Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional May 12, 2022
TOPIC: The Soul-Body Connection
SCRIPTURE: Bless the LORD,O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. – PSALM 103:1-3 (NKJV)
Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional May 12, 2022 MESSAGE
Have you ever known people who were deeply wounded in their soul and also struggled with problems in other areas of their lives? I can think of many examples of this.
The reason it happens is that the soul is not isolated from the rest of our being.
Every individual is a three-part being. We are spirit, soul, and body, and each of these
components affects the others. We have heard of the “mind-body connection,” but I think we can broaden that a bit and say there is a connection between our soul (which includes the mind, but also includes the emotions and the will) and our body.
Emotions definitely affect people physically. Emotions such as anxiety can give people digestive troubles, while anger can lead to elevated blood pressure and headaches. I also believe the will-what we want to do and the choices we make impacts the physical aspects of our lives. There is no doubt that choosing to eat only junk food, not exercising, and failing to get adequate rest will compromise physical health. Whatever is in our soul works its way out of us through the body. And if we feel bad physically, that will affect our souls also. Likewise, if we have wounds in our souls, they can affect our health (bodies).
Not all physical problems are rooted in the soul, but some of them are. Numerous
scientific studies have proven that stress, which affects the soul (mind, will, and
emotions), can cause disease. God did not design us to carry stress in our souls that will compromise our bodies. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29 that we are to come to Him and find rest for our souls when we are weary and burdened.
His will is for us to live at peace and in joy, which foster good health. The devil is the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10). For many years, I was tired most of the time. I didn’t sleep well. I had headaches every day, and I struggled with other maladies. But the more my soul was healed, as peace and joy replaced pain in my heart, the healthier I became.
Just as a negative condition of the soul can have a detrimental effect on our body, as
our soul becomes stronger and healthier, our body can benefit, too. The apostle John
writes about this in 3 John 2: Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well (NIV).
Maybe you have never thought about how much the condition of your soul affects your body, but they are definitely closely connected. As God continues to heal your soul, you can look forward also to improved physical health.
PRAYER STARTER: Lord Jesus, I ask You for a healthy soul and a healthy body, amen.
