[S]INDIGESTION

Posted August 3, 2007

A commentary by Corbin Rose

sindigestion (sin-di-gest'chen, n.) An uncomfortable condition due to difficulty or an inability to process or digest things not fit for healthy spiritual digestion.

You roll over in bed, still sick to your stomach, hoping the pain will soon subside. You've already tried to curl up into the smallest possible ball to alleviate the discomfort, but you just can't bend any further. Groaning, you realize that your decision to eat the moldy pizza and two cans of Cheese Whiz may not have been the best idea after all! Yes, you've got indigestion, and it's definitely not fun.

Much like the feeling of indigestion, we are susceptible to the negative consequences of bad choices we make in our lives. "Sindigestion" is the unsettling state we find ourselves in when we ingest too much of this present evil world's influence. When we allow too much negativity into our minds or focus too much on our own selfish interests, we can become spiritually ill.

God designed us to be happy and healthy if we take in the right kind of things. But when we dump garbage into our bodies and our minds, we simply won't function at 100 percent.

We all have some spiritual sindigestion in our lives. As with indigestion, our spiritual aliment can come from many sources, like overindulging on spiritual junk food, bad films or violent video games. Here's how to be sindigestion-free over the long haul:

• Maintain a steady diet of positive food for thought. Focus on the good things in life. Limit or tune out the negative, sinful ideas and examples so rampant in our media and society. Sin clogs us up inside and makes us sick. Just as we endeavor to avoid junk foods, we should focus our minds on true and noble thoughts. Develop a desire for what is good and upright, rather than for what seems popular and entertaining, yet is sinful (Philippians 4:8).

• Stay active in your godly behavior. Once you've limited your negative intake, internalize the positive things of God by acting on them in your life. Our physical bodies need good food and exercise to burn off the negative junk inside of us. True spiritual health demands that we be doers of God's Word, not just hearers (James 1:22).

• Rest, recuperate, repeat. One of the most common remedies for sickness is rest. Our bodies need a break from all this processing to regenerate. Luckily for us, God has built in a day each week for us to rest so we can stay spiritually healthy. While we rest, our bodies and minds rejuvenate so we can be in top shape, free of sindigestion, ready to start the cycle over again. God made us and knows that we need this resting period—the Sabbath was made for mankind! (Mark 2:27).

Each step builds spiritual health. But even if you try to tune out the negative, there is that yucky (yes, yucky!), sinful nature within that can still make you sick. To beat sindigestion, actively replace the wrong mind-set with things from above—the things of God! To learn more about how to live a healthy and happy life, request or download the free booklet Transforming Your Life today!

The ultimate Doctor is in, and He is waiting to see you. VT