HEALTHY CHANGES:
4 Steps Towards Overall Health

Step 1:
Understanding Your "Total Health"

Step 2:
Make the Commitment

Step 3:
Assessment & Goals

Step 4:
ACTION TOOL RESOURCE CENTER

Mental/Emotional Health
Social Health
Spiritual Health
Physical Health

 

 

 

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Step 4: RESOURCE TOOL CENTER

Spiritual Health: Prayer/Meditation

• Prayer/Meditation
• Nature and Spirituality
• Bible Study

 

John Wesley considered prayer an essential part of Christian living, calling it, in many of his writings, the most important means of grace. Christians were to pray constantly, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He wrote in “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection”:

“Whether we think of, or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than his love, and the desire of pleasing him.

All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer, when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice.”

I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it. John Wesley

Conversation with God
The disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And Jesus responded by giving the model prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer. The disciples’ request reminds us that praying is something we can learn to do. Many of us are helped by having models for our praying. One simple and widely known model is built on the acronym ACTS:

A - Adoration (worship, praise)
C - Confession
T - Thanksgiving
S - Supplication (requests)

We begin by adoring God, acknowledging who God is. Then we confess our failures and our need for God and ask for forgiveness. Next we express thanks, acknowledging God as the source of all we have, all our blessings. Finally, we ask God for what we need and want. This model can help us to pray more freely by giving us a way to search our hearts for what we want to say to God.

Another pattern for our praying can help us as we pray for others. We often say, “God bless you,” which is a sort of prayer. This phrase draws on biblical blessings such as Numbers 6:24-26. Dr. Alvin VanderGriend has created a helpful model that can guide us in praying for others by building on the word B-L-E-S-S:*

B - Body. Pray for health/healing, for “daily bread”/physical needs to be met.
L - Labors. Pray for God’s help in the person’s work, school, daily tasks.
E - Emotional needs. Pray for comfort, reassurance, hope, joy, peace, etc.
S - Social needs. Pray for healthy relationships with family, friends, associates.
S - Spiritual needs. Pray for continually deepening relationship with God.

www.upperroom.org/prayer_center/default.asp?act=article&itemid=201980

Devotional Time

Devotions are simply ways people describe spending time with God by reading the Bible (and other Christian literature) and praying. We’re all different, so our devotional practice needs are unique.

Tips for Devotions

• Begin your devotional time by quieting yourself. Take a few deep breaths and become still. Some people light a candle or say a simple prayer such as, “O God, open my heart to hear your message to me in the words I read.”
• Then read a short passage in the Bible and some additional reading. A resource such as The Upper Room can guide you in choosing scripture passages, and its witness from other believers can help you connect the words of the Bible with concerns of everyday life.
• At the end of your reading time, be silent and wait to see what words, feelings, or images rise in your heart or tug at your thoughts. Notice what situations or people come to mind.
• Consider how the words or images connect with your life; then pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to see what God may be saying to you through what you have read, thought, and felt.
• Say a prayer, asking God to help you follow the guidance you have received and to be with the people who came to mind during your reading and reflection.

You may want to record your thoughts and feelings in a notebook or journal, to help you remember what God has been saying to you. Many people find it helpful to write about concerns and to write a prayer as a way to end their devotional time.
www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/articles/devotionallife.asp

MethodX

MethodX (the way of Christ) is an online Christian community where young adults (college to 30s) can identify and explore their relationships with God and with others. MethodX is sponsored by Upper Room Ministries®, an interdenominational, global Christian ministry. Find more information here: www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/prayermethods

Meditation

The practice of Christian meditation dates back to the beginning of Christianity; its objective is to daily 'empty the self' to experience the fullness of God. It is consonant with Jesus's invitation to his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. It is central to Easter celebrations, 'dying' to rise to a New Life. www.experiencefestival.com/a/Christian_Meditation/id/221926

Meditation is the perfect antidote for the constant intrusion of technology in our lives. In fact, recent research has shown that meditating twice per day for about 20 minutes can actually reduce blockages in your blood vessels, significantly lowering the risk of sudden death by heart attack or stroke.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Where Should I Meditate?
  You may wish to set aside a special corner of one room, your own private sanctuary, a calm, quiet and peaceful place. You might furnish the area with objects or icons that have spiritual meaning for you, developing a little altar or shrine. Use what will put you into a contemplative frame of mind. You may want to enlist the help of Mother Nature. Spend time at the ocean listening to the surf crashing upon the rocks…walk through a shaded forest trail with a cathedral of trees overhead…stand near a stream with water playing over the rocks or a waterfall…or watch the moon rise or birds fly overhead.
• How Should I Sit When I Meditate?
  Although the classic posture is to sit with legs folded and hands resting quietly on the lap or the knees, the key is to find a way of sitting that is comfortable for you. And remember, you can meditate anytime, anywhere…even driving in your car.
• Should My Eyes Be Open or Closed?
  Keep your eyes open if possible, to keep all of senses open. The goal is not to fall asleep, but to find yourself in a state of “relaxed alertness.” Nor are you seeking a trancelike experience, or an altered state of consciousness. Keep your eyes “soft” — that is, do not focus on anything in particular — and your mouth slightly open.
• How Long Should I Meditate?
  Many texts recommend 20 minutes, twice daily, but it’s not how long you meditate; it’s whether the practice “brings you to a certain state of mindfulness and presence, where you are a little open and able to connect with your heart essence,” writes Sogyal Rinpoche in the “Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.”

www.health.discovery.com/centers/stress/articles/meditation

Read More:
Prayer: Communication with God: AllAboutPrayer.org
Prayer Methods: Upper Room Method X
Find A Prayer: BeliefNet.com

 

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