When we think about our physical health, most of us are aware of the indicators our body gives us when there is something wrong. We may experience pain in the area that needs our attention. We may start to feel run-down, tired, under-the-weather, when our immune system comes under attack. Or sometimes it can be as simple as feeling tired or hungry – our body’s indicators that we have used up all our energy resources and they are in need of replenishment.
But what about when it comes to our spiritual health? How aware are we of the indicators that we are spiritually healthy or, as the case may be, unhealthy? What are the signs that we need to look out for and how do we maintain or even improve our spiritual health?
In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus gives us some pointers in the area of identifying our spiritual health.
“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
The health of a tree is identified by the health of the fruit it produces. Likewise the spiritual health of a person can be identified by the visible attributes that a person demonstrates – spiritual fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists these spiritual fruit as:
Love · Joy · Peace · Patience · Kindness · Goodness · Faithfulness · Gentleness · Self-control
These are the outward indicators of a healthy spirit! And the opposite is also true. When our spiritual health begins to decline, hate, sorrow, anger, short temper, hurt, pain, resentment, self-indulgence are outward signs of an internal issue.
In the same way that we may go for a physical health check on a periodic basis, it is helpful to run a spiritual self-check-up from time to time of our performance in these areas. Which “fruits” best describe your emotions and your actions on a daily basis?
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithful
Gentle
Self-control
Hate
Sorrow
Worry
Anger
Resentfulness
Wickedness
Flaky
Harsh
Self-indulgence
It doesn’t need to be formal or scored (although if this helps then by all means try it) but assessing your spiritual health is essential to identifying areas that you may need holy spirit transformation by identifying any “cause for concern” before it is too late (because God is all about the process of transformation).
A spiritually healthy person produces good fruit out of the good things that are stored up in their heart.
And on the contrary; a spiritually unhealthy person produces evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts above everything else because everything we do flows from it. Our heart is the part of us that wants, that desires (Psalm 37:4). It is the part of us from which our passions, our likes and our dislikes originate. Jesus is telling us that to become spiritually healthy involves choosing to align our desires with God’s. (I look more in depth into this in my previous blog “How to love well” if you want a larger definition of what it means to love God with all our heart).
It is important that we are treasuring up the good things of God in our hearts, things that we can think on and draw strength from (Luke 2:19), things that help us to see as God sees, know as God knows and love as God loves. What are you storing in your heart? Is it thanks to God for his wonderful deeds (Psalm 37:4)? Is it trust and joy in the Lord who is your help and shield (Psalm 28:7)? Or is it pride, slander, resentment and deceit?
Psalm 101
“I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbours.
I will not endure conceit and pride.I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the Lord from their grip.”
It’s so easy with the daily pressures of life, for us to allow our spiritual health to decline, but growth comes through awareness and once we develop that awareness, we can commit ourselves to maintain and improve with the help of the Holy Spirit and God’s life-transforming Word. So ask yourself, what is the condition of my spiritual health? What am I doing to keep the condition of my heart healthy?
Thank you God that you desire a relationship with us above all else.
Thank you that we do not have to be perfect to come into relationship with you.
Please help me to develop an awareness of my spiritual health in order that I can encounter more of your transformative love.
Help me to treasure up the good things of you in my heart, that I may be pure in heart and encounter more of your goodness.
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