Studying the Bible is Good for Your Health

As We See in God's Word, Studying the Bible is Good for Your Health

Proverbs 3:5-26 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.


7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.


9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.


11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.


13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.


19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.


21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.

New King James Version (NKJV)
The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Studying the Bible is Good for Your Health, According to A Christian Counselor

I read one Christian counselor who stated that if Christian counselors could get their clients to read the Bible on a regular basis, most issues would be resolved. 

Studying the Bible is Good for Your Health, According to a Duke University Study!


A Duke University study of 2391 people who were at least 65 years old found that regular churchgoers who also prayed daily or studied the Bible daily were 40 per cent less likely to have high blood pressure than those who did not. Elderly churchgoers had better mental health and were less likely to have high degrees of a protein associated with age-related illness. (Source: http://www.creationtips.com/christianadvantage.html)


Also, 
Belief in God may significantly improve the outcome of those receiving short-term treatment for psychiatric illness, according to a recent study conducted by McLean Hospital investigators.

In the study, published in the current issue of Journal of Affective Disorders, David H. Rosmarin, PhD, McLean Hospital clinician and instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, examined individuals at the Behavioral Health Partial Hospital program at McLean in an effort to investigate the relationship between patients' level of belief in God, expectations for treatment and actual treatment outcomes.

"Our work suggests that people with a moderate to high level of belief in a higher power do significantly better in short-term psychiatric treatment than those without, regardless of their religious affiliation. Belief was associated with not only improved psychological wellbeing, but decreases in depression and intention to self-harm," explained Rosmarin.

The study looked at 159 patients, recruited over a one-year period. Each participant was asked to gauge their belief in God as well as their expectations for treatment outcome and emotion regulation, each on a five-point scale. Levels of depression, wellbeing, and self-harm were assessed at the beginning and end of their treatment program.

Of the patients sampled, more than 30 percent claimed no specific religious affiliation yet still saw the same benefits in treatment if their belief in a higher power was rated as moderately or very high. Patients with "no" or only "slight" belief in God were twice as likely not to respond to treatment than patients with higher levels of belief.

The study concludes: ." .. belief in God is associated with improved treatment outcomes in psychiatric care. (source April 25, 2013: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130425091606.htm)

- A major booster to belief in God is through the study of the Bible

Belief in "a caring god" improves response to medical treatment for depression, study finds

- Date: February 24, 2010

- Source: Rush University Medical Center

- In patients diagnosed with clinical depression, belief in a concerned god can improve response to medical treatment, according to a new paper.

- In patients diagnosed with clinical depression, belief in a concerned God can improve response to medical treatment, according to a paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

- A total of 136 adults diagnosed with major depression or bipolar depression at inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care facilities in Chicago participated in the study. The patients were surveyed shortly after admission for treatment and eight weeks later, using the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Religious Well-Being Scale -- all standard instruments in the social sciences for assessing intensity, severity and depth of disease and feelings of hopelessness and spiritual satisfaction.

- Response to medication, defined as a 50-percent reduction in symptoms, can vary in psychiatric patients. Some may not respond at all. But the study found that those with strong beliefs in a personal and concerned God were more likely to experience an improvement. Specifically, participants who scored in the top third of the Religious Well-Being Scale were 75-percent more likely to get better with medical treatment for clinical depression.

- The researchers tested whether the explanation for the improved response was linked instead to the feeling of hope, which is typically a feature of religious belief. But degree of hopefulness, measured by feelings and expectations for the future and degree of motivation, did not predict whether a patient fared better on anti-depressants.

- "In our study, the positive response to medication had little to do with the feeling of hope that typically accompanies spiritual belief," said Patricia Murphy, PhD, a chaplain at Rush and an assistant professor of religion, health and human values at Rush University. "It was tied specifically to the belief that a Supreme Being cared."

- "For people diagnosed with clinical depression, medication certainly plays an important role in reducing symptoms," Murphy said. "But when treating persons diagnosed with depression, clinicians need to be aware of the role of religion in their patients' lives. It is an important resource in planning their care."

- George Fitchett, PhD, also a chaplain at Rush and the director of the religion, health and human values program at Rush University, co-authored the study. (Source: Rush University Medical Center. "Belief in a caring god improves response to medical treatment for depression, study finds." 

Source:  ScienceDaily, 24 February 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100223132021.htm)

Now where do we get a good idea that there is a caring God?  From the Bible!  

A God who created us in His image (Genesis 1:26).  

A God who, when we messed up and brought sin, death and destruction upon this Earth and upon ourselves, took the punishment for our sin on the cross and rose victoriously over sin and death for the world that He loved (John 3:16).  

A God who, in the person of Jesus, compassionately healed and fed multitudes of people.  

A God who, when His people got overwhelmed or outgunned or hunted down or persecuted, was there with His people in the thick of it, caring for them, leading them, comforting them and often enough rescuing them.  

Studying the Bible is Good for Your Health, Including the Health of Your Marriage! 

A sociology professor at the University of Virginia, Bradford Wilcox, released the results of research in June 2008 that men who regularly attend Christian services have happier and stronger marriages and are more involved in the lives of their children than men who do not.

“Seventy per cent of husbands who attend church regularly report they are 'very happy' in their marriages, compared to 59 per cent of husbands who rarely or never attend church,” Professor Wilcox said. He added that the studies indicated that wives also experienced more marital happiness when their husbands attended regular religious services.

This seems to be one significant reason why the studies showed that married couples who attended regular Christian services were approximately 35 per cent less likely to divorce then those couples who did not.

(Source:  http://www.creationtips.com/christianadvantage.html)

- And where did people get the idea to attend church services regularly? The Bible

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.   Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV)

- And what is a major component of the time in services spent on? Study of the Bible

Conclusion:  

Since Bible study is good for your health, will you pick up the Bible and read it on a regular basis?  

Mark it up!  That's right.  When something strikes you, underline it, highlight it, put your own title on the page that points to it.  

You might say, I'm not a reader.  Well, there are Bible Cd's and Mp3's.  There are Bible DVD's.  Listen to the Bible.  

Also, get yourself a good study Bible.  This can help you dig a little further with book introductions, notes at the bottom, cross references and a big concordance in the back to look up key words (other verses to look up that speak to the same subject).