Are there ways to avoid sickness? - Sickness - TouchPoints

Are there ways to avoid sickness?

Job 2:3, 7Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you persuaded me to harm him without cause.” . . . So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot.

2 Kings 13:14When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” he cried.

Hebrews 9:27-2827And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,28 so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

Sickness and disease strike the righteous and the unrighteous. Often it cannot be avoided but at best only postponed. It’s best to be prepared for what happens after death.

Exodus 15:26He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and laws, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.

1 Corinthians 6:18Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.

Exodus 23:25-26“You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.

Psalm 38:2-3Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.

Acts 12:23Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

Our vulnerability to illness is a product of the fall of humanity into sin, but specific illnesses are not always caused by sin. Obedience to God’s Word can help you avoid some sickness because the Bible provides guidelines to good health. For example, God’s warning to avoid sexual immorality will prevent you from the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Exodus 34:21“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.

Exodus 20:8-11“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Maintaining a balance between work and rest will often help you avoid sickness.

Ephesians 5:29No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church.

Acts 27:34Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.

1 Timothy 4:7-8Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.

Physically caring for your body will often help you avoid sickness.

Leviticus 14:54-57These are the instructions for dealing with the various kinds of contagious skin disease and infectious mildew, whether in clothing, in a house, in a swollen area of skin, in a skin rash, or in a shiny patch of skin. These instructions must be followed when dealing with any contagious skin disease . . .

Deuteronomy 23:13Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement.

Good personal hygiene habits will often help you avoid sickness.