The Benefits of Positivity That Emanates From One’s Trust in God

4/25/2020 21 Comments

How to strengthen your relationship with God

The spread of COVID-19 practically in all parts of the world, even in the so-called first world countries, has cast great fear in the hearts of many. Especially when people have seen that this particular coronavirus is not selective of who it infects. It victimizes even the rich and famous, like powerful politicians, members of the royal family, well-known celebrities, and even basketball superstars.

Seeing how fast the virus is transmitted, some people have developed a stigma towards those who cough, sneeze, or simply clear their throat — suspecting that they could be carriers of the virus. So they try to distance themselves out of fear that they might get infected.

The scare of this virus has also made many develop anxiety about the possibility that, one of these days, they too would manifest the symptoms of someone who is positive for COVID-19. Hence, every single day, their thoughts are preoccupied with the health crisis that the whole world is going through.

The human mind is very powerful. Sometimes, the things that a person always thinks of — the things that he deeply dreads, like contracting grave illnesses — can be imbibed in his system. And if he doesn’t dismiss such thoughts at once, they might become a reality.

Meaning, if there is that great fear in him of acquiring a particular disease and he keeps on thinking about it day and night, there is a great possibility that he will really acquire that disease inasmuch as his mind has been set to it. The Bible affirms that.

In PROVERBS 18:14 (KJV), it says,

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

With God’s help, our minds and spirits have the power to counteract, or offset, our infirmities. Our spirits and our trust in God will guide us on how we should deal with our fears and anxieties.

But if your mind is always preoccupied with various fears, if you incessantly think about them, then your fears shall really come upon you.

PROVERBS 10:24 (KJV) says,

The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

Even in the midst of a battle against an unseen enemy, it is important that a person develops a positive outlook in life. In all aspects of life — in every challenge that comes our way, and in every health problem that we experience — it is important to always trust God and to practice positivity.

Unfounded fears can cause stress and depression, which in turn, can weaken the immune system. On the other hand, having a positive outlook can boost a person’s immune system; a strong immune system can weaken, and even overpower, a virus.

A person who has a positive outlook in life is not easily bothered; he is not easily shaken by problems, and he does not allow his worries and fears to command his life. Instead, he has peace of mind and a very positive disposition — a positivity that emanates from his trust in God and in what God can do.

He believes that at the end of the day, it is still the will of the Almighty God that will prevail, and it will be for the betterment of all.

In a study conducted by some doctors from the U.S.A., they found out that a person’s belief in God has a positive effect on his health.

Belief in God really does make you feel better, study suggests

“The new analyses reviewed previous studies of spirituality involving more than 44,000 cancer patients altogether. The studies varied in many ways, but religion and spirituality were associated with better health regardless of specific religion or set of spiritual beliefs.”


In that particular study, the doctors were able to establish that belief in God positively contributes to recovery, regardless of the patient’s religious affiliation and religious beliefs and practices. But of course, a more speedy recovery can be expected from a believer of God who also has a happy disposition and a positive outlook in life.

PROVERBS 17:22 (KJV) says,

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

This is very true in all aspects. It is also affirmed by science. Your bones will be prejudiced by a broken spirit but “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Even doctors agree that a merry heart, a positive outlook, contributes to a person’s wellness. As previously stated, you just have to see to it that your positivity emanates from your trust in God.

It is our trust in God that should direct our actions. For instance, when certain health concerns trouble you, make sure that before you consult a doctor and before you take any medicine, pray to God first.

Doctors, even if they happen to be specialists, are also prone to committing mistakes. They have certain frailties and limitations, too. But if you pray first, God could guide the doctor in diagnosing your illness and in giving you a proper prescription.

It cannot be denied that in terms of advancement in the field of science, what the United States of America has achieved remains unparalleled in the history of humanity.

However, it is just ironic that despite being advanced in healthcare, records show that the third-leading cause of death in America are medical errors, which include wrong prescriptions, misdiagnoses, and hospital infections.

The third-leading cause of death in US most doctors don’t want you to know about
 
“Medical errors are the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer.”


This is where God’s guidance to medical doctors is immensely needed. If a doctor is guided by God, he or she will be able to make the right diagnosis, prescribe the right medicines, and be prompted to exercise extra caution so as not to cause an infection on his patient.

God can do what a doctor cannot; He sees what the doctor can’t see, and He knows what the doctor does not understand. Through the guidance of the Lord, the doctor will be able to perform his task with precision and accuracy, and you will not be a victim of misdiagnosis and wrong prescription.

Giving wrong prescriptions, misdiagnoses, and even infections acquired in hospitals may stem from the carelessness of some health professionals.

In one article that I’ve read, it mentioned that there were war veterans in the USA that suffer from diseases like hepatitis and AIDS. When they made an investigation on the matter, they found out that an 89-year-old veteran, who was found to have acquired AIDS, got it from their Veterans Hospital itself where they undergo regular check-ups. Another veteran, on the other hand, acquired hepatitis when he underwent dental procedure.

Veterans Administration hospital may have infected 1800 veterans with HIV
 

Even dentists can be careless and reckless in the performance of their work. I, myself, have observed how some dentists are likely to infect their patients. Yes, they wear gloves, their dental tools are sterilized. But they tend to overlook certain aspects that could be detrimental to their patients.

For example, while performing a tooth extraction, a dentist sometimes holds the dental chair to adjust it. He also adjusts the light to give him a clearer view of the patient’s mouth. After that, without changing his gloves, he would scrutinize again the patient’s mouth using the same hands that touched the dental chair and the light, which were both not disinfected.

How sure was he that there were no viruses on his dental chair and on his lamp? Viruses can thrive on surfaces for a certain period of time. In the case of the coronavirus, its lifespan out of the home is about five days.

What I am trying to point out is, indeed, the carelessness and the lack of compassion of some people towards their fellows can prejudice lives. Because of this, we can say that our only recourse is the intervention of the Almighty God.

It will give us a feeling of security if we implore His mercy and protection at all times, especially in this distressing period when many people seem to be confused, discouraged, and hopeless.

Let us trust in God; let us entrust to Him our lives and everything that we have because He is our only hope.

Instead of worrying ourselves about things that are beyond our control, instead of being paranoid, let us use this difficult situation as an opportunity to always communicate with God through fervent prayers as He is the only one that we can truly rely on.

God sees the viruses which humans cannot see; He has the power to annihilate them in a split of a second; and He can also guide the concerned people in finding an antidote to this deadly coronavirus.

I sincerely hope that this pandemic brings more and more people closer to God, and may it make all men realize our complete dependence on God’s mercy and lovingkindness.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN.

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Embracing God's Purpose for Being a Godly Husband and Wife

Christian Relationship Advice from the Bible

In these perilous times, building a strong husband and wife relationship and fulfilling the marriage vow “till death do us part” have become a tough challenge for many couples. Each day, husbands and wives have to battle against problems and temptations that pose threats to their relationship. Hence, they take every measure that they know just to preserve and safeguard not just their marriage but also their whole family. Unfortunately, not all couples succeed.

First of all, we have to understand that husbands and wives, by themselves alone, are not capable of building and maintaining a strong relationship. One way or another, they will be distracted, or worse, they might succumb to the many distractions which Satan is placing before them.

What could really make a marital relationship solid and strong is the teachings of God. We can be sure that if a relationship is founded on God’s teachings, husbands and wives will not be easily shaken even by what others perceive to be insurmountable odds and irresistible temptations. They will remain firm and unmoved, and they will continue to hold on to each other, no matter what, because their marriage is anchored on the teachings of God.

ACTS 14:22 (KJV) says,

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

According to Luke, the Apostle Paul, as well as the other apostles, confirmed or strengthened the souls of the disciples by exhorting them to continue in the faith so that when tribulations come, they would not be easily disheartened. The faith of the disciples became strong because they listened to the exhortation of the preachers of God. Here, we can see the vital role that the preachers of God — like the apostles — play in making people develop a strong faith.

The same thing is true when we talk about having a strong marital relationship or keeping a marriage intact. Husbands and wives likewise need to also listen to a preacher who is truthfully preaching the teachings of God.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:3 (KJV) says,

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

Let me first clarify that in the New Testament, “prophesying” does not refer to the act of foretelling future events. Prophesying, in the New Testament, means to speak for edification, exhortation, and comfort. And this task rests on the shoulders of the preachers of God.

Now, where will the words that edify, exhort, and comfort come from?

ROMANS 15:4 (KJV) says,

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The words of God — His teachings, His commandments — which are being preached by a preacher of God, are in the Scriptures. The words of God can edify and give comfort, and they could guide couples in making their relationship strong, harmonious, and conflict-free.

However, it does not start and end with solely listening to the teachings of God; God’s teachings have to be obeyed. It is the obedience to God’s commandments that could make husband and wife, and the whole family for that matter, intact and united. That is why it is very important that family members always listen to the words of God — to the gospel.

COLOSSIANS 1:23 (KJV) says,

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, . . .

The gospel could strengthen the relationship between a husband and a wife because it contains admonitions that are aimed at fostering love, care, and respect that couples should give to each other.

For instance, in EPHESIANS 5:28 (KJV) this is what the Apostle Paul said to husbands,

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

In EPHESIANS 5:23 (KJV), it says,

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Husbands are being instructed to head their wives with kindness and consideration.

In EPHESIANS 5:25 (KJV), it says,

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

The gospel is also teaching the husbands to be loving, caring, and considerate to their wives. They need to love their wives the way Christ loves the Church.

But the admonitions are not limited to husbands only. The Gospel, likewise, gives specific instructions to wives.

EPHESIANS 5:22, 24 (KJV) says,

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

The wives are being told to submit themselves to their husbands, and that they should acknowledge the authority that their husbands have over them.

EPHESIANS 5:33 (KJV) says,

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Aside from loving their husbands, the gospel is also teaching the wives to show reverence to their husbands.

The gospel has a complete prescription for husbands and wives on how they could achieve a healthy and strong relationship. If every husband and wife will nurture in their hearts and put into practice all of the teachings of the gospel — which they could hear from the preacher being used by God to be His instrument in edifying souls — without a doubt, they will surely have a solid and lasting relationship despite the dark schemes of Satan.

The teachings of the gospel could strengthen, or edify, not only a husband and wife relationship but also all other relationships like the relationship among friends, among members of the family, among siblings, and even among brethren in the Church.

EPHESIANS 4:16 (KJV) says,

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

What edifies everybody in the Church is love. Above all is the love for God; and then the love for our fellowmen, for our spouses and children, for our brethren, and even for our enemies. Love is both a binding and a strengthening or edifying factor in any relationship.

Any organization, any household, any group within the Church, will be edified if love will prevail. As stated in Ephesians 4:16 (KJV), “. . . maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

Love is what should bind people together; love makes all relationships strong and resilient.

COLOSSIANS 3:14 (ASV) says,

and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.

Love is considered the bond of perfection. If everybody in a household —husband, wife, children, siblings, grandparents — will learn the kind of love that the Bible teaches, no problem will be left unresolved, no differences will be left unsettled, and no couples will be cheating on each other. Family members will not fall apart even if tribulations come because they are welded together by love.

If there is one thing that I am truly proud of, it is the solidarity and the love that prevail among the brethren in our organization. It is evident that the brethren in the Church of God are edified by the love that is being taught by the Bible. We continually experience lots of persecutions, defamations, and practically all forms of harassment but we have remained resolute, firm, and undaunted because we have been strengthened by the love being taught by the Bible. Thanks be to God!

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