Caring for Your Spirit as you care for your soul and body

Two verses from the book of Proverbs stood out for me in the past couple of weeks. More than two verses stood out to me, but these are the two verses highlighted for me to share with you this week. These verses are:

The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

Proverbs 18:14

Seeing these verses again underscored the importance of caring for our spirit man just as much as we care for our souls and physical bodies. These verses show us that a relationship exists between a man’s physical and spiritual health. A physically healthy man is most likely thriving spiritually and other times a man whose health may be failing may be suffering in his spirit man. This is not always the absolute case but I think it is important that we pay attention to the state of our spirits just as we care for other parts of our bodies. We are tripartite beings created to bear and reflect the image of a God who operates and exists in the Trinity. Therefore, our tripartite being should prosper, thrive, and bloom as the Lord would desire for us all – III John 1:2.

You know as I meditated on these verses, I was reminded of some spiritual testimonies I have heard in the past. For example, I once heard a man share that he was injected with HIV in his dream, woke up from the dream, and began to feel sick. He went ahead to get tested and he tested positive for the virus. Thankfully, by the time he was sharing, he had received his healing from a virus that was inflicted upon him in the spirit. I have heard testimonies of people inflicted with cancer in their dreams but thankfully got their healing.

Recently, a young lady who lives in North America shared her journey to deliverance from cancer. She traveled to my church’s headquarters in Nigeria and stayed there for a week to participate in the weekly deliverance. These deliverance sessions engage the participants in spiritual warfare which includes fasting and praying which overall strengthens the spirit man. Ultimately, this young lady received her healing to the glory of God. This lady isn’t the first and would not be the last to engage in spiritual exercises to receive physical healing. These examples I have shared point out that the spiritual strength of our spirit man influences our physical health. Perhaps, if one’s spirit man is so strong, they could be able to fight against or resist attacks in the dream, or better still, the spirit man could be immune to any affliction the enemy could introduce into the spirit. You know just like the immune system can fight or resist certain viruses the body may come in contact with, the spirit man also is capable of resisting such only if care is given to the spirit man.

I give God the glory for sending us His son Jesus Christ through whom we all can receive physical and spiritual health. We see many scenarios in the bible where Jesus Christ healed people who were physically challenged or sick but He addressed demons or spiritual beings behind the sicknesses. For example, if the madman from Gadara lived in our age and time, many of us would address him as mentally deranged. But when Jesus saw Him, He addressed the legion of demons that took over this poor man’s spirit and made him so sick –Luke 8:26-39. The same happened with the woman bent over; humans saw a woman bent over, but our Lord Jesus Christ saw a woman bound in her spirit man. Hence He spoke to her spirit, “Thou art loosed from your infirmity – Luke 13:12

Sin is the root cause here—it entered the world, allowing the enemy and his forces to afflict, oppress, and suppress the human spirit. This is why Jesus Christ came to provide a way for humanity. As His word says, “On Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” After being delivered from the grip of darkness, a life of holiness should follow to maintain the health of our spirit. While access to deliverance is vital, even more important is achieving a level of spiritual health so strong that no power of darkness can afflict you, unless permitted by the Lord, as in the case of Job.

We are surrounded by countless examples that demonstrate how men and women can achieve complete physical and spiritual well-being. We too can live in wholeness if we take proper care of our spirit, body, and soul. But how can we nurture our spiritual selves according to biblical standards? Let’s explore:

Take Your Spirit through the New Birth:

Every man without Christ is a man with a spirit drenched in filth and has his spiritual immunity highly compromised. Therefore, a transplant and a refreshing should happen – a new birth is the answer to a compromised spirit man. Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus and also to us that to be born again means to be born of the Spirit of God – John 3:3-6. Being born again of the Spirit of God is actually quite simple. It involves believing in the name of Jesus, believing that He came for you, that He came to save you completely, and confessing Him as your Lord and Savior

Feed Healthy:

When the spirit is born again, it is like a newborn baby that needs to be fed and nurtured to grow into maturity. Just as our physical bodies often reflect what we eat—leading experts to recommend healthy diets—the same principle applies to our spiritual selves. The Word of God teaches that there is a time to feed on the milk of the Word and a time to digest the solid meat of deeper spiritual truths. As new believers, it’s crucial to start with baby steps and progress steadily. Neglecting to nourish the spirit can leave it malnourished and vulnerable to spiritual attacks.

Additionally, I am learning that the types of food we feed our bodies can also affect the state of our spirit. Sometimes, indulging in the wrong things can negatively impact our spiritual well-being. From my own past experiences, I noticed that when I binge-watched certain kinds of content, it hurt my spirit. Therefore, I encourage those of us who are born again or thinking about it to be mindful of the content we consume.

Receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost:

The Holy Spirit can be compared to the spiritual fuel that every believer needs to navigate the journey of life. It takes significant divine help for someone born of the Spirit to live above sin. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to humanity, empowering us to live victorious lives with the Kingdom of God in mind. The apostles of old are prime examples of individuals who went through a transformation after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For instance, Apostle Peter, once plagued by timidity and uncertainty, became a bold and confident man after being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Some of the challenges or questions we face may be resolved by receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The General Overseer of my church has shared a testimony that illustrates this. When he was young and attending a crusade, there was a woman faced with infertility. The man of God advised her to join the group praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Though she was hesitant, that was the solution to her problem. She needed to be filled and overshadowed by the Holy Spirit to experience supernatural conception.

Exercise Your Spirit Man:

Apostle Jude encourages us to build up our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20). Receiving the Holy Spirit is like signing up for a gym membership, and praying in the Holy Spirit is like using that membership to build strength or shed the spiritual weight gained from unhealthy influences. As Christians who care about the state of our spiritual lives, we should commit ourselves to regularly exercising our spiritual muscles, which includes consistent prayer and praying in the Holy Spirit. Praying to our Father in heaven helps keep us spiritually healthy, as His nature and presence influence us in the place of prayer. A person who prays effectively to God would experience the transformational power of the good Lord.