Prov 18:14 says, “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” According to this verse, your spirit affects your health. Your spirit will sustain your infirmity unless it’s wounded. If you are wounding your spirit, you’re making yourself sicker.
There are many medical problems, diseases, injuries, procedures and complications that cannot be remedied by a better spirit alone. For example, Job did not regain his health until God intervened and stopped the damage the devil had done.
Nevertheless, there are some things that will wound your spirit. And the wounding of your spirit could then have an adverse affect on your health, which will hinder your spirit from sustaining your infirmity. It’s possible you’re making yourself sicker with:
Anxiety – you hear a medical explanation of the cause of your symptoms and you get scared. You start worrying. You go to the internet to find out what’s wrong. You think the worst. Anxiety sets in. Your spirit gets wounded. Suddenly, you feel sicker than when your condition was initially diagnosed. You are better off to pray [Phil 4:6-7] than you are to worry. If you can strengthen your spirit, your spirit can sustain your infirmity.
Misinformation – surfing the internet leads to more confusion than it does understanding. Now you misunderstand your true condition and/or what should be done about it. Let the doctor practice medicine; you tend to your spirit. At times, you can learn something by researching that might be helpful to your doctor. This is particularly true if you are able to convey relevant information to your doctor. However, more times than not, the information you find on the internet is wrong, it doesn’t help your doctor, and it only troubles your spirit. Most people wound their spirit by this excess information and you can often see evident deterioration in their health, as a result. Read your Bible, instead. Keep your eyes and mind on the Lord. Ask him to give your doctor divine wisdom.
Anticipation – you expect your doctor to be able to diagnose your condition, prescribe medicine or perform a procedure, and provide the remedy you need right away. You start looking forward to improved health. Then something else comes up. There is an unexpected set back. There are more tests. There is an appointment with a specialist. You’re not getting better as quickly as you originally expected. You start riding the roller coaster of emotional ups and downs as your doctor or doctors try to figure out the best way to proceed. This roller coaster of emotions takes a toll on your spirit. one week you’re up on good news and the next week you crash back down on bad news. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. You start thinking that you’re not getting better; you’re getting worse. Your spirit is wounded; it’s not sustaining your infirmity. Learn to proceed through your infirmity step by step, a day at a time. Quit anticipating and expecting the results you want. Deal with what’s in front of you today.
Mistrust – because you are feeling worse and your doctor hasn’t solved the problem, mistrust sets in. You are certain that your doctor is not competent. So, now you have more anxiety. Now you are researching the internet even more, coming up with even worse scenarios. Now, your expectation of getting better has turned to anticipating that you are going to get worse, much worse. Your spirit is even more wounded now that you are angry with and bitter toward your doctor. There’s no way your spirit can sustain your infirmity in this condition. Talk with your doctor about how you feel. Try to restore the trust. Pray for God to guide your doctor and his colleagues through every decision and every procedure. Trust God Prov 3:5-6. Ask him to restore your confidence in your doctor and to strengthen your spirit.
Weariness – some medical procedures require a lot of testing, monitoring and treatment. These tests, treatments, and trips to the doctor’s office and the lab can wear you out. Rehabilitation and recovery can take a very long time. Weariness sets in and takes a toll on your spirit. Be very careful to maintain your spirit through prayer, fellowship with God, and praise and thanksgiving. A good caregiver can surely brighten your day, too. Let them cheer you up.
Apathy – if you hope to recover, you can’t give up. If you quit, you’re done. Look for even the most minuscule improvement in your health. Baby steps in the right direction can be very encouraging if you don’t wound your spirit with apathy. Take care of your spirit and follow the Lord every single step of the way.
Conclusion: I have seen people with a good spirit do much better than people with a wounded spirit when it comes to their health. Don’t let anger, bitterness, anxiety, weariness and apathy wound your spirit. Don’t let misinformation and mistrust creep in and wound your spirit. You’ll just make yourself sicker. Trust the Lord. Keep praying. Thank the Lord. Stay in fellowship with God and with believers who encourage you. Keep your spirit strong so that your spirit will sustain your infirmity.