21st January, 2022.

START THE YEAR ON THE RIGHT FOOT Pt.21

Proverbs 25:27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR HEALTH

In contemporary church history, there was a man mightily used by God in the early revivals. He was a very young man who preached from place to place with great manifestations of God's power. At the age of 29, he became gravely sick. On his death bed, he said "God gave me a message and a horse, i couldn't deliver the message because I damaged the horse"( paraphrase). He referred to his body as horse and his ministry as the message. He died untimely because he didn't pay attention to his health. There are several cases of ministers who died as a result of carelessness as regards the issue of their health. Some were caught in the trap of too much work without rest, some ate the wrong stuff and weren't health conscious at all.

Some believers are careless about their health. We often push everything about our health to "faith". Some brethren took the issue of health and wellness to the extreme by refusing to see doctors. In some circles, it is forbidden to use medications. Some teachings have made medical science look like the wisdom of hell. In fact, some believers 'demonize' doctors as though they're working in partnership with the devil. When you listen to the testimony of some while reporting what the medics say, they'll present it as though the doctor is a mouth piece and partner with the devil in their health crisis but God came to their rescue. Really, I don't know how Christian doctors feel when they hear things like this. We need wisdom on health matters. I was part of a prayer team who prayed for a brother who had hernia many years ago, he was writhing in pain. We spoke all manners of tongues on this brother till he died. So painful. Would it have been wrong if someone had taken the initiative to take him to the hospital?

In the part of the world where I come from, it is common to see pregnant women give birth in prayer houses. So many maternal&paediatric casualties have happened in such places due to quackery. I've not said it is wrong to pray but wisdom is the principal thing not prayer. On health matters, it is wise to take advantage of God's wisdom available through science. No matter how anointed you are, if you don't pay attention to your health, you may cut short your life. Our bodies haven't become immortal yet, it is subject to corruption and decay. You may have good dreams and visions for life but without good health, those things remain as mere wishful thinking. This year, don't play with your health. Eat right, rest well and exercise your body. Avoid living a sedentary lifestyle. There are simple exercises you can engage in if you can't afford a gym. Brisk walking, skipping and other simpler forms of exercises can be done within your house. As advised, don't wait till you're sick before doing a medical check on your body. It is better to live in prevention mode than to live in attention mode where you'll always need the attention of medics. Every good thing you've conceived in your heart for the year rises and fall on good health. Take care of your health.