Do You Know that Your Heart Affects Your Health?

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones (Proverbs 17:22, KJV)

Man is spirit, soul, and body. From a functional perspective, we can also say man is made up of up an inner part that is hidden(unseen) called the heart, and the outer part that is seen called the body. The inner man is the soul and the spirit. It is essentially your inner life, your thoughts, feelings, desires, motivations, etc. It is that part of you that no other man can see. The scriptures teach us that the inner man has a remarkable influence on the health of the outward man.

The scripture above says a joyful heart is like medication to the body, but when the inner man is crushed, it dries up the bones of that individual. What this means is that joy, sorrow, and despair affect the health of a person’s body. The phrase “drieth the bones” gives us a vivid description of the effects of disease when we are sick. Have you ever seen disease “dry up” someone’s body? It says a crushed heart or broken spirit dries the bones.

Joy affects your bodily health. Sorrow, despair, and emotional pain dry up the bones. One of the most remarkable manifestations of this scripture I have seen as a minister and medical doctor is the effects of bitterness on the health of a person. As doctors, we will often find a diagnosis, and many of those health conditions will have physical explanations. However, what the doctor might not know is that there are things inside of people that medications cannot fix that influence their health in ways that medical science cannot explain.

For your own good, obey the Lord and “rejoice always”! Forgive, and keep bitterness, sorrow, despair or hurts away from your heart. A joyful heart is like a medication to the body, but a smashed or crushed heart dries up the bones!

MEDITATE

Could Adam’s body be sick before the Fall in the Garden of Eden? Can you see the real origin of sickness, beyond the medical causes that we know?

APPLY THE WORD

Rejoice in the Lord. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Are you a joyful or sad person? Joy is a prescription from heaven for good health. Sadness, sorrow, bitterness, hurt etc are a prescription from hell to dry up our bodies with sickness. Choose life. Choose to obey God and rejoice in the Lord always! Do not wait for good news. Christ is your joy! Rejoice in the Lord, forgive and trust in Him to see you through any difficult situation you are in.