• Devotional. Health and wholeness involves every part of who we are: heart, soul, mind, and body. But what exactly does it look like to have a healthy soul? In many ways, having a healthy soul is about having vibrant, thriving relationships with God and others. A helpful gauge of our spiritual health is our level of trust in God and our care for people. In several places, the New Testament authors describe Abraham as a model of faith. What is faith? It’s trust in God, based on evidence, that leads to obedience. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Hebrews 11:8 NIV Abraham obeyed God because he trusted God. And he trusted God based on the evidence of being called by God. But that’s not all. Abraham’s trust in God was so great that he was willing to sacrifice the person he loved most in the world: his son Isaac. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son … Hebrews 11:17 NIV Okay, hold on. Why would God ask Abraham to do that? And why in the world would Abraham go along with it? Two great questions. The answer to the first is that God wanted to test and teach Abraham. God wanted to test the depth of Abraham’s trust to make sure he was actually committed to his role in God’s plans. It’s kind of like how people have to go through boot camp before they’re sent into battle. Sending someone to battle who couldn’t even make it through boot camp would be irresponsible. And when we choose to follow God, we are stepping into a spiritual war that, if we aren’t ready for it, will destroy us. And because of how important Abraham was in God’s plans, it mattered that he was fully prepared for what was to come. God also wanted to teach Abraham about His character and how different He is from the gods other people worshiped. In Abraham’s day, it was not at all uncommon for people to sacrifice their children to the gods to try and win their favor. So, when God asked this of Abraham, it would have been similar to what Abraham knew about gods and how they worked. And God was intentionally using that similarity to highlight His holiness at the moment that truly mattered. Because it was there, right before Abraham sacrificed his son, that the Angel of the Lord commanded him to stop, and God provided a ram for him to sacrifice instead. That’s what God was doing when He asked Abraham to do the unthinkable. But why would Abraham go along with it? Because Abraham trusted what God had told him. … God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11:18-19 NIV God had made a promise to Abraham that his descendants would come through his son Isaac. And Abraham knew that God would not break His promise. So, either God would stop him from killing Isaac, or God would bring him back from the dead. This is how much Abraham trusted God! In Abraham’s mind, the promises of God would always triumph over the power of death. So he walked in faith. He trusted God with everything. As a result, it was through Abraham’s descendants that God would bring His son Jesus into the world and offer Him as the sacrifice for our sins. And because God’s promises will always triumph over the power of death, He would raise Jesus from the dead. So, what about us? What can we do to become spiritually healthy? How can we deepen our trust in God and increase our care for people? 1. Worship at church. Putting God first and giving Him your best alongside His people is one of the most powerful disciplines you can develop in your life. When you worship God with other believers on a regular basis, you are making a decision to prioritize time in His presence and around His people that will strengthen every aspect of your spiritual life. 2. Dwell in community. We were made for life in the family of God. When we place our trust in Jesus, we’re adopted into God’s family. He is our Father, and we are His children. This means that all of God’s other kids are our brothers and sisters. And unlike the families we were born into, we don’t usually live at the same address as our spiritual siblings. So, it takes extra effort and intentionality to grow closer to each other—but it is absolutely worth it. Because together, we can encourage, strengthen, challenge, correct, push, celebrate, pray for, and walk with each other as we follow after Jesus. 3. Study the Bible. The primary way God speaks to us today is through His Word, which is why studying the Bible is such a powerful practice. Studying means devoting time and attention to reading the Bible so we can become more like Jesus. How do we do that well? Ask God to speak to you before you start. Read one chapter slowly and carefully. Ask questions as you go. And commit to apply whatever truth God reveals to you. 4. Talk with God. God speaks through Scripture; we respond in prayer. He wants a conversational relationship with us. And the more we talk to Him, the stronger our relationship grows. Think about your best friend and how different your relationship would be if you never talked to each other. It wouldn’t take long for the lack of communication to create distance where there used to be closeness. The same is true in our relationship with God. 5. Confess your sins. To confess means to agree with God and admit you’ve sinned. This practice is kind of like spring cleaning for your soul. Over time, we all accumulate a bunch of junk that, until we intentionally take the time to throw it out, just keeps piling up and taking up space in our lives. Sin works the same way. Until we agree that we’ve done wrong and admit our failures, the sin in our lives just keeps piling up and cluttering our souls. When you make these five practices a part of your regular rhythms, you will be well on your way to becoming spiritually healthy. Your trust in God will be strengthened and your care for people will be deepened. And according to Jesus, that’s what matters most. http:// bible.com/r/Byj