Is Your Health Declining?

This week we are looking at the principles of divine prosperity. There are some life principles which remain constant regardless of whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament. Some life principles never change and are to be followed no matter what! 

3 John 1:2 says Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Psalm 35:27 says May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

1 Timothy 6:17 says Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

The past few days we learnt about material prosperity, and yesterday we looked into physical prosperity. 

2 Kings 5:1 says Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Good health is better than money, real estate and material blessings. Generally, there is something known as the old-age decline. As you get older, your body gets weaker, and is more prone to falling ill, etc. 

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 says (1) Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— (2) before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; (3) when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; (4) when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; (5) when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets. (6) Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, (7) and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Let us take a look at the story of David in 2 Samuel 21:15-17 which says (15) Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. (16) And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[a] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. (17) But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”

There are 2 people who were strengthened in their old age. 
Psalm 92:14 says They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

Deuteronomy 34:7 says Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

Moses is the first person who did not experience the  decline as he grew older in age. His ministry was an upward climb with his age. Imagine having the physical strength to climb up a mountain at the age of 120! It is an impossible task to even imagine but Moses was able to do it. At the same time, Moses who was 120 years of age did not suffer from any old age diseases. 

Another example of someone who did not go through old age decline was Caleb. 
Joshua 14:10-11 says (10) “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! (11) I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.

Children of God must take care of their physical bodies. You should take care of your health, the type of food you consume, having regular exercise, getting proper rest, etc. It is when we have all of this that we have physical prosperity. So do not put in things that will disturb the divine order in our lives, like consuming alcohol, smoking, doing drugs, and so on. We should not bring harm to our physical bodies. 

1 Corinthians 3:16 says Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

1 Corinthians 6:19 says Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;