DIVINE HEALTH

FOCUS VERSE: Exodus 23: 25 - “Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water.  I will take away sickness from among you.”

DECLARATION:  The Lord keeps me in divine health; no sickness can prevail against me today.

1.Divine health is part of God’s covenant:                                       From the Old Testament times to the New Testament, God has revealed Himself as the ‘Healer’. Healing is part and parcel of the covenant plan of God.  Healing is not an afterthought; but a part of God’s redemptive nature. 

Exodus 15: 26 - I am the Lord that healeth thee.  
 
Psalm 103: 2 and 3 - He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

3 John 1: 2 - Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

Worship the Lord your God; because worship positions us for covenant blessing.  

2.Worship and obedience invite protection:                                       The food we eat today has been chemically treated and in effect could prove harmful to our system.  But when we thank God for the same food and consume it, we are protected from all the bacteria that could be present in it.  God protects by turning it into nourishment that is fruitful for our body. 
Exodus 23: 26 - None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.  
God’s mode of bringing health and healing into our lives is blessing the food that we eat.  When we honour God primarily, His blessing rests on what sustains us. 

Deut. 7: 15 - The Lord will keep you from every disease.

Provs. 4: 20 - 22 - My son, pay attention to what I say; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 - Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 - For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

Psalm 107: 20 - He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them for their destruction.

Isaiah 53: 5 - By His stripes, we are healed.  

Health does not pertain to the physical alone, but mental, spiritual and emotional wholeness.  Eg: A well-maintained garden or orchard gives plenty of flowers and fruits.  Similarly, a life rooted in worship flourishes under God’s care. 

3.Jesus demonstrated God’s healing heart:                                                  While on earth, Jesus did not ignore sickness.  He came not only to forgive sin but also to heal the by-products of sin, which is a sick body, curses and death.  Jesus confronted all of these.  Healing was a visible sign of the ‘kingdom’.  

Matthew 4: 23 - Jesus healed every sickness among them. 

Acts 10: 38 - He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.  

Jesus touched the leprous and healed them. The Cross secured both forgiveness and healing.  The resurrection confirms His authority over sickness.  A light never fights darkness to get rid of it, it simply shines and darkness disappears.  When Jesus appears, sickness loses authority.  

4.Faith and wisdom work together:                                                      Divine health does not ignore practical wisdom.  We trust God fully while stewarding our bodies with responsibility.  Many believers commit the mistake of not looking after their health by proclaiming that God will take care of them.  The Apostle Paul suffered much in his body due to the innumerable beatings and thrashings and incarceration. But he had to take care of his body to get back to proper health.  His disciple Timothy after much travel in ministry was advised by Paul to consume a little wine which would help in his digestion.  
While we trust in God to look after us, we need to take care of our health in a responsible manner.  I have come across people who buy expensive cars and look after them with great care.  But these people do not look after their bodies with half as much interest - no exercising, no healthy diet, no proper rest or sleep.  This is equated with destroying the Temple of God - because He resides in us.  A church or prayer hall is well-maintained and rightly so.  Today, our body is the Temple of the Living God and we are responsible to take good care of it.  
1 Cor. 6: 19 - 20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? 20 - for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body. 

Prov 17: 22 - A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Psalm 91: 10 - No evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague shall come near your tent.  

We need to care for our bodies with discipline and self-control.  A vehicle, to function well, needs fuel to run, the engine has to be in good condition, the body has to be well-maintained and it has to be driven carefully.  Otherwise, it is not effective.  We need to steward our bodies in a manner pleasing to God and profitable to us.  
Worship God with a thankful heart.  Speak out, proclaim the promises of God.  Live at peace with everyone.  Keep away from people and activities that destroy your peace of mind.  We may get sick even if we take good care of our bodies - this is because we live in an imperfect world.  The healing comes from Jesus and He will bless us with long life.  Length of life is not the number of years, but the span of time during which a person accomplishes all that God has purposed for him.   Jesus completed His work by the age of 33 and He went back to the Father.  Paul lived for around 64 years, completing his ministry for the kingdom of God and passed on.  Moses lived for 120 years before he was taken away to glory.  God has determined a life span for each person.  

God bless you all.