Have you ever wondered how our great ministers of God e.g Pastor E. A. Adeboye (78 years), Bishop Oyedepo (65 years), Rick Warren (66 years), Kenneth Copeland (83 years), Joyce Meyer (77 years), Benny Hinn (67 years), Jerry Savelle (72 years), Bill Winston (77 years), Pat Robertson (90 years), John Hagee (80 years), Don Moen (70 years) etc, despite their age, still have so much strength and stamina. They fast, pray, travel from one place to another, attend meetings and still step on the pulpit, preaching the gospel with so much vigor and passion. It’s been like this for years. It’s proof that our lifestyle as believers is connected to longevity. Looking at this from results concluded from several researches and the religious point of view, we’d understand how consistent spiritual practices lead to longevity. According to a study conducted by Todd Outcalf, a Methodist Pastor and Researcher, on the longevity and wellness of Christian Ministers, he pinpointed that longevity doesn’t just happen and there are exemplary discipliniary actions that these Ministers of God take, to keep the mind, body and soul which in turn keeps ministry fresh and exciting. Here are some research-supported spiritual exercises for stress relief and longevity: Faith (strong belief in God), Prayer, Fasting, Physical Activity and Healthy diet.
FAITH
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6a. God is the giver of long life. Without faith, you can’t please the One who is the giver of life. How then will you have long life if you don’t believe? Faith has been a source of comfort and stress relief for many people for hundreds of years. The strong belief that Christian ministers have in God is one of the proof of their longevity. According to a study carried out by the University of Maryland Medical Centre, they concluded that people with strong spiritual beliefs in God heal faster from illnesses, are less depressed and more likely to live longer than those who do not believe. They also concluded from their study that those in faith based communities meet socially and interact with others of like minds, heal faster from illnesses and are less depressed than those that do not belong to a faith-based community. Our belief in God, His promises and the power of His word is strongly connected to our mental and physical functioning as it creates optimism and hope which in turn makes longevity the end result that leads to adopting a positive attitude toward everything in our lives—including our aging bodies, illnesses, and other challenges.
One of God’s promises and blessings bestowed upon us are longevity and good health. According to Psalm 91:16, God says he will satisfy us with long life. 2nd Corinthians 4:16 says that even though our outward man perish, we faint not and our inward man is renewed day by day.
It is no wonder that those who believe strongly in Him are waxing stronger and standing tall. God never fails and falters in fulfilling His promises to His children. Faith affects our lives positively more than we realize. It’s a great piece of the longevity puzzle.
CONSISTENT PRAYER LIFE
“Prayer is the master key”, these words are true. A consistent prayer life is another factor that is linked to longevity. It’s no wonder that Christian Ministers live long. For Ministers to instruct their congregation to pray or fast for 40 days and above, it means they are doing more than that. They pray often and spend a great amount of their time seeking the face of God. It is a primary means by which they commune with God personally to lead other people. 1 Timothy 4:7, 8b says exercise thyself rather unto godliness, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. As believers, whatever we ask God in his name with faith will be answered. King Hezekiah prayed for long life and God added 15 years to his years. Scientists also carried out a study on how prayer also play a positive role on mental health. They concluded that meditation, and meditative prayer (such as prayer that repeats a particular phrase), activate areas of the brain involved in regulating emotional responses, including the frontal lobes. They further stated that strengthening these areas of the brain may help people be “less depressed, more calm, less reactionary and better able to deal with stressors”. He pinpointed Christianity as an example of religion that help people adopt healthy behaviours that advocate for members to stay away from high-risk health behaviours, such as smoking, drinking alcohol or overindulging in food. Steering away from these unhealthy behaviours could also be beneficial for brain function and longevity.
Prayer can counter the effect of stress bringing benefits similar to the benefits of meditation, including lower blood pressure and heart rate, increased immunity, decrease stress, heart rate and blood pressure; alleviating chronic disease symptoms; and changing gene expression. Do not underestimate the place of prayer for longevity.
FASTING
Fasting is a practice that have been carried out for years and it’s still being carried out. It is a practice that involves waiting on the Lord. Fasting is abstaining. It’s going without food and drink. Ministers fast and pray longer than we do, seeking the face of God personally and on matters concerning us. A spiritual son of Pastor Adeboye once suggested to him to stop fasting at his age. He replied and said, “The moment I quit fasting, you can begin to expect my departure because I have resolved never to relax”. Most believers see fasting as punishment and think of it as “what we are going without”, rather than “what we are getting from it”. The Lord commands it for our own good not for His good, especially if it is done right. Either for answers to earnest prayers, sharpening our spiritual senses, strengthening, humbling ourselves, seeking God’s guidance, deliverance, to show grief, dedicating ourselves to Him, love and devotion, fasting is essential. Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. Joel 2:12.
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:18.
According to research, fasting is critical for cell growth and renewal. A Nobel-prize winning research concluded that fasting causes cells to recycle and renew their content thus slowing down the aging process, and promoting longevity. There is a large body of research that connects fasting with improved blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, weight loss, and improved brain function. Fasting gets rid of weak cells, letting them die off by not giving them energy. It helps people look, sleep and feel younger. This gives room for stronger cells to grow, possibly improving the chances of living a longer life.
HEALTHY EATING, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND REST.
We know that pastors do a lot of physical activity and are hardly sedentary. Going from place to place to preach the gospel, visiting and reaching out to the poor, etc. Asides this, they deliberately include exercise into their daily routines by taking long prayer walks, jogging, hiring a personal trainer etc. Pastor E.A Adeboye in August 2017, led a 7km prayer walk after 3 days fasting and prayer exercise. At the time, he was 75 years old. I’m sure believers who are younger can’t even keep up. It takes a great amount of muscular strength, endurance, stamina and overall physical fitness to be able to walk that long at that age. After the walk he said, “Just finished a 7km walk with the Ministers across the world. God cares about your health and soul”. Joyce Meyer has a personal trainer who trains her 2 – 3 times a week, she also holds a podcast where she exercises and has written several books on eating right and exercising regularly. In her words, “I believe we also have our roles to play for good health. We can overcome certain illnesses by doing simple things like eating right, getting enough sleep, drinking water and exercising”. Pastor Rick Warren, while he was baptizing 858 people at an epiphany, started experiencing pain in his arms after dipping the 500th body into the water. He concluded that he was out of shape and decided to create a health program with leading experts in the field, leading people to follow a health plan which made him lose weight. He also shared secrets to feeling better which includes healthy eating and exercising. In his words, “God is interested in our body, not just soul. He went from one village to another, preaching and preaching. He must have been spiritually, mentally and physically fit to do that. He also rested and slept, we need to do same”. Pastor Juanita Bynum pointed out the importance of the power of God and physical fitness to helping her recreate herself as she was diagnosed with Diabetes. She further stated that physical fitness allow the spirit to flourish to a whole new dimension. These practices have helped them improve their quality of life.
Let’s not neglect the fact that these great men of God fast and do not eat as often as we eat, they stay longer in prayer, fast longer and more often than we do, keep up with their schedules, travelling and holding conferences, services and yet they are fit, look good and young for their age, no form of staggering, correct posture and still waxing strong. Even ministers of blessed memory, Samuel Sadela (114), Oral Roberts (91), T.L Osborn (89), Eyo Edet Okon (96), Reinhard Bonnke (79), Kenneth Hagin (86 years), Benson Idahosa (60 years), Morris Cerrulo (88 years) were not left out.
These ministers of God are sending a message and laying good examples for the younger generation, to take our faith in God, prayer and fasting life, exercise and eating habit serious. We are given one life on earth and one body, then we will be changed to spend eternity with Christ in a body that will be immortal. What are you doing to exercise and develop your mind, body and soul?
SOURCE: Bluezone
MedicalNewsToday
PresbyterianSeniorLiving
LiveScience
ToddOutcalf
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