By Rosauldo Ponce

ickness is a great threat to our health and well-being because of the hazard it brings. Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, and free radicals such as toxins and pollutants can damage cells when they gain a foothold in the body. The harmful effects of these invasive agents will cause infections and disorders that leave its prey in a weak, sick, and dying condition. The dangers brought by sickness fuel people to eat a nutritious diet, take supplements, and engage in exercises to keep their immune systems strong in order to repulse the pathogens and the free radicals from entering their bodies. A healthy lifestyle is the only way to combat these causative agents of diseases.

Spiritually, there are also pathogens and free radicals like temptations, persecutions, worries, fear, hardships, and all forms of trials that want to enter our spiritual lives to bring spiritual illness. Building a strong and healthy spiritual lifestyle is the best and most vital weapon to fight these agents of sickness. Here are four simple, yet powerful ways to provide the nutrition and power you need for a strong, healthy spiritual well-being.

Food is one of the most important things for living and nutrition. A balanced diet is essential to have the right nutrition for our bodies to be strong and healthy and to withstand diseases.

As we feed the physical part (body), we must also feed the spiritual part (spirit and soul) to have the right nutrition to live (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Man will live not only by material bread but by spiritual bread (Matthew 4:4). Ingesting the Bread of Life, the word of God, will provide nutrition for growth and nourishment to have a healthy spiritual life. It will strengthen our spiritual immune system to fight against spiritual sickness. A life filled with God’s word is spiritually strong and healthy (Matthew 4:1-11).

Water is also important to our health. The right amount of water, a minimum of eight glasses every day, is needed by our bodies to sustain our health and to avoid dehydration. Water is necessary for the overall functioning of the body organs to deliver vigor to the body. Likewise, we must drink the Living Water, the Holy Spirit, to add vigor to our spiritual lives and strengthen our spiritual immune systems to avoid spiritual illness (John 7:37-39). A life indwelled by the Holy Spirit is spiritually strong and healthy (Acts 1:8).

We take vitamins and minerals, and energy booster supplements to strengthen our immune system. Supplements are necessary when we lack the needed nutrition from the food we eat. They supply the required nutrients that the body needs to keep it strong and healthy. Spiritually, we can take supplements full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to repel spiritual pathogens and free radicals. These supplements will provide the needed spiritual nutrition to build a strong and healthy spiritual life to combat deadly spiritual diseases. They are:

• Prayer which provides essential nutrients to build a strong and healthy spiritual life. It is a channel for God’s presence and power to connect believers to God, the power source (Acts 4:31).
• Fasting helps to build a strong and healthy spiritual life. Worldly cravings can weaken a Christian’s spirituality. Fasting opens our lives up to God’s presence to energize our spiritual life and combat sickness (Matthew 4:2).
• Praise and Worship brings our lives into God’s presence to strengthen us against spiritual sickness, helping to keep us spiritually strong and healthy (Acts 16:25-26).
• Fellowship with Other Believers allows us to gain encouragement and strength from each other as we share God’s word and God’s presence (Hebrews 10:25). This is vital to building a strong and healthy spiritual life.

Vigorous physical exercise increases resistance to illness. Many walk, jog, bike, or perform other types of exercise. Others go to a fitness gym to build strong muscles which build strong immune systems to repulse pathogens and free radicals and to deter sickness.

Spiritual exercise is more valuable than physical exercise for it will produce spiritual life, strength, and nutrition (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Spiritual exercise simply means obeying God. If we obey the will of God, we can stand against the spiritual pathogens and free radicals, and the storms of life because our lives are founded on God, the Rock (Matthew 7:24-25). A life that obeys the will of God becomes spiritually strong and healthy.

ROSAULDO PONCE is a preacher and writer who engages in proclaiming God’s word to win souls and equips them for a productive Christian life.