Inner peace is important; we all know this but do we all act like it is? We hear about everything mental health related but do we listen? How often do you take the time to evaluate yourself mentally and how things in your surroundings are affecting you? The Lord cares about our holistic health and thus we should take great care in maintaining both our physical and mental health because they rely on each other.
One method I was introduced to a few years ago while reading about God’s 8 Laws of Health was NEWSTART. These laws encourage us to focus on proper Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest and Trust in God for holistic health. These principles not only ensure that our bodies are well but also our minds. Establishing patterns of fulfilling these healthy principles allows the brain to release endorphins which are sometimes called reward hormones which make you happier.
One principle that really stuck out to me was temperance. Temperance, simply put, is the habitual moderation of how we act, think or feel. When we pass the limits in these areas it can affect us holistically. We are encouraged to practice temperance in all things and in the scripture we read that it is a component of the fruit of the Spirit. Many times when we think of temperance we usually just apply it to food. However, there are so many things in our daily lives that we do without being temperate that can be as detrimental and even be seen as addictions. These things, when performed without temperance, often disturb our inner peace without us realizing.
Things such as constantly checking your social media, not saying “no” when you already have a hectic schedule, overspending and overindulgence of smoking or drinking alcohol. These all play a role to affect our inner peace. Sometimes the “simple” acts of intemperance in our lives are the things that disrupt our mental health, thus it is important to identify, isolate and eliminate these acts.
Finding inner peace and maintaining good mental health are not only good for operating in society, but it also allows you to be able to have a firm ability to operate when the wiles of the devil are thrown at you. As the passage closes, I implore you to as yourself these questions: What are some of the things that go unnoticed in my life that may be affecting my mental health and inner peace? Am I willing to balance the elements of NEWSTART and eradicate them?
Thanks for reading and join us next week !
ThreeSixteen Ministries 