A Spiritual Health Check

Dear Friends,

This week I was given a free NHS Health Check. The check is offered to everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 and is part of a national scheme to help prevent the onset of health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and stroke and helps you to "be better prepared for the future and be able to take steps to maintain or improve your health."  I had a blood test to check my cholesterol level, my blood pressure was taken and my height and weight measured.  I was declared healthy in regards to those health problems and encouraged to maintain my health with a healthy diet and exercise.

This physical health check got me thinking and I made the decision this week to have a spiritual health check too.  Just as I needed the help of a professional to take me through my physical, I knew I wasn't qualified to do my spiritual health check on my own - I needed the help of the Holy Spirit to take me through it as he is the one who can help me identify any areas of concern and he is also able to help me deal with them so that I can maintain and improve my spiritual health.

So with the Holy Spirit and God's Word I attended my personal spiritual health check and have outlined the process below:
 
Prayer: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT)

1. My Heart: Do I have a servant heart?  Do I love the things God loves?  Is God at the centre of my heart?  Am I harbouring any unhealthy feelings that need to be dealt with, such as anger, fear, worry, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, jealousy?

Prayer: "Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a loyal spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10 NLT)

2. My Mind: this concerns my thought life.  What occupies my mind?  What kinds of things am I allowing my mind to dwell on - are they healthy or unhealthy things?  Do I have any unhealthy attitudes?

3. My Mouth: What kind of speech comes out of my mouth?  Do I gossip?  Lie?  Boast?  Discourage?  Criticise?  Is my speech judgmental?  Or do I speak words of encouragement?  Words that are loving and compassionate? Uplifting?  Truthful?  Words that give praise to God?  Jesus said "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." Luke 6:45 (NLT).  The things that I say give me a good indication as to the spiritual health of my heart. 

Prayer: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14 NLT)

4. My Hands and Feet: this concerns my actions.  What am I doing with my time?  Do I use it wisely?  Am I seeking to do God's will?  Is there an area of my life where I am being disobedient to God?  Is there any unhealthy behaviour in my life?

Prayer:  "Thank you God that you have begun a good work in me, and thank you that you will continue your work in my life until it is completed when Jesus returns." (based on Philippians 1:6)

With the Holy Spirit's guidance I went through each of the four areas I've mentioned, whenever he pointed out sin in my life, I confessed it, repented of it and asked for God's forgiveness.  He showed me areas where I needed to change and promised he would help me.  And he also showed me areas where I was to maintain, with his help, my spiritual health.

At the end of my physical health check I asked the nurse when my next one would be, only to be told that this was a one off free health check.  I'm so glad a spiritual health check isn't a one off.  It is necessary that you and I regularly set aside time with God to examine the state of our spiritual health, so that the Holy Spirit can reveal to us anything unhealthy, and then our health can be restored as we work with him, following his leading and guidance. Our spiritual health is maintained by keeping a close relationship with God and allowing him to speak into our life, by regularly reading the bible (a healthy diet) and by applying it to our lives and putting it into practice (healthy exercise).

To Think About:
Make time in the next week or so to have your own spiritual health check.  You may want to use what I've shared as a starting point or you may feel led by God to do it differently.

The nurse I saw gave me a record of her findings.  If you keep a journal you may find it helpful to keep a record of your spiritual health check so when you repeat it you have something to compare it with.

Vicki



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