Running Head: SPIRITUAL HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

Spiritual Healthy Lifestyle
Controlling Stress through the Power of Faith and Prayer

MLF

Wayland Baptist University
Dr. J

Abstract
There are six main components that pertain to maintaining a person’s health and wellness and one of the most important component that affects all the others is a person’s spiritual health. Stress is the number one attribute that can hinder, detract from, and impact a person’s quest for a healthier lifestyle of living. Becoming spiritually healthy is a unique experience for each individual and cannot be achieved without prayer and faith. Nothing promotes health of body and of soul more than a spirit that is fed directly through prayer. When a person is seeking a healthier life they should ultimately focus on improving all six components of wellness that includes physical, emotional, social, occupational, spiritual, and intellectual. To be completely satisfied in life they must lead a balanced life and the only way to be balanced is to be connected with God and become spiritually healthy and whole.

Spiritual Healthy Lifestyle
Controlling Stress through the Power of Faith and Prayer
Being healthy is an important aspect in everyone’s life. However, many people don’t realize that there is more than just physical health involved in obtaining the optimum level of health (Fleharty, 2009). Many professionals believe that health and wellness actually involves six main components. The six components are physical, emotional, social, occupational, spiritual, and intellectual (Fleharty, 2009). There are numerous reasons and countless research that supports why an individual should stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Research has proven that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly promotes a host of benefits. However one aspect that is just as important as all the other wellness components is achieving and maintaining a spiritually healthy lifestyle. Just as being physically healthy cannot be achieved without proper eating and exercise, a spiritually healthy lifestyle cannot be achieved without prayer and faith. Stress is the number one factor that can hinder, detract from and impact our quest for healthier lifestyle of living.
The mental and physical benefits of following a healthy lifestyle are significant, and the bottom line is that consistent healthy choices lead to a longer life (Schuna, 2010). Major League Baseball pitcher, Pedro Martinez once quoted,” I believe that if you're healthy, you're capable of doing everything. There's no one else who can give you health but God, and by being healthy I believe that God is listening to me”. Contrary to what we believe, we can eat healthy, watch our diet, exercise until we pass out, do yoga two or three times a week, but without God our efforts are useless. In this quote I believe Pedro understood the power of prayer. He had faith that he was capable of doing anything just like the Word tells us in Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Pedro had this faith and I believe that the successes in his baseball career was because of it.
Prayer is communication with God, it is the time we take out of our lives to share with God our hopes, dreams, and desires. Prayer is the glue that keeps us connected to our heavenly Father. Not only do we talk to God during prayer, but God then uses our prayer time to speak to us. He tells us what his plans for our lives are, and he will also let us know which direction we should be going. This prayer time of talking to and listening to God, can help us to relieve major stress and worry in our lives. But all too often we get an idea about our lives and what we should be doing and we proceed based upon our own intellect, desires and plans. Oftentimes our impatience with waiting on God can lead us to make decisions and take paths that are not meant for us nor are good for us. Our lack of faith feeds impatience and this can cause major problems which usually lead to stress. It is with this undo distress that in turn affects our health and our wellbeing. Faith is a belief that is not based on proof. Faith is what it takes for us to believe the impossible, it is what motivates us to believe in a God that we cannot see or touch. By faith we read the Word of God, and we believe that that word came from God. It is in faith that we learn to put our trust in that word. It is our faith in God that separates us from the world and causes us to look to God to help sustain our good health and lead us on a path that he has designed just for us. Faith is believing that no matter what a situation looks like and no matter what the world has to say about a matter, we as Christians will cling to and believe with everything we are that every aspect of our lives are directed by an infallible God.
Stress correlates to a lack of faith in God. Unmanaged stress can lead to distress which can cause physical, emotional, and mental damage if not controlled. Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress (Goldberg, 2012). When we fail to take control of the stressors in our life it can be a direct attack against being able to live a healthy lifestyle. Stress is like a ping pong bomb (ball) bouncing around inside of us. As soon as your mind starts to worry or grow overly concerned about something, there are physical reactions that begin to occur in the body. First, your nervous system is kick started to release hormones in your body that are designed to produce a fight or flight response. Then the heart beat begins to speed up and you begin to breathe a lot faster, sometimes to the point of hyperventilation. The whole body then tense up and some people even begin to sweat; and all this can occur from just a single negative thought. This response can last a short period of time or even longer. The problem is that when the response lasts a long time, or becomes reoccurring it can then lead to more serious issues that will now detract from good health. To have these stress hormones running unchecked through your body will eventually cause your body to break down and you can become more prone to a host of other physical problems and opportunistic illnesses such as headache, stomach aches, depression, problems sleeping, high blood pressure, chest pain, and even chronic heart failure. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases (Goldberg, 2012).
Just as becoming physically fit is a challenging process that can be improved with changes in exercising regularly and eating healthier, the same goes for getting and staying spiritually healthy. Although it is not an easy process to achieve, you have to discipline yourself to make lifestyle changes by feeding your spirit the Word through prayer and meditation and exercising it by being an example of that Word to others so that it spreads throughout the world. You can only achieve this first by making a decision to allow yourself to become more focused on your inner spiritual being rather than focusing solely on the physical. This is definitely where adopting a life style of prayer can now come in handy. When striving for physical health, you might cut down on sweets and fatty foods, and increase your intake of fruits and vegetables; in the same manner when getting spiritually healthy you might want to cut down on worrying about what ifs, and regrets and increase your intimate prayer time with God. When there is a question or concern you have to learn to take them to God in prayer; to speak to Him about your issues and then allow him to lead and guide you.
Seventy-five to ninety percent of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints (Goldberg, 2012). The effects of stress on the body are detrimental and these extremely high statistics relate to unnecessary ailments throughout the world. This is where faith plays a major part in decreasing stress. A person has to have a core where they believe that God is a healer and that He can do all things and that He has everything under control. Their faith is what allows them to believe that God will speak to them, move on their behalf, and what is going to keep them going before God to seek answers every time there is a concern or issue. If you get into this habit stress can not dwell in you. You can never allow stressing about a situation to outweigh the time that you spend sharing that issue with God. Prayer is like an in-put out-put value, you can only get out of prayer what you put into it. If you plant seeds of doubt, faith cannot be activated. Becoming spiritually healthy is a process that is well worth the practice.
Spirituality is different for everyone. For many, spirituality takes the form of religious observance, prayer, meditation or a belief in a higher power. For others, it can be found in nature, music, art or a secular community (Staff, 2011). Pastor John Nagle of Faith Baptist Church ministries stated on his website that when we submit ourselves to prayer, by faith it allows the power of what only God can do. God responds to the prayers of His people and the conclusion is spiritual health” (Nagle, 2012). In order to get healthy and live a healthier lifestyle that includes reduced stress and peace of mind it requires prayer and faith. Greenberg defines spiritual health as an adherence to religious doctrine; the ability to discover and express one's purpose in life; to experience love, joy, peace, and fulfillment; or to achieve and help others to achieve full potential (Greenberg, 2013, p. 219).
The text states that for some people spirituality has nothing to do with religion. I tend to disagree. Yet it goes on to say that 90 percent of the world’s population is still involved in some form of religious or spiritual practice (Greenberg, 2013, p. 219). True spirituality is being one with God and having a deep connection with Him. Spirituality is a person’s view of life's meaning, direction, purpose, and connectedness to other things, other people, and the past and future (Greenberg, 2013, p. 220). So how it is that one’s religion has nothing to do with spirituality? Personally my spirituality is based on my faith; my religion. Spirituality is the core of a person; it’s what keeps them balanced. My core is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To maintain balance there has to be stability. It would be unwise to base my core, my spirituality off of something that is not stable. If I place my family, friends, or job as my core and tragedy happens it would disrupt my world causing distress. However, because of my faith, I have made Jesus Christ my core, the center of everything, my life is now in balance. He’s never changing, never wavering, and He’s the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. For every situation there is an explanation. For every problem there is an answer. For every question there is a solution. This is where my spiritual health flows from. In Him lies my purpose in life; in Him is where I experience love, joy, peace, fulfillment and am able to achieve and help others to achieve their full potential. I don’t allow any worry or concern to take my focus from God, and then when something big rocks my foundation; I turn again to prayer and faith to bolster up my spiritual immunity. The Bible tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). Prayer is the verbal release of faith, it is my way of showing the Father that I know he is in control and that my fate truly lies in his hands and I am not at the mercy of whatever my physical self wants to stress about. Faith is a mindset; it’s a heart thing. Prayer is our vehicle and faith is the power to move that vehicle forward, and without faith prayer is useless. Pastor Nagle goes on to say “that prayer is to the soul what breathing is to the body. It is essential. In fact, there can be no genuine spiritual health apart from a vibrant prayer life” (Nagle, 2012). Prayer is one of the greatest assets in the world that can be used anytime, by anyone, for any reason. Prayer is communication with God and it is the key to releasing the power of God in our lives, prayer is vital to keeping us spiritually healthy. Prayer is that quiet time with God that rejuvenates and restores us. Research in our text stated that even those who were not religious, can and often will resort to prayer to help them get through the situations that life will bring their way. Twenty five percent of those people who say they do not believe in prayer or God had others pray for them in times of critical illness. (Greenberg, 2013, p. 219).
Prayer is our conversation where we speak to God and He hears our requests. As believers, it is comforting to know that God hears our prayers, to understand that he wants to grant us the desires of our hearts. The Bible tells us to pray for each other so that we can be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 NIV). Faith is the power to move our prayers into existence; it is the active ingredient in prayer. Faith and prayer together are essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The text stated that forty-five percent of Americans use prayer for health reasons (Greenberg, 2013, p. 219). According to Dr. Dean Ornish, leading coronary health researcher and developer of the Life-Style Heart Trial, a lack of emotional and spiritual health is the basic cause of heart disease (Greenberg, 2013, p. 220). Prayer plays a huge part in not only being spiritually healthy but also physically healthy.
Knowing that not only can we talk to God when we have an issue, but that God actively hears us and even directs angels to move on our behalf goes a long way to ensuring that we can take all of our health concerns to God. And even if it is not his will to instantly heal us, we know that he has promised to give us peace in the midst of a storm, we know that he is able to heal us, and through faith we trust whatever decision he makes on our behalf. That is just one example of how prayer and faith going hand in hand.
Statistically older people and African Americans are more likely than others to turn to prayer in their time of need (Greenberg, 2013, p. 219). A survey conducted by Barna Research about people's prayer habits revealed some surprising statistics. In a normal week 88% of women compared to 75% of men, and 89% of teenagers typical pray. On a weekly basis 96% of born-again Christians pray weekly, and surprisingly 72% of people not describing themselves as born-again also pray on a weekly basis (McManus, n.d.).
Improving your spiritual health can have positive effects in all aspects of your life. An author on the Live Strong website stated that no matter how old a person is or what kind of diet and exercise pattern he or she follows, it's possible for that person to make adjustments and improve their health (Schuna, 2010). The way to improve it is by getting spiritually healthy. How does a person get spiritually healthy? Spiritual health like any other healthy lifestyle change, it is a personal choice that you have to discover within your own mind and integrate your own beliefs and values with your own actions. When a person is spiritually healthy they have an inner peace about themselves, their self-esteem is improved, and mentally it is easier to embrace and deal with, any and everything around them because of their faith.
Spiritual health is often the most overlooked aspect of healing (Larry Trivieri, 2001) even though in physical health spirituality plays a significant role. Doctors and scientists once avoided the study of spirituality in connection to medicine, but findings within the past ten years have indicated that religion and faith can help promote good health and fight diseases (Dowshen, 2011). According to the Bible, we are triune beings just like God, and therefore it is logical to conclude that our mind, body and spirit must all be in tune and healthy if we are to achieve good health. It is not possible to leave any part of our beings out of the equation. Can you be healthy if you are not spiritually fit, I do not believe so. We must attend to every part of our being in order to achieve overall total fitness.
To be spiritually healthy, faith has to be activated and you have to be consciously aware of the role that the Spirit plays. One of the many oppositions that people face in a healthy lifestyle is stress. Most stress is brought on by fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. In the Bible it tells us that fear is taken away by faith. In 2 Timothy 1:7 it says For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (KJV). When a person is spiritually healthy the feelings of fear is reduced, and it provides you with a greater capacity for loving yourself and others unconditionally (Larry Trivieri, 2001). It frees us to love one another the way God loves us, and gives us the power to believe the impossible is possible, and the comfort to know that a matter is not settled until God settles it.
One of the top priorities in a healthy lifestyle is reducing the many stressors that life brings. It’s virtually impossible to eliminate stress completely, however to be spiritually healthy, stress has to be reduced. Many people turn to unhealthy habits when stress becomes overwhelming. Stress becomes distress and very harmful when people use alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or even sex as to try and relieve their stressors. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems (Goldberg, 2012).
One way to break the vicious cycle of stress is to bring your concerns to God through an active process of meditation and prayer. (Nedley, n.d.). Stress is the root to many diseases which if left unchecked can and often does unfortunately lead to death. According to the National Vital Statistics, heart disease is the number one leading cause of deaths and suicide is actually the number ten leading cause of deaths in the U.S. (Berezow, 2013). These statistics are unacceptably disturbing. It is so important to have a positive outlet in your life to help alleviate these stressors that are killing people on a daily basis. It has become vital to our existence to live a physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy life and one of the benefits of a spiritually healthy lifestyle is stress relief.
Medical studies indicate that spiritually (healthy) people exhibit fewer self-destructive behaviors like suicide, smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, less stress, and a greater total life satisfaction (Dowshen, 2011). When one is spiritually healthy it brings on an inner peace and it is easier to achieve life satisfaction. There are a variety of self-care approaches to achieve a spiritual healthy lifestyle which includes: prayer, meditation, gratitude, and spending time within nature. These attributes can further deepen your awareness of yourself as a spiritual, socially-connected being, and are increasingly being recommended by conventional and holistic physicians alike. (Larry Trivieri, 2001).
Spiritual health affects has been supported and explained through three theories; the control theory, social support theory, and the placebo theory. The control theory is when someone feels some degree of control over a stressor, that person’s health will be less affected by the stressor than will the health of someone’s who perceives little or no control (Greenberg, 2013, p. 222). The two approaches to the control theory are primary and secondary control. Primary control which is similar to problem-focused coping refers to attempts to change a situation (Greenberg, 2013, p. 222). An example of primary control is intercessory prayer, which is prayers that seek divine intervention either to prevent or to help overcome an occurrence. Secondary control which is similar to emotion-focused coping refers to attempts to control oneself or ones emotional reaction (Greenberg, 2013, p. 222). Meditation, scripture reading, rituals or contemplative prayer are examples of secondary control.
Pargament and his colleagues had a different twist on how God works in people’s lives. They believed that religion is used as a control mechanism and they had four theories on how God was used in people’s lives. Their theory on self-directing control indicated that in situations God will give them the resources they need but they are solely responsible for the outcome. In their collaborative control theory they believed that people believe that they work together with God to solve their problem. Their deferring control theory is when people feel that if the problem is too big for them, then they will give it over to God for solution. In their fourth and final control mechanism they believed that when unfavorable situations that were out of the control of the people occurred they began to plead with God. In this theory questioning, they began to question “why me God?”
The second theory is the social support theory. The social support theory can be defined as the sense of affiliation with individuals of similar minds from church, synagogues, or spiritual groups that provide various kinds of social support to maintain health and well-being. There is a lot of data to show that social support is beneficial to health and longevity. There are many types of social support provided by religion that takes form in various methods from organized events of prayer, to financial, informative, advice, or emotional support through counseling from medical facility or ministers or clergy’s, or families and friends.
The last theory is the placebo theory which argues that health benefits are actually a strong belief that what people believe will help them, they actually report it does help them. Even though some believe this has no direct effects from religion or spirituality, the mind is one of the most powerful organs and the power of faith is even powerful. This theory uses the double blind studies where neither the research subjects or data collectors are aware of who is in the control or experimental group so that results cannot manipulated to prove their theory.
Research indicates that there are various ways to attaining a spiritually healthy lifestyle. An article on eximer.com website suggested ten simple tips that could help enhance a person’s life. The first tip suggested was “to know that you are spiritually connected to all” (Landry, n.d.). Who you are connected to can affect everything in your life. If you connect yourself to the wrong spirit, or the wrong thing in life it will come out in all that you do. If you’re connected to someone who feeds you discord you then will begin to mirror those same traits. In this step the article suggested that a person could find a part of themselves in each individual they meet. This can be achieved by showing love, being non-judgmental, and treating others with compassion which are the same attributes of how a person wants to be treated and basically how a person treats themselves. This step is somewhat like the golden rule meaning that the decisions a person make has an impact on the world around them.
The second tip listed was to discover your life purpose (Landry, n.d.). If you are living a life that lacks purpose, passion, and meaning, it is important for you to discover what you naturally enjoy and apply it to your everyday work (Landry, n.d.). One way to find your purpose is to seek God for the answer, God will reveal to you what your assignment is for this season. The way to accomplish this is by recognizing that our main purpose in life is to please God, and without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). That purpose is by living a spiritually healthy lifestyle.
The third tip is to develop a healthy sense of self (Landry, n.d.). Knowing who you are in this world is a crucial. In this step it refers to your level of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-respect being a vital part in how you face difficulties or conquer your goals. It goes on to state that you should start living a life that mirrors what you truly desire and deserve. As a Christian we don’t have to worry who we are. The bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image, we are Kings Kids, and knowing that we perfected in the eye of Christ Jesus.
The forth tip is to notice synchronicity (Landry, n.d.). In this step they suggest that by increasing your awareness of the things reoccurring around you, you can connect with the magic of it. So many times we fail to acknowledge the simple things that happen in life like the beauty we are surrounded with every day, a smile and a greeting from a perfect stranger or the many rainbows that greet us on the highways in the middle of traffic each day. For spiritual healthiness we should stop smell the roses, recognize, and enjoy the small gifts and blessings of joy that God gives us each and every day.
The fifth tip is to always selflessly pray and meditate, especially for others, completely surrendering yourself to a higher authority. In Philippians 4:6(ESV), it tells us to do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Pastor Nagle stated on his website that “this life is too short and precious to live it on the basis of what we can pull off on our own. He states that “when we work, we work, but when we pray, God works” (Nagle, 2012). As stated numerous times before, faith and prayer are key to a spiritual healthy lifestyle. We have to pray and not worry. Always seek God first and give all our troubles to Him. Trust and believe that God is in control and he is an omnipresent God who awaits to hear from us always.
The sixth tip suggested to focus on service (Landry, n.d.). In our selflessness, we should give of ourselves. There is so much joy in being a service to other. For me this step was personal because it is what I do on a regular basis. Maya Angelou once said on a talk show that “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Focusing on being a service to others can be attained by merely connecting with your community and contributing to society by volunteering your time, donating used items, or just genuinely smiling and showing kindness to a stranger. The Bible tells us in Acts that In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.(Acts 20:35 NIV).
The next tip was on respecting the environment (Landry, n.d.). In this step it refers to by connecting with nature was essential to healing your soul. To me this step references meditation. It goes on to explain that when a person actively participating in “green” efforts, it aids in creating a personal and spiritual connection that you become responsible for maintaining.
The eighth tip is remembering who you are, remembering you are a spiritual being. In this step it referred to trusting in the power of the Spirit and know that you are truly perfect just the way you are. God created each and every one of us in his own image, and because He is perfect we are perfect. (Genesis 1:27 KJV; Matthew 5:48 ESV). Just like in step three, as a Christian we should always embrace who we are in Christ and with that we can walk in authority and love who God created us to be.
The ninth tip is to create good karma, which is the concept of cause and effect in action (Landry, n.d.). Just like in step one, we should always remembering the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you; because the consequence can impact your own life in a positive or negative way. In this step it suggests that if you align yourself from a place of love, your motivations and intentions to do only good will manifest naturally.
The tenth and final tip for spiritual health is to live from your heart (Landry, n.d.). In this step it suggests that we live a spirit-centered life and in every moment of our life we ought to approach life from a place of love, spirit, and compassion. Showing love one to another is a healthy aspect. One quality my Pastor taught me early in my walk as a Christian was that “whatever I wanted in life, is the one thing I need to give away”. So if I want love, show love, if I want kindness, give kindness away. A smile is one the most contagious gifts you can give to the world. This simple analogy has matured me spiritually and also enriched my relationship with God.
All ten of these suggested steps refers to embracing spirituality by having faith and a relationship with a God. The majority of every article I read while conducting this research for this paper listed prayer or meditation as one of the ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle or reduce stress. Practicing prayer and/or meditation on a consistent basis brings a renewal to your mind, body, spirit, and soul. With that one finds a sense of clarity, purpose, hope, peace which leads to a spiritually healthy life. The connection between stress and spirituality extends far beyond a religious context. Spiritually healthy is about finding happiness within. Sometimes we experience moments that we referred to as “blessed, precious, sacred, or holy", the mere memory of them brings us joy. This is how we should feel daily.
Everyone has stress, it’s just how we deal with it that makes it different. Controlling our thoughts play a significant part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Author, Philosopher, and Psychologist William James said it well when he stated that “the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another (n.a., Healthy Alternatives, 2011). Anais Nin once quoted that “we don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Some of the biggest causes of stress that we experience don’t need to be so big. How we see things most of the time is how we react to them and our attitudes and expectations usually contribute a big part in producing unnecessary stressors in our life.
Psychiatrist Gerald Jampolsky said it this way, “It’s not the situation that’s causing your stress, it’s your thoughts and you can change that right here and now. You can choose to be peaceful right here and now. Peace is a choice, and it has nothing to do with what other people do or think” (n.a., Healthy Alternatives, 2011). For God has already promised us the gift of peace. In His Word he says Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27 NIV).
Naturally, our mind constantly battle between good and evil. As I continue my journey to live a spiritual healthy lifestyle I cannot help but to think about what I want my life to say about me. To stay spiritually healthy I have to always surround myself with positive motivators. Daily I have to meditate on the word of God. I focus on the instructions He gives us in Philippians 4:8 that tells us how to keep our peace think on these things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report; then praise all these things that has virtue.
This particular scripture is one that definitely requires faith, it becomes very easy to focus on what is going on in front of us which takes our focus off of God and what we have already prayed for. This scripture now forces us to make a conscious decision as to what we are going to give our attention to, we can chose to focus on the stressors in which case we spiral out of control into ill health, and emotional and mental instability. This is not the way to be spiritually fit, as a matter of fact, this would be the opposite of being physically fit. Do not focus on the negative, and those things we have no control over, but focus on the things of God, and we will be able to keep stress at bay.
One of the things I have always taught my son is that life is a gift from God. I started instilling this in him at an early age that “the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose”. I know so many people, including myself, who look back over their lives and have so many regrets. God is sovereign and in control of our lives. He loves us so much that He gives us choices that affect our thoughts and our destiny. Even though I know not the plans that God has for his life and I have no control over his destiny, I try to always be conscience of the path he chooses to follow. One of favorite lessons that I always remind him of is the Ancient Proverb concerning the choices he makes: Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. This is another practical way of thinking that can help us to maintain our spiritual fitness.
Just like you have to eat the right food to live a physically healthy lifestyle the same applies to your spiritual life. You have to feed your spirit the word to enhance your inner soul, a steady diet of prayer laced with our faith in God, will ensure that we are at least headed in the right direction to achieve our goal of good health, God wants us to prosper even as our souls prosper, and to be in good health. We have to maintain our connection to Him, in order for this to occur. So it is imperative that we feed our spirits a healthy diet of praise, prayer and all of these are layered in faith.
In conclusion, becoming spiritually healthy is a unique experience for each individual and with it comes choices. The right to choose to live spiritually healthy. When this occurs spiritual health redirects the many concerns that stress carries and causes. Nothing promotes health of body and of soul more than a spirit that is fed directly through prayer. God's power is released when we pray in faith, trusting and believing Him, because faith pleases Him. Expectancy is an attribute of faith that carries its own kind of power - the power of hope. There is great deal of evidence that a healthy spiritual belief system can both help lessen the impact some of our stressors have on us, and deal with the consequences of our stress responses. When a person is seeking a healthier life they should ultimately focus on improving all six components of wellness that includes physical, emotional, social, occupational, spiritual, and intellectual. To be completely satisfied in life they must lead a balanced life and the only way to be balanced is to be connected with God and become spiritually healthy and whole.

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