1/6/08 - A.M. Service

Health And Wellness From The Proverbs

The Mind's Effect On Health

Proverbs 18:14, 14:30, 17:22, 15:15, 15:13

Introduction

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can hear? (Proverbs 18:14)

An infirmity is a disease, sickness, illness, or undesirable condition of any sort. By this definition we understand that the Bible is speaking primarily of matters of health, and this will be the subject of this discourse.

The word spirit appears two times in verse 14. The first time it's in a masculine tense suggesting the author was referring to a strong spirit. The second word is in another tense suggesting a weakened or damaged spirit. The exact term is a wounded spirit. Wounded means smitten, as in something that has taken a hit. To smite something is to hit it, and the implication here is that the spirit has been hit and broken, or hurt, or damaged.

The word spirit is the Hebrew word rooakh. It has about 33 different meanings according to the dictionary known as the Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions. It's used in the Old Testament to mean everything from wind to the mind to the Holy Spirit.

If we choose to translate Proverbs 18:14 and replace the word spirit with mind, here's what we have: The mind of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded mind who can bear?

"Spirit" also means the disposition or temperament of any person. The disposition or temperament of a person describes how they relate to every situation (positive or negative, good or bad) that comes along. You can have a troubled spirit, a sweet spirit, a bitter spirit, or a discontented spirit (ad infinitum). Again, in Proverbs 18:14 the reference is to a spirit that has been hurt, or damaged.

A strong spirit or mind or disposition will sustain us in our infirmities. Then the Scripture asks the question, "Who can bear (or lift up or move forward with) a wounded spirit?" The implication is that it is very hard to handle an infirmity with a hurt spirit. The Bible doesn't say it's impossible; it's telling us a better way to meet and deal with our illnesses or sickness while suggesting that they can be dealt with in a way that's not as good.

All this translates into modern life this way: I'm going to describe a situation that occurs fairly often, so if this has happened in your family I'm not referring directly to you. You take a person who is diagnosed with some form of terminal illness. When the doctor makes that diagnosis, some people are troubled, agitated, and even devastated. Their spirit, their mind, their disposition is wounded by that news so that they are so devastated in their infirmity that they either don't last long or they give up right then. Their attitude is that it's over for them.

On the other hand, some people can get the news and their attitude is such that they flat out tell you that they're going to fight their illness. They're going to beat it. This strong spirited person, according to the Scriptures, will be able to sustain (bear or carry) his infirmity, while the one who is wounded is going to have a worse time of it.

The Bible definitely, no doubt about it, 100% teaches that the mind or spirit or disposition directly affects our ability to handle sickness. If you watch TV and the news you've been noticing for at least ten years now that doctors say that your mind and attitude affect your health. About 3050 years ago, God has already given King Solomon that great insight and inspired him to record it in the Proverbs.

The mind affects our health, especially during illness. I don't have to elaborate on that any farther or try to prove it: the Bible says it outright. Let's go a step farther and see another example.

I. Proverbs 14:30

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. (Proverbs 14:30)

A. A sound heart is the life of the flesh. There's a contrast here between the phrase "sound heart and flesh" and "rottenness of the bones."

"Sound heart" is a Hebrew term that means "a healthy heart."
A healthy heart is the life of the flesh. That's true on many levels, even physically. What happens to your flesh if your heart is not healthy? If it's unhealthy enough to quit beating, you're in trouble. The heart is a pump that pushes blood throughout the body; if the heart is not healthy, the body is affected by it.
Even physically, the heart is the life of the flesh.

B. To get more into the spiritual application of the Proverbs, we're reminded that Solomon was not speaking primarily of the hearts that beat within us.

Heart is another word with several meanings. It means the mind, knowledge, thinking, thoughts, emotions, passions, and desires.
What God is telling us is that healthy minds, thinking, thoughts, emotions, passions, and desires are the life of the body. To have these things under control or to exercise them in a godly manner is beneficial to our health (just like a healthy heart).
The Scripture affirms here as it did before that what is in your mind affects your body, and that's really seen in the latter part of the verse.

C. Envy is the rottenness of the bones. Evil desires, wrong desires, worrying about things, or not knowing how to handle our emotions during troublesome times, play a role in your health. A man or woman who envies the happiness and prosperity of others, that preys upon their own spirits. It wastes the flesh and the mind. It can lead to all kinds of problems. Today there all kinds of issues from drug and alcohol abuse to mental health and while some of those conditions may be medical, many can be traced right back to unhealthy thinking that started the whole process.

D. Moving along, and backtracking back to Proverbs 18:14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

There was the strong spirit that will carry us through our illnesses. There was the wounded spirit that will not, or at least will cause us to have a hard time of it.
How do we develop or obtain, or achieve the kind of spirit that will carry us through our illnesses? Does the Bible tell us?
In fact it does tell us by again showing us that our minds affect our health, and although it may sound silly right now, God says it amounts to a laughing matter.

II. Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

A. A merry heart does good like a medicine. To whom does it do good? It does good to the person who possesses it!

We're back in the Old Testament and once again we've got an English word translating a Hebrew word that has several meanings.
So what is a merry heart? What does merry mean? It means gleeful. Full of glee. Glad. Joyful. To rejoice. To make merry as in someone who laughs and enjoys themselves.

B. To have such a disposition, a heart, does you good like medicine. So what kind of spirit/attitude/mindset will sustain you in your infirmity? A disposition that's glad, joyful, merry, and rejoicing.

C. Who do you suppose will have an easier time when they're sick: a merry person who knows how to laugh or someone with a wounded spirit?

Who is best equipped to deal with it when the doctor brings a bad report? It's the merry hearted person.
The other kind of person is devastated and their spirit is broken. This verse says a broken spirit dries the bones.
Think about that. Under what conditions would our bones dry up? One way I can think of is in the grave.
A merry spirit is like medicine. A broken spirit can put you in the grave.
The mind directly affects your health and well-being. What is your spirit like here today? Is it happy? Is it glad? Is it joyful and rejoicing? If not, how are you going to have a strong spirit when something goes wrong, even if it's not as bad as having bad health? How are you going to help somebody else - your family members, for instance - if you don't have this kind of joyful spirit and they get sick?
Let's move on and then I'll tell you how to get this kind of spirit.

III. Proverbs 15:15

All the days of the afflicted [are] evil: but he that is of a merry heart [hath] a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15)

What does it mean to have an "evil day?" It means to have a very bad day. All the days of the afflicted are bad days. And afflicted means to have a depressed spirit. Every day, to a person who has a depressed, troubled, or broken spirit is a bad day.

Sometimes we have to take medication to get over these depressed spirits or be able to deal with them, and that's okay because God gave us medicine and I guess drug companies need to make money too, but there is another way.

The second half of the verse says He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

The person with the depressed spirit has a bad day every day.
The person who has a merry heart, even though he may be sick and troubled, has a continual feast. He's not having a bad day - it's like he's at a feast all the time.
Again, the keyword is a merry heart as opposed to a depressed spirit, and the word has changed on us again just a little bit.
Here, merry means, "cheerful, at ease, glad, and joyful."
Here again we have the state of the human mind playing a direct role in our health.
If you were in the hospital right now, would you be having a feast or would you be depressed?
One more verse and we'll bring this thing to a conclusion.

IV. Proverbs 15:13

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13)

A. Here we have this merry heart; this glad, joyful, rejoicing, heart. It makes a cheerful countenance. If you've got this in your heart, then your face is going to show it. It's going to show up in how you act and how you present yourself.

B. In opposition to that, the Scripture says, "By sorrow of the heart, the spirit is broken."

Take the average person. One has a merry heart and one does not. He's not a broken spirited person, but neither does he have a merry heart within him.
Which one is better equipped to deal with the many negative or tragic situations that life can suddenly throw our way?
The person lacks a merry heart is more likely to have his or her spirit broken through the sorrows that come along on this planet.
Once again, God offers direct proof that your mind does indeed affect your health.

C. How do we get this merry heart that causes us to be able to have this strong spirit so we can meet our illnesses and troubles head on without letting them knock us off our feet?

First it must bluntly be said that it's impossible to achieve without Christ. You must be saved before you can have this kind of heart, outlook: spirit. Are you saved? Have you repented of your sin against God and trusted Jesus who died in your place for your sins? Have you asked God to forgive you and save you and trusted Him to do it?
If you have, then do you have your mind focused on the right thing, which again is Christ? Peter said we ought to rejoice in Christ with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
It's only when Christ is first and foremost in your thoughts and life that you can really develop a joyous, strong spirit, a merry heart.
You should see how that's especially true in times of infirmity or illness or distress.

Illustration
Here's a personal example. I'm not a stranger to the doors of death. I've been there before and was pretty close recently, and I had this message in my mind even then. As you know, I went to the doctor (with a nosebleed) expecting to be diagnosed with a sinus infection and the place exploded with activity and the doctor rushed in and said "If we don't get your blood pressure down, you're going to have a stroke." He showed me with his hand how close I was (you're here; stroke here).

That kind of news could make or break somebody. I could have been devastated, terrified, and even be letting it drive me out of my gourd right now. It got my attention, but not in the way you might think. I was not terrified like I would have been at one time. Do you know what I thought? There were my exact thoughts in that waiting room: To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, 2 Cor. 5:8.

The Spirit brought that Scripture to my mind and I was happy right then. I even laughed and talked with the nurse a little bit while all this was going on in between wiping my nose. My primary concern at that moment was being treated not because I desire this world, but because I have a gamily that God has given to me (must provide for them).

As for my spirit, Jesus is my Savior; I can't die. Jesus said if I'd believe in Him, though I should die I will still live. If I do, I'm going to a place where I'm better off than I ever have been. I have everything. I have a mansion. I have things that I can't comprehend waiting in heaven. I'm already seated in heavenly places. There will be souls in heaven who are there because God used me to get them there! Why was I going to worry about dying when it's better than winning the "power ball lottery?"

I said all that to say this: it's only when those things I just described are first and foremost in your heart and mind that you'll be able to have what the Bible calls a merry heart and a continual feast.

Conclusion

Can you laugh in times of personal affliction? If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, you can't. If He's not first, you can't. And certainly you can get through your hard times with a broken spirit, but there's an easier way. Get a merry heart and let your mind affect your health positively instead of negatively.

Is Christ your Lord today? Can you meet trouble straight on because Jesus is your Lord and you can't really die? You're going to a wondrous place; better than you've ever known. You have it all. A heavenly mansion is surely better than a brick home. The rewards there are surely greater than then most expensive Hummer or Rolls Royce.

Strive to put Christ first in your life, your thoughts, and your mind. Pray to God that He would allow you to make His Son your focus in life. If He's first, He'll be the first thing on your mind. If He's the first thing on your mind, He'll be the first thought you have when the storm comes. There's no better way to go through any troublesome time. Study this out on your own, if you want to, but it is true that our minds affect our health.