We all want to be able to do our best, and good health helps us reach our maximum potential in life. Most people don’t give their physical and mental health a second thought, but simply take it for granted. This can cause us to be caught off guard if illness or disease strikes. We guard against this by realizing that God’s will is for us to be healthy and vigorous.

The wrong way of thinking is to simply resign ourselves to the fact that sickness is a part of life, and passively accept it. This is not what God wants. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The devil—the thief—tries to convince us we must accept ill health. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Neither should we think that sickness or disease is God’s way of punishing us. He loves us and wants to give us good things, not bad or hurtful things. Good health is a blessing and a gift. “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (James 1:17, NLT).

Healing has a strong connection to what we regularly think about. We can either contemplate on depressing thoughts that cause us fear, stress, and anxiety, or meditate on uplifting, joyful thoughts. “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22). The Word of God promotes healing on all levels.

It’s important to guard our minds against thoughts contradictory to the Word of God. Opening ourselves up to the thoughts of the world has a negative effect on us. We’re in spiritual warfare, and the battle is being fought for control of our thought processes. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). What we think about has a powerful effect on us, for either good or bad.

Leading a healthy lifestyle should be high on our priority list; we’re much more likely to do the things leading to that when we believe that God wants us healthy, not sick. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2). Our souls are where our thoughts, feelings, and emotions reside. Having faith that God is just as concerned about our emotional well-being as our physical health turns everything we do in this area into an act of faith.

God is on our side when it comes to maintaining our good health. Reading His Word and consistently meditating on it is instrumental in this.“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). Trusting that God wants us to enjoy long and healthy lives keeps us strong in body, soul, and spirit.

For more on how staying healthy fits in with God’s plan for our lives, click on the link below for the two-CD series, Life Talks: Health and Wellness.