance addiction.
When you actively scroll through social media, try to dodge commercials, flip channels, or watch news feeds, your brain's reward system is activated in a unique and often more habit-forming way due to the constant, unpredictable nature of the content.
- Dopamine System: The reward system (specifically, the nucleus accumbens) is a key player in scrolling. Each notification, "like," or engaging post provides a small, unpredictable hit of dopamine. This variable reward schedule is similar to how slot machines work and creates a powerful, addictive feedback loop that keeps you scrolling for the next pleasurable, though uncertain, hit.
- Frontal Lobe: Excessive scrolling can suppress the frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for impulse control, focus, and decision-making. Over time, the reward system can overpower the frontal lobe, leading to compulsive use.
- Default Mode Network (DMN): Endless, non-focused scrolling engages the DMN, the part of your brain that is active during mind-wandering and daydreaming. This can put your brain in a state of passive consumption rather than active engagement, which some call "zombie scrolling".
The combined effect: "Popcorn Brain"
- Multitasking by watching TV and scrolling simultaneously can lead to a condition known as "popcorn brain". This phenomenon describes how your thoughts and attention jump rapidly between fragmented pieces of information, leading to increased distraction, reduced focus, and mental exhaustion. This constant overstimulation trains your brain to expect new information and instant gratification, which can make it harder to focus on single, complex tasks.
Learn to rest in Him, meditating on His Word, and enjoying the peacefulness of His creation!
Based on neuroimaging studies of meditation and spiritual practices, several areas of the brain are stimulated or altered, including the prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex, the amygdala, and the insula. The relaxation response associated with being in nature also affects many of these same areas, reducing activity in stress-related regions.
Brain regions involved
- Prefrontal Cortex (PFC): This area, involved in focus, decision-making, and emotional regulation, shows heightened activity during meditation and contemplation. Meditating on God's word strengthens the neural pathways between the PFC and the amygdala, helping to regulate emotional responses.
- Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC): A key part of the default mode network (DMN)—the neural network active during mind-wandering and self-rumination—the PCC's activity decreases during focused spiritual and meditative practices. This reduction in activity is associated with a decrease in self-oriented thoughts and internal distractions, allowing for deeper focus and calm.
- Amygdala: This region of the brain processes emotions, including fear and anxiety. Meditation and prayer can decrease the amygdala's activity, which helps to calm anxiety and reduces stress.
- Insula: Responsible for body awareness and sensory processing, the insula becomes more active during meditation. This increased awareness helps practitioners become more in tune with their emotional and bodily sensations in the present moment.
- In addition to specific brain regions, the processes involved in spiritual meditation and nature relaxation also affect the body through the release of certain neurotransmitters and changes in brainwaves:Reduced Stress Hormones: Prayer, meditation, and time in nature are all associated with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
- Neurotransmitters: Levels of several beneficial neurotransmitters are known to increase, including:Dopamine: Associated with pleasure and reward.
- Serotonin: Regulates mood and reduces anxiety.
- GABA: Promotes calmness.
- Brainwaves: Both practices help shift the brain from faster, stress-related beta waves to slower, more relaxed alpha and theta waves, which are associated with calm and deep focus.
Combining spiritual meditation and nature
When you combine meditating on scripture with relaxing in nature, the effects are synergistic. The spiritual focus enhances the calming effect of the natural environment, strengthening neural pathways and increasing feelings of peace and well-being. Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg notes that contemplating a complex concept like God can cause "incredible bursts of neural activity," leading to new connections and imaginative perspectives that combine with the restorative effects of nature.
Finally, Trust Him in Weakness: Surrender health struggles to the Lord, believing He has a better way for you, and He can use even suffering for His glory. Remember, if He's called you to it, He'll get you through it- and we are all assigned a time to meet Him. Whether that looks like your expectations or not- you may have to lay down what you thought was the way to take up His way for life. Do what He's called you to with all you have.
- Psalm 32: We are blessed when we have the peace of knowing our transgressions are forgiven and we are seeking His counsel. When we trust Him to be our guide, engaging in what is pure and good, we will be able to rest and rejoice in our days.
Comments
Post a Comment