STOP…BREATHE!

“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4 NIV, Bible App).

“And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22 NIV).

“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army” (Ezekiel 37:9-10 NIV).

STOP!!! Stop for a moment in all of the hustle and bustle of your crazy life and TAKE A DEEP BREATH!!! Breathe it in!! DO YOU FEEL THAT!?… that is the breath that God breathed into you which continues to keep you alive! It is the Ruach, THE BREATH OF GOD, the breath of life! His breath, not only essential for living and for transporting the Holy Spirit, has the ability to give the body incredible powers (for, didn’t it raise human bones back from the dead in the book of Ezekiel!?)! 

So, why don’t we use the power of this breath to our advantage? Yes, we breathe all day long, taking, on average, 20,000 breaths a day. And yet, sadly to say, we take it for granted and have no knowledge of its power apart from sustaining life (which is definitely a big one!). The Ruach, breath of God, is not only an undervalued and, often, unappreciated gift, that we utilize consistently and effortlessly, all day, every day, but it has far more reaching powers that most of us don’t know. We must understand God’s breath was not only poured into us to create and sustain our life force but it was given to us by God as a true gift to increase good health in the body, both spiritually and physically. So, it comes as no surprise that when we under utilize the full capacity of the breath, we are not supporting the body the way we should. 

You see, when we are physically feeling unwell or feeling pain, we tend to take more shallow breaths. This leaves us susceptible to worsening or new health changes. Furthermore, when we feel stressed or anxious or worried or fearful, we also tend to take more shallow breaths and this makes us feel run down and tired. For, not only do the prolonged emotions of stress, anxiety, fear, etc. weaken our immune system (as discussed in other Posts!) but so does prolonged shallow breathing. This leaves us open to more acute health changes (ie. viruses, bacteria, etc.). However, there is healing in God’s breath of life!

Is it any coincidence that one of the very first things that doctors do is make stabilized, hospital patients get up out of bed and walk? Sometimes, it sounds crazy to a patient, who is feeling unwell enough to be in the hospital, get out of bed when they are still not feeling great … but walking PROMOTES THE DEEP BREATH! Not surprisingly, doctors encourage this practice all the time…when they want to improve our health, in general, either from emotional/mental (spiritual) or physical ailments, they encourage us to walk or do exercise. Again, this promotes the deep breath! In fact, when you exercise, your body is not only taking deep breaths, but it is causing the release of a substance in the body that makes you feel better, endorphins. These endorphins bring sensations of peace and happiness and joy to your heart/mind which, in turn, further promotes natural, automatic deeper breaths. It is truly amazing when you sit down and think about how many things we are encouraged to do because they are considered “good for the soul,” are also good for the body (e.g. talking to others, laughing, singing but also spending time doing our favorite hobbies and being around loved ones). They all promote joyful thoughts/heart postures which, again, continue to promote that healthy deep breath, the Ruach, the breath of God!

BUT, amazingly, just the opposite is also true. When you invoke deep breathing as the initial step, this will also promote calmness and peace in our hearts/minds. It is so amazing and fascinating that when we do these actions that are “good for us,” it innately helps us more effortlessly choose to be more aligned with the very teachings of Jesus, living in His peace, love, joy, gratitude, etc.! God is the perfect Creator, after all!

There is actually so much research out there that not only shows the times we tend to breath more shallow and how it adversely affects the body but also the benefits of breathing more deep. You can spend the time looking it up or you can do something much simpler… FOLLOW GOD’S WORD! Look at these verses.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

“For the word of God is living and active…piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV)

Well, that sure sounds like enough proof (and Truth!) about the powerful, life-giving breath of God!

We need to realize that when we focus on what Jesus has taught us, and we live in states that promote deeper breathing, or we take the time to intentionally take slow deep breaths, our bodies are healthier!

So, during those crazy moments in your life, let’s show Jesus how thankful we are by utilizing what He gave us to its maximum potential! It will grow your faith and promote better health! During this season of your life, make time throughout your day, no matter how crazy, crammed, and time depleted it is, to TAKE AN INTENTIONAL DEEP BREATH… or several! Whether it is by spending some quiet time walking outside or by doing 15 minutes of light exercise or by talking and laughing with people around you or by singing out loud or by doing your favorite hobby or, simply, by closing your eyes quietly in prayer, TAKE SOME DEEP BREATHS! Fill you lungs, heart, and body with the living breath of God! You will not only feel its healing powers, spiritually and physically, but you will renew your mind by remembering His constant, loving, and peace-giving presence in your life… for every time you time you breath in through your mouth, you will hear the word, “YAH” and every time you breath out through your mouth, you will hear the word, “WEH!” YAHWEH! HIS NAME RIGHT IN OUR BREATH!!! INNATE PRAISE JUST BY BREATHING!!! COULD OUR GOD GET ANY BETTER!!!!

And this is how you can be Medicated By Faith! God is blessing you!