Recently I have come into some significant health breakthroughs. With God’s help I have recovered from some chronic health conditions. I have been through a transformation and inner healing process as well as an outer transformation into greater health.
I have been healed of anxiety, insomnia, upset digestion and irritated bowels. All of these I had suffered from for many years.
Your gut microbiome
One key to my health breakthroughs has been that of learning about my gut health and working towards improving the inside of my body through diet, prayer, research, practical application and declaring God’s word. I started this process three years ago when I found out I had an in-balanced gut and a host of problems associated. After working at improving my gut health for several years, I felt led to get my gut microbiome scientifically tested recently.
This test results showed me which bacteria were in my gut and to what levels. The results revealed that my gut was in a much better shape than I thought with only low levels of in-balance. I could tangibly see God’s answer to my prayers. He is restoring me to full and optimum health!
Do you know that we need about 500 different good bacteria species in the gut. Did you know that each bacteria in our gut have different functions? Some work to fight off inflammation, some aid in digestion, some reduce mucus, some prevent kidney stones and so the list goes on. This gave me such an appreciation for ‘how fearfully and wonderfully we are made’ as in Psalm 139:14.
I am now on a program to re-colonise and increase some of the bacteria species in my gut, in order to balance my gut and bring me to optimum health. I believe that gut microbiome testing is a key which could profoundly help many people in ill-health who need health breakthroughs.
Trusting in God
I also believe that our physical health is related to the health of our inner life. If your soul was a garden, would it be flourishing and a place of deep peace? Or do you need to let God into the garden of your heart to flood it with His light and love? Do you need him to weed the garden and pull out some deep and pain-filled roots which are causing dis-ease at a deep level?
A verse that has spoken into my health this year is that of Proverbs 3:5-8 (Amplified Bible),
‘Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart. And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways, know and acknowledge and recognise Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth (removing obstacles that block your way). Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD (with reverent awe and obedience) and turn (entirely) away from evil. It will be health to your whole body (your marrows, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles - all your inner parts) and refreshment (physical wellbeing) to your bones.’
I have experienced the power of the truth of this verse in my life. My healing journey and testimony of God healing me of chronic anxiety over many years was that of an inner transformation; from anxiety into a deep trust of God. This has turned my health around. A body in deep stress and anxiety at a deeper level may never fully heal, so I knew I had to go through some healing internally before I could truly be healed externally.
Was this easy? No not at all but I had God spurring me on with His love. This healing internally has been pivotal for my health turn around. My level of wellbeing is so much more than ever before because I have let God into the depths of my soul to bring his peace and healing.
What did this process look like? Well I had to surrender all my fears to him; rational and irrational fears. I had to give him all my pain and feelings including where I felt He had let me down. I had to be real with God about my feelings. But yet choose to come to a place of bowing low before him, even in my pain.
I chose to revere him as Lord over my heart and life and I chose to bring my pain into his glorious love and light. I had to ask him to come into the dark places, the trap doors where I was hiding pain in my heart so that he could bring his healing and pour his love into me there.
As I partnered with God in this process over several months, He transformed the garden of my heart. My soul was tended to lovingly, by the creator. He showed me the root of anxiety in my soul which was a deep fear of giving over my whole soul to him. And because I had finally surrendered my whole soul - all my hopes, dreams, desires to him - I was able to let him pull that root up and take it out of my soul forever.
This is why I have a joy and peace. I used to have insomnia too. I now sleep in peace. I have had none of my old anxiety since this process. I have been healed and made whole at the deep inner level. He has made a new path for me; one of a new trust and total surrender. The garden of my heart is now a place of peace and refreshing, as I am now trusting in God for everything.
As in the Proverbs verse, I believe that by trusting in God and revering him completely, I now have health in my body’s inner parts. I am fully believing this health and wellbeing will just increase, as the outer physical body continues to manifest my healed and peaceful inner life.
Discipline
Another key to my health breakthroughs has been from my discipline in my daily life. I have had to discipline myself in diet, prayer, taking thoughts captive for Christ and reading God’s word. These are daily disciplines and I know there has been great rewards from these practices already.
So my friends, I encourage you to trust God with everything and revere him. I encourage you to learn about your gut and how fearfully and wonderfully you are made. I encourage you to eat well, so that you are ready for God’s work. And I encourage you to be disciplined in your daily life, so that many can be blessed from your life!
Liana Monaghan is a creative soul, living in coastal South Australia. Married for ten years to an artist, they live in christian community. Liana writes songs and sings, is part of a ministry outreach band and is currently preparing to record her first song. Liana works as a nanny for Little Poppins, runs a women’s ministry, is passionate about nutrition and prayer and loves to get amongst nature. You can find her previous articles here;
http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/liana-monaghan.html